Melody led Dall across the town, her body stiff and mechanical. He had asked her if she could remove her hood, to which she did reluctantly. Her blonde hair flowed freely behind her. He got in front of her and stared into her emerald green eyes.
Yup, she's a Light Elf.
His eyes drifted lower and found a particular symbol tattooed into her neck - the symbol of a slave. Consisting of intricate circles and lines, the sign of a slave was commonplace.
It was to be expected from someone of her race, but Dall's heart stirred nonetheless. If he could, he'd have freed her right on the spot.
“Melody, how old are you?” he asked.
“Seven,” she said. “I’m seven.” She didn’t have an accent compared to other Light Elves. She spoke swiftly and clearly. She must have been born here in Cervil, far from her home and far from her people.
A child so young to be here... what the hell?
“Do you know why Garnell called me?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’m not allowed to know.”
Dall tightened his fists and put a hand to his sword. Another injustice in the world stood before him, and he couldn’t do anything about it.
The Greatsword District had pushed for the dismantling of slavery since its foundation. None too many in the Empire agreed with Lupin’s goals of completely tearing down the ideals of the 'superior' human race, so slavery of the non-humans remained a common practice throughout.
Dall himself agreed with his father’s perspective on the matter. After all, the district’s capital, Pasia City, welcomed any and all, regardless of gender or race. How couldn’t he be against slavery when so many of his and his father’s close friends were the ‘slaves’ themselves.
They briskly walked down the cobblestone road, the soft thud of their boots disrupting the silence. They eventually came upon the town square.
Dall grimaced at the sight before him. He had chosen to ignore it before, but he couldn't now. Atop the lustrous, marble fountain sat a greater-than-life statue of Lupin Greatsword. The bronze statue stood triumphantly, water gushing from the tip of the sword raised high in the air. An eroded bell hung from the other hand. A long rope dangled from insider it and reached all the way down.
Vendors set up shop around, exhibiting various goods. Small, triangular flags boasting the Greatsword insignia hung from ropes strung across the buildings.
The town physically seemed to be more festive than the day before. Bright and vibrant colors spruced up the cloth and fabric hung around. Melody gazed around with wide, twinkling eyes. However, some people going about their business paused to glare at her.
Someone clicked their tongue. "Someone get that freak out of here."
"Can't even deal with all of this crap without a bunch of Tree-Lovers walking around."
Dall, in turn, glared back, silencing all of them. They looked away in a panic. Just because she’s not a human… such cruelty…
He believed the towns in the Greatsword district would follow its leader’s principles, but that clearly wasn’t the case.
She quickly bit her lip and looked down at the ground.
“It’s the festival for the Eldest Princess,” Dall said, patting her back. She turned to look at him. He smiled and continued. “It’s her twenty-fourth birthmonth. She’s going to visit this town soon. And when she does, a big party’s gonna happen.”
Her eyes gleamed. “Really?” she asked with an innocent smile.
“Absolutely. If you want, we can go around and enjoy it when she arrives.”
Then her smile disappeared, and her eyes grew dark. “I’m not allowed to,” she said, tapping her nape.
“Who’s your owner, Melody?”
She shook her head. She looked up at him and rubbed her left arm.
Dall took the hint and asked, “Can I take a look?” She nodded and he rolled up her sleeve. Etched into her roughened and pale skin was the emblem of a noble he was familiar with. Dall glared at it and whispered, “The Barbas family…” She nodded meekly. “Are they here?”
“Master left the town a couple of days ago. He didn’t tell me where he was going. And I don't have any orders...”
He pondered for a moment. “He must’ve gone to Pasia.” She quivered. He bent down and put a hand on her head. “Considering what you’ve just done, the Slave Mark might not be that strong. If you ever need help, go to Garnell.”
She smiled. “I know. He told me that already!” She threw her hand up in the air.
“And if I’m ever in town again, you can come to me too. You can trust me.”
Melody cocked her head to the side and asked, “Why are you so nice to me, mister Dall?”
“Why shouldn’t I?” he told her. “You haven’t done anything wrong, right?” She giggled and hugged him. His eyebrows rose.
“Thank you!” she said, her eyes watering.
They continued down the path, the smiling Melody happily holding Dall’s hand.
She eventually led him to the town's prison building.
They stood before a rather small, simple building. Stacks of reddened bricks made up its exterior, and gray tiles acted as its roof. No windows. No chimney. Dall had always found it unusual.
He walked up to the door and entered it.
The wooden floor creaked as he stepped in. On his left, Garnell sat on a simple chair, and on his right was a counter with someone in a uniform behind it. Nothing more filled the room.
Garnell stood and approached him. “I’m glad you came,” he said. He looked to Melody. “Good job.” He ruffled her soft hair and she smiled. “Take this and get on out of here. Julian’s looking for you.” She bowed her head, said goodbye, and exited the building.
“So what did you need, Garnell?” Dall asked. “Why here?”
“Follow me.”
Dall quizzically narrowed his eyes and nodded. Garnell turned and addressed the man behind the counter.
He wore a black suit and a brown hat sat on his head. He walked around and stepped into the corner of the room.
He put his hand on the ground and whispered something. Then, with a green glow, the wood melted, and the ground molded into a set of stairs leading down into a chamber.
“Without a magic tool?” Dall’s eyes widened.
The man smiled. He bowed and gestured towards the stairs.
“His name’s Sion,” Garnell said. “I set him free a couple of weeks ago. Light Elf from the Western Union.”
“Same as Melody…” Dall said.
“Indeed. Now come.”
The three of them walked down, their steps echoing in the darkness. The opening above shut closed, and the stairs behind them sealed back up one by one. A single light flickered below them. The closeness of the walls and the long, looming steps chilled his spine.
The criminals in the Greatsword District were very unfortunate. Bereft of natural air and light… Dall knew that he wouldn’t last long in this unnatural place.
They came upon a vast, circular chamber. Cells lined the stone walls, holding within them its prisoners. A rancid stench invaded his nostrils, but Dall forged through. A couple of the prisoners to his right leaped up and slammed themselves against their cells. "Let us out of here, brat," one said.
“Go to hell, you bastards,” another called out. Others jeered similar insults.
Garnell ignored the heckling and led Dall to a certain cell. “This is what.”
A girl...?
She sat in the bed chained to the wall, glaring at the stone wall in front of her. A strange sensation ran through his body as he got closer to her cell. His heart spiked and his throat went dry. For a split second, he thought he looked at a monster, but once he came back to his senses, he stopped.
How large is her Soul?
Shifting around in her prisoner's garb, she turned towards them and stood.
She threw her hands on the bars separating them. “I’m sorry. I’ve made a mistake. I won’t do it again, so please let me go.”
“This girl ‘attacked’ me all of a sudden when I tried speaking with her,” Garnell said.
“It was a mistake, seriously,” she said, bowing her head.
He looked into her dark brown eyes. She seemed like a normal human. A couple of bruises and cuts ran along her tanned skin, and her long, chestnut hair frayed about. She stood confidently, but her shaking legs caught his attention.
“That’s all she’s here for?” Dall asked, turning a curious eye to Garnell.
“The people indeed made quite a ruckus, and I was planning on letting her go after speaking with her but…”
Garnell took her right arm and pulled it out of the cell. She yelped as he forced her sleeve up. Dall glared at it, his heart racing. The symbol of a flower with a dagger for its stem burned into her upper right arm. This would've usually warranted a small amount of suspicion, but something more caught his eye. Intricate circles surrounded it. Dall held his breath and clenched his fists.
Someone cursed sat in front of him.
The Eldred Slave Mark represented someone forfeited of life.
“She’s an Eldred Slave.”
She yanked her arm back and glared at them. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I swear to God or whatever that I’m not a bad person.”
Dall paused. The name 'Eldred' was enough to churn his stomach, but her position as a slave stirred the opposite emotion. He steeled his nerves. Garnell called him for a reason, so he had to remain neutral. He couldn’t let his personal feelings get in the way. “Even if she is one, why call me?” Dall asked.
“I… am not one for negotiation,” Garnell said. He rubbed his large hands together. “And her being here, without a Master, alone, is worrying. I was hoping you could speak to her.”
“Understood,” Dall said. “Let me do it then.”
Garnell nodded and thanked him. “She may be too reluctant if there are too many of us. I will go back to the surface. Take as long as you need.”
Dall walked up to the cell to get closer to her. Every step made his feet go numb, his head aching by the second. A product of two of the worst things in the Empire stood before him.
He thought to begin slowly, rather than pressure her straight out. “What are you doing here in our District?” he asked.
“I’m asking myself that question.” She sighed. She got closer as well and met him eye-to-eye. A waft of an unusual, sweet aroma touched his nose. “But let me tell you now that I’m not here for trouble. I just want to get out of here.”
He narrowed his eyes. “If you could, can you let me see your brand?”
In a flash, she darted to the wall behind her and pressed her back against it. She glared at him with wild eyes and demanded, “How do you know about that?!” Dall stared at her, befuddled.
“Your brand. That,” Dall said, pointing at her arm.
She kept her malicious gaze on him before blinking rapidly. “Yeah,” she said. She gritted her teeth and slapped herself. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to offend.” She anxiously held her arm out.
He took hold of it, and she jolted backward a little. She blinked and apologized once more. She shivered as he held her arm.
The hybrid Eldred Slave Mark was definitely burned into her skin, but something felt different.
She spoke freely. Nothing seemed to be restraining her. Dall narrowed his eyes and breathed softly, "Deep Sight".
The room instantly blackened. White lines sprouted from beneath him, outlining the walls and people around him. He glanced around, noting the black and gray nature of the other criminals' outlies. But as he gazed at this girl's outline, her outline glowed white.
Her Soul is fine, he thought. Nothing looks like it's affecting her. That's weird...
The Eldred Slave Mark is much more powerful than normal ones, and they usually rob the victim of their senses. They could only truly function when ordered by their master. It was possible she was ordered to act like this, but it felt too natural, unlike the mechanical nature of a brainwashed slave. He deactivated Deep Sight and nodded.
“No, I’m sorry,” he said. He let go. “How long have you been branded?”
The word seemed to sting for her. She twitched as he said it. “For a day,” she said, composing herself.
“A day…?”
“Yeah. I ran away right after they messed up my arm.”
He cocked his head to the side. “You ran away, and got here in a day?” he asked. He put a finger to his chin. “The nearest Eldred city housing facilities to brand a slave is past Lake Silea. That’s more than a week’s travel from here.”
The girl frowned. “I wasn’t in a city.” What she said caught him off guard. “I was in a forest hideout or something. Hey, I’m helping out here, can you let me go?”
“In the forest?” Dall asked, a strange feeling swirling in his stomach. Before he could piece his thoughts together, a light shone behind him. He turned around, finding Sion coming down the stairs. He gestured up the stairs. Dall nodded and looked at the girl. “I forgot. What’s your name?”
“My name’s Ava,” she said quickly. As soon as she said it, she looked confused. She shook her head and said, “How about you, tall guy?”
“Dall,” he said. “I’ll come by later to ask you more questions.”
“If it’ll help me get out faster, come by as many times as you’d like,” she said with a smile.
He blinked.
How could…
Her bright smile was unlike anything he’d seen before. “I guess I will,” he said.
He turned to exit the room, and followed after Sion.
Ava, huh?
When he emerged from the chamber and walked out of the Jail, his stomach sank.
Sitting on a gallant and majestic horse was a young man with dark brown hair and pale blue eyes looking down and speaking with Garnell.
The man glanced up and smiled at Dall. “Hello their young heir. Pleasant seeing you here.”
Oliver Eldred, eldest son of the Eldred family, was here, and Dall found it difficult not to throw a fist in his face.
