A strange energy permeated the southern side of the city. Carts and merchants moved in huge numbers, accompanied by sharp eyed pickpockets and thieves lurking in the alleys, aiming to catch their meal for the day. Jennifer spotted the colorful clothes of the desert merchants, their body draped in enchanted expensive ornaments. Burly Orcs accompanied them, snorting and pushing aside any that got too close. Other Orc guards patrolled the area, in higher numbers than normal, dwarfing any and all that stood in front of them.

It was a side to the city she hadn’t seen before. Not just the new things brought by the merchants but also those that always existed. Like the children in rags that ran carefree as they played on the streets. And the men and women working to erect temporary stalls to sell their wares.

The ringing of metal clinking on metal sounded out, the bustling crowd splitting apart as rows of cages filled with esoteric monsters began to roll by. Guttural growls and roars overwhelmed the bustling crowd as one particularly large Mothbear swiped at the guard next to its cage, causing the people around to recoil.

“A showsss. Not particularly impressive. The deserts have much stronger monstersss, but of course they won’t let them inside city wallss,” Kariss said, watching the caravans roll by.

“It sure is impressive to me. I doubt these folks ever had to deal with monsters. Even I’ve only handled a few when running to Reinolt, or elsewhere outside the walls,” Gavril said, his eyes tracking the passing caravan. Turning toward Kariss, Gavril asked, “Where’s this guy we need to meet?”

“The camps are along the wallss. The merchants as well,” Kariss replied, their tongue flickering out.

“Well, follow along. These parts get nasty when it’s this busy. I know a side way that’ll lead us out quicker. Bit dirty though,” Gavril said, turning to a narrow alley, which was most certainly more than just a bit dirty.

Jennifer glanced at Kariss who walked ahead without any hesitation. Not something she’d expected from a chef owning a luxurious shop like they did.

She followed behind the others as Frills jumped onto her shoulder, chittered with her arms out as she snuggled against her. Jennifer rolled her eyes at the creature. Unable to resist its charm, she dug out a mana core from her pockets, giving it to her.

“You sure are clever, aren’t you Frills?” Jennifer said, rubbing the furry head of the sweet otter as it contently nibbled at the mana core. “What tier is she at?”

“Frillsss? Last I checked she was Tier-2. Water spiritsss like her don’t really go to high tiers, Tier-3 will probably be as high as Frills grows.”

Jennifer nodded at that, smiling as Frills wrapped herself around her neck like a lean furry scarf. The smell of fresh water emanating from the otter helped alleviate the filthy stench that covered the side alleys.

Absently, Jennifer took note of the packed houses. If she'd thought the inner city was crowded, then she'd certainly had her eyes opened by the streets Gavril was leading them down. The houses were stacked, with only a single room or two visible. Most houses were filled with at least four to five people of varied species, unlike the predominantly human inner residential areas. And those were just the occupants she could see.

Jennifer thanked the [Architects] who’d developed the city for expansion decades ago, for the foresight of making a proper sewage and drainage system. She couldn’t imagine what kind of mess this part of the city would be without it. She wondered if the dungeon being under the city had provided a convenient pathway to develop the sewers. Jennifer remembered reading somewhere that the city had one of the largest sewage and sewer systems in the Central plains. A boon for a growing trade city like Lienmont.

“Should be just a bit further, I reckon,” Gavril said. He was proven correct as a path leading on to the main street soon became visible. The hustle and bustle of the area grew as people walked by. The buildings were starting to reduce in numbers, temporary tents, lean-to's and fenced in areas popping up further along the street.

The trio made their way out of the alley, and Jennifer’s eyes went towards the large southern entrance into the city. The walls surrounding Lienmont were tall, even for a city of its size. They rose a hundred feet into the air, towering above all structures besides the Mage tower at the centre of the city.

Her [Enhanced Mana Sense] could detect the embedded and crushed mana stones that had been imbued into the stones, a strengthening enchantment on all of them.

I wonder how the demons ever managed to breach these walls. The city wards can be activated at a moment's notice, and the walls should hold against even the strongest of attacks. For at least a little while.

Jennifer let the thoughts play back in the back of her mind. Her eyes wandered to a row of people entering the city. Wearing only the bare minimum of clothing and tied up in chains these people trudged forward, pulling large cages behind them.

“Are those prisoners?” Jennifer asked, eyeing Kariss.

The Lizardfolk hissed, a frown forming on their reptilian face. “No, they’re [Slaves],” Kariss replied, their reptilian face scrunching up.

Jennifer turned towards the people once more, her eyes wide in surprise. “Wasn’t slavery abolished by the Alliance?”

“There’s a reason why the Ostiri are not a part of the Alliance Jennifer. This being one of them,” Kerris replied with a trailing hiss. “Let’s move. The establishment I mentioned is close.”

“It better be, cuz I ain’t going outta these walls today. Too much hassle without a proper running request,” Gavril muttered.

“It isn’t,” Kariss replied, taking the lead.

Near the walls, amongst the temporary stalls was a place that stood out amongst the others. A large shop with a magical presence surrounding it stood amidst the rest, about as out of place in this location as a noble would be in a slum.

Walking closer, she saw the shop was filled with exotic goods, and monster parts she hadn’t seen before. A brown skinned man stood inside, the left side of his face covered in drake-like scales that extended all the way to his chest and left arm.

Is that an Ostiri mutation?

“Good to see you Kariss! Planning a trip to the south by any chance?” the shopkeeper exclaimed upon noticing them.

“Not quite, I’ve decided to settle down in Lienmont for now. Finally got my shop running up in the central partsss.”

“Ah, good to hear. I see you've brought other folks as well. What can I help you with?”

“Well, I’d like some Drak’lit meat as usual, and some other items. But before that, Jennifer here has something she’d like to sell to you. She’sss been a lifesaver. When my cooling enchantments broke after the earthquake, she arrived just in time to get everything running again. So I thought I’d bring her to you, to get her a fair price.”

“Certainly, certainly. What do you have to sell, miss?” the man asked, his eyes flicking over her. Jennifer walked closer trying to ignore the scales and the single reptilian eye of the man, as she dug out her light affinity core.

“I picked this up inside the dungeon, in a light affinity biome,” Jennifer said, handing the core to the man.

“Ah, a light affinity core. Rare, but not extremely so. You’ve certainly found a large one though miss, I must say. I think I can get this carved and sold for a decent price,” the shop keeper said, before invoking a skill. “[Value Appraisal]”

“Oho, crystal affinity as well. I’d missed that. Well, since you're with my friend Kariss, let's see." The man paused for a moment, one hand trailing over the scales on his arm as he twirled it back and forth. "I’ll be willing to buy this for 87 gold pieces. That's my best offer, I'm afraid.”

“By Elphion’s Damned Name, 87 gold pieces? Are you sure you don’t mean silver?” Gavril spluttered, staring with wide eyes. Even Jennifer felt that the price was extremely generous.

The shopkeeper laughed, his thick belly jumping in a comical manner. “It may seem a lot to you young man. But with proper carving and enchantment I can make five sets of jewelery from this and earn well over 500 gold. With the right carver, who I may know. I’m just giving the miss the worth of the affinity core.”

Jennifer sucked in a breath, nodding. “How about 85 gold pieces and you give me an enchanted pouch with an anti-theft enchantment on it?” Jennifer said to which the man nodded, waving his hands as a sack appeared in his hand.

He held it out to her as he added. "Just keep me in mind if you find any more of these, yes? A fair price can be hard to come by."

When Jenn nodded, he dropped the bag into her hand. “Just send your mana through the bag and it’ll register you as the owner. It’s a small enchanted bag of holding. Not too big, but enough to keep the coins safe. Which is what I'm guessing you need?”

Jennifer nodded in thanks, picking up the pouch and adding it to the belt on her waist, taking time to ensure it wasn't going to fall off.

“I have to ask, why are you setting up shop out here in the slums? I would think a [Merchant] like you could easily get a shop in a more inner area?” Jennifer asked the shopkeeper.

The man laughed, the smile turning slightly awkward. “Well, as you can probably tell. I’m from Ostiri. And the curse didn’t take kindly to me. It’s tough to find people in the inner city who’d do business with me. The Alliance also levies much stricter taxes on us, so a shop may cause me to take a loss.”

Jennifer stood silently at that, deciding to simply nod back.

“Well, it’s not a worry. There’s plenty of trade to be had out here as well, and in other cities. The lizardfolk welcome me, seeing how I have these scales and all,” the shopkeeper said with a grin showing off their left razor like teeth.

“And that you are a good merchant as wellsss, the scales help though,” Kariss added with a hiss before turning towards Jennifer. “I’ll be here talking to Raznir for a whiless. If you need anything else Jennifer, feel free to reach out,” Kariss said as Frills jumped off her shoulder and onto Kariss’.

“Thank you, Kariss. Thank you both,” Jennifer said. The Lizardfolk nodded, Frills waving at them as they parted. The two of them left the establishment, making their way onto the streets.

“Well, miss I’m-flithy-rich now. What’re you gonna do with all that money?” Gavril asked, folding his arms.

Jennifer looked around at the busy street, before she replied with a scowl. “Why’re you announcing that to everyone you idiot?”

“I ain’t you, I used a skill,” Gavril replied with a shrug.

“Fine. And I don’t know. I’ll think about it, we’ll split up the money at Master’s place,” Jennifer replied to the boy, who seemed content with her answer.

Loud noises came from near the southern entrance. Jennifer turned towards the commotion to find a familiar woman standing next to the caravan, her massive bow jutting above the crowd like a stick poking out of a river of people.

“How much. Is all I’m asking you. Do not test my patience any further [Slaver],” Anghul growled like a beast. The man in front of her recoiled from her presence. Normally Jenn would’ve pitied anyone forced to tackle Anghul’s aura head on, but she had no pity for a Slaver.

“T-they’re not for sale,” the man mumbled and Jennifer felt Anghul’s aura even from this far away. The man in front of her collapsed to his knees, gasping for air and Anghul kneeled in front of the man.

“The fact that you’ve come in front of me, and managed to live this far should be a surprise to you already. Do. Not. Test. Me.” Anghul's hands shifted to her bow. But the way she grasped it reminded Jenn more of how Nathaniel taught her to hold a quarterstaff during that failed part of her training.

Jennifer saw a few people running off, already calling the guards while others watched with their breath held. A pair of Orcs strolled over, towering above Anghul with their curved swords drawn.

“The caravan is owned by the Tribe head of Ostiri. Stand down adventurer, he isn’t someone you want to mess with,” the Orc guard said, picking up the merchant who seemed to have fainted.

“I’m surprised you have the gall to bring [Slaves] into Alliance territory. You want to know someone who you shouldn’t mess with? Let me show you,” Anghul said, as a dark aura manifested around her.

She grabbed the hand of the Orc guard, as the big hulking figure tried to pull back. A loud crack reverberated through the streets as the Orc stumbled to its knees, its green face taking on a purple hue.

“We need to get out of here,” Gavril whispered. Jennifer turned towards the boy, but found her eyes drifting away from the fight, and towards the large cages standing behind, covered by a large cloth. Something flickered at the edge of her vision and she sensed a faint pulse of mana travel from the cage. A strange suspicion started to build in her mind.

“I need to check something, Gavril,” Jennifer said, slipping past the crowd as she entered a side alley. She heard Gavril muttering as he entered the alley behind her, but found her mind too occupied to pay attention.

“What’re you trying to do, booksie? Don’t tell me you have some dumb idea like trying to free those [Slaves]. I know it looks horrible but-”

“No, I feel bad for them. But I’m not dumb enough to go against slavers in the open. It’s something else. A faint pulse of mana. It’s so weak, I can barely sense it. But it’s coming from the caravans for sure. Something feels off, Gavril, and I need to have a look.”

Gavril stared at her, frowning. “This isn't like you Jenn. You don’t randomly jump into things like this for no reason. You’ve been avoiding Rumina as well.”

Jennifer sighed, brushing her hair aside. “I’ll tell you one of these days, but I can’t share right now. For your own sake. If you don’t want to come along, that’s fine.”

“No, I’ll follow. I know these parts a lot more than you, and unlike you, I know when to run when trouble knocks. It’s even in my class name,” Gavril replied with a toothy smile.

“Alright then, help me get close so that I can send this in.” A glass mirror floated above her hand as she spun the Glass Mirror spell together.

Gavril nodded, as he rolled his shoulders. “[Sneaking Steps]” the boy intoned.

Jennifer felt the skill dampening sound. Her steps were muffled, her breath as if passing through a thick blanket.

The two headed through the side alleys, turning through the filthy pathways as they arrived at the edge of the wall to where the long line of the caravan was entering from.

“Keep an eye out,” Jennifer said to Gavril, as she stopped behind a wall, peeking into the main street. She guided her little mirror out into the street, keeping it low to the ground to avoid catching anyone’s eye.

The mirror floated by, as more and more guards headed towards Anghul, creating a nice distraction. Jennifer closed her eyes, observing from the mirror’s perspective. The cloth covering the cages rustled and she angled the mirror to have a peek inside.

Jennifer felt a spell reflect off of her Mirror’s Eye, almost disconnecting her link. She focused on the spell covering the cage, undoing the strands of mana fairly quickly as the weak illusion started to dissolve. People sat in the cages, their bodies twisted with strange growths covering them. Yet unlike Raznir with his left scaly arm and face, these people seemed to have turned into… something else entirely. Their bodies were overtaken by monstrous mutations, no shred of intelligence evident in their eyes.

Someone is smuggling these creatures in… Are they even human? How did they become like this?

A sickening feeling filled her gut as she looked at the humanoid faces. But if there was any semblance of a person left inside them, then she couldn't detect it.

Jennifer poured mana into her spell, extending the range of her [Enhanced Mana Sense] as far as she could. She focused on the strange pulse travelling from the cage. Miniscule threads of mana ran across the Ostiri people inside the cages, an almost invisible spell link forming. Jennifer tried to detect the spell component with her skills when her vision turned dark and the connection to her mirror was cut.

Jennifer stumbled at being thrown back into her body’s perspective. The world spun for a brief moment as she tried to catch herself. A knife-like presence started to grow in her mind, rising like a flooding tide as it shot towards her.

Jennifer felt her body freeze, icy terror flooding her veins as the familiar presence started to seek her out. Stiffly she turned her neck, and found dark green eyes turning towards her, a dark tattoo on his shoulder. Jennifer felt as if her heart had stopped for a moment as the man crushed her mirror in his hand.

The [Sand Mage] stared back at her with eyes cold as ice.