I estimate that war and crime displace thousands in Garbrandt every month. It has no small amount of citizens wishing to immigrate to other kingdoms, but the dangers imposed on travel make it difficult to do so. Many gangs have smuggled humans into other kingdoms through underground channels at exorbitant prices; but those who paid to be transported safely end up being sold off as slaves or killed by rampant monster hordes. The percentage that actually makes it to other kingdoms is but a mere fraction and those who survive are often forced to work in indentured servitude to pay off their debts. This begs the question; should we as a kingdom open up methods for immigration? In order to combat the declining population rates and improve economic activity, I believe that instating a rehousing program for those displaced would benefit not just the Ailach Kingdom, but the citizens who wish to lead a better life in our territories.

~ A proposal from an Ailach scholar, date unknown

Alvis and his group ran together, playing a simple game of tag as they nimbly ran past the populated areas of the street. A purple flag with a lightning bolt flew freely overhead.

The bunch dressed in clothes and rags that barely fit them, worn down beyond repair. They didn’t care; it didn’t stop them from having fun. They smiled and laughed as they tried to avoid each other while darting past the larger adults with relative ease. With slight turns of their shoulder and strategic placements of their feet, they slipped through the crowd with movements slicker than oil.

Some of the adults glanced at them with mild interest, others with dark stares that belied nefarious intentions. None of them acted nor interacted with the children, moving away when they got close and tightening their hold on belongings. Although they were only adolescents, it was foolish to assume they were harmless. Much of the crowd noticed weapons peeking out from their waistbands. The young boy double-checked to make sure the dagger hidden under his shirt was secure before continuing along the beaten path.

"Catch me if you can!" He said with a light voice. A tiny scar along his lip was prominent as he smiled brightly at the children trying to catch up with him.

Alvis' brown eyes landed on a peculiar duo not too far from where he was. They had the same, ragged attire that nearly everyone in the city had. It lacked any signifying emblem, nothing which indicated they were part of a gang. What Alvis prioritized was their larger-than-average bags strapped to their backs. That glance lasted for no longer than a split second, and he moved closer and closer in a non-linear path toward them while taunting his playmates.

He could see the bottom halves of their faces peeking under the hood; they both looked on the older side, with one of the hooded figures having scruffy facial hair and scars along his Adam's apple. The boy looked around as though he were searching for someone when in reality he was confirming his friend's relative positions.

Three of them stood quietly using people as a cover, waiting for Alvis to initiate the action.

The obscured group was seemingly unaware of his existence, trudging through the crowd leisurely. Not a twitch or glance at the boy playing tag with his group of friends. It wasn't until Alvis was within arms reach that he made his move.

"You're it!"

He smiled at the men as he finally got their attention, their steps froze in place and confusion took hold for a brief moment as they tried to understand what the boy was talking about.

Three children of varying ages immediately sprung from the crowd and dug into the bags with expert-like grace and fluidity. The pockets and compartments were sifted through in one smooth motion. Alvis and his group didn't even know what they took, grabbing the first thing their hands touched before running off. Each of them managed to snag an item. Their ploy had worked with beautiful results.

The shouts and yells of the two victims of theft could be heard, but before they could even turn the three had already vanished into the crowd with loot in their hands.

Alvis enjoyed the thrill of big winnings like these. As he and his entourage darted out into small alleys that only children and midgets could fit into, they spoke to each other.

"Nice going, gang. Let's settle down 'ere and see what we've got."

He swiped the sweat from his brow as their pace slowed down. The boys and girls all looked at each other with a sense of accomplishment. Together, they all dropped the sacs they collected and opened them up. It was filled with numerous items, and Alvis pulled one out and observed.

????

???? ????

It was an orb, unlike anything he'd seen before. It let out light at regular intervals, giving him a sense of unease. Before Alvin could say anything it began expelling a green gas that covered their surroundings. His entire world became a blur as he lost his sense of balance. With his fading consciousness, he could see that the rest of his friends had fallen prey to the mysterious gas expelled by the orb.

'No...'

The silence became deafening until footsteps could be heard loud and clear behind his head. Alvis couldn't muster the strength to turn and see who was there before his vision faded into blissful darkness.

He opened his eyes blearily to his unconscious groupmates all chained to a stone pillar. The floor was grimy and moist, making the boy wrinkle his nose. Alvis shifted his shoulder around and quickly noticed that his arms were bound in an uncomfortable position, with them stretched out behind his back while he faced forward.

'Tch. My knife's been taken.'

The boy didn't despair. He took off one of his sandals and fiddled with it using his feet. A small gap in between revealed an even smaller dagger that fit between the thick layers of his sandal's midsole. Unlike the one that had been seized, this one was made from a more premium metal; mithril. The greenish tint of the perpetually sharp weapon showed just how well it looked despite the lack of proper maintenance. It was one of his greatest treasures.

With extreme care and dexterity, Alvis held it in between his toes and slowly slid it over to where his hands were. He lowered them until he could just barely reach out for the knife and grab it. This required increasingly uncomfortable contortions. The young thief twisted his hand till he could comfortably begin sawing away at the chains binding him. From what he could tell, it was just regular metal and wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight against his mithril blade.

Alvis knew time was a luxury he couldn't afford and frantically sawed away at the chains. Even when his forearms cramped up in agony he gritted his teeth and continued. He and his friends were in grave danger.

'If I make it out here, I'm telling Bentham I told you so. Always called me a paranoid bastard for keeping emergency weapons hidden away like this.' He thought to himself quietly.

SNAP!

The chains rattled to the floor and he winced, worried that the sound would garner someone's attention. To his relief, nobody came. He stared at the door for a few more seconds before beginning to make his way toward the rest of his companions and started the process of breaking them free.

They didn't wake up too long after that. Alvis freed them all while keeping an ear out for any presence beyond the door. Upon awakening, the lone female of their group spoke worriedly to their de facto leader. Her amber eyes inspected the entire room with apprehension, noticing darkened blood stains along the room.

"Do you know where we are?"

"No. Just focus on getting out of here, alright? Sheila, go and help him up."

He was the oldest in their group, almost fourteen years old. Every one of them listened obediently to his instructions, knowing it wasn't the time to play around.

With their entire group light on their toes, he poked his head out to see a long, winding hallway that lead up to a flight of stairs. It was eerily quiet, and every step they made was enhanced by the quietness of the halls. The four children began making their way past the doors with Alvis in the lead. He slowed down upon reaching one of the entrances to the other rooms. He cautiously peeked his head in and paled.

Despite looking like he had seen an unholy apparition, he continued to move forward and they assumed the coast was clear. Sheila was the last in line and couldn't help but take a look at the room inside. It was dark and hard to make anything out, but she could barely stifle a scream upon seeing what was contained within.

Human cadavers. Chained to the wall like a butcher's shop. She could barely make out their faces but twisted her face away from the interior to avoid any further details. Her breath was unsteady as she passed by the entryway, not daring to breathe through her nose. Her heart thudded out of her chest with every step that she took. Sheila hoped they would come out here alive.

Alvis' grip on his mithril blade tightened until his knuckles turned white. Every time they passed by a corridor, he had to look inside to make sure the coast was clear and subjected himself to horrible sights of mutilated corpses and harvested organs. Nevertheless, he did so, knowing that their safety depended on his actions. He wouldn't let them die.

STEP

He waited with bated breath, almost expecting someone to swing the door open and strike. Every muscle in his body was tense, just waiting to explode into action at any moment.

STEP

Alvis' had sweat dripping down his face. All their weapons had been seized apart from his, and he knew nobody but him could put up a fight against an adult. Their levels were low; having only killed stray animals for food. Only he had experience with combat against other humans.

STEP

Their eyes were wide and alert. Sheila turned her head as if the corpses from the other rooms were about to crawl out and attack. When all she saw was darkness, it only increased her unease. The two boys in front of her had their arms wide in an open stance, balancing themselves carefully as they tiptoed up the steps.

Alvis finally reached the doorway. He slowly opened the door, cracking it open to confirm if there were enemies beyond it. It gave way pretty easily, although the creaking noise was extremely lo-

"Going somewhere, are you?"

The teen only had a split-second to register someone was in front of him before he yelled out and barrelled into the door. He pushed past the man blocking the doorway and shouted for his group to escape through the gap. They scrambled for the exit, entering a separate floor with a dingy atmosphere. Many knick-knacks and items were laying around but none of them dared to take them. The only thing on their mind was survival and retreat.

"Oh, no you don't!"

Alvis stumbled as someone grabbed him by his foot. He tried to stab at the hand gripping his ankle but was met with firm resistance. His group noticed him fall and went to help but he screamed at them to go. He watched as the rest of the children ran for their life.

A massive man stepped in front of the doorway, blocking their path. He was bald with thick facial hair and scars along his neck. It was the same man they had robbed earlier. Alvis turned to look at the person who had prevented him from getting away, and he was almost certain it was the second hooded figure they had stolen from as well. He had greasy, brown hair and a hooked nose. Despite being on the slimmer side, his strength surpassed Alvis' own by a wide margin.

The teen kicked and struggled. With limited options, he bit at the hand holding down his arm until he broke through the skin and into flesh. Blood entered his mouth but Alvis bit harder and harder until the man let go.

"Aaargh!"

Alvis flew forward before the bald man could lay a hand on his group. His attempt was felled by a backhand that launched him into the wall, breaking down a shelf in the process.

He struggled to get himself together, feeling a hot liquid drip from his back and soak the ragged shirt. Seeing the shattered glass fragments on the floor, Alvis realized there were likely shards embedded in his back.

'What the hell?'

It was rare for a man of that strength and power to walk around without any affiliations with a gang. Alvis knew there was little chance of him overwhelming the adults on his own to allow for his group to escape.

The boy could guess his ribs had cracked from the immense pain in his chest every time he tried to breathe. Before he could get up, the greasy man from before pinned him down, crushing his wrist until he let go of the mithril blade.

All the children couldn't put up much of a fight. With them all restrained, the kidnappers began talking amongst themselves.

"-ouldn't have trusted the labels. 'Said it was going to knock them out for twelve hours guaranteed."

The bald man replied with a shrug. His deep, booming voice resonated through the room. "At least it works remotely as they said. What do we do with 'em, Cozbi?"

Alvis could feel himself being raised. The grip on his wrists was like iron and prevented him from getting away as the greasy man named Cozbi eyed the thief with a sadistic smile.

"This one's too old. We'll be harvesting him. Put the girl in a separate room; they'll pay a pretty bronze piece for her. The rest of the lot will go as they are."

"Don't you dare-!"

SMACK

Alvis could taste blood after the harsh slap delivered by their kidnapper. He forcefully brought his face to the boy's cupping his chin in a firm grip. The stench of body odor was repugnant and made the teen want to hurl his guts out.

"Listen." When the boy averted his eyes, it seemed to trigger Cozbi. The force on his jaw intensified and Alvis couldn't help but scream in pain. "LOOK AT ME YOU FUCKING STREET RAT!"

The teen made eye contact with him, still holding some defiance within his orbs despite the agony he was in. Alvis wheezed painfully before spitting on the man's hooked nose. Cozbi responded by breaking one of the boy's fingers.

A guttural scream made it out of his throat. Alvis could only hope someone would hear from outside. But deep down he knew nobody would come to their rescue.

"Just for that, how about I take another finger? Maybe I'll even-"

"Cozbi. Don't damage them too much." His partner warned. The children in his grip trembled violently, watching as their leader was being brutally maimed in front of them.

Cozbi scoffed. "You're saying that? Gello, you sent him flying across the room. Don't even get me started on what you did to the last ones."

Gello laughed at the small joke. His beady eyes wandered to the firm grip he had on the hostages. Sheila shivered at the cold, uncaring eyes when they landed on her. His dirty, unkempt beard and burly arms smelled sour and tangy, like onions.

"Gotta be careful. Gotta be careful." He muttered to himself.

Cozbi turned to the boy and grinned. "You're last. You can watch your friends here get broken in before we can sell them off."

The man's breath could be felt in Alvis' ears. The boy's eyes widened as Cozbi explained what would happen to his friends. To the children who trusted him. He struggled even more, ignoring the increasing pain in his chest while inching his way toward the children. Their terrified eyes trembled upon seeing Alvis struggle relentlessly against his restraints.

'I can't. I can't. I can't let them go there!'

During a moment of complete despair and suffering, tears formed between the corners of his eyes. Cozbi seemed to relish in the boy's misery; a wicked monster that derived pleasure from inflicting pain upon others.

"SOMEONE!! HELP! PLEASE!" Alvis' voice went hoarse trying to scream. He hoped his voice would reach somewhere outside. It was a vain hope, he knew nobody asked questions in the city. No one did anything out of compassion. But with no options available, he could only beg for someone to rescue them.

"Keep shouting, kid. It's not as fun witho-"

An explosion rocked the large man blocking the doorway. The destruction opened up the building to reveal a dark, cloudless sky. Pieces of the roof fell, and the children narrowly avoided them thanks to their kidnapper taking the brunt of the damage. Cozbi kept the boy in front of him, using him as a meatshield while addressing the unknown assailants. Their silhouettes were difficult to see due to the plume of dust.

"Who the fuck are you guys?! Do you know who we are?! GRRK!"

Any further speech was silenced as metal gauntlets crushed his windpipe. Alvis turned his head to see an unfamiliar, curly-haired man strangling the life out of his kidnapper with rage-filled eyes.

"Don't worry. We'll have all night to talk things out."