“It’s often hard to tell what would make a person turn resolute and make a stand. The way situations interact with their psyche differs from individual to individual, so replicating scenarios aren’t too useful for this purpose. One way or another, it is often a decisive moment for a person to make a stand, often one that would shape the rest of their life.” - Bosforus Rheson, philosopher and scholar of the mind from Clangeddin, circa 428 VA.

“So how are we going about things?” asked Kino to Aideen with some nervousness. There was a difference between what they were doing now – taking on a slave trader and his ilk in the middle of a place where what they were doing was legal – and fighting bandits or killing people on a battlefield. For one, Kino had difficulties separating the perpetrators and those not involved, in the current situation.

“That is technically Eilonwy’s call to make since this is an operation where her type would be in charge,” replied Aideen with a nod towards her grand niece. “What do your lessons tell you about situations like these, Eilo?”

“Assume all resisting people to be either employed by or related to the target. Their ‘merchandise’ is to be spared where possible, and enemies who flee are to be considered low priority unless the situation called for a complete extermination,” recited Eilonwy quickly, with a firm tone. “Just because they allow things we find abhorrent doesn’t mean we should tolerate it, though it is also advisable to have an exit strategy ready in such cases.”

“We’re about to leave this place anyway, so I guess this is good timing on their part,” replied Kino with a nod. “Though I do have to say that I won’t miss this place much at all. Honestly surprised me that Master Farouq and his family could stomach staying here a whole year at a time.”

“They’re merchants, they’re used to ‘fit in’ with the locals for profit even if they personally find the locals abhorrent. That said, you heard it from him, not even his family find this place a good one,” said Aideen. “Just goes to show how much of a shithole your place is when not even the foreign merchants stay for more than obligation.”

“Ah, we’re here. This is the right address, yes?” asked Eilonwy as the one captive pointed to an opulent-looking mansion across the street with trembling hands. Fortunately it was already dark and the people of Oajib didn’t have the habit of leaving their homes at night. Otherwise the sight of the nine headless bodies that ringed their captive would have alerted many.

“Those guards are loudly proclaiming that this is the house of the venerable Ghoulam Al-Surad, so I’d say so,” replied Aideen. “As we discussed, I won’t directly do much other than help with the captives we find. The rest will be for the two of you to handle.”

“Got it,” replied Kino and Eilonwy at the same time. Even as she said the words, Eilonwy brought two of her skeletons out of storage and had them grab the gate guards by the throat, easily lifting the two burly men off their feet. Given how the two had been yelling earlier, chances were that the people inside were already somewhat alerted, so trying to stealth it out was not really in the question.

Instead, Eilonwy summoned her strongest undead, the Death Knight, and had it kick the gates open through sheer brute force, then sent in the nine zombies that dragged their captive along with them. The zombies were pretty much disposable weaklings anyway, and the captive had already outlived his purpose. Besides, they had only told him that he gets to live, not that they’d protect him from his own fellows.

A flurry of arrows quickly sprouted from the bodies of both the zombies and said captive as the guards inside reacted to the intrusion, dropping all of them on the spot. The zombies could have handled that level of damage without issue, but Eilonwy saw no point in wasting mana on them anymore and just allowed them to drop once they got damaged.

She made use of the distraction they caused to send in her skeletons instead. The eleven skeletons descended into the mansion’s front yard like wraiths and quickly disabled all the guards present, disarming them and knocking them out cold. That allowed the three women to stroll in like they owned the place as there was nobody left in the yard to contest their entry.

Inside the yard, they saw a sight that infuriated them simultaneously within a place that was likely a shack for the guards to rest in. Namely the presence of two chained-up young women in the shack, without a shred of clothing between them, all exhibiting signs of abuse. After Aideen healed the women and had a quick talk with them, they learned that the women had apparently made a mistake and displeased the “great master” so he had thrown them to the guards as playthings instead.

Eilonwy immediately responded to that revelation by having her skeletons go around and finish off all the guards she had disabled earlier. She hadn’t gone for the kill at first in case some of the guards were just people doing what they were paid for, but given the testimony of the women, she scrubbed that last bit of sympathy from her mind.

From the two women they also learned that while the slave trader usually sells his slaves abroad, he also kept most of his “merchandise” in a dungeon built beneath his own house. Aideen bid the two women to remain where they were for the time being, and promised that they’ll return for them once everything was done.

The three of them walked more resolutely as they went towards the house this time. If there had been any hint of lingering sympathy or mercy before, it had flown away with the wind, and even Kino had a hard look on her face as she brought her own weapon to bear. Clearly the inhabitant of the house was not one deserving of their mercies.