Chapter 2028: Back in Sarthal

At Sarthal’s gate, Della had to explain why their greenskin expedition was returning with a procession of battered strangers.

The dragonkin listening to her glanced at her badge, then past her toward the people crowding the road. His spear remained across their path.

Some of the rescued women still needed help walking. Healing had closed their wounds, but they clung to the adventurers supporting them, staring at the walls as though they feared someone might turn them away.

"Your party’s identification is in order," the guard said. "What about theirs?"

"We found them in the nest. The travelers helped us get them out."

"So you said. Where are these travelers from? Who are they?"

His gaze passed over Alexios’s sword before moving along the armed strangers behind him. Beside the gatehouse, another dragonkin abandoned his inspection of a cart to join them.

"They were shipwrecked," Brena explained. "Pirates attacked them before they reached Sarthal."

"And you believe them?"

"We fought beside them," Della replied. "We helped rescue their children. We’ll vouch for them."

The guard looked down at her Grade Two badge again.

"How reassuring."

Della felt her face grow hot. Before she could answer, Black came to stand beside her.

"I’ll vouch for them too. Could we continue this after we’ve taken the women to the Church?"

The second guard studied his closed helmet.

"You intend to bring armed strangers through our gates and tell us when we may question them?"

"If your laws require an account, we’ll give one. These women have just been brought out of a greenskin nest. They need somewhere to rest while you make your inquiries."

"We know what our duties are, adventurer. Showing compassion to unknown figures isn’t one of them."

Behind Della, the woman leaning against her shifted her weight with a strained breath. Della tightened her arm around her, anger growing as the guards continued inspecting people who could barely stand.

"Then could you please let us take them somewhere they can sit down?" Tavi asked. "You can speak to us for as long as you like afterward."

"Being inconvenienced doesn’t exempt you from-"

"May I see your identification?"

The question came from the gate captain, who had stepped out of the gatehouse while they were speaking. He approached Black with an open hand, and the guard lowered his spear enough for the officer to pass.

Black handed over his Guild badge.

"Adventurer Black."

The captain examined the name before looking up at the red eyes of his visor.

"Will you take responsibility for these people?"

Black didn’t answer immediately.

He turned toward Alexios, who stood with Felicity tucked beneath his arm. The older man met his gaze, then nodded to Black.

The armored adventurer faced the captain again.

"Yes. I will."

"Then any trouble they cause comes back to you."

"So be it."

The captain brought the badge to the gatehouse desk and copied its details into the register. When he returned it, the guards finally moved their spears aside, although the one who’d sneered at Della’s badge watched the newcomers pass with undisguised suspicion.

Black stayed beside the gate while the women were helped through. At the captain’s request, a soldier went ahead to notify the Church that injured people were coming.

"We’re taking you to the Church," Della assured the woman leaning against her. "They’ll have beds. Food, too. You can rest there."

The woman nodded to Della without releasing her arm.

Once the last of the newcomers had passed the guards, Black followed with the rest of the company. People were gathering along the street, and Brena began explaining what had happened to a shopkeeper who’d come outside. Tavi had a hand on each of the younger girls’ shoulders.

At the Church, Elisabeth kept her traveling cloak closed over her plain clothes. Alexios had spoken to her on the road about announcing her office before they knew anything about the local clergy.

"Could you learn what you can about them for now?" he reminded her quietly.

"I said I would, Father."

Inside, an Arch Priestess was listening to Sera while attendants helped the rescued women into beds.

One began crying when she was offered a clean nightgown, and Della stayed beside her until she could speak again.

"Their wounds have been healed," Sera explained. "I also checked the women for greenskin pregnancies and ended those I found. They’re clear."

"You’ve done well to provide initial care, child. But early pregnancies can escape an ordinary healer’s notice. We will examine them again."

Sera gave her an incredulous look.

"I checked them after the treatment too. I know what I’m doing."

"I’m pleased to hear it. However, Sarthal requires victims of greenskin rape to be examined by an Arch Priest. A healer’s assurance cannot replace that."

"Even when the work has already been done?"

"The law exists because it isn’t always done properly. Surely you appreciate the need for certainty."

Beside Sera, Black looked toward the women being settled into their beds.

"Will they be in debt to the Church afterward?" he asked. That was why Sera was so intent on sparing the women another examination.

She knew they were free of pregnancy already; having the Arch Priestess examine them again would just put these poor women into a life of debt, likely going from the goblin cavern to a filthy brothel soon enough.

The greenskins had slaughtered their families in the raids, killing the men and children before dragging the women back to their caves to rape and breed them.

They had nobody left to go home to, much less anyone who could pay for their care.

"The Goddess’s mercy will not be withheld merely because they cannot pay today," the priestess replied. "They may repay the cost of their care over time."

Elisabeth flinched. Her fingers caught the edge of her cloak, but she kept her promise to Alexios and said nothing.

"Of course," Black said dryly.

The priestess turned her attention fully toward him.

"Do you consider the Goddess’s holy magic undeserving of compensation, adventurer?"

"Heavens no. She’s a blessing that just keeps giving."

Sera pressed her lips together beside him.

Alexios and his fellow travelers remained with the rescued women, Felicity and Feng waiting on a bench beside him. Elisabeth stayed close enough to listen as the priestess began explaining the examinations to her attendants.

At the doorway, Black waited for Della and her friends to finish saying goodbye.

"Shall we collect our reward?"

...

The clerk brightened when Adventurer Black approached her counter at the Guild, then caught sight of the dried blood on the women following him.

"You’re back! Is everyone all right?"

"Quite well, thanks for worrying."

He set the greenskin contract on her desk. Della came alongside him, with Brena and Tavi close enough to listen while his companions gathered behind them.

"The nest is cleared," Black continued. "We found prisoners inside. They’re with the Church now."

The clerk’s smile faded as she drew the contract closer.

"Prisoners? How many?"

Della gave her the count. At the mention of the younger girls, the clerk stopped writing and looked up.

"Children?"

"We got to them in time," Black assured her. "They’re safe."

"Oh, thank the Goddess..."

She rested a hand against her chest before reaching for a fresh sheet. Around them, the conversations at the neighboring desks were growing quieter.

"Could you tell me what happened?"

Black described meeting the travelers in the hills. Their fight with the greenskins had drawn his company’s attention, and once the battle ended, the father had explained who they were looking for.

"His daughter and her friend," Della added. "He wouldn’t even stop to rest."

"Were these people already living near the city?" the clerk asked.

"No. They bought passage here and were attacked at sea. Fomorian pirates sank their ship. Some of the passengers managed to reach the shore, but the pirates took the girls away in a boat."

"And the greenskins found them?"

"Killed the pirates and took the girls. I looked into their account. The Fomorian bodies were there, along with the little boat they’d used to bring them ashore."

The clerk’s pen moved across the page. "The other passengers all came with you?"

"Yes. Good people. Capable warriors, too. They’d already killed a great many of the creatures before we arrived."

"We’d never have reached those girls on our own," Brena said.

Black turned his helmet toward her. "You helped us find them."

Her fingers tightened around her braid. "We... did what we could."

"And I’m glad you were there. Our local guides proved quite capable."

"My lord..."