“What about the fat man?” Kre asked. “From what his help says, he’s a violent drunk with no regard for anyone or anything except profit. That’s certainly slave trader material if I ever heard.”
Beleg chuckled and softly punched Kre in the arm in a playful manner, “One small adventure and already an expert in slavers.” His face regained the serious look and he continued, “Possibly our buyer then, but I’ve never heard of a rakshasa taking the form of a fat slob. They’re far too vain for that.”
Dain shook his head. “There would have to be a greater number of buyers here for the rakshasa to risk coming out here. My guess is that there is an underground market somewhere that we have not yet found.”
“Nor are we like to,” Beleg muttered. “I have only heard rumors of Yahaestra’s invite only markets. No one is like to confirm an underground slave market being run, let alone tell us where to find it.”
“So… what now?” Kre asked as he stifled a yawn. These late-night secret meetings combined with the host of menial chores they had him performing all day kept him beyond exhausted. He didn’t think he worked this hard since that crazy weekend when he worked at the town’s Lodge. Apparently, the military officers from Fort Cowl had won some sort of prestigious award and his friend Pete Koraski convinced him to help cover the back-breaking work needed to support the officers’ three-day party.
Both Beleg and Dain gave the boy an odd, almost glaring look, but he wasn’t with it enough to tell what they might be thinking. Luckily, or maybe not so much once he heard the words, Beleg said his thoughts out loud, “Lad, I know you haven’t been with us long. It’s fair to say that you haven’t developed the same bonds we have after years of working together. We should understand that and try our best not to hold that against you.”
He leaned a little closer and his voice grew deeper, more rumbly, “But, you should understand that out there somewhere, likely in this very town hidden from our eyes, are our friends, our colleagues… our kin. They’re out there in the hands of some of the vilest creatures we’ve ever had the misfortune to encounter. If it costs us a bit of sleep in order for us to bring them home safely, I’ll gladly pay that price.”
“As would I,” Dain said quickly, snapping himself out of the allure of Beleg’s story-telling voice. “As will you,” he continued, addressing Kre directly.
Kre nodded quickly, most of the sleepiness vanishing as shame rose in its place. “You’re right. I’m so sorry,” he muttered, eyes downcast. “I’m just not sleeping well, I guess.”
Dain leaned back and nodded. “I suppose that’s something I can help with.” He stood and moved over to where he had a few small chests resting on a wooden table. As he sorted through the contents, Beleg set a heavy hand on Kre’s shoulder. “Sorry lad,” he rumbled, “I know you didn’t mean anything by it, but this is serious business, and we have very little time, if any.”
“Yes sir,” Kre replied, resolve taking the place of shame. He looked up and looked the big man directly in the eyes, “So, what do we do next?”