Chapter 2: The right thing to do

Even though it had become apparent during the last few days of their journey, there was one thing Myrin hadn't anticipated. The heat. He wasn't accustomed to it, and most likely also not dressed appropriately. As such the moment he got of the ship, he felt as if he was melting away. Sweat dripped down his face and even just walking over to a shady place was exhausting enough to get him breathing harder. Luckily it seemed as if he wasn't the only one suffering. Delmar, Shirin and Rhys looked equally bothered by the heat, sluggishly joining their friend in the shade.

Trying to acclimate a little, Myrin started looking around. The harbour was kept fairly simple. It was by no means a large harbour. But it was big enough to hold quite a few ships. Most of them likely trading ships. The amount of people buzzing around reminded him of Shirin's home, the City of Ice. Everyone seemed busy and yet determined as to where they were heading. A few people loaded wares onto carts but most wares seemed to be carried in large woven bowls by people. That couldn't be comfortable.

The four of them clearly stuck out like sour thumbs. Their skin was much lighter. Or in Shirin's case blue. The people here seemed to primarily have dark brown or black hair, their skin equally darker. They didn't seem to be bothered be the heat, despite most of them wearing long dress like robes that covered their whole body. Those who were transporting wares didn't seem to be wearing any sort of shoes, but they didn't seem bothered by it either.

There was a small market not too far away from where their ship had docked. And even from afar Myrin could see the varity of strange and exotic fruit. There was a puprple fruit, it's outer shell looking spiky, small strawberry like berries that seemed to change their colour, depending on the light, and bananas in all ranges of colour.

As Myrin continued looking around in awe, he suddenly felt a tug on his sleeve, glancing down to see Rhys pointing at something - no someone - across the street from them. It was a girl, maybe around Rhys' or Myrin's age. She was carrying one of the woven bowls on her head, carrying a large amount of lemons with it. Like many others' here here her robes weren't in the best condition. They were a little tattered especially at the hem, and a few patches on dirt were stuck on it.

What Rhys was pointing at though were the shackles that were locked around her ankles. A chain ran between them, limiting her movement but still giving her enough freedom to walk down the road. Even though he had never seen something like this before, he immediately knew.

»Slavery isn't outlawed here?«

Delmar frowned darkly at Myrin's words, clearly displeased with the idea of someone deciding someone was worth less than another person.

»That's messed up.«

As he started to take a step towards the girl, Myrin grabbed Delmar's wrist, shaking his head a little.

»I know it is. But remember what happened last time. For now let's find somewhere to stay and rest. We need to get acclimated to this heat.«

Delmar clearly wasn't happy with that suggestion, but as Rhys and Shirin both agreed with Myrin the group settled for finding an inn for now. They didn't have to search for long, even if communication was somewhat difficult. It seemed Common was only common where they were from. Only few people here actually spoke the language. Everyone else seemed to speak a strange language local to this continent.

The inn they found clearly seemed to be on the better side. Inside it was climatised, and as they stepped inside they were immediately offered something to drink. The prices were steep, but having conquered a few dungeons, at least money was never a concern for the group. The innkeeper inspected the coins they handed over for quite some time, making Myrin worry if their money wasn't accepted here. But eventually they were offered their rooms, each of them receiving their own even.

The rooms were quite comfortable as well. The air was cool, and on a table in a corner of each room stood a bowl filled with local fruit, as well as a bottle of what seemed to be locally made alcohol. Myrin flopped down on his bed, the soft mattress embracing him gently and luring him to sleep. Maybe I should ...

---

He didn't know how long it had been since he fell asleep. And he certainly couldn't remember when he last had such a good sleep. The soft bed lulled him in like a mother's embrace. Sleeping in a tent on a bedroll couldn't compare to this. The well cimatised room did the rest. Myrin felt better than he had in a long time on their travels. But his sleep was interrupted when through the wall he could hear voices arguing. One he recognised as Delmar's. His angry, standing-above-all tone of voice was unmistakeable. The other one he believed to be Rhys'. Though he had never heard the boy to sound truly mad. As such it was hard to tell.

Myrin turned over onto his other side, pulling his pillow over his head and trying to ignore the arguing coming from the other room. He'd just go back to sleep. It was none of his business if those two had a disagreement. Or at least that's what he told himself. The person knocking on the door seemed to think otherwise. With a soft sigh Myrin lifted his body up from the mattress, looking back at it regretfully.

He yawned widely before opening the door, staring quietly at the girl standing in front of him. Shirin had seemingly been asleep as well. Or at least she was wearing her sleepwear. He still remembered when she bought that pyjama. It was the first thing she ever bought since traveling with them. And she was so proud of being able to buy it with her own money. Now she was standing in front of him, looking at him with a mix of annoyance and worry.

Fix them.

It was clear what she was sighing. For a moment Myrin considered just closing the door and returning to his bed. But then he thought better, rubbing his neck a little.

»...I'll try and talk to them. You go back to bed, Shirin. Hopefully at least one of us can get some proper sleep tonight.«

She gave him a small relieved smile before nodding and turning around, heading back to her room. Myrin instead let out another soft sigh before heading over to Delmar's room where the voices were coming from. He knocked on the door. Once. Twice. When he knocked the third time he definitely started sounding rather demanding. He grumbled a little, opening his mouth to shout at the two inside when finally the door opened.

In front of him stood an angry looking Delmar. It wasn't a look Myrin was used to. Yes, he was stubborn and hotblooded and he always overreacted. But he rarely ever so him looking really angry. Myrin shrunk back a little, rubbing his neck but instead of saying anything Delmar moved back inside, leaving the door open for him. He sighed softly before moving inside. Rhys was leaning against a wall in the room, a dark frown on his face. Delmar had moved back to sit on the chair at the table. What Myrin hadn't expected though was the little girl, sitting on Delmar's bed looking all rather intimidated.

»Uh ... what's going on?«

Rhys will shoot another glare in Delmar's direction before looking over at Myrin.

»She's a slave. And he had to go and steal her.«

»She's a person! No one should own a person!«

»That's not how it works here! Stealing or freeing a slave is a crime here!«

»So what? I've been called a criminal before!«

Rhys will turn to Myrin, looking furious.

»Do you know what the punishment is for this crime?«

»U-uh ... c-community work?«

»Death! It's the death penalty! If it's considered just a minor crime you'll get away with your life but you'll be a slaveinstead!«

Delmar will click his tongue, shrugging in annoyance.

»Then we'll just be careful and not get caught!«

»Ugh! Go get yourself killed then!«

Rhys will storm off, slamming the door shut behind him, leaving Myrin to stare at Delmar quietly.

»U-um ... so ... what ... are you planning?«

»Why? Wanna tell me what a bad idea it was too?!«

»...no. I just thought ... she'd probably also be in trouble if we are caught so ... how can I help?«

---

The rest of that night Delmar and Myrin spent planning their next steps. The young girl - Myrin later found out her name was Erin - eventually fell asleep and they lowered their voices as to not wake her up. When the next morning came neither of the two had gotten much sleep at all. To Myrin morning definitely came faster than he wanted it to come. The only thing that somewhat soothed him was the fact that breakfast was included with their pay for the rooms.

The two had decided that Delmar would stay with the girl in his room while Myrin went downstairs to fill up their plates and then come back to the room. As he headed down the stairs, the delicious smell of a good warm breakfast waved around his nose and brought a smile to his face. Though that smile immediately faltered when he saw Rhys looking at him, already eating his breakfast, the look on his face still clearly mirroring the distain for Delmar's plan.

He let out a soft sigh before ordering Delmar's and his breakfast at the counter. For a moment he considered just waiting there, but the holes Rhys was staring into his back started to feel awkward. With another sigh he turned around, heading over to Rhys and Shirin, who had just sat down at the same table, eating her breakfast quietly as usual. The moment Myrin stopped next to their table, Rhys looked away, pointedly starting to eat his food.

»Ah ... did you still get some good sleep last night, Rhys?«

»I slept perfectly fine.«

»Ah ... that's good ...«

Shirin will look between them, tilting her head a little in confusion as her gaze stops on Myrin who'll give her a small shrug. He'll glance to the counter before looking back at the other two.

»So, um ... Delmar and I were thinking of eating breakfast in his room ... uh ... would you ... like to join us?«

»No, thank you. I'm perfectly fine eating nowhere near that self serving bastard.«

Shirin's eyes went to Rhys, looking even more confused now. After waking Myrin up last night she had returned to her room and not caught any of Rhys' and Delmar's strife.

»Rhys ... I know he can be a bit ... ah ...«

»Arrogant?«

»Yes ...«

»Pompous?«

»I guess ...«

»Know-all?«

»Y-you're not wrong ...«

»Stop trying to defend him, Myrin. What he did won't just affect him but all of us. You know I couldn't care less about the stupid decisions he makes. I'd follow him even if he decided to lead us straight into hell.«

»Then why ...«

»What I'm not gonna stand for or stay quiet about is when he disregards everything and everyone else for his plans. When he did what he did last night, he only thought about accomplishing his own goal. Not for even a moment he stopped to think how what he did would affect you or Shirin or me. We're his companions. His friends. As much as helping others is honourable and great and all ... forgetting those closest to you is way worse than just sitting idly by.«

»I see ... I'm sure he didn't think-«

»That's exactly the problem, Myrin. He doesn't think when he does these things. He just acts. With no sense for the consequences.«

»...you ...aren't going to forgive him?«

Rhys let out a soft sigh, after a moment pointing towards the counter of the inn.

»I believe your breakfast is ready. You should go eat it before it gets cold.«

»Alright ... I'll ... see you two later ...«

Myrin went to get their breakfast before heading towards the stairs, only to be stopped halfway by Rhys' voice.

»Myrin!«

Rhys had gotten up from his table and made his way over to the stairs to catch up with Myrin, rubbing his neck a little as he glances away from the other's face. Shirin was left behind at the table, still eating her food. There's really nothing that can truly bother her, huh? Myrin will look back at Rhys, wondering if he could forgive Delmar after all.

»What is it, Rhys?«

»Well ... I just ... so ... uh ... ugh! T-Tell that idiot leader of ours that there'll be a caravan leading west leaving in about two hours. If we don't want our money and tickets to go to waste we can't go and do anymore sightseeing.«

»Huh? Where we planning to leave this soon?«

Myrin couldn't quite place the expression on Rhys' face, but something told him he currently thought Myrin to be a bit slow.

»We've got a bit of a situation ... so I got tickets for the us ... get it?«

»For ... wait. When did you get those tickets?«

»This morning. Before breakfast. Just make sure the others are on time.«

Myrin will blink a little. He wasn't sure why but somehow he was certain Rhys wasn't talking about Shirin and Delmar. A smile will show on his face, giving him a nod.

»I'll make sure to tell Delmar that!«

»G-good ... now hurry up or your breakfast will get cold!«

---

Myrin had never been a criminal before. Well, technically he had been a criminal for quite some time now. He had after all defected the military of his country and fled the war. But apart from that, he had never been a criminal before. According to Rhys, at least here in this country they were now criminals. All of them. After the four - actually five - of them had finished their breakfast, they packed their bags at neck-breaking speed. Or at least Myrin and Shirin did. Rhys had already packed. And Delmar simply left the packing up to the other two.

They had hidden Erin under a cloak, throwing some equal cloaks over themselves to make sure she wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb before they then headed off towards the caravan's meeting point. The tickets Rhys got them only counted if they managed to be there on time. No one would be waiting for them. Though moving through the city wasn't as easy as Myrin would've thought. The streets bustled with people. Not just normal people though, also guards.

So far it didn't seem as if they stuck out too much. But Myrin just couldn't get rid of this feeling of doing something that was wrong by law. Shirin had taken Erin's hand and was walking next to the little girl. Delmar was in the back with Myrin while Rhys had taken the lead, being the only one who knew where they were going. Also, the two of them still weren't talking to each other. They are being far too childish.

After some time Rhys suddenly stopped and turned around, making the rest of them almost bump into him. He looked around for a moment before looking back at the group, though pointedly looking away as soon as his gaze crossed Delmar's. Far too childish ... He raised his voice to nothing more than a whisper.

»Alright. We're here. Over there are the caravan carts. When we leave the city there'll be a checkpoint at the gates. They'll most likely search the whole caravan to make sure nothing that isn't supposed to leaves the city.«

All eyes will move to Erin, the little girl looking back at them shyly at the unwanted attention. Delmar was the first to speak up, pointing out what everyone else was thinking.

»Isn't that a bit of an issue for us?«

»It would've been less of an issue if you stopped to think and talk to us more often.«

The icy tone in Rhys' voice almost made Myrin feel as if they were back in the City of Ice. He clearly hadn't forgiven their leader yet.

»It should be fine. I did the necessary arrangements.«

Myrin spoke up, interrupting Delmar before he could answer.

»What kind of arrangments?«

A smile will appear on Rhys' face, his expression clearly saying that he had hoped for that question to come.

»Good of you to ask, my friend. You see, when leaving this city you require papers that prove you are a Freeman. Sorry, Shirin, no Freewomen. But you can be a Freeman. Anyway. Freeman are people who are allowed to travel and trade freely. The can take up any jobs and are allowed on most traveling routes. Most of the people in this city would be Freemann. As are most of this country's population.«

»Uh ... we don't have such papers, Rhys. We're not from here, remember?«

»Hehe ... of course you've noticed the problem, my dearest Myrin. You see, foreigners are Freeman by law as long as they haven't fallen into any other cast while here. Since we haven't done anything to do so, I simply had to head to the public office and get our papers there. The harbour records proved that we came by ship just the other day.«

Everyone nodded slowly in understanding at Rhys' explanation. Though it'll be Shirin who will point at the little girl in their middle.

»Good catch, Shirin. Yes. Indeed she is a bit of an issue.«

»Rhys...«

»Be quiet and listen, leader. You're the one who caused us this much trouble so at least listen.«

»...understood.«

»Well ... let's just say she has papers now and they are impeccable.«

Seems as if we are criminals after all ...

---

Chapter 2: The group reaches their destination, not used to the heat they decide to rest for now. Despite having seen so before, they are surprised when they find this society to be build upon slavery. But trying to change things in far away countries isn't always a good idea. Scene 1. The group reaches shore, seeing many exotic things and suffering under the extreme heat Scene 2. To acclimate and rest the group gets room at a local inn, enjoying the luxurious comforts and servants, eventually realising that these people are slaves Scene 3. Delmar tries to rally the slaves to rebell but Myrin argues with him, reminding him of what happened last time Scene 4. The group gets warned by the guards not to interfere any further, receiving an explanation how slavery works in their country Scene 5. Despite the warnings Delmar tries to free the slaves at night, none of them except one wanting to follow him though.