Throné hadn't felt this overwhelmingly relieved in ages, and the feeling didn't leave her even after she explained everything to the rest of the travelers. She had spent ages building up the idea of what would happen in her head, and she was convinced the ground would come crashing down beneath her feet... But then, nothing happened. The rest of the group still wanted to help her, and they cared about her on top of that. Even if she had lied to them, they wanted to support her. They understood why she had kept the truth hidden, and they didn't hold it against her. 

Throné couldn't have possibly asked for a better outcome, and she felt herself begin to breathe again when she was certain she wasn't going to be tossed out. Everything was fine. She hadn't even thought this ending to the conversation to be possible, but she wasn't going to complain about it. Instead, she was going to have to plan for something else. She had business that needed to be taken care of, and it was time for her to take it into her own hands. 

The travelers stood outside of Partitio's home at the hill at the top of Oresrush, and Throné let out a slow breath. She wasn't looking forward to having to explain all of this to Partitio's father. According to Partitio, Papp was a kind and reasonable man, but he probably wasn't going to take well to learning about the extensive criminal ring that had been operating just under his nose. Throné wasn't shocked by that at all. She was used to this sort of thing, but she was one of the only people in the world who was, and other people were bound to recoil in disgust and fear when they learned of it. 

As the one in charge of Oresrush though, Papp needed to hear about it as soon as possible. Now that the Slaver was gone, it would hopefully be much easier for everyone to clear out the foundry and then send his patrons packing. Throné hated the idea of spilling more blood, but she could tell the rest of her friends were less opposed to it than they should have been. The people who had been willing to buy and sell others in the name of their personal gain were all monsters, and they needed to suffer the consequences of what they had done. Whether that meant they would be arrested or killed was still a question to be answered. 

Throné didn't want to have to kill anyone, but it wasn't because she was necessarily opposed to them dying. She just couldn't stomach the idea of having to turn her dagger against another person after what she had done before. She had killed more than enough people to last a lifetime. Hell, Throné would go so far as to say that she had killed enough people to last multiple lifetimes for multiple members of the Blacksnakes. She couldn't stand that vile smell, and she couldn't stand the idea of having to stand up against a person who she was going to have to stab to death. 

But at the same time, she was going to have to do something to rid the world of its filth, wasn't she? It wouldn't be right of her to leave these people to roam around and do as they pleased with other innocent, vulnerable people. Throné needed to step up, and even if she hoped that she wouldn't have to take any lives, she probably wasn't going to have much of a choice. She was willing to do what was necessary though. It was a vague statement, but it was the only one Throné could think to offer in a moment like this. 

"Do you know what you're going to tell him?" Castti asked Partitio when the merchant reached out to knock on the door of his home. They had already looked through the streets for Papp only to be told that he was taking care of paperwork in his office that day, so the travelers would be able to speak with him privately while they were still coming up with a plan. Throné was glad for that. She didn't know if she would be able to stomach having to keep it secret from any passersby in the middle of the chat. 

"I... I'm gonna just tell him what we saw today," Partitio said simply. "That's not the best way of explainin' all of it, and it's gonna be a mess, but... I think we're gonna have to clear the foundry out before we leave town. I just can't walk away when I know there's a chance people are gonna get hurt after we've started the next leg of our journey. Somebody is gonna have to do somethin', and I want to step up and make sure things end up changin' for the better."

"The people who came here to try and buy slaves will probably feel less inclined to linger in this area now that the Slaver has been taken out of the picture," Throné told him. "In other words, it should be easier for us to raid the place and tell everyone to leave... Or to kill or arrest them, I suppose. Whatever we think would be for the best at this point."

"We could have them arrested and then send someone from town to Canalbrine to retrieve the Sacred Guard," Temenos suggested. "As hesitant as I am to work with the Sacred Guard at times, I know they are probably the ones best equipped to deal with a situation like this, especially if it deals with multiple settlements across the continent."

"I'm sure we can find someone from town who will be willing to make the journey for us," Hikari agreed with a nod. "For now, we should try to tell Partitio's father everything, and we can figure out the rest of the details in a little while. I don't know what we're going to tell him, but we have to get it started."

Partitio nodded, and he knocked at last. It only took a few moments for Papp to come to the door, and his eyes widened the instant he realized who was standing there waiting for him. "Partitio?" Papp asked in shock. "What in the world are you doin' back here? I thought you were--"

"I was. I still am," Partitio answered. "I had to pass through here with the rest of my friends as part of one of their journeys, and... And somethin' bad is happenin' here in Oresrush, Pops. We have to put a stop to it as soon as possible, and you have to hear about it for that to happen. Can we come in?"

Papp nodded, and he stepped to the side before gesturing for Partitio and the rest of the travelers to step in after him. The house was significantly more furnished now than it had been according to Partitio's recollection of his adventure's beginning. Now that the economy in Oresrush was no longer being smothered by Giff, there was enough money flowing for the people to afford things like beds and couches. There wasn't enough seating for all of the travelers, so half of them crammed together while the other half took to the floor. Ochette, Agnea, Castti, and Hikari wound up in the latter category, and the four of them split their attention between the intense subject at hand and Ochette's animal companions. 

As Papp eased himself into his seat across from the couch, he offered the group a nod. "I'd love to hear what all of your names are soon, but I get the feelin' that what you have to tell me is a bit more important right now," he started. "So what is it that I need to know?"

Partitio turned to look at Throné from his place just beside her. He had no idea of how to describe all of this, and Throné couldn't blame him. She was glad to take over though, and after letting out a slow, grounding breath, she nodded. "In the foundry at the back edge of town, we found a ring of criminals running a slave trade," Throné explained. "We knew they were acting without your knowledge, and we managed to get rid of the head of the organization, but... We're going to need your help to make sure everything there stays resolved even after we leave."

Papp's eyes widened. "That... That isn't possible," he murmured. "I would know about it if somethin' like that was happenin'... I'm sure that I would know."

"They must have been coming in through another back entrance so that you didn't realize they were entering or leaving town," Throné explained. "Either way, they were there, and they've been causing issues for a while now. I don't think you'll have to worry too much about them after today though. We were planning on going back there and arresting as many of them as we could. If you could have someone go to Canalbrine to tell the Sacred Guard about what is happening, then we should be able to get them all behind bars soon."

"Yeah... I guess I can do that," Papp said, though his disbelief was still written clearly on his face. "I don't know how any of this is possible though... No one should've been back there. The foundry has been abandoned for years, and... I thought I would be aware of it if someone was usin' it behind my back. It doesn't make any sense that... That there are people doin' somethin' so awful back there."

"That's how I felt too," Partitio agreed. "But we're gonna find a way to figure it all out. We can arrest the people that are still there, and we can have 'em all sent to the Sacred Guard's headquarters to be taken care of. After that, you'll just have to make sure to block off any paths they could use to come back. And... And maybe you can look through the foundry to make sure everythin' is as safe as it can be after all of that. It's not gonna be easy to stomach, but..."

"We can help you with it as much as possible before we have to leave town," Castti offered. "We have other places we need to be, but I think it would be fine if we delayed our journey ever so slightly in order to help you." Throné didn't say anything aloud, but she knew exactly what Castti was trying to do with this. Castti was terrified of what was going to happen with her own adventure when she made it to Sai, and she was fine to put others above herself if it meant she had a bit more time to sort through her emotions on the matter. Castti would have to face Sai sooner or later, but until she was ready, she wanted to take her time. This was just another piece of that. 

"Yes... I'd appreciate that," Papp nodded. His gaze was glassy and distant, and Throné couldn't help biting back a wince. It almost hurt to see how much he cared. Throné had been desensitized to things of this nature years ago as part of her training to join the Blacksnakes. It didn't even make her flinch beyond her hatred of blood. Papp, on the other hand, was entirely unaware of just how dark the world could be, and this was his first real brush with it. Of course he was going to react negatively... 

But it also left Throné thinking about how lucky Partitio was to have a father like him. The only father figure Throné was able to have in her life was Father from the Blacksnakes, and... Their dynamic had always been a bit complex. That was the best way Throné could think to describe it anyway, though she was certain others would have stronger words to share on the matter if they were given the chance. Throné was glad Father had taught her some things, but at the same time, she would have been lying if she said she entirely enjoyed the way he had treated her. It was simply complicated, and Throné... 

Throné didn't have to think about it right now. She was thinking about everything going on in Oresrush, and she needed to clear out the foundry to ensure no one was ever trafficked as a slave there again. She could do that. If she was going to worry about Father, then it was going to come later on. She was fine. She would be fine for a while longer too. 

"We can come with you," Agnea offered Papp when he began to push himself to his feet. "If there's anything we can do to pitch in, then you just have to say so. We're here to help you. We already saw just how terrible all of this is, and... And we want to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else."

"We can use all the help we can get," Partitio told Agnea with a smile. "If you all would like, I can leave you to take care of your introductions with Pops while I go and tell someone to run off to Canalbrine to get the Sacred Guard. It'll take a while before they're able to get here, but if we can at least get the process started, then I'm sure everythin' will work out in the end."

Throné nodded as Partitio made his way over to the door, and she drifted her way through introductions with Papp. She wasn't paying too much attention to it all as it happened, and when the rest of the travelers made polite conversation with him, Throné chose instead to stare at the floor once she had said her name. It felt strange to think that she was about to fight back against the Blacksnakes in such a deliberate way. She had never done this before. She hadn't even thought it was possible. All treachery within the Blacksnakes was harshly and immediately punished... 

But she wasn't a member of the Blacksnakes anymore. She was going to have to act like it in order to get closer to Father, but she wasn't trying to make her way upward through the organization now. Throné just wanted to find a way to make peace for herself. She wanted to be free for once, and this was the way to do that. She was going to have to get used to fighting against the Blacksnakes as a whole if she was going to escape though. Defeating Mother and Father would go a long way to getting her out, but it wouldn't be the end of this mess. The Blacksnakes would continue their cycles of bloodshed and violence unless she tried to dismantle it. She felt like she was one of the only ones who could do it. After Mother and Father were defeated, there would be a power vacuum, and the organization would continue on unless someone was there to push it in the opposite direction. 

It was almost hilarious just how quickly she had turned her thinking around regarding the Blacksnakes. She hadn't ever thought escape was possible for someone like her. Those who tried to leave all suffered the consequences, most of the time dying before they could ever experience true freedom. Throné had been discouraged by that and didn't even try to leave, but after Pirro died... She realized there were more important things than just keeping her life. She was alive in the Blacksnakes, but she certainly wasn't living, and she was willing to put everything on the line if she was able to change that. Even now, she knew she was making the right choice. 

It wasn't going to be easy though. Throné hated having to admit it, but she knew she wasn't going to be truly free until the Blacksnakes were gone completely. If there was even the slightest chance that she could be dragged back, then she was not safe, and the Blacksnakes existing was perhaps the greatest threat to her plans for the future of all. Dismantling what remained of the slave trade in Oresrush was just the first step, and Throné was going to see it through. 

Throné held up one hand to shield her eyes when it was time to leave the mansion. She heard Partitio explain that he had asked one of his longtime friends to run off to Canalbrine to get the Sacred Guard for them, and that meant it was up to the rest of the group to arrest the members of the trade still left in Oresrush. Throné thought it would be best to clear out the foundry and then come back for the owner of the saddlery. That way, they would be able to eliminate the largest number of people at once before backtracking to take care of a single man who could turn out to be a threat. 

Temenos seemed to agree, and he tapped the base of his staff against the floor to get the rest of the group's attention. "I believe it would be best to go through the foundry before we look at the rest of the town. The last thing I want is for the alarm to end up sounded because we investigated another part of Oresrush first. The sooner we can catch the majority of them, the better off all of us will be."

"We'll need to come back if we want to eliminate the owner of the saddlery, but that can wait," Osvald nodded. "I can only assume a few of them are still at the foundry, though some of them may have run to try and figure out their next few steps."

"If the Sacred Guard come here to look after the town for a while, then we can make sure no one else ends up hurt from here on out," Hikari said. "I can only hope everything will be alright when the knights arrive. Oresrush will need all the outside aid it can get to pull through a dark situation like this."

"I'm sure it'll all work out," Partitio assured everyone, though Throné could tell that he was trying to convince himself every bit as much as the others. It was his hometown that was under such notable threat, after all, and Throné would have been more surprised if he was certain this was going to work out without any issues. "Come on. Let's get this started."

Throné nodded, and she gladly led the charge back toward the foundry. There was a small jailhouse in Oresrush, and while it hadn't seen many arrests over the years, there were trained fighters in town who could watch over it until the Sacred Guard arrived. Throné would have preferred it if they could wait a little bit longer for the Sacred Guard to make it there so that the locals wouldn't have to worry quite so much about putting themselves at risk, but she knew that was dangerous in itself. If they gave too much time for the strays to get away, then they would just end up setting up another slave trade in another town. This was a very important chance, and Throné knew they had to take it. 

The foundry was every bit as empty as it had been before, though Throné could pick out one notable difference from earlier in the day. The scout that had been standing outside of the old factory was gone, and the door to the building was cracked. Everyone inside was speaking very loudly in their fear, unsure of what to do now that the Slaver was gone. The Slaver had been the biggest threat in the room, and no one was able to stand up against him. So long as he was out of the picture, there was a power vacuum, and not a single one of them knew how to fill it. 

Throné was more than fine with that though. After all, it seemed to mean that none of the members of the trade knew much of anything about combat, and that would make the next part a hell of a lot easier. She pushed the door to the building open, and the conversation immediately quieted. Everyone recognized her with wide, terrified eyes as the one who had managed to best the Slaver in the match at Death's Table, and they could not have possibly expressed their dread enough. If she had gotten the Slaver killed, then what was she going to do to them? 

"I'm only going to say this once," Throné announced. "Put down any weapons you have, and come along with us quietly. If you will not, then the rest of your life is not going to be pleasant."

In an instant, the chatter in the room broke out all over again, and the wealthy patrons of the Slaver began discussing how they were going to escape. They had come from far and wide to try and get their hands on the slaves he promised, and now that he was gone, everything was crumbling. There were no other entrances to the building, and the windows would hardly offer them enough room to make an escape. Whether they wanted to admit it or not, they were trapped. 

One of the men who was working with the Slaver took a step forward with a sneer on his face. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he challenged. "You can't just come in here acting like you own the place. You don't know anything about us."

"I know enough," Throné said simply. She reached for her dagger and twirled it in her hand, practically asking someone to try and fight her. She would win, of course, but she wouldn't be proud about what she had been forced to do. The smell from the Slaver's corpse and that of the other bodies he had left behind still lingered in the air, and Throné hardly wanted to contribute to it... But she would if she had to. "What do you say?"

After a few seconds of contemplation, one of the Slaver's guards tried to rush for the door, hoping to push the travelers out of the way. He was not expecting to be caught in the stomach by a punch from Partitio, and before he could recover, he was kicked in the forehead by Agnea while doubled over. The man wobbled before falling to the ground. He was still alive, but it was bound to take at least a few minutes for him to come to again. By that point, he would hardly be able to try and run for a second time. Even attempting to flee for the first time had already proven to be a horrible mistake. 

The room fell silent in an instant, and Throné continued to spin her knife between her fingertips. "Does anyone else want to try?" she asked dryly. She could only hope she was doing something to intimidate her foes into backing down before the situation could deteriorate. She was no good at doing something to clear up the horrors of the world. Throné was used to politely averting her gaze when it grew to be too much for her to bear. That was the way of the Blacksnakes, after all. Interfering was dangerous, and Throné still felt like it was dangerous now, but she knew she had to do something. 

In a way, it was almost thrilling that she was doing this. It sat with her strangely, creating an uncomfortable knot in the pit of her stomach, but Throné was glad for her efforts regardless. She was pushing back against something she had once thought to be impossible. She was proving there was a way for her to escape the iron grip that had been clamped over her heart while she was acting under the orders of the Blacksnakes. She didn't have to be bound to this life for the rest of her days. Something could change, and she was going to make it change. 

With the first of the guards unconscious on the ground, the other patrons at the slave trade began to cry out in shock. Some of them tried to rush the travelers to reach the door, but Osvald acted first, sending out a wave of ice magic. It created a jagged circle around the exit to keep all of the attackers at bay. They recoiled as soon as they realized that a stab from the ice was bound to pierce at least one vital organ, and the chaos began to dull once more. 

Castti, who had been tasked with the various pieces of rope they would be using to bind the hands of the criminals involved, began to step around the ice. Her expression was eerily calm as she stared at each of the assailants with narrowed eyes. "Now... How about we do this quietly?"

No one tried to actively fight back after that, each of them recognizing that trying was bound to put them in an early grave just like the one the Slaver was resting in. Even the richest of the rich did not try to physically fight back. They opted for another method to try and take control of the situation though, not that this shocked Throné at all. "You don't need to do this," one of the wealthy women reasoned. "If it's money you want, then you can have it! I can pay you as much as you want or need so long as you let me go!"

"We're not in this for money," Partitio countered. "We're here to make sure our town stays safe from the likes of you. None of you have a right to be here hurtin' people the way that you have, and we're not gonna let you get away with it for any longer than you already have. This is where it's all gonna end for you."

"But you must want something!" a man yelled. "You don't need to take us away! We can give you anything you want! You just have to say the word!"

Throné sighed and shook her head. The rich had always been out of touch with the rest of the world, believing all they needed to get rid of their problems was just to hurl a pile of leaves at the situation. She had dealt with it a fair number of times within the Blacksnakes, but it never failed to astound her just how out of touch the wealthy were with those around them. "You're not going to get anywhere with this. Now, if you would just--"

She paused when she felt someone walking behind her, and Throné turned to find a man was trying to plant a dagger in her back. He was one of the few members of the ring bold enough to try and cut her down to reach the door, not that it would have done anything for the ring of ice still blocking out anyone from running. Throné, however, was too experienced to be killed by such a simple trick. She stepped to the side before he could swing the dagger forward, and she quickly disarmed him by twisting his wrist at an impossible angle. He cried out in pain and dropped the weapon, prompting Throné to step on it with her heel to make sure no one else tried to get their hands on it. Using her own dagger, she slammed into the base of the man's neck. He fell to the ground limply a moment later, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. 

Throné didn't stare at the man for any longer than was necessary. She simply turned to look at the rest of the crowd, running a hand through her hair. It had grown disheveled in her haste to survive, and she needed to fix that. "Like I was saying," Throné went on much to the shock of all the onlookers in the room, "I would appreciate it if you would come along slowly. This only needs to be a fight if you want it to be."

Throné's final show of violence was all it took to convince the remainder of the people in the abandoned factory to give up and surrender. In a matter of minutes, all of their wrists had been bound, and Osvald reached one hand out toward the icy daggers surrounding the doorway. The ice melted away into nothingness from heat across his palm cast by fire magic. The ice melted into water and then steam that billowed around the doorway, clearing the path for the travelers to return to the main part of town. Throné hoped there would be enough room in the jailhouse for all of the prisoners they had just picked up. She really didn't want to have to remain in Oresrush for any longer than was necessary to keep these monsters behind bars. 

During the journey back toward Oresrush's main area, Throné let out a slow breath between her teeth. She had never thought she would be capable of betraying the Blacksnakes in this way. Everything about the training process for the organization was meant to break a person's spirit down until very few traces of their heart remained. That made them easier to control, and Throné could see it firsthand both in herself and those that surrounded her. No individuality was allowed in a group like that, and everything she did had to serve the cause. 

But she wasn't bound to that anymore. She was taking her first true steps toward freedom. Even if she had not gotten her hands on Mother's key, Throné was... Proud of herself. She was making progress even if it didn't look like it at first. One way or another, the Blacksnakes were going to fall, and she was going to be the one who brought the entire ring down. If it would set her free, then it would be worth it. 

To be free, Throné would do anything, and that would never change. 

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Here's a scene that I know a lot of people wanted to see in the base game: Throné and Partitio working together to clear out the foundry of all the people working with the Slaver. I saw it come up a lot in various discussions of the game online, and I agree that there should have been more thrown in here. So I just had to do it. And now, here we are. 

I really enjoyed writing this chapter for that reason, but at the same time, it was one of the toughest chapters of the story to write so far. I'm not sure of why that is, but I struggled with figuring out how I wanted to handle everything here. I think it'll come together a bit more in the next few chapters as we finish out this miniature arc though. I'm looking forward to it, and I hope you all are too. 

Next time, we're going to see what the travelers think of all of this on an individual level, starting with Partitio and Throné. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital