"… I-it's nice to meet you too, Miss… Elyse."
He stuck his hand out as well. As soon as this action was performed, she pulled his arm closer to him, licking the anterior side of his forearm. There were scratch marks and cuts, leading to blood leaking. Julian immediately winced.
"Elyse is half Conele. You've probably never heard of it, but think of it as another version of a demihuman. They find themselves thirsting for blood. Forgive her, on my behalf," Veind shook her head, a little embarrassed.
She's like a vampire.
Julian watched as she licked. He was scared to pull his arm away, so he waited for her to finish.
"Sorry about that. It gets hard for me to contain the urge."
"N-no… It's fine."
Julian turned his head to the side, avoiding her gaze.
. . .
. .
.
Night fell. As usual, Julian had trouble sleeping. Off a random whim, he reached into his pocket.
There's… a piece of paper?
It's too dark in here.
Sluggishly, he hopped off the bunk bed. Landing on the floor with gentle feet, he tiptoed outside. The moon was bright, like an expensive pearl. That white moonlight was sufficient to illuminate the paper.
The luminescence revealed that the paper was a map. A map that he followed diligently, into a secluded room that was hidden away from the guards.
It was a beat-up wooden shed with a slanted roof.
"…"
He placed his hand on the doorknob, twisting slowly.
The moonlight peered into the already well-lit shed.
"Oh. Looks like he made it," Veind grinned.
In the small shed, there were people.
The dirty Conele who went by Elyse.
The cold icicle named Oscar.
And that elf boy whom he had been positioned with. Thick-rimmed, circular glasses, with pin-straight hair.
"This is Julian?" Oscar asked blankly.
"Yep."
"What does he have to offer?" Elyse questioned.
"Intelligence and loyalty. He wants to escape just as badly as we do."
"Haah. I doubt that!" the elf said.
Veind explained it briefly. "Let me lay out the plan for you, Julian. You have a single task. With your intelligence, you are going to be the one to infiltrate the slave headmaster and deal with him or her. Figure out a way to deactivate the chains. Then we'll rally all slaves by using Oscar as a symbol of hope. We'll kill every single slaver and escape the place. This is gonna be my last escape, and I'll make sure of that."
"What? You must have mistaken me for someone else. I'm not charismatic or strong. How am I going to do that?!" Julian complained.
Veind walked forward. She placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Julian. You might not believe it, but you're all of those things. Don't put yourself down like that."
She's trying to be motivational but… It's not like I'm trying to be pessimistic or something. I'm an awkward weakling! Get me out of here! Ahhhh!!!
"…"
And simply like that, the meeting ended.
. . .
. .
"Out of the way, out of the way!" a slaver yelled out. Immediately, slaves scuttled and separated. Julian craned his neck, turning. Trying to see who was in the way.
The large gates opened boldly. In front of the special person stood two guards, clad in heavy iron armor. They wielded halberds and marched forward with confidence. There were two guards besides her and behind her. Oh, and another woman.
Julian closed his eyes tightly, trying to shield them from the sun's glare. He raised a hand to his eyebrows. "Who is..."
"That's the head slave master. The owner of this whole camp. And probably a few others," a voice answered him. His arm was suddenly pulled, grabbing him out of the way.
"!"
Julian turned.
The slave who grabbed him was a human like him. Thinly and pale, with long scarlet hair. His right eye was covered by a dingy cloth.
"If you stood there for any longer, you could've died."
"You saved me.. Thanks...."
Julian paused. On the rare occasion when he gave his thanks, he would always know the person's name. His silence reflected that.
"Finley."
"Julian. Thanks for your help, Finley."
Julian got a view of the head slavemaster and what appeared to be her slave beside her.
She was a tall woman with a domineering aura that exuded from her, one that Julian felt despite the distance. This domineering aura existed despite her soft features. Round brown eyes, with dark green hair tied into a high ponytail. She wore a brown corset over her white shirt.
The fashion in this world is... surprisingly ahead. Well, at least in comparison to the architecture. No, I'd say the buildings aren't that primitive.
Then, his eyes fell to the younger girl beside the woman. Julian's eyes widened. She was short and could barely be seen. But she was discernible.
A beautiful young elf. Her hair was long and straight, finely combed. A pale blonde color, closer to white than blonde. Her eyes were yellow, bedazzled by her long, pale eyelashes. Sharp ears stuck out the side of her head.
She wore a light green regal dress with a soft white petticoat. With the way she looked, along with what she was wearing, you'd think she was royalty. Even for an elf, she was attractive.
But the grey shackle that rested on her collarbones gave a solid reminder. She was still a slave.
"Seems like you've got a crush. Unfortunate for you. She's the head slave master's favorite slave. You'd be lucky to even live while in her presence."
They passed through, heading toward the main building in the middle of the camp. Some kind of headquarters. Julian didn't know.
"She's… seriously beautiful," Julian said, very loosely, almost. Like it was said along the breath of his exhale. Soft.