The scent of rot and despair clung thick in the air, making each breath a struggle. The dim lantern light barely pushed back the oppressive darkness, revealing the gaunt figures huddled behind iron bars. Their bodies were marred by filth, bruises, and the unmistakable marks of cruelty. Some had fresh wounds, others bore old scars—silent testimonies to their suffering. Most were too weak to react, their dull eyes barely registering the sudden intrusion of their would-be saviors.

  Lorelai took a slow, shuddering breath, her fingers trembling at her sides. The sickness of this place, the sheer horror of what had transpired within these walls, threatened to consume her in a tide of revulsion and rage. But she had no time to give in to anger. These women needed her.

  She knelt on the damp stone floor, closing her eyes as she reached deep within herself. The divine fire that burned in her soul responded, surging forward with righteous purpose. As the glow of her aura began to build, she clenched her fists and whispered the incantation.

  Aura of Purity.

  Golden-white light unfurled from her like rippling waves on a pond, cascading through the prison in pulses. It was not a healing magic—wounds remained, bruises still darkened flesh—but the cloud of exhaustion, sickness, and poison that clung to these women was driven away.

  Dull, empty gazes flickered with awareness as their minds cleared. The fevered, half-conscious ones stirred, their sluggish limbs suddenly free from the weight of sickness and narcotics. Those who had barely been able to sit up now gasped, inhaling clean air as if tasting freedom for the first time.

  A weak sob broke the silence.

  One of the girls, a petite elf with matted blonde hair and hollow eyes, touched her own face as if unsure the change was real. Tears welled up in her eyes as she whispered, “I… I can think again… the fog is gone…”

  A choked whimper came from another woman, a young demi-human with fox ears, as she flexed her fingers, newfound strength returning to her limbs. “It was like my body wasn’t mine… but now… now I feel like myself again…”

  Lorelai exhaled sharply, her own exhaustion creeping back in. The magic had worked, but it had taken its toll. Her arms trembled slightly as she rose to her feet, gazing at the freed prisoners with a mixture of relief and sorrow.

  "It won't fix everything," she told them gently, her voice thick with regret. "Your wounds will take time to heal, but at least you're free from your self imposed mental shackles, a result from whatever that bastard did to you."

  One of the older women, her ragged breathing now steadier, lifted her gaze to Lorelai. "You don’t understand…" Her voice was hoarse, cracking from disuse. "You saved our souls. I thought I would die in that haze, not even knowing my own name anymore."

  Lorelai stiffened, her fingers curling into fists. There were no words for the depth of rage boiling within her. No words for the disgust twisting her stomach.

  Thrax, who had been uncharacteristically silent, finally spoke. "I’m freeing every last person in here by breaking every goddamn lock in this place." His voice was low, dangerously calm.

  He didn’t wait for approval. Lifting his axe, he slammed it into the first cell’s lock. The rusted metal gave way with a sharp crack, the door swinging open with a metallic groan.

  Thrax moved methodically, his axe striking over and over, each shattering lock like a personal act of vengeance. "I knew he was filth," he growled, more to himself than anyone else. "But this? A goddamn dungeon under his house?" His golden eyes burned with barely restrained fury. "He deserved worse."

  Kael had been gripping his bow so tightly that his knuckles were white. Without another word, he turned toward the stairway. "I'm going to alert the town authorities, wait here while I get the town guard."

  Aeryn turned sharply. "You trust them?"

  Kael paused, his expression grim. "I don’t know. But this?" He motioned to the cages, the barely-clothed women, the sickly stench of misery. "This is something they can’t ignore. And if they do…" He exhaled slowly. "I’ll make sure they don’t. If need be, maybe your guild can help them."

  Aeryn nodded stiffly and watched him go, her crimson eyes still glowing faintly. "Be careful," she muttered as he disappeared up the stairs.

  Meanwhile, Thrax continued his work. A sickening crunch filled the air as he wrenched another broken lock from its hinges, throwing it aside like garbage. Each time a door swung open, another woman hesitantly stepped forward. Some had to be helped up, others collapsed entirely, their legs too weak to hold them.

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  Lorelai pulled off her cloak and draped it over one of the trembling women. Aeryn followed suit, digging through the belongings upstairs for whatever clothing or blankets she could find. They wrapped the women in tattered but warm fabric, covering their exposed bodies as best they could.

  The elf girl who had spoken earlier clutched the cloak Lorelai had given her, holding it tight against her thin frame. Her lip trembled as she stepped forward. "Why… why did you help us?" Her voice cracked with emotion, as if the very concept of kindness was foreign to her.

  Lorelai hesitated. "It is the right thing to do, I am also not one to stand by and watch atrocities."

  The elf swallowed hard. "I thought people like you only existed in stories."

  Lorelai flinched, a sharp pang striking her chest. "Not all stories are make believe, sometimes those stories are real and now it is time to continue yours."

  Aeryn knelt beside another girl who had yet to speak. Her ears twitched, and her fingers trembled as she fumbled with the edge of a blanket. "We’ll get you somewhere safe," Aeryn murmured, a rare gentleness in her voice. "You never have to come back to this nightmare again."

  Thrax finally let out a long, heavy breath, rolling his shoulders as he set his axe down. His voice was quieter now, but no less firm. "Nobody is ever putting you in a cage again."

  The prisoners—no, the survivors—stared at them, processing the words. Processing the reality that the nightmare was finally over.

  From above, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the stairs. Kael was back.

  And he wasn’t alone.

  The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the stairs, heavy boots striking stone as Kael returned. But he was not alone. A half-dozen figures followed, their torches casting wavering light against the damp walls. The town authorities had arrived, clad in dark leather armor bearing the sigil of Karthmere, a silver mountain crest over a crimson field. Their faces were hardened, men who had likely seen their fair share of crime, but as they stepped deeper into the underground prison, even they were unprepared for what they found.

  The stench of suffering, sweat, and decay assaulted them immediately. Their torches illuminated the filth-covered floor, the rusted cages, and the gaunt, shivering women within them. Some of the prisoners shrank back from the new arrivals, clutching the makeshift coverings Lorelai and Aeryn had given them, their bodies still trembling from long term abuse. Others simply stared, hollow-eyed and numb, their minds still struggling to grasp the reality of their rescue.

  One of the officers, a grizzled man with a thick gray beard, inhaled sharply. “Gods above…” he muttered, taking a step back as though physically struck by the horror before him. His grip on his torch tightened until his knuckles turned white.

  A younger officer behind him gagged, turning his head away to avoid retching. “What in the hells…”

  Another officer, a stern-looking woman with dark hair pulled into a tight braid, stepped forward wearing an expression of barely restrained fury . "How long has this been here?" Her voice was sharp, but there was a tremor beneath it, betraying the disgust she fought to contain.

  Kael crossed his arms, his jaw tight. “No idea, we found it tonight after putting that bastard down.” He motioned toward the far corner where the slaver’s corpse still lay, his drained husk a grotesque testament to Aeryn’s wrath.

  The bearded officer, clearly the leader, stepping carefully between the cages as he proceeded forward, his gaze scanning the frail women huddled in the shadows. "Monsters walk among us wearing human skin," he murmured, shaking his head.

  One of the freed women, the petite elf who had first spoken to Lorelai, gathered her courage and stepped forward. "He wasn’t alone," she said, her voice raw. "There were others… clients. They came and went. Some were locals. Some were travelers." Her hands clenched into fists, a flicker of defiance breaking through the fear. "You let them do this."

  The room fell into a heavy silence.

  The bearded officer exhaled through his nose, looking older than he had moments ago. "If I had known… I swear on my honor, we would have burned this place to the ground." His voice was firm, but there was something else in it—guilt.

  Thrax scoffed. "So none of you ever noticed? A dungeon full of trafficked women under your own damn town?"

  The younger officer, still pale stammered, "We… we knew he was a shady bastard, but this? This is…" He shook his head. "We had no idea."

  Aeryn’s crimson eyes burned as she stepped forward. "Then you were either complicit or incompetent."

  The words hit like a slap, but no one refuted them.

  The officer with the braid was the first to break the silence. She turned to the other guards. "I want names. We find out who was involved, who knew, who looked the other way. If there are more victims, we find them. We don’t let this rot fester a second longer."

  The bearded officer nodded. "We’ll bring these women to the temple. The clergy will care for them."

  One of the prisoners let out a strangled laugh, brittle and broken. "The temple? Oh, that’s rich."

  Lorelai stiffened. "What do you mean?"

  The gaunt woman, dark-haired girl with a fresh bruise on her cheek lifted her chin. "Some of the ‘clients’ wore priestly robes."

  The braid-haired officer cursed under her breath. The bearded officer’s face darkened. "Then we root them out, too."

  Kael, watching the exchange, finally spoke. "If you don’t, we will."

  Thrax rested his axe on his shoulder. "Trust me, you don’t want us to do it our way."

  The message was clear. The town could either handle its own corruption, or the trio would take justice into their own hands.

  The bearded officer met Thrax’s gaze and, after a long moment, nodded. "You have my word. This ends here."

  Lorelai turned back to the prisoners. "You’re free now," she told them. "Its imperative you all take measures that you never have to come back to this nightmare."

  The elf girl reached out, gripping Lorelai’s hand. "We’re only free because of you."

  Tears welled in her eyes, but this time, they were not tears of despair.

  They were tears of hope.

  [Aura of Purity Rank up!]

  Aura of Purity Rank II - After a meditative prayer, you can choose to heal minor wounds or cure poisons, minor curses, and status ailments.

  class: Martial Force

  Agi - 24

  Will - 22

  End - 21

  Int- 20

  Lightning Animus: Scarlet Thunderbird

  Aura of Purity (Rank II)- emanate a protective aura that radiates from you granting allies protection and curing against poison, charm effects, and status ailments such as paralysis and petrification. Cures minor curses. After a meditative prayer the caster can cause a small healing instead of purification

  Bolt Slash/Piercer: A slash(sword)/Punch (Spear) that sends out lightning/radiant magic attack from a weapon. Small chance of paralysis effect, duration 1.5 s

  Gravity Slash/Piercer: The slash presses down, the punch presses to a wall or other object. Str of gravity effect coordinates with WILL stat.

  Daylight(light magic)- illuminates dark areas, weakens undead, and dispels magical darkness below a certain level/tier

  Zakir- large bolt of lightning shot with two fingers, high piercing effect

  Oppression- greatly increase the gravitational force in an aoe

  Gravity Centrifuge-you create a focal point to create your gravitational pull point. Any enemy within a fifteen meter radius is pulled towards the center. The closer to the center, the stronger the pull. The ball of gravity explodes at the end of the spell dealing damage proportional to proximity to the center

  Repulse- can repel or pull any metal object under the effects of lightning clad

  Weight Manipulation (upgrade pending)- Alter the weight of yourself or target, concentration required. Drastic changes are available at a higher tier

  Spatial Storage: Provides a pocket dimension to store non-living things in, the size of the space is dependent upon your INT stat.

  Rapid thrusts - Give numerous quick thrusts, number of thrusts dependent upon AGI stat power of thrust dependent upon STR stat

  Dash(Rank II)- rapidly increase movement speed for up to 2 meters cd 15 seconds. Speed of dash is dependent upon AGI stat, distance is dependent upon STR stat. At a small mana cost create an after-image to confuse enemies

  Counterstrike- Parry and counter strike with a higher chance to critical. crit chance dependent upon WILL stat, damage dependent upon STR

  Smite(Rank II) - coats weapon in radiant energy and provides a minor heal/stamina to allies within 60 feet when an enemy is slain by smite. Radiant dmg is scaled off of STR and WILL

  Affinities: holy, radiant, light, lightning, gravity, spacetime, electromagnetism

  basic skills- dash unarmed combat

  Swordsmanship: Diamond Cutter: Dragonslaying Sword (second form)

  Spearmanship: Spear of the Divine: Precision and Punishing (second form)

  unique talent - shapeshifting (human only)