82nd of Summer, 514 AV
Just before daybreak.
Gillie crouched on the edge of a rooftop, his eyes scanning his surroundings for any sign of his targets. Llessis, his inside-source from the Coils Club, had recently made him aware of some underground slave-trading on the outskirts of the city. Curious as he was, Gillie simply could not pass up an opportunity to gain information which could prove valuable to higher-ups. Perhaps he would be rewarded for his intel. He might even be made a hero for his deeds.
The thought made Gillie swell with imaginary pride.
In the wee hours of the morning, however, he didn't look quite as impressive as he thought. He'd been up most of the night watching and waiting for some sign of the slavers, but to no avail. Llessis had told him they would be there, meeting in secret, to exchange their wares.
The tousle-haired tactician yawned and ran both hands through his dark, curly locks. It wasn't the presence of slave traders in the city that surprised him. He was used to slavers bringing in Kelvic men and women, whom the Akalak viewed as a lesser race, for trading. Gillie frowned as he thought about it. According to Llessis, these slavers were sneaking in kidnapped women of any available race to sell. Kelvic, Eypharian, Inarta, Benshira, even Vantha from the far north.
Llessis had also informed him that these traders were even kidnapping women in the city to export them to other regions. This ensured a steady cycle of supply and demand. Gillie shook his head. Just over three weeks ago, he'd helped a Kelvic slave girl escape the city, and not a day went by that he did not think of her and hope that she had made it somewhere--anywhere--safely.
So, yes, something in him desired to make a profit off valuable information. But something else, something bigger, inside of him yearned to end the practice if at all possible. Luckily, this particular branch of slave trade existed solely in the shadows. If anywhere, he could work in the shadows.
There. From his perch he saw four shapes, all cloaked, emerge from the same alley. Three of them were connected by ropes which disappeared into their cloaks and hoods--presumably binding their necks and hands. He squinted to look more closely. One of the three bound figures had six arms--an Eypharian.
A fifth figure materialized from the shadows of a corridor and was quickly joined by a sixth. They met briefly with the unbound figure of the four, and spoke in hushed voices. Gillie could not make out what it was they said. As quietly as possible, he slid off his perch on the low-hanging roof and dropped to the ground on all fours to creep closer.
He peered around the corner as modestly as possible, allowing only half of his left eye to see what went on. If they caught him spying, there would be trouble. One of the unbound cloaked figures seemed agitated. Paranoid. As if he felt like they were being watched.
Which they were.
In a matter of moments, the deed was done. The three bound persons were transferred into the corridor, and the unbound disappeared behind them.
Gillie blinked sleepy eyes and racked his brain for a plan. Okay, what now, Gillie?