Nakai and Alo moved along the tree line to get a closer look at the stables. They both crouched down to the ground, and watched as the old man from earlier beat a young woman with a thick stick. Her pale skin was blue from both the cold and bruising. Beside the old man, the old woman shouted angrily, her face almost bursting from how red it had become.
"Did I say you could change back?! You think your work is done because the sun has gone down?!"
The woman cried out from the intense pain as she tried to protect herself, but was failing miserably. Nakai quickly scanned the area, but he saw only more enslaved Werebeasts being kept in the stables with chains. Alo was already wanting to run out and stop the brutal beating, but he was held back silently. With one hand on Alo's shoulder firmly, Nakai grabbed his gun swiftly, and shot the old man through the head. Because his gun made no sound, the old woman was yet to react when she was also shot through the back of her head. Before both bodies could hit the ground, Alo was sprinting over to the unconscious woman. While Alo worked on helping the Werebeasts' outside, Nakai made his way to the back of the house, using the dense tree line to stay hidden.
Around the back, the back door was being hidden by a broad Werebeast holding a gun; staying hidden, Nakai shot the Werebeast before running over, catching his falling body before it could make any noise. Nakai left the body bleeding out on the ground, and he silently made his way inside. Stepping through the mud room, Nakai entered a large kitchen with a small dining table in the corner, opposite the table was a closed door. Through the crack at the bottom of the door leading to the main part of the house, a warm yellow light shone through. Faint murmuring could be heard from a different direction of the room, and Nakai found a second door beside the pantry, leading into the living area. The door was slightly ajar, allowing Nakai to glance inside. A group of Werebeast men and women sat around a long table while talking happily, he saw more Werebeast inside as well but they were in their human form with chains around their ankles. It looked like a sale was happening, and Nakai lifted his gun again. Before he aimed through the crack in the door, he heard a shout from behind and spun around.
A young Werebeast threw a knife at Nakai but it was caught mid air, followed by Nakai lunging into the mud room. Before any more noise could be made, Nakai covered the young man's mouth and pushed the knife deep into his chest. Working quickly Nakai dragged both dead bodies to the tree line before heading back to Alo.
In the stables, Alo was busy dressing the unconscious woman in the clothes of the elderly lady; her bruised skin was ice cold, but he was relieved to see she was still breathing. Once the woman was taken care of, Alo moved towards the other stables. There were two other brown horses, along with three goats. At first the Werebeasts had been scared of Alo, thinking he was a potential buyer and they were hesitant to trust him. It wasn't until they saw how gently Alo was taking care of the woman, that they changed back into their human form one by one. Moving between the stables, Alo quickly unlocked the padlocks on the chains with the keys that were on the old man's belt. Unlike the elderly woman, the old mans' clothes were filthy and covered in blood, there were also no other clothes to be seen. Alo raced around the stable quickly to find anything that could keep them warm, until he finally found a large brown canvas tarp. Alo handed the tarp to a large Werebeast who was also a horse, before carrying the unconscious woman over to them. With all the Werebeasts in one stable, Alo walked back to the dead bodies while saying quietly.
"Hide in the stable. Try to keep warm and don't come out until I say."
Alo grunted quietly while pulling the old people away, and he could hear the people in the stable thank him quietly. Once in the tree line, Alo saw Nakai motioning for him to head over to the tree line beside the house. Once Alo was crouched beside Nakai, they looked at the house. Nakai pointed to the room close to the back.
"The guests will be wondering where the old people are soon. It looks like a sale, and there are more Werebeasts inside. I'll head through the back and you can take the front. I think it would be best for you to change now too."
Alo's eyes narrowed while he looked at the house, his eyes had already changed to black and he quickly removed his clothes. Before moving in, Nakai hung the clothes in a tree when a large bear growled beside him. Nakai gave a simple nod before Alo ran to the front door. Before entering the house, Alo roared loudly and stood on his hind legs. The weight of his heavy body suddenly crashed down, and the wooden door collapsed beneath him. Half the group of men and women instantly charged outside; Nakai took the opportunity to slip around the back and he returned to the door leading to the living area. Inside Nakai saw there were four buyers left; Keeping a watchful eye on the small group of buyers, Nakai pulled his gun out. Taking a breath, Nakai stepped through the door and shot four bullets into four bodies. The gunshots made no sound, and the scared Werebeasts only processed what happened once they saw the bodies on the ground leaking blood. Everyone in the room froze as they stared at Nakai in horror. Inside the room, Nakai could see there were ten Werebeasts, all of their ankles chained to the ground. Without speaking, Nakai removed the thick chains. Despite being freed, everyone clumped together and stared at Nakai with wide eyes. Looking around the room, Nakai asked in a low voice.
"Is there anyone else?"
To Nakai, all the Werebeasts looked to be in their late twenties or early thirties. Everyone stared back at him, their lips frozen from fear and shock. Sensing no one was going to answer him, Nakai started walking towards the hallway. Suddenly from behind a small hand pulled on Nakai's shirt. Nakai quickly turned around to see a short teen boy with mousy brown hair. The small Werebeast spoke in an urgent yet quiet voice as he pointed upstairs.
"There are three men up the stairs. They took my brother up there after giving the old people money. There are also more Werebeasts in the basement."
The small Werebeast looked on the verge of tears while he talked about his brother, and Nakai didn't waste any time as he ran up the stairs. His large body was quieter than the night before he kicked open the first door that came into view. Nakai shot two men that ran towards him as soon as the door was open; without wasting another second, Nakai pulled the third man away from the bed and shot him in the head, dropping him to the floor a heavy thud. A light thud sounded in the room afterwards, when a small Werebeast slid off of the bed and onto the cold floorboards. The Werebeast couldn't be older than twenty as blood ran down his legs, his body limp. Nakai quickly checked the pulse of the boy before picking him up, and taking him into the bathroom connected to the bedroom. As expected in places like this, a first aid kit was under the sink and Nakai gently wiped cream onto the bleeding rectum.
The boy winced from the pain but didn't wake up during the treatment. To cover the young man's injury, Nakai used a clean towel to wrap around his waist before dressing him in a bathrobe, covering his naked body. Before heading downstairs, Nakai checked the other bedrooms but there was no one else upstairs. As soon as the other young Werebeast saw his brother being carried by Nakai, he ran over while crying. The Werebeast in Nakai's arms woke up from the sound of his brother's cries, but when he saw Nakai, he tried to struggle out of his arms. Nakai kept a firm hold on the young man because he doubted it would be good for him to walk right now, and the mousy haired boy tried to calm his brother, tears still streaming down his face.
"Stop, stop. This man is a friend. He's not going to hurt us."
The struggling Werebeast couldn't continue to fight because of his body's condition, and he was laid down on the sofa in the living room. The mousy haired boy quickly knelt down beside his brother, sobbing over his covered body quietly. Stepping away from the sofa, Nakai quickly asked whoever was willing to answer, where the basement was. A tall tanned woman didn't speak but pointed to the kitchen, Nakai looked back at the silent woman before walking through the open door. Once he was in the kitchen, the woman followed behind, and she pointed at the closed pantry door, her hand trembling. Nakai guided the terrified woman back into the living room before returning to the kitchen. Nakai pulled open the skinny shutter doors of the pantry, on the concrete floor he could see a square wooden trap door. The door wasn't locked and he pulled the heavy door open; a foul stench instantly filled Nakai's nose. He knew that whatever was down there, most likely wasn't alive, and hadn't been for a long time.
Inside the cellar was nothing but pitch black darkness, Nakai could make out the top few stairs that led down, but he didn't know how big or what was waiting for him aside from more Werebeast. With his gun in his left hand, Nakai stepped into the cellar slowly, straining his eyes to see in the pitch back room. The more stairs Nakai stepped down, the harsher the putrid smell became, almost clinging to the back of his throat. Once Nakai reached the bottom of the stairs, his head bumped against a dangling thin chain. Pulling on the chain, the large cellar suddenly lit up, scaring everyone that was inside. As Nakai looked around the cellar, he saw it was only one giant room with stone walls. Drilled into the stone walls were thick chains, with each chain being attached to more thinner chains. Nakai stared at the hundreds of bodies in the cellar, some were alive but most were dead. Rotting bodies of different stages were the cause of the foul stench, but the sight of their bodies was even worse. Whether they were alive or dead, scabs and bruises littered everyone's sickly coloured skin.
With a seething hatred burning inside of him, Nakai walked along the cold stone walls, pulling out the thick chains. Unlike the people in the living room, the Werebeasts in the cellar stared at Nakai with dull eyes, as if they didn't care whether they were saved or not. Nakai didn't have the keys for the padlocks around everyones ankles, and he didn't want to risk hurting them further by trying to forcefully remove them. Once Nakai was standing by the staircase again, the roar of Alo echoed loudly throughout the entire property. The fierce sound was enough to give the sick and weak Werebeasts some vigour, and they slowly followed Nakai out of the dark cellar. Because the living and the dead had been kept together, Nakai wasn't sure about the number of Werebeast in the cellar until he was in the living room again. Had the house not been an old traditional style home, not everyone would have fit in the one room. There were close to fifty Werebeasts from the cellar, but with the light in the living room, he knew not everyone would make it past a couple days. Once all the victims were crowded together in the living room, Nakai headed over to the small Werebeast brothers, checking over them briefly.
Outside, Alo quickly changed back to his human form and emerged from the trees fully dressed but exhausted. The temperature had dropped even more and the snowfall had started to pick up. Alo returned back to the stable, and ushered everyone into the house. When he entered the house and saw Nakai surrounded by Werebeasts, his eyes changed back to black but he didn't transform. Neither he nor Nakai had expected such large numbers, and it was a little hard not to think what would have happened, had they not stepped in. Now that they had dealt with one thing though, a myriad of tasks and problems had to be tackled. The night was already bitterly cold, but from now on it would only get colder. Before saying anything to Nakai, Alo walked out the back, closing all the doors, he also found a large basket of fire wood and added it to the dying embers inside the living room. Alo also had the keys that belonged to the elderly couple, and he worked his way around the large crowd, unlocking the anklets that had been attached to their chains.
Because of the constant rattling from the chains, the small injured Werebeast began to stir, as if experiencing a nightmare. Nakai slowly took the young man into his arms, holding him firmly so as to not irritate his injuries any more. Once Alo was done, he returned to Nakai's side. The Werebeasts' brother was also sticking close to Nakai's side, practically clinging to his waist; Alo looked at both young men sadly before nodding towards the young man in Nakai's arms, asking in a worried whisper.
"Is he okay? What happened to him?"
Nakai only responded by shaking his head, it was enough for Alo to understand and he sadly nodded. Looking back at the people filling the room, Alo tried to think of a plan. Nakai continued to sit on the sofa while holding the young man, every few minutes he would jolt awake and look up at Nakai. He remembered what his brother had told him, so he no longer tried to get away, but if anyone else came too close to them, he would start screaming. While Nakai looked after everyone, Alo worked hard to drag the dead bodies of the buyers out of the house, ditching them in the tree line like the rest of the dead bodies. The dead bodies left behind a dark red blood trail on the wooden floors, but no one seemed to notice or care. Once Alo was back inside again, he heard Nakai explain in a low voice.
"You'll stay here tonight, in the morning you'll dress in whatever clothes we can find then make your way to the valley down the mountain. That country in the valley is open to anyone who doesn't have a home; no papers or ID needed. You'll be expected to work but it will be paid and honest, unlike here. You will have to make that journey as a group so it is best if you rest now. The quicker you travel tomorrow, the safer you will be."
There were a few murmurs between everyone, but no one went against having a safe place to go. While everyone tried to make themselves comfortable on the floor in order to sleep, the small mousy haired boy tugged on Nakai's shirt, his voice barely above a whisper.
"What about me and my brother? He can't travel like this."
Before Nakai could answer, Alo came over with rushed steps. Seeing Alo, the small boy beside Nakai hid under his arm, but once he saw Nakai was fine with him coming closer, he no longer hid. Alo leaned in close to Nakai's ear, not wanting the others to hear while he spoke.
"Are we staying here too? Bao will be starting to worry now, and if Ala turns up tomorrow and sees we're not there, she might have another episode."
Nakai looked around the room. They both knew they couldn't leave the group alone, but Wang Bao was also alone in a hut in a strange country. Nakai then looked down at the two young men clinging to him before whispering back.
"I'll stay here. Go back to the hut and bring Wang Bao here in the morning, if Ala hasn't turned up by the time you're about to leave then leave a message for her to meet us here with supplies and a rescue crew. We don't know how many people will be able to make it down the mountain, but we can't risk separating anyone."
Alo wasted no more time, and left quickly to make the trek down the mountain. Back in the house, Nakai stayed up and watched over everyone. The small boy next to him was finding it hard to sleep because he was worried about his brother, and he asked Nakai a simple question to get his mind off of things.
"Why are you so tall?"
Nakai peeked at the small boy that was glued to his side, answering in a low whisper.
"You don't know about Giants?"
The little boy shook his head before scooting even closer to Nakai, they were sitting on the sofa but Nakai's body took up more than half of it. Once the boy made himself comfortable on Nakai's arm, he started talking.
"My name is Luka. My brother's name is Mika."
Nakai nodded in Luka's direction since he couldn't shake his hand properly, before introducing himself.
"I'm Nakai, Prince of Giant Country."
Hearing Nakai was a Prince shocked Luka, he couldn't stop his already large eyes from opening wide. Even after thirty seconds, Luka couldn't believe what he had heard, and he asked in an excited whisper.
"Are you really a Prince? Like, an actual Prince? I've never met a Prince before."
Nakai nodded his head while he wrapped Mika's robe around his frail body tighter. With the size and youthful faces of the two brothers, he couldn't tell their age. Once Nakai settled back into the sofa, he asked Luka.
"How old are you two? Everyone else here is an adult."
Luka yawned tiredly before answering Nakai, his eyes drooping as he spoke.
"Mika is 18 and I'm 16. Our bloodline has always had a small stature, and people usually mistake us for being younger."
Nakai didn't want to know how they got mixed up in something like this at such a young age; judging on what he had seen on previous missions, he wouldn't be surprised if they had gotten sold off by a relative or friend, but kept these thoughts to himself. Luka tiredly questioned Nakai about Giant Country and being a Prince, he had only gotten two questions out when he fell asleep against Nakai's arm, his hand clutching Mika's tightly. The fire had started to die down again, but with the large number of people in the one room, the cold was kept outside and everyone was able to rest peacefully. When the first sign of morning light peeked through the wooden boards on the windows, Mika was the first to wake up and he silently stared off into space. Nakai left him to think quietly and after a few minutes, Mika turned to look at Nakai. His voice was husky from his screaming yesterday as he said.
"Thank you for saving me."
Nakai shook his head gently before answering in a low whisper.
"There's no need to thank me."
Nakai could see Mika wanted to say something else, but no more words came out of the young man. They were the only two awake, but they didn't converse as they waited for everyone else to wake up. Once the sun had risen above the trees, more and more Werebeasts stirred before sitting up, odd expressions on their faces as they remembered what had happened. Nakai silently scanned the room once everyone had woken up, aside from Luka. As he had expected, some people hadn't made it through the night, their bodies lying coldly on the floor. There was nothing Nakai could do to move the bodies while holding Mika, but instead of everyone making a fuss, they helped move the bodies out to the hallway, using a sheet to cover the handful of bodies. Nakai felt complicated watching the scene in front of him; seeing such compassion between complete strangers during these circumstances was always a sad thing to witness. It wasn't long after the bodies were covered, Alo walked through the door with Wang Bao behind him. Wang Bao stared into the living room, his eyes wide from shock. Alo had already told him what had happened when he arrived at the cabin, but it was hard to fully take in until he saw it with his own eyes. Wang Bao subconsciously clenched his fists as he thought back to the picture of his Mother, and how she was involved in these sorts of things. Nakai could see what Wang Bao was thinking, and they locked eyes; seeing Nakai made Wang Bao calm down a little, and he rummaged through Nakai's pack that Alo had carried, taking out a bag of food before saying.
"I-I'll make breakfast."
It was obvious the sight was too overwhelming for Wang Bao, especially after seeing the covered bodies only a few feet away from the front door, and he walked into the kitchen through the open door at the end of the hall. Alo quickly walked over to Nakai and squatted beside the sofa, a grim expression on his face as he explained quietly.
"We can't send these people walking down the mountain. During the night the snow picked up and now the whole trail is swamped in a foot of snow. I left a message for Ala, but even so it would take a while for her to travel up from the meeting point, to the cabin then to here."
Nakai looked around the room seriously, the majority of people were wearing rags while others were naked and using sheets for cover. After a few seconds of thinking, Nakai told Alo quietly.
"Look around the house and find as many clothes as you can, we won't let them travel down but they need clothes. After some food, we can come up with a plan."
Alo nodded however before starting on the clothing issue, he picked up the deceased people one by one and carried them into an empty bedroom opposite the living room. He didn't want to take them outside, and they could think of a way to bury the bodies later. Once the hallway was clear again, Alo started rummaging through the many rooms in the house, looking for clothing and blankets. From the open doors in the kitchen, everyone started to smell a nice aroma, and they all looked in the direction of where Wang Bao was cooking. Through the door, they watched Wang Bao chop a large pile of spinach before chopping a large pile of root vegetables. The delicious aroma they could smell was the meat frying on the stove, and once the vegetables were cut Wang Bao added them to the pot with some water. While his soup started to simmer, Wang Bao rummaged through the kitchen cupboards and fridges to find more food. It didn't take very long before a large pot of soup was cooked, along with some overcooked and tough bread. Wang Bao already knew they wouldn't be travelling for at least a few days, but he wasn't sure how they would be able to feed everyone during that time; once he was done, Wang Bao was quite happy to see he had been able to make a hearty meal without using too much food. When Wang Bao started serving the food, all the bowls in the house were used first, but they quickly ran out and Wang Bao had to use mugs. Once the mugs were all used up, he started using any sort of container or bowl shaped dish in the kitchen.
Wang Bao liked to work quickly and quietly, mostly thinking of new ways to improve what he had just cooked or other dishes he could make. It wasn't until he turned towards the living room, that he saw a long line of patiently waiting people staring at him. Wang Bao was surprised but he quickly recovered and started handing over the soup and bread. Nobody rushed or shouted at Wang Bao that they wanted more, all they did was thank him quietly for the food before returning to sit in the living room quietly. Once the line had disappeared, Wang Bao motioned for Nakai to come and eat in the kitchen. What he didn't expect was for Nakai to come in carrying a small Werebeast, as well as another small Werebeast following close behind him while holding a tight fistful of Nakai's shirt. Inside the kitchen, Nakai sat Mika down at the table. Although Nakai tried to be gentle, Mika couldn't help but wince and stiffen from the pain. Luka quickly sat opposite his brother, looking at him with great concern. Wang Bao didn't waste any time and served both Werebeast a hearty serving of the soup and bread. Both Luka and Mika ignored Wang Bao, aside from the intermittent glances they would give him, they mainly ate their soup and looked at Nakai who was standing right beside Wang Bao.
Seeing the two boys eat, Nakai leaned against the counter tiredly, eating his soup out of a small pot. Not long after they started eating, Alo entered the living room and dumped a heavy pile of clothes on the sofa, heading into the kitchen once he was done. Wang Bao quickly handed Alo a small pot that had his soup. Despite the table in the kitchen being able to seat four people, Alo stood on the other side of Nakai, eating quietly. Wang Bao's serving was inside the large pot that had cooked the hearty meal, but his serving was only half the size of everyone else's. As Wang Bao slowly ate his small meal, he would sometimes lean against Nakai or hold onto his hand firmly. Every small interaction between the two caused both Luka and Mika to look over with confused eyes more often.
All Nakai wanted to do was pull Wang Bao in and kiss him but he couldn't with the kids watching him so intensely. Once Wang Bao finished his soup and tough bread, he sighed quietly. He wasn't excited to get a start on the dishes, especially when he was still hungry. Wang Bao wasn't upset about his lack of food though, seeing how frail and starved everyone looked, he was happy they were able to have a proper warm meal. Nakai could see Wang Bao was hungry, and he gently pulled Wang Bao's waist before taking Wang Bao's spoon. After placing the cutlery in his own pot, Nakai said in a quiet voice.
"My serving is too much, help me finish it."
Wang Bao didn't act polite and he took a large spoonful from Nakai's pot, chewing happily. Both Mika and Luka looked at Wang Bao cautiously while eating their soup, they didn't know who the man was, as well as why he was so close to Nakai. Seeing the two small Werebeast look over at them again, Nakai turned to face the boys and said in a stern but gentle voice.
"It's okay to ask questions. If you want to say something then just say it, no one will yell at you or punish you."
Luka pretended to not hear Nakai as he focused on his soup while Mika hesitated. After watching Wang Bao a little more he finally opened his mouth, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Are you two in that sort of relationship?"
Alo leaned against the counter, he felt he knew the answer already but was still curious as to how Nakai would answer. Like always, Nakai was blunt and to the point.
"Yes we are. Is there anything else you want to know?"
Luka perked up and held his hand up, his face looking like a nervous school kid. Wang Bao smiled as he nodded at Luka to speak.
"Is Bao a prince of Giant Country too?"
Mika hadn't heard about Nakai's identity and he stared at the couple in surprise. Wang Bao was also surprised, it seemed to him that Nakai had no qualms about letting people know his true identity, while he always tiptoed around it. Nakai smiled down at Wang Bao before pinching his pale arm.
"No, he's not a Prince of Giant Country. Can't you see how scrawny he is?"
Wang Bao instantly pushed Nakai away before stealing the pot of food; he had already eaten half of Nakai's but his stomach was still empty. The sudden loud rumble from Wang Bao's stomach made Nakai step back in surprise, and he said in a determined voice.
"I'll go hunting today, our rations won't last for the large group anyway. You should come with me to pick wild fruit and vegetables before the frost kills them."
Hearing that Nakai was about to leave the house, Luka and Mika looked at each other nervously. Alo noticed their quiet anxiety and he walked over to the table, crouching down while looking between the two of them while saying.
"I'll need help cooking lunch for everyone, do you think the two of you could help me?"
Luka was already quite comfortable with Alo since he knew he was a friend of Nakai's. Mika on the other hand didn't know him, and he kept his eyes on his empty bowl. After Luka agreed on both his and Mika's behalf, Alo stood up and left the room to collect the dirty dishes. It was Nakai's turn to kneel beside the table. Mika was still refusing to look at anyone and he felt Nakai rub his head softly. Once Mika looked up at him, Nakai started talking in a quiet whisper.
"I'll be gone for a few hours. If you're too uncomfortable, Alo can carry you to the sofa. It's okay to stay in here though, Alo is a good man and he won't get too close if you don't want him to. But don't be afraid to say if you're uncomfortable, okay? That goes for you too, Luka."
Mika gave a small nod while Luka agreed verbally. Nakai patted both young men on the head, making Wang Bao smile softly. He knew Nakai wasn't well versed in comforting people, but the small gesture was enough for him, and it looked to work with Mika and Luka as well.