Lesson in slavery

Leila Vergious  ❃  S-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

The great city of Hargeon, it was as beautiful as it was terrifying at times. Leila was here pretty recently and even met an interesting person, but now she had to return for a much more serious reason. It appeared that the slavers have returned to this place and were preparing to do their vile acts again. Something that the girl wished to shut down as fast as possible. But she also realized that this could be a great learning experience for one of the new members that had joined her guild. Poko already showed promise with her magic, but it was important to practice her powers.

And above all, the real-life experience was what mattered even more than training in most situations. So for right now, she was sitting in one of the many open cafés’ that were around the city. A beautiful view of the sea in front of her could only barely mask what things they would soon face. The guild master had also already taken on her completely human form, considering who would be with her. It was somewhat different from how she normally looked, as it wasn’t just removing her tail and ears. But at the same time, it was similar enough for Poko to recognize her with ease.

She had also left Melon in the guild as well. It would be most unfortunate if the girl were to freeze up in the middle of a fight, especially against real blood thirsty opponents. Not that Leila would actually allow her member to be injured. If need be, she was even willing to use her own body to shield the blond-haired teen from an enemy attack. Hopefully it would not actually come to something like that, as no one enjoyed receiving pain that was avoidable, but she was still perfectly willing to protect those that were close to her if it came down to it.

319 / 3,750 WC 

@Pokomon 

Leila Vergious  ❃  S-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

Leila wasn’t actually all that fond of giant crowds herself. It was not something that anyone could figure out from just observing her, as she appeared to be doing perfectly fine. But she definitely preferred more quiet places and company only of a handful of people. Larger groups were just a pain to deal with in these situations, and the girl was also used to being in a company of only one single person from her time of traveling the world. Back then, she was on the road only with the machine that adopted her for entire 17 years. Certainly enough time to develop a habit and preferences.

So when it came to Poko, she was able to recognize her discomfort rather quickly. And by no means did she blame her. Unfortunately, they just had to get through it all if they wished to succeed with this mission. But to at least ease the other girl’s pain, Leila would stop and offer her a hand to hold while she thought about how to respond to the question asked. “This city has an unfortunate relationship to crime, as I have actually driven slavers out of here once in the past. That was a long, long time ago. But there are still several places that are being constantly monitored by the guards here thanks to that.”

Regardless of Poko grabbing her hand or not, she would lead the duo through the crowd toward some of the less populated roads and alleyways that could get them to where they had to be. “So when this request came in, I actually went ahead and send a message to the local rune knights, as well as royal guard. While they all usually keep the neutral status, they didn’t refuse a request from one of the Wizard Saints. So they scouted the entire city and pinpointed few locations where are slavers are most likely hiding.”

Abusing her status was not something Leila would do very often, or happily. But this time, it was actually for the sake of making this city better. Thus it all balanced out in the end. “Once I had these locations, I’ve also sent few spirits that answer to me to this place. And from their reports, I believe I know precisely where we should be going.” Poko probably did not yet know the full extent of Leia’s magic, but the summoning aspect of it came in rather useful in many different situations, this being one of them.

“There are several connected houses with a fairly big square of free space in the middle of them. I believe that is where we will be able to find the slaves, as well as their captors. It is almost like a small fort in the middle of this city, but I believe that with the power of us both, we will be able to successfully bring them to justice.” Arriving at an alley where there was pretty much no one besides the two girls, Leila would stop and look at Poko with a warm smile, making sure that she was following all of that and that she did not have any questions.

847 / 3,750 WC 

@Pokomon 

Leila Vergious  ❃  S-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

It was quite strange… the fact that she was able to bring ease into another’s mind by simply holding their hands. Was this how it felt to be truly part of something? While moving through the crowds, there was a single moment when the guild master actually completely spaced out thinking about it. When she first came to Fiore, she was completely alone. And that remained true for quite some time, until she had joined the Golden Phoenix. But even then, she retained a lot of her solitary traits. She wouldn’t let anyone truly enter into her life and never had anyone to comfort her.

Naturally, there were both good and bad points to this. At the very least, she figured out how to get by even if she had no one else to rely on. But now? She actually quite liked this, being able to get closer to others, get to know them and tell them of her own past. Still, it would probably take a good bit of time before she would tell anyone everything. At this very moment, there was no one aside from her father who knew her whole story. But that was for another time, as they had a job to do here and she could not afford to be distracted in a situation like this.

Once in the alley, she would smile at the girl’s gesture, as she seemingly understood everything. But mainly, the fact that she was looking around as if they had already arrived at the location. “Before we actually try to free the slaves, we need some kind of a plan. And since I took you along with me so you could learn, I’d like to hear… what would you do here? Tell me your plan so we can assure everyone’s safety! Don’t worry if you make mistakes, everyone does.” Leila wanted Poko to be as involved as she could be here. But at the same time, she tried to remove the fear of failure that could hold her back.

She had already given the blond-haired female the location of their enemy forces as well as a very brief description of her own powers. What exactly could she cook up with that, Leila was looking forward to hearing. It was also a very important lesson that it was not wise to just jump into any situation without at least some sort of a plan. No matter how small and seemingly trivial, they were important and saved the wolf girl many times over. “And remember that people learn best from their mistakes, so hold nothing back.” They were also in an empty alley so no one could hear them and possibly report to the slavers.

1,300 / 3,750 WC 

@Pokomon 

Leila Vergious  ❃  S-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

Leila listened to her young friend and guild member intently, carefully saving every single word she uttered into her memory. Overall, the plan most definitely sounded like a pretty sound one. Stealth was almost always a very good option, especially if the number and power of your enemy was unknown to you. It was a pretty quick and reliable way of confirming whether Poko had the ability to think tactically already, or if it where something she would have to learn. And the silver-haired maiden was happy to see that she already had some of it learned.

Of course, it was also not the perfect plan and there were definitely things that could be improved. Though the older girl decided to point out only one of them. “It’s a good plan. But there is one thing you have not mentioned at all when explaining it that you must not forget. What exactly is our goal? While the job specifically says that it’s to capture the leaders of this slave trade, it is actually something different.” Employers were often interested in only one thing with their jobs. But work of a proper mage involved more than just that.

“The slaves. I’m sure there will be some present and we have to ensure their safety first and foremost. The bandits can be hunted down later if they run, but a lost life cannot be recovered under normal circumstances.” That was an important thing to remember. They were not here to just shut down the operation, they also had to free those that were already captured by the slavers so that they would not be subjected to a life of suffering and misfortune. But indeed, the rest would be solved as they went on. Improvisation was another skill a proper mage needed rather often.

But when Poko asked about a possible way in, Leila suddenly blushed and averted her gaze as she scratched her cheek nervously. The question made her recall a certain something from the past. “Yes, I have a way… haha… haaa…” Now that she had shown this kind of reaction, there was no point in trying to play it off, was there? “I actually already drove off one such slaver operation from this city in the past. Back then, I was with a partner as well and in order to get in, we… well…”

Letting out a sigh, Leila scratched the back of her head and finally let it all out. “We actually ambushed some of the slavers approaching the site and took their clothes. Since my partner was a guy, he was able to dress up like one of them. Then we proceeded to tear my clothes to a point where they were rather embarrassingly revealing so that I could pretend to be one of the captured slaves.” It was a method that actually worked but at the cost of some humiliation that the girl had to suffer before they were able to attack them directly from inside.

“But we’re definitely not doing that. I already have a spirit nearby, observing them. With my connection to the spirit, I think I can create a warp gate to the part of the site where there is least of the guards. That way we can sneak in and I’ll get a good look at your skills in action.” She would wink in poko and point at a wall as the familiar blue and black portal slowly started forming. One last look was given to the young girl, along with one last sentence. “Whenever you’re ready.”

1,894 / 3,750 WC 

@Pokomon 

Leila Vergious  ❃  S-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

It appeared that her faithful guild member had absolutely no questions about the situation and got herself ready to strike, whatever the cost. It was good to see such determination in action, certainly. It was also somewhat worrying, as it could mean that Poko would be capable of charging into trouble in the future. Hopefully not. Leila didn’t even want to think about the distant possibility of other people she cared about getting into trouble. She had gone through that few too many times at this point to be excited about such things. Thankfully, she would be able to protect everyone this time around.

But it would not be like that always. Regardless, she watched the blond-haired female leaping through her portal and followed shortly after. It was actually kinda strange, not being fully in charge. Since she went on most jobs solo, not counting her own spirits, there was rarely anyone else leading the way. Not that she would mind this, but there was most definitely something almost new about it. It actually placed a faint smirk on her face as she thought about this. And even the moments after, Poko seemed to be doing quite a good job sneaking around.

Using magic to make all of this easier on herself while also gaining an advantage, that was actually the essence of Silver Wolf she kinda wished to see in her members. After all, one of the goals her guild had was to develop magic itself, as well as magic-powered machinery. In other words, using magic to gain an advantage in certain situations that would possibly not be seen as conventional. Even if the young girl did not realize this, she was doing just that. And it made her guild master observe her quite happily, nodding to her that she was right behind and following.

Eventually, they arrived at a point where they should start taking down their enemies. An interesting suggestion was made and Leila started thinking about it. “Above us should be another room that has doors leading out into the square between all these houses. From it, we should be able to get to any point, including where the slaves are. So taking it over is a good idea. As for how many… I sense few too many magical signatures for a single person. But no problem!” While speaking in a low voice, the girl stood up in a confident manner and swung her left hand to the side.

With that, a blue light suddenly appeared in the room right next to her. It was clearly magical in nature and distorting the space all around it. A trans-dimensional gate. Similar to the warp gate they used to get here in some ways, but also different with others. But the result was most definitely always the same. A shape of a small girl quickly manifested as one jumped out. A young looking girl with short white hair, pale skin, and red eyes. Not to mention dragon-like horns and tail.


She wore a short yukata as well, looking at Leila in a rather familiar manner. “Enemies on the floor above us. Let’s take them out, now!” Even though she didn’t really need it, she still let Poko use her magic as a small boost that allowed her to get to the ceiling. One of her hands going through it while her fingertips actually grabbed the floor after going through it. This allowed her to pull herself up and do a little flip, kicking a man who stood right above them right in the head, knocking him out quickly.

The summoned spirit did not jump, instead, her body suddenly fell apart into a cold wind and particles of snow and ice, floating up and through the floorboards. Manifesting in the room above, she and her master moved quickly and used their bare hands and feet to knock the enemies out. If the young girl were to actually move up to where they were, she would enter a room with a good dozen of slavers on the floor, some simply knocked out by regular punches and kicks, while others having layers of snow and ice covering parts of their bodies. “And that’s that~.”

2,597 / 3,750 WC 

@Pokomon 

Leila Vergious  ❃  S-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

They have successfully infiltrated the enemy base, that was for sure. Now they had to focus on their actual goal - rescuing the slaves and getting all of the slavers. But as Poko spoke out, Leila acknowledged with a nod that she was correct. At this point, they had to start moving a bit faster due to enemy patrols. Thankfully, this place was actually quite small and only made up of several connected houses and a square between them. And it was there where most of the slavers were. Outside, doing whatever they were doing. Whereas the slaves were most likely in one of the other buildings.

This could work in their favor rather nicely, actually. A smile crept up the guild master’s face as her eyes darted over the room few more times. She would then nod to herself and cross her arms over her chest. “Alright, time for a little flash operation. If we go through this door, we will find for ourselves outside on the square. And right on the other side of there is another room, filled with people that possess little to no magical power. These are most likely the slaves. There seems to be a lot of them, too. Trying to get them out quietly would probably not work.”

Even if the two mages would be quiet, there was no way they could manage to smuggle an entire squad of slaves out of here. “We will split up, but not completely. Let us run out into the open. There, I will take care of all the slavers while you continue on ahead into the building with slaves and secure them. A commotion of that magnitude will surely also draw out the leaders of this operation. It will make it easy for us to take them all our with raw power. So get ready.”

This was also a little test for Poko, so that Leila could see how well the younger girl would perform in a more tense and stressful situation. Mages often had to work perfectly when under pressure, so this was important as well. Once the blonde said she was ready, her guild master gave the signal and broke the door to outside with a single rather powerful kick, leaping right out and into the middle of the square. “Good day~. Aria, you can join now!” Normally, a plan like this was pretty similar to a suicide. But Leila knew exactly what she was doing.

And she was powerful on top of that. In her prior conversation with Poko, she had mentioned a spirit scouting this place out few times. Now was the time for that spirit to join them. From the top of one of the buildings leaped a dark-skinned beauty with dirty blond hair and possessing a pair of vixen ears and a tail. Her clothing was not exactly modest either, consisting only of a leotard and some cloth wrapped around her waist. “Everyone’s favorite spirit of Eden, Aria, has arrived! Fufufu~” She would announce after landing and saluting them the slavers.


Yuki stood next to her summoner as well, ready for combat. Naturally, they were surrounded by the enemy forces immediately. But that also gave Poko some room to get where she had to. “Let us not waste too much time. You’ve already prepared something, right?” Aria would excitedly nod after hearing those words and clap her hands together. At that very moment, the ground shook violently, as if an earthquake was starting. But instead, all of the surrounding buildings started moving and ‘Rebuilding’ themselves.

In no time at all, the arranged bricks no longer resembled homes for humans, but a rather tall golems instead. And they were pretty mean looking as well. The only house left properly alone was the one with slaves inside, as they obviously did not want to harm them in any way, or have them too exposed to attack from the slavers if things were to get desperate. And despite their numbers, the poor criminals started being rather intimidated after seeing all of that. “Now then, shall we dance?”

3,281 / 3,750 WC 

@Pokomon 

Leila Vergious  ❃  S-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

Despite how it looked, the situation was pretty well under control. Poko was freeing the prisoners from the building where they were being hold and Leila with her summons were ready to crush all of the slavers. Aria’s power also made it fairly easy to do some large scale actions, such as position one of the Golems created from nearby homes right in front of where the younger guild member was freeing the slaves. That way, even if some of the enemies were to discover her presence there, they would not be able to get past the Golem and to her.

While doing that, the spirit actually joined the action herself, capable of controlling both her physical body and her creations at the same time. After all, she was one of the most powerful spirits Leila had, which quite possibly ranked her even above most mages in the world. Given her personality and values, it was also understandable that she was quite angry with the slavers, even if she was doing a pretty good job at hiding it behind a cheerful facade. Placing her hands on the ground, the earth itself would start moving and form two battle gauntlets around the spirit’s hands, making all of her punches exceptionally painful.

Leila gave up on using her actual weapon to do this, as that would most likely end up in an accidental fatality. Instead, she showcased how she was doing things in the past when she lacked a weapon of any kind. Both her hands and legs would be covered in a bark-like layer of wood that hardened her body, allowing her to also deliver devastating attacks up close. She was a nimble and brutal fighter when it came to that style, her body flying between opponents and delivering punches along with kicks there were often powerful enough to break bones on impact.

And finally, Yuki was also still present. Cold aura would envelop her entire body as she assumed a fighting stance, several grown men surrounding her and thinking her the weakest of the group due to her child-like appearance. But she was yet another S-ranked spirit of Leila’s, making her way faster than the slavers, her body easily moving around them while leaving behind a freezing trail that left most of the opponents stuck in place, most of their body completely encased in blocks of ice and frost, leaving them begging to be released.

Those that somehow managed to avoid this fate were dealt with a swift kick to the chin and a knee to the stomach by the frost dragon. Finally, the commotion was great enough for the leaders of this operation to show. A tall woman wearing a proper pirate attire, as she was probably transporting slaves to this place via boat. And a man that was along with her, wielding two razor-sharp sabers. Normally, they would look intimidating and like a real threat. However, as they witnessed Leila’s personal army deal with every single slaver present, they were left speechless, fear in their eyes.

Not even having enough time or guts to introduce themselves, they turned around immediately, trying to escape. Of course, that was futile as well. Leila had plenty of abilities up her sleeve, her body suddenly dissolving into the air and reappearing in front of the escaping due, her entire form suddenly glowing crimson red as the temperature in the area started rising. To finish this, she had merged with yet another one of her spirits, now possessing its abilities as her own. “I am afraid that I will have you pay for your crimes. Now…”

In a desperate attempt to get past her, the man dashed forward with his sabers and started slashing away. But his attacks were stopped by a flaming spear that appeared in the guild master’s hand. Using it, she forced him back and then promptly summoned a second spear in the air above her, shooting it right between the slaver masters to form a column of flames that reached all the way up to the skies. What was left behind were two unconscious bodies with clothes nearly completely burned away, the two having some real burn injuries but still very much alive. Sighing, she released her merge and looked toward Poko, wondering if she was okay as well.

4,001 / 3,750 WC 

@Pokomon