Awakening the girls turned out to not be all too much work for Rex, though it was still packed quite the punch- to see the girls, one by one slowly coming by, realizing that they were no longer in a confused, daze like state, not entirely aware of their surroundings. That too was something to note. The drug, while keeping them in a doll like state, their souls half asleep, did not lock out them entirely, quite a few memories still lingering in the girls minds regarding the things they had gone through, even if feeling was more like dreams. There were a few girls who had been in this state for years, starting from their sixteens or something to their apparent mid twenties and the notable change in their bodies as they had grown, somewhat aware of whatever was happening hit all the harder. The realization that they had lost almost a decade of their lives, being a plaything of not only their captors but whoever was willing to pay the appropriate price afterwards? Now that drove them to desperate tears as they collapsed and cried. Thankfully, if it could be called that, some of the worker girls who had not been in the same situation, drugged and all, were around who served as a support of sorts, having gone through their own share of hardship until they had ended up where they were.
Most, if not all, of the girls here were now on their own, their families either long since considered them dead of disowned for their work in brothels. There was little to no chance that any of them could regain any semblance of their previous lives, not with what they had gone through so far. Rex sat in between Danica and Eve, the two hugging him as they saw the painful sight before them, with plenty of girls crying and despairing, whatever hope for a happy life they might have had a long time ago shattered and replaced with quite the nightmare. Both girls just sat there, each considering how their own lives could have turned for the worse had Rex not appeared when he had. Danica would have lost the young ones of their tribe, likely causing her to become more and more reckless as she would spiral down until she would eventually go over the edge, dying in the process. Whether at the had or claw of a dungeon monster or some shady, yet powerful group of men did not matter. Eve meanwhile believed she would have stepped on the toes of the same nobles she did when she ran into Rex in Ravenhold Fort, even if likely a few years later. Then, a similar plot would no doubt be worked up, pawning her off to some cruel bastard that would slowly break her. Unlike them, these girls did not have their own Rex, at least not in time to save them from their grave fate.
It lasted for almost an hour, though eventually, the cries stopped, the other red light district women helping to calm their unwilling sisters down. Sure, there was no life of a fairytale awaiting them, but they were finally free and with Rex removing all traces of the previous oppression and leadership, they had a hope of creating a future where they could have a life of their own. They might not ever get to have a normal life, with a loving husband and children brightening their days, with siblings and other family members stopping by to check on them, but they were not alone. That too was something Rex noticed. The resilience of the people pf this world. They lived harsh lives, always afraid of the strong coming and taking whatever they so wished. They would crumble and cry when their lives were destroyed, but once the tears ran out, they would stand back up, stronger than before and soldier on, crafting a new life for themselves, seeking what little hope and happiness they could still find. And the girls here, they too did the same. Once the tears were gone, they stood up, a new spark in their eyes as they thanked Rex for what he had done, bringing them back to the work of the living, for they had not lived for quite the long while.
"Would you like to know the fates of those who harmed you?" Rex asked once they had done thanking him, his face calm and relaxed. He noticed the awkwardness of those girls, worried about actually finding out. he could tell that while they were ready to move on, they wanted to know that their abusers had not gotten off easy, that they too had suffered for what they had gone through. So, he smiled lightly as he continued. "Most of them had gone through quite the suffering for a while, my particular school of magic being quite the boon for precisely such occasions. I had been considering the way their lives would end and I suppose I wanted to allow you to choose in the end. To give you a soft of conclusion for the suffering you had gone through." Rex then explained the few methods he had in plan for to end the bastards lives, explaining in relatively great detail how painful said last moments of their lives would be. "Well?" He asked once the explanation was done "Is this good enough or would you like me to give it some more thought?"
Nods of agreement and words like 'Let them burn!' resounded through out the room, anger, rage and grief flashing in the eyes of the women. Anger and rage towards the assailants and grief, once again, for their lost years and opportunities, no matter how feeble they might have been. Rex just nodded in agreement, asking if they wished to witness said last moments, though also advising not to, said sight being quite graphic and disturbing. In the end, he managed to convince the girls to only confirm that their captors and torturers, alongside their accomplices, were the ones he was about to punish one last time. Thus, a short while later, the group of women were in the basement Rex's prisoners had been kept.
Their exhausted and miserable states did bring a smile to a number of the girls faces, several curses flung in the bastards directions. Once the women were satisfied, Rex asked them to leave the room, delivering a few last words as he extracted some last bits of information he needed regarding their supplier of said drugs. There was simply no way that someone as incompetent and stupid could be in charge of their creation. Delivering a rather swift death to another two men who had provided said needed knowledge, Rex gazed at the remaining group, his eyes cold emotionless.
"Now then my dear guests. I suppose this is the last time I have the misfortune of addressing you, and while I could lie and say I will find no joy in what is about to happen, I don't plan to do so. Know that I will find it quite pleasing to send each and every one of you on the next part of your eternal souls journey. I will also ensure that you all remember it deep within your souls to not repeat the same mistake. Ow, and know that most of your spouses and children who are not here will be sold off in slavery, the money for their sale being given to the women and families who suffered because of you."
With that said, Rex snapped his fingers, lighting the blood in the prisoners veins on fire, causing soul curdling screams to erupt once again despite the exhausted and sore throats of the people affected. This fire, it burned more than just the blood, as Rex had mixed the use of both blood and soul concepts, creating a fire that would not only burn the bodies in an excruciatingly painful manner but also singe their souls just a tiny bit. Nothing too permanent, but enough to ensure the souls would instinctively shy away from drugs and their use in any malicious way. This world was still far too new to reach a state of all manner of drugs being used to improve the lives of the people on a regular basis. Alchemy did do good, but was rather fringe art currently, leaving it only for eccentric people and those with absurd amount of money and in desperate need for a solution.
Once Rex was done, no trace of the bodies remained, only white ash in small piles in place of each of the people burned away. With that over, he asked the girls back in, every one slightly shaken from the screams alone that had reached the place they waited in. At the sight of the light trembling as the women looked around, Rex spoke "I did say that seeing it would be quite traumatic and I am sure I was correct just looking at how distraught you are after only hearing it? Though at least now I do hope that you can live on with at least the knowledge that those that hurt you and stole your peaceful, if not easy, lives were punished properly."
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After that, the girls were led back to the ground level where Rex explained that they could take this mansion as theirs. Once the money from selling off all the others in the know and assisting with the crimes committed here and against them came in, they could live comfortably for quite some time, slowly finding a new path in life forward. Rex did note that while not the most glamourous and often the last choice as a line of work, courtesans were one of the oldest, if not actually the oldest profession known to man. There was not much thought behind the sentence as he departed, though he did hope that it would alleviate some of the self hate the girls would develop, if it was not there already. Sure, it was not their fault, but the facts were still there. They had been working in said line of work for a while and as such it was irrevocable part of their lives, no matter if one liked it or not.
It was close to morning when Rex was done with the last bits of the issue, informing the guards about the girls and how the money about the sold slaves were to be distributed. He had also made sure to warn the new mayor of the town that there better not be any shady business on his part. Rex might just come by once he leaves at any point in time to check up on things and it was quite obvious how he dealt with people who did not act with decency and abiding by the laws set. Receiving furious nods of understanding, the mayor swore that he would ensure that no similar thing ever set root in his town, repeatedly thanking Rex for his great contribution in uprooting and exterminating not only the criminal elements but also the previous, corrupt city leader. Rex just nodded and repeated his warning, adding that he believed the new mayor had what it took to keep his promises, though also added that he would soon have the assistance of the Dawning Sun sect to make sure he achieves the promised results.
With that done Rex found himself finally free and accompanied by his two beautiful companions and party members, once again visited Miu's restaurant for a proper meal. As they enjoyed their meal after a job well done, Miu once again thanked Rex's party for all the good they had done and added that she too would keep an eye on the girls they rescued and healed, speaking of just how detestable said drug was. It had been barely a day since Rex had been on the crusade, but already the news of what he had done had spread across the town, with many looking up to their party and some fearing for their own safety due to their involvement in said illegal activities. When asked if he had any plans to go after said drug, Rex smiled at Miu and asked her to keep his response to herself and then admitted that he was interested in the ingredients of said drug. While mixed as they had been, the result was something toxic and greatly disturbing, as proven by the existence of the drug, but Rex was also sure that in the correct hands and with the correct method, the same ingredients could be used to create something truly useful and beneficial, though he did not say that he would also have to find ways to limit, if not entirely remove said ingredients from the world markets, be it the ordinary ones or black markets or to ensure said beneficial concoction would not be readily available. Rex did not mind doing the occasion kind act towards the people he encountered, but he was also not in the habit of creating miracle medicines and just handing them out for free and as a being who was paving an uncharted path, he had no reason to make said path easy for others, especially so strangers and possibly even enemies.
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"Sheesh. That was a disappointment if I have ever seen one!" Rex sighed as the trio stepped out of the dungeon gate, having just finished their few day dive in the local dungeon. "Now we know for sure why there are no A rankers and barely any B rankers in that town." he added, looking towards Danica.
"In my defence you should have realised it sooner too. You know very well that I am not the brains of our party. That job is for you and Eve." Danica threw her hands in the air and shifted the blame, her eyes darting between Rex and Eve.
"Never blamed you to begin with, just stated the obvious. And I did have a slight suspicion that the dungeon was of a lower level than what we normally grind in. The mana was just too sparse in there."
"Why did you not say anything then?" Eve asked as she joined the conversation.
"The biome of the place was rather intriguing. I wanted to see if there were any special plants growing inside. Not every day does one run into a dungeon in a theme of chaotic mutations. Sadly, it was a bit too low tiered. If only it was a tier or two higher, maybe I could have something truly interesting there. There surely is another place like it that does meet the necessary requirements."
"So? What now?" Danica asked, their current plans having come to an end.
"We relax for a day or two until the Dawning Sun's people arrive to set up shop, receive the message Pyra wanted delivered and see from then. So I suggest a nice and long bath before a well earned meal at Miu's place." Rex explained.
"Oh? Is that favouritism I smell?" teased Danica, causing Eve's eyes do lock on Rex.
"Don't tell me you have a place with better food in this town! Why have you not told us about it already?" Rex asked over exaggeratedly. making his sarcasm clearly felt in his tone, causing Danica to lightly hit his shoulder, grumbling something incomprehensible.
"Besides, you have Eve to tease and play around with." Rex added, quickly like the wind appearing behind the archer and hugging her. "Just look at this beauty. Is she truly not enough for you? My, your lust and greed is even greater than mine." Rex teased as Eve almost melted in his arms. There was just something special about the man your heart yearned for hugging you with warmth and affection, doubly so when said affection, even if only in its early stages of development, could be felt through the special connection your souls had.
"Hey! That's playing dirty!" Danica exclaimed, moments later joining in on the small group hug, groaning in satisfaction. She had come to learn something new about herself in the last two nights they slept inside the dungeon. She loved her spot on one of Rex's sides as they slept, her head on his chest as they napped, but sometimes, being the middle spoon, hugging Eve and being hugged by Rex in turn felt just so damn good that she already knew she would do her best to rotate the sleeping positions as needed.
What followed was a rather long bath where the trio enjoyed the soothing and pleasant feeling hot water bath brought, as they soaked and once again enjoyed each others presence. they were not just a party after all, there were lovers, a family and spending quality time together was indeed necessary to strengthen their bonds. Once done with the bath, they had a satiating meal at Miu's place as previously planned, followed by a short stroll through the city, buying and selling a thing or two. They had acquired a solid amount of stuff to sell off, their dungeon dive being quite bountiful even if below their average loot quality, result of the dungeon itself being of a lower tier. Eventually, the trio retired to their now shared room to rest for the night.
The coming few days were spent in a relative rest, with them combing the markets every day in case something interesting pops up while eating their meals at Miu's. bringing the women plenty of business, though that was not something Miu ever had to worry, her establishment booked for months ahead. Of course, as an A rank party Endless journey had an open invitation whenever they visited. Not only were they A ranked party, but the town itself was abuzz with talk about them and how they had purged the underground ruling the place and keeping a reign of terror over the local populace.
The third day after their emergence from the local dungeon started particularly well, at least for Eve, as she woke up relatively late, pleasantly tired and wholly satisfied after her first time with Rex. And the day continued the trend when around midday a commotion stirred in the mayor's office, as the Dawning Sun's people had arrived. And the additional surprise reared her blonde head just then, Pyra herself having come over to have a chat with Rex, meeting them at Miu's place, dressed in almost regal looking battle dress, reminding Rex a bit of the fantasy cultivator getups, the heraldry of her sect on full display, the colours and quality of her clothing notably different from the rest of the people accompanying her, a few dozen in total.
