America Appears in Another World

Chapter 23: A Story as Old as Time

The city of Tillian was getting darker as night encroached on the city. People would soon pack up any wares or shops and prepare to head indoors for the night. This pre-industrial world did not allow for people to have a nightlife. And thus once the sun goes down, the people ultimately stop working as well. This is common everywhere in the empire, unless you are the fortunate which can afford the luxuries of affording Mana tools which allow for some lighting. But for those who own Mana tools, they often use it sparingly since they often use Mana crystals.

The streets during this time of day are much emptier than during the daylight hours. However, one group of people is traveling through the streets despite this time of day. This small running group of four was running away from pursuers. The pursuers were rapidly catching up when eventually, they ran into the US and Astra convoy of carriages late in the evening. The four ran past, however the large group of assailants became blocked by the convoy. The guards mistook the pursuers as assassins and a battle ensued. The four slaves ran away successfully and took rest in a small alley a good distance away.

The small group was exhausted from the pursuit. All of them were in rags and simple pieces of clothing to cover their bodies. One was a North Western Elf, one was a south western wolf girl. Then there is the older and younger sister. All of them just escaped the outskirts of the slave market and were now here. The four didn't know each other well. What they did know is that all of them were smart enough to escape when they had the chance to.

"Ria, I'm tired. How much longer do we have to run?"

"We are almost at the docks Amelia. Just keep it up okay? You're doing great." She patted her blonde head of hair and hugged her to reassure her.

"Geez, why did we have to drag her along? We could have attracted less attention and make a faster getaway." The wolf girl was also wearing tatters for apparel, however she was distinctly different with her canine like ears above her head and huge tail behind her. She had a distinct black hair for her tail, ears, and hair which went a little past her shoulders.

"Don't be so harsh alright? Making her sadder will only make the situation worse." The person who just spoke is an Elf. With a bright blue flowing hair, you can easily tell that she comes from the famous Elven people to the far west of the continent. "For now, let us just figure out where the damned docks are located."

"Fine, I'll put up with it until we find the nearest ship to get us out of here."

The four rested for a bit before they moved towards the docks again. At this point, it was quite dark and they would have had trouble if the wolf girl had not been able to see at night. They enter the dock area and look around for sea worthy vessels. The wolf girl saw a grey ship with no sails. "What da hell is that thing?"

"Do you see something?" Ria asked fearfully.

"Relax, I just spotted a weird ship docked here. In fact, you can see that it has expensive Mana tools on it." The other three could see what she meant immediately. It was the only ship with some signs of light and activity on it.

"Should we get on that one perhaps? The ship looks safe enough. We would have to bypass the guards somehow though." As Delna the Elf was speaking, they hid in a corner again as they heard men making a commotion. It seems even the dock guards were looking for them now.

The seemingly darkness of night was lit up my torches of the searching men. "Shit, we need to get on a ship now. Take your picks." The four contemplated, and they decided to take the weird ship. Although they didn't know who that ship belonged to. The rest already knew that any other ship would effectively lead them back here to the city. Every country around the Borthern sea dealt in the slave trade for over a millennia.