Chapter 217: Getting Closer to the Truth.

Away from the chaos engulfing Dhara's streets, an official gathering unfolded in the depths of the city, hidden from prying eyes and shielded from the light of day. After weeks of investigation, the Peacekeepers finally discovered the underground auction. As the city's Peacekeepers descended upon the remains of the building, their armored footsteps reverberated through the brightly lit corridors. The air was thick with anticipation, tension crackling like electricity as the enforcers of the magji law swept through the abandoned venue, their eyes scanning for anything to help them learn what took place here to cause so many important magjistars to go missing.

The scene that greeted them was a chilling tableau of horror and despair. A horrible stench of decay hung heavy in the air, a sickening miasma that clung to the walls like a shroud of darkness. Rotting bodies littered the floor, their pallid forms twisted in grotesque contortions of agony. Each one bore the unmistakable marks of cruelty, their lifeless eyes staring blankly into the abyss. 

After some painstaking recognition, discernible through the remnants of clothing or the haunting familiarity of faces, the Peacekeepers identified a few among the rotting corpses as their missing people. Each discovery sent a shiver down their spines, a grim confirmation of the horrors that had transpired within the walls of the underground auction. With heavy hearts, they pressed on, searching through the carnage for any semblance of further evidence, no matter how fleeting.

As they combed through the wreckage, piecing together the fragments of lives lost, they uncovered one piece of the puzzle, albeit in the most harrowing of ways. The realization dawned upon them like a leaden weight, sinking deep into their souls with a sense of grim finality. Amelia knew all too well the anguish that awaited as she prepared to deliver the devastating news to the families of the fallen, their hopes of reunion shattered by the cruel hand of fate. Traces of a fierce large-scale magji battle lingered among the debris, the remnants of spells and weapons weaving a confusing mess of chaos and destruction. Amelia and her team worked tirelessly to sift through the evidence, each clue leading them further down the rabbit hole of uncertainty. Yet, amidst the chaos, they faced an insurmountable obstacle. The sheer magnitude of magji residue left behind in the aftermath of the brawl made it impossible to discern between the magji wielded by the criminal parties and that of those who fought them.

Chief Peacekeeper Amelia Patil surveyed the scene with a mixture of annoyance and frustration, her gaze sweeping over the carnage with steely resolve. This was not the first time she had borne witness to such horrors, nor would it be the last. She was a magjistar, after all. Amelia's dealt with her fair share of criminal magjistars and daemons. Although she wasn't used to this scale of death, it wasn't something that would trip her up. 

Beside her, a young recruit, his face pale with shock, struggled to maintain his composure in the face of such overwhelming horror. "What… what happened here?" he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. He could barely keep his stomach together with some dry heaving. Amelia's jaw tightened with resolve as she surveyed the scene before them, her mind racing with possibilities. "There's been a massacre," she said, her voice low and grim. "And from the looks of it, it wasn't just a simple battle either. This was a brawl, a clash of powers between two or more forces of magjistars."

As the Peacekeepers delved deeper into the depths of the underground auction. What had initially appeared as more than a simple case of missing persons soon revealed itself to be a disgusting web of corruption and depravity. The truth became increasingly evident with each step forward: this was no ordinary auction taking place. This underground auction served as a hub for the illicit trade of magji creatures and their body parts, a horrific marketplace where the darkest desires of the city's elite could be bought and purchased. As Amelia and her team meticulously cataloged the evidence, a chilling picture began to emerge of the extent to which the auction's patrons had gone to satisfy their insatiable appetites.

Among the facility's remnants, they discovered meticulously preserved organs of magji creatures. These grotesque trophies bore witness to the atrocities committed within the auction's walls. The discovery of the giant cages further underscored the sinister nature of the operation. Reinforced by powerful magji enchantments, these enclosures were designed to house magji creatures. Evidently, the auction's patrons had spared no expense in ensuring the security of their prized possessions, viewing the magji creatures as nothing more than commodities to be bought, sold, and discarded at their whim.

As the implications of their findings sank in, a sense of outrage and indignation swept through the ranks of the Peacekeepers. The magnitude of the crimes committed within the confines of the underground auction was staggering, their perpetrators shielded by layers of privilege and influence that seemed impenetrable. Yet, despite the daunting odds stacked against them, Amelia and her team remained undeterred in their pursuit of answers, determined to hold all of those responsible accountable for their heinous actions.

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Inner Zoey was feeling a little awkward as they returned to the luxurious mansion richer, bigger, and successful. Roy had the fairie servants throw them a party on their victorious return. Of course, they were all cleaned up through the fairies lifestyle magji before they could engage in festivities. It seemed Roy had already predicted that they would be successful. If not, they'd be dead right now or arrested.

Zoey wasn't sure which because the bad guys they beat up were doing illegal stuff, but they were also important people. So, maybe they would've just died without anyone ever knowing. But anyway, Zoey didn't mind a little celebratory party. She felt kind of good doing good. 

She ate some cake alongside Tiffany, yapping her head off about something before she was approached by some of the new members who decided to join after their raid. "So yeah, we should just get married already. I mean, you're strong, I'm strong. You like fighting, I like killing. We're both total hotties. We're a match made in heaven." Tiffany giggled while hanging over her shoulder.

"Nope." Zoey bluntly refused Tiffany's advances for the hundredth time.

"Whyyy!?" She whined like an upset child.

"Being friends works best for me," Zoey told her straight up.

"Friends?! Really?! Best friends?!" Tiffany's eyes lit up like stars.

"We need more time together before becoming best friends," Zoey explained to her, grabbing another slice of cake.

"Can I become your friend too?" A Viperian child with giant snakes for hair appeared in front of Zoey.

"Hmm, I don't know… Are you cool enough to hang out with a gal like me?" Inner Zoey smirked at the little girl in a dress.

"I don't know." She crossed her feet and looked down. "I don't have many friends, and when I saw you fighting to save us, I thought that maybe I could be a hero like you…" She explained.

"A hero, huh?" Zoey really didn't know what was up with kids and wanting to become heroes nowadays.

Well, scratch that. This girl had a legitimate reason for wanting to be a hero. Her two students, on the other hand… They didn't suffer anything close to what this girl has. She probably wanted to prevent other magji creatures like herself from being sold and treated like products. But Zoey wasn't a hero! Well, fuck! She was kind of a hero, but she didn't identify as a hero.

"I'm not a hero," Zoey told her plainly.

"But you saved us." The little girl looked up at her.

"I didn't fight to save you. I fought for my own reasons. If you really want to thank someone go thank…" Zoey stopped herself immediately.

Roy wanted to enslave non-magji people. Zoey couldn't send this innocent child who wants to do the right thing to someone like that. "Nevermind. Alright, but being my student isn't easy. It will be the hardest thing ever. You will be tired, cry, bleed, and all sorts of other things. Are you sure you want to learn from me?" Inner Zoey locked eyes with her.

"Yes!" She looked like she wanted nothing more than to do the right thing. Her giant hair snakes all flicked their tongues at Zoey and her cake slices.

"Alright, I'll give you a test tomorrow. If you pass, I'll teach you. If you fail, I won't teach you. Fair?" Zoey asked.

"Fair." She and her hair snakes nodded.

"You're sweeter than you act, Panda." Tiffany noticed.

"Your name is Panda?" The girl asked while getting a large plate of food for herself.

"Yeah." Zoey wasn't going to give her real name even if she was getting another student.

"My name is Illie." Illie introduced herself with a plate full of meat.

"I'm Tiffany! Panda's best friend!" Tiffany tried to stab a slice of Zoey's cake.

Zoey moved her plate out of the way of Tiffany's fork. Tiffany pouted, and Illie giggled at the sight. "Get your own food. There's more than enough," Zoey told her, tightly defending her plate of cake. "What kind of best friend doesn't even share with her best friend?!" Tiffany argued. "There's no need to share. There's so many cakes." Zoey retorted. "But there's only one of Zoey's cake!" Tiffany elbow bumped her rapidly while laughing her head off. "Not in front of the kid." Zoey glared at her.