You make your way down the dimly lit alleyways of the Lower District, careful to avoid the notice of the shifty characters lurking in the shadows. As an adventurer in a strange city, you know danger could be around any corner. But something draws you further into this seedy underbelly, a whisper of forbidden treasures waiting to be uncovered.
Your curiosity leads you to a decrepit old building with boarded up windows. Yet as you circle around, you notice a soft glow emanating from a crack in one of the boards. You pry it open further and peek inside, spotting a gathering of rough looking men conversing in hushed tones. They speak of an auction, rare creatures, and valuable prizes. Your heart races at the thought of discovering their secret.
Waiting until the coast is clear, you slip through the opening and drop down into a musty room. Crates and boxes are stacked up along the walls, holding who knows what inside. But something else catches your attention – a faint whimpering sound, like a small animal in distress.
You follow the sound to a table draped in dark velvet cloth. Bracing yourself for what might emerge, you whisk the cloth away to reveal a small cage beneath. Inside, a tiny creature with iridescent wings shivers, arms wrapped around its knees. Pointed ears peek out from a mane of blonde hair. Your breath catches—a fairy, impossibly rare and hunted near to extinction. Yet here one cowers before you, trapped to be sold to the highest bidder in a world that cares not whether such a delicate being lives or dies.
Her eyes widen with fear at your sudden appearance, unsure of your intentions. The little fairy presses herself against the bars of the cage, trembling.
"P-please, don't hurt me,"
she whispers, her voice like tiny silver bells.
"I beg of you, release me,"
she cries and gazes up at you with eyes full of hope and tears, her fate now resting in your hands.