Beau couldn’t help but squint suspiciously at the electronics as she leaned over Caleb’s shoulder, watching him work. Yeah, she trusted him to know what he was doing, but that tracker chip sure looked fragile.
“Are you sure putting it in my shoe is a good idea?” she asked, worried about the microchip’s durability.
“Ja, I am sure, Beauregard,” Caleb answered as he carefully maneuvered the tiny device into the side of her lightest pair of running shoes. He used a pair of strangely-shaped pliers to wiggle the tracking device deeper into the thin layer of cushioning, before pulling them out and beginning to sew up the small incision with deft fingers.
“I dunno, man,” Beau admitted with some concern. “I move around a lot. Even the side might not be safe enough.”
“But Beau, they’re probably gonna frisk you up and check your pockets!” Jester reminded her as she popped a lollipop into her mouth and opened her sticker-covered laptop. She wiggled her eyebrows and giggled.
“Maybe it’ll be a super hot buff lady who does the frisking,” she added with a smirk. Beau rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help but smile along to Jester’s antics.
“If only,” she replied, standing up and stretching. “Too bad I’ll probably be stuck with a bunch of losers, if the last few sightings are anything to go by.”
“Don’t let them lull you into a false sense of security,” Fjord reminded her then. “Remember, the Iron Shepherds might be involved with this one.”
The mere mention of that name was enough to make everyone fall quiet, reminding them thoroughly of the stakes of this mission. Sure, the goons in the beginning were likely going to be small fry, but they were just the start. The whole point of this was to get to the big fish.
Someone high up in the Clasp had made some major changes in the organization, and the sudden spike in human trafficking cases was causing concern throughout the Empire and beyond. Cases went from a few thousand a year to nearly a hundred thousand, and no one knew why.
Between Beau’s contacts in the Cobalt Soul and information from the Gentleman, they were able to confirm that even the criminal underworld was confused by the new developments. It was imperative that they learn more.
And if they happened to save a bunch of victims before they were shipped off to whoever the hell was buying them in droves, well, all the better, right?
Title: Take Me Instead
Characters: Beauregard Lionett, The Mighty Nein
Rating: Teen
Set: Alternate Universe - Modern no Magic
Tags: Whumptober2021, no.20, Trunk, Trapped under water, Solitary confinement, minor claustrophobia, the Nein are a Vigilante hero team, sorta, Human traffickers, Iron Shepherds
Word Count: 4171
Vigilantes. Soldiers of Fortune. Criminals. Heroes. The Mighty Nein have been called it all, but what they really are is just a group of fuck ups trying to leave places better than they found it. They have to take big risks to achieve that though, and sometimes, things don’t go as planned.
[id: Drawing of Iron Shepherds from Critical role. It’s a group of slavers. On the left stands Wohn, a tall human barbarian, she has blondish dirty locks and a cleaver in her hand. Then, Ruzza, half-elf bard, slim woman with light pixie cut, her hands on her knees, looking self-assured. Protto, light-haired halfling with a goatee and a grin. Dwelma, half-orc druid, she is big and holds a staff with a skull on it. They wear white fur cloaks. Lorenzo, a big brutish man with golden teeth, stands behind them all, holding a glaive. At the distance stands Keg, rust-haired dwarf with a big hammer, her armor is dirty. She looks at them with contempt. end id]
