Cyril manages to sleep that night and when they wake the next day, they head out to the next settlement. The papers that Cyril had taken from his master's house hinted to some kind of slaver operation being set up in the hills around the nearest village.

This village turns out to be large enough that it has an alienage and Cyril opts to go there to help learn some information about what might be happening. There are stories of merchants and travelers disappearing along the roads, which everyone thought were simply bandits or rouge templars or mages at first. The war had made everything more dangerous, so it had been accepted that was what was going on. However, when one of their caravans had turned up with goods intact but no sign of the people, the fear that something else was going on had taken hold.

It's a lead at least, and when it comes time for them to go out and find those behind the disappearances, Cyril hesitates to come along. He still thinks he'll be more harm than good in a fight so instead, he finds an elven family willing to keep him at their home for a few days in exchange for help around the house. He doesn't like the idea of being separated from Fenris, but is desperate not to seem too clingy, so he wishes his savior good luck, makes sure he has all of the supplies he needs, and asks him to try to come back in one piece.

While he waits for Fenris to return, he helps out the family as best he can. He helps the father patch up part of the house, he helps with some needed cleaning that they couldn't get to while working their jobs for humans, and he even uses his time to hunt again - eventually bringing food to the family that they share with their neighbors.

Mostly, though, he waits to hear news that Fenris is back.