Chapter 12: Slave
Arthur:
On the way of the carriage's going, all the women who were inside it were sold, leaving only the males, and among them were me and Keith.
I did not know where my last stop was, only I expected that I would end up working all my life, just like I was on Earth, since I had become of the slaves.
I am very weak now… I need to become stronger. Stronger than any individual in Boss Grong's group.
I thought of a way to exploit my ability. Let me try pinching myself… no pain, wow. No matter how much I pinched myself with all my strength, I did not feel any pain.
I will try something else. I bit my finger with all my strength until blood began dripping from it.
I felt a little pain in the first second, then it disappeared. One drop of blood slipped, but the wound closed quickly. This is good, but I feel dryness in my lips… and I have not eaten for a while. I must be careful of injuring myself too much.
Thus time passed quickly, between my talking with Keith—who thought that I had gone crazy after biting myself—and my personal testing of my ability.
A short while, the carriage stopped again, and its door opened to show Eric standing. "Come on, get down…" He opened the way for people by standing beside the door.
Everyone began to go down one after another, and I with them. I looked around in astonishment and curiosity at the place that I found myself in now.
The place was crowded with people and carriages, and in the back there were many slaves in ragged clothes and shackles restraining their hands and legs. And beside them stood a man shouting:
"Come, come! Look at this merchandise of slaves! The price is negotiable!"
Then another shouted: "Look at this muscular man, he suits to be a strong guard!" And he pointed to a huge man sitting on his knees on the ground, the buyers looking at him with amazement.
"A virgin woman! Come and look! Her skin is white and her curves are tempting!" The buyers could not bear it, so they rushed like beasts, and the moment turned into a survival battle in a public auction on that poor girl.
Simply, this place was one of the markets of selling slaves.
We lined up, Keith and I, beside each other with the rest of the men.
I wish not to fall in the hand of a weirdo… really, I will kill myself if that happens. I prefer suicide as a last solution, instead of my pride and manhood being violated.
"Listen well, if any of you moves… I will make him see his dear mother." Eric said while standing beside the lined ones, and his arms crossed. In the moment he released his killing aura, our bodies all shivered down to the roots of our spines.
A period passed while we stood.
"Hmmm… oh, Eric! It has been a long time since last meeting, how are you?" said a man from among the people after he recognized Eric, opening his arms in a hug. But Eric avoided the man and answered coldly: "Come…" while standing stiff with crossed arms and a face empty of emotions. He said with seriousness: "I want you to buy the merchandise."
The black-haired man sighed as he lowered his hands with disappointment: "Fine, as expected from the impatient."
"Let us see then…" he said while looking at one of the men in the row. "Hmm… you! Take him to the first carriage." And he pointed to one of the attendants behind him, who went immediately to take the tied man.
The situation continued on this state until it reached the turn to Keith, who was standing beside me. "Oh, this one fulfills the request. You, take him to the special carriage." He pointed to the second attendant behind him.
When the man came to take Keith, I quickly approached to his ear and whispered into his ear: "Do not worry, I will definitely find you and save you, just wait." Keith looked at me with shining eyes and nodded lightly before being taken away.
I cannot do anything… arrrgh… once again, I am useless. But surely I will save you, when I become stronger. I thought with burning, while Eric was watching me with deadly cold.
"The next… hmmm… how skinny he is. The best he will do is wash the dishes… you, take him to the second carriage." The black-haired man said as he stared at me.
My body was ordinary, like any person from Earth who had not practiced training. And since most of the people in this world work in farming or blacksmithing, my body appeared skinny in their eyes.
And when the man decided my place, the attendant moved to take me, but was suddenly stopped by Eric.
"Hmmm… what is it?" wondered the black-haired man.
Eric approached and whispered in his ear something that shocked him. "Really? But he will die like this. What benefit do I get from buying him if he dies immediately?"
Eric replied: "Do not worry, you will only pay half the amount we usually take on one man."
The man said: "Fine, if it is like that…"
But Eric warned him: "Warning… if you disobey what I told you, then you know what will happen to you."
The man got confused and answered hesitantly: "Y… y… yes. Take him to the same carriage in which you put the rest of the men."
For the second time I rode the carriage, I began to hate riding carriages really. Where will they take me this time?
After a long boring road, with no one to talk to after they took Keith, the carriage finally stopped and its doors opened. A man appeared wearing chest armor, shoulder guards, and a sword on his waist. "Come on, get down quickly you sheep. Quickly get out do not waste my time." He spoke in an angry way.
Despite his way of speaking, no man inside the carriage listened and no one went out. They no longer had the strength to move, as hunger was already killing them after a long period without food.
"Argh… why must I do extra work. I will tell Deputy Commander Daren to replace my place with that damned shirker companion." He began talking to himself like a madman with an angry face.
"Tch… nuisance… nuisance… why no one goes out… hey do you hear?… fine." He entered the carriage and reached the first man inside it.
The hungry man looked at him with drowsy eyes not having slept well these days. "Argh." Until he took a blow that returned him conscious. The blow was a kick to the face from the angry man, sending him flying outside the carriage.
"Good… finally one went out and the rest… hehe." Without delay he went to the next man.
"No… no… I will go out, I will go out by myself." said the next man.
"If you had gone out when I said that… tch." He saw the second man crawling toward the outside of the carriage. "Fasteeerrr." He kicked him in the butt, sending the second man to eat some dirt outside.
"The next… you know, I began to enjoy doing this. No one move to the outside." The angry man smiled.
But in the moment he finished his words, I was already behind him looking at him with dark coldness, without extra talk I moved toward the outside of the carriage. Sorry but I don't want to take more damage. I am already hungry.
I jumped from the carriage entrance to fall on the ground like a rag.
"Ohh… idiot… haha. Did you not learn how to walk. Come on the next… the next… I remembered now I don't have time." The angry man forgot what he said because of my intentional fall to the ground.
Phew… I succeeded. It doesn't matter the dust on my clothes or a painful hit on the butt or face. I need to avoid a fight in the current time, I don't have enough energy and at the same time I don't know where I am.
After beating the men and forcing them out, the angry man came out and lined them standing in front of him. Every one of the men was in pain. Only I survived.
The angry man stood crossing his arms and looked at the group. "Tch… what is wrong with him… to buy us this small-bodied boy. Doesn't he know that he will die after some time from fatigue. Doesn't matter, welcome to the hell in which you will work until death."
As I expected, work until death… ahh… my damned life. I frowned and thought to explore the area I was in at least.
I was on earthy land. I could see many tents in front of me. Behind the tents there was a long wooden wall extending from right to left. It had many guards watching.
Behind me I could see a big mountain covering all the back side of the place I was in.
In total, I was inside a tightly closed place with strong guarding. In the front a wooden wall covering all gaps and in the back a big mountain. Chances of escape are very weak. This is really hard.
Just wait for me, Carlos, I will come to you from hell.
"After finishing the welcome, come with me. Quickly."
The angry man moved and behind him the men and I followed him. Toward the entrance of a cave, belonging to the big mountain.
On my way I found many guards, who were guarding the entrance of the cave. In front of the entrance there was a small hut.
We reached the small hut.
"Ohh… new slaves. Good, some slaves have died recently and we need those who take their place. Come on, give to each person his pickaxe and collar." Said the man inside the small hut.
"Come on you sheep as you heard, let each one take his pickaxe, which is here. And advance toward me." The angry man pointed to the metallic box, which contained many pickaxes with wooden handles. And he was standing in front of a wooden box containing many metallic collars.
I went and took my own pickaxe. I think that working in a mine is a golden opportunity, it is time for evolution.
After I took the pickaxe, I advanced toward the angry man so he would put a metallic collar around my neck.
After we all wore the collar, the angry man explained the meaning of these collars.
He smiled, "For everyone who thinks of escape from here, then his dream ends here." He carried a metallic collar and threw it away from the small hut. To explode with a force that shook the place.
"Follow me you trash." He turned and began to go deeper into the cave.
At the cave entrance there was a small metal rail, one going out and one going in making in front of the entrance the shape of the letter 'U'.
From it came metallic carts pushed by a tired man full of sweat. They contained gems of different colors, but most of them blue-colored. To end up placing the gems inside the back box of a carriage, then returning inside the cave.
After going deeper, I was welcomed by crystal lights of different colors which illuminated the cave. Where I found many men and elderly digging with their pickaxes. They were collecting the gems and putting them inside the iron cart and pushing it outside.
"Well… Claude, I will leave them to you." The angry man pointed to one of the men present inside the cave, who was watching the slaves.
Claude, to whom he pointed, stood straight and said, "As you order, Team Leader Siren."
"Come on, each one begin mining, whoever collects a mana gem will eat, whoever does not collect will die here of hunger." He pointed his red whip toward us.
I sighed, from working as wage slaves for little pay, to working as real slaves. Yes indeed, a fair life. Just go to the wall and dig, John.