《Chainbreaker - A LitRPG Adventure》


 1. First Commission

    Sett¡¯s eyes snapped open suddenly. He stared at the ceiling for a few moments, disoriented from his nap. The domed ceiling was darkened over years of smoke from the forge, but he could still see hints of the turquoise hue of Cupric Stone, sparkling in the white light of the glow crystals. He blinked awake, and slowly tilted his head forward from the backrest of his chair. His neck ached slightly from his awkward sleeping posture, so he cracked his neck and stretched.


    Big Man Thane hadn¡¯t come to the smithy today, leaving Sett to laze around a little. He inspected the newly forged assortment of scissors and knives he laid to cool on the workbench to his left. Sett made them himself for Laira Wayd, the sweet tailor with the shop that looked like silk floating in the wind. She¡¯d be coming back this evening from Central City and Sett promised to have her tools ready by then. He didn¡¯t want to be late on his first full commission.


    Ahead of him, the half completed Bullbeast plows lay on the anvil. Sett had planned to finish them off today to impress the big guy, but the unexpected nap stole the time from him. He¡¯d thankfully turned off the forge before his nap, and it had cooled to almost room temperature. Shocked, he checked his system for the time, and cursed.


    He leapt out of his chair, grabbed the scissors, rushed to the grinding wheel on the right side of the anvil, and began sharpening them. He worked tenderly, though he did feel the pressure of time. He kept glancing at the clock at the corner of his screen. He had about 4 Standard Hours before Laira expected him, Sett could manage that with a little rush.


    As he sharpened each blade one after the other, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder what a higher tier system would¡¯ve been like. From what he was taught in the Common Krakarian Curriculum, Tier 3 systems and above could provide blueprints and virtual assistance with professions. Maybe he could forge more complicated things if he had a system to assist him. Maybe even an engraved seed drill. Even Thane couldn¡¯t confidently make a fully engraved complex tool like a seed drill, though he¡¯d never admit it. He has made three so far, and they do work for the most part, albeit needing more maintenance than usual tools.


    Sett let his mind wander, daydreaming about seed drills and grain threshers, hoping he¡¯d get to channel his Ether into forging, and make proper Ethertools soon. Thane promised he could start Ether-guided forging and engraving if he proved he could handle ordinary equipment, like Laira¡¯s commission. His hands worked the technique he¡¯d been learning since his System Onset two years ago. He sharpened each blade, polished them with steel wool, and finally added a little luster with rakeseed oil. He wiped down the tools with a rag, and laid them on the workbench, admiring his handy work before glancing at the time again.


    ¡°Shit¡±


    He ran into the storage room behind him, and fished around for a nice box. Thane had a pointlessly large collection of hammers, tongs, chisels, files and other tools in storage, but very few cases he could deliver goods in. He found a steel box that could fit the tools, and a spool of lilac silk Thane kept for special deliveries. He carefully cut a piece of silk, padded the inside of the box with it while rushing out of the store room, and quickly but tenderly kept the newly forged tools inside. He closed the box and stared at it for a moment, wondering if the box was too plain for his first full commission. Fuck it, he thought and rushed out the door, onto the street.


    Mupnal Commune was a small farming commune on Resource III, the planet that provided food resources to the rest of the Krakarian System. It was warm and cozy and Sett liked it. Barely a population of 100,000 and not at all crowded compared to Central City, where Sett had been a few times. Central City was much bigger, the hub where the main operations of the Krakarian Empire took place on Resource III, with its interplanetary teleporters, government buildings, and Military Corps base. Too loud and busy for Sett¡¯s liking, everyone running around like they had no time to just slow down and live.


    Sett paced along the cobblestoned streets surrounded by turquoise Cupric Stone buildings, with domed roofs hiding arrays and transducers that convert ambient Ether into usable forms. The sky was a little cloudy, there was a light wind, and the temperature was pleasant. The sun was setting, painting the sky in red and orange hues. Strange, maybe, for someone who spends a lot of his time in the dark, smoky smithy, but Sett enjoyed bright, pleasant days like this. He turned a corner to the main street, and saw the local baker apprentice closing shop across the road. Sett stopped, closed his eyes, and cursed.


    He turned around and ran down the way he came, suddenly remembering to lock the smithy. Usually Thane would lock up in the evenings, but today he wasn¡¯t there. Sett sprinted into the building, grabbed the keys hanging next to the door, and rushed out. He locked the door and watched as the locking arrays whirred. Locking arrays are an expensive luxury and, in Sett¡¯s opinion, completely unnecessary. Mupnal rarely had instances of crime, and a normal mechanical lock would be more than enough. With such a small population, the Sheriffs had an easy job. Thane, however, was convinced his work was the greatest in the whole commune, and that anyone would naturally want to steal from him. So he had once grabbed Sett during the early days of his apprenticeship, dragged him into an Ether Train to Central City, and went looking for an array master who could make locking arrays.


    Sett stopped his sprint in front of Laira¡¯s door and took a moment to catch his breath. Laira was the most talented tailor in Mupnal and a few neighboring communes. She owned a shop in Central City, and divided her time between the two places. Her store in Mupnal was three stories tall, which made it among the tallest in the commercial district. It was a beautiful building, with a wavy architecture that resembled a silk cloth fluttering upwards in the wind. It had the signature turquoise of Cupric Stone, like most buildings in the commune, but there was a hint of red mixed in, though Sett wasn¡¯t sure what material the color came from. The architraves of her windows had elaborate carvings, depicting flowers and vines. Apparently, she had been to Krakar II and fell in love with the architecture of the nobility there. Which further spoke to her expertise, since not many on Resource III could afford to use interplanetary teleporters.


    Sett pushed his way through the door, noticing locking runes around the handle. If anyone in the commune needs locking arrays, it''s her.


    He took in the sight around him, slightly wincing at his own ragged appearance. He was wearing his overalls which were slightly blackened with soot. He thankfully left his gloves and apron at the smithy. His boots, however, were thick blacksmithing boots and, in his opinion, not appropriate for Laira¡¯s store. His short, messy brown hair looked black with soot, and his goggles hung around his neck. He had the beginnings of a beard around his jaw, though that too had the dust of the smithy on it. His toned, muscular arms glistened with sweat. He silently cursed himself for not cleaning up before coming here, and walked to the girl at the desk at the end of the room. The foyer was lined with mannequins in different poses along the walls, wearing both elaborate formal wear, and also practical work wear, particularly for farming. That made sense, since there weren¡¯t many formal functions in Mupnal, and such a tight knit community didn¡¯t need such ceremony with each other. The room was in a curved shape, with the reception desk at the end of the room to the left, and a door to the next floor straight ahead. Glow crystals lined the ceiling in symmetric intervals.


    He walked up to the receptionist, a young girl barely older than Sett himself. She had long, brown hair and a light brown skin tone. She looked up from the book she was reading, an epic depicting the adventures of the Great Ancestor Krakar, the C grade founder of the Krakarian Empire. Sett himself didn¡¯t really care much for the Great Ancestor or the Krakarian Dynasty who ruled over the whole star system, beyond what was taught in school. As far as he¡¯s concerned, they¡¯re too far away for him to ever deal with them, and too much of a big deal for him to ever want to. Maybe if they let me build engraved Ethertools, he joked to himself. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    The receptionist winced at his appearance, but quickly forced a smile, setting the book aside and getting up in one graceful motion. She was wearing a cobalt blue dress with embroidered floral patterns that seemed to swirl when Sett looked at them. Is it Ether-powered? That¡¯s expensive.


    It was clear that Laira wanted her assistants to make a stunning first impression.


    ¡°Hi! Welcome to Madam Wayd¡¯s Clothing! I¡¯m her apprentice. How can we help you today?¡± she intoned.


    While Mupnal didn¡¯t follow the custom much, Sett had heard that in Krakar I and II, apprentices didn¡¯t introduce themselves by name until given permission by their mentor. Sett personally found it disrespectful, and so did Thane. Laira clearly imitated it, though she was polite to everyone including her apprentices.


    ¡°Hey, hi. Yes. I¡¯m Sett Keidum, Thane¡¯s apprentice. At the smithy? Ms. Wayd had commissioned some tools, scissors and such? I¡¯m here to deliver them,¡± Sett awkwardly waved the box he was holding.


    ¡°Ah, right, Madam Wayd did mention it. Please wait a moment, I¡¯ll let her know. She¡¯d want to inspect them herself.¡± The apprentice left through an elaborately carved door to his right. Sett once again cursed at himself for bringing such a plain box. Everything in this store screamed grace and embellishment, while he walked in with a box that can be found in a kitchen holding nuts. His calloused fingers, with dark patches of soot, nervously drummed against the box and his feet tapped the polished wooden flooring. He glanced back at the door he came from and thanked the Great Ancestor he didn¡¯t trail dirt in.


    He didn¡¯t have to wait too long, as the door opened and Laira walked in, with her apprentice following behind. She had long, straight silver hair, and a face that showed the beauty of age. Her emerald green eyes were warm, matching the green of her olive dress. The golden embroidered vines which seemed like they were swaying in the wind, crept up to her long sleeves. She beamed lovingly, and Sett¡¯s heart ached a little as he was immediately reminded of his mother. Laira and his mother were friends after all, despite their contrasting personalities. They were both kind and loving, too similar in a way that brought up many emotions in Sett, which was why he was always a little uncomfortable around Laira ever since his mother¡­


    Sett blinked his thoughts away, and grinned at his first ever customer.


    ¡°Oh my lovely boy, I knew you¡¯d have it ready on time! I can¡¯t wait to see what you¡¯ve made for me! How have you been? How is Sapp? And Thane?¡± She beamed at him, covering him in a tight hug which he returned.


    ¡°Dad¡¯s the same. It¡¯s harvest season so he¡¯s quite busy now. He wants to go on another hunting trip, though he barely has the time. Thane didn¡¯t come to the smithy today. He¡¯s taking his daughter to Central City for some father-daughter time.¡°


    Laira¡¯s face grew sullen for a moment but she perked back up again. ¡°Sapp and his hunting, I have spoken to him about it a hundred times. He obviously knows it¡¯s dangerous. Oh Thane¡¯s daughter is 9 now, isn¡¯t she? The loveliest little child, she brightens up any room she¡¯s in. I¡¯d keep her with me all day if I could. A shame she can¡¯t see her mother often. How is Alia? I saw her in Central City a month ago. She was about to go on a farm inspection in some commune on the other side of the planet or something. Such a demanding job, but at least it takes her to Krakar II¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s off planet right now. I¡¯m not sure when she¡¯ll be back. I know the big man doesn¡¯t like it, though he doesn¡¯t tell me much,¡± Sett replied. He liked Thane¡¯s wife, Alia. At least on the rare occasion he gets to meet her.


    ¡°Of course he doesn¡¯t. Anyway, come! Come upstairs, let¡¯s have a look at your handiwork! Oh I¡¯m so excited!¡±


    She motioned for him to follow, and glided up the stairs with grace. Her apprentice smiled and stood near her desk, clearly not coming with them. Sett hurriedly followed behind Laira, stomping up the well lit staircase. She skipped the arch that led to the second floor, which had more mannequins and a work desk littered with scissors, tape measures, and two apprentices cutting cloth. She led him to the third floor, to a wooden door as ornate as the one on the ground floor. She held it open for him with a smile, and he shuffled in. The room was clearly her personal workspace, with half complete clothes on mannequins, a messy work desk, and an engraving stone, probably where the Ether-powered clothing is made. There was a cupboard in the corner to his left, and a table with a kettle and some cups in the far end of the room to his right.


    Sett placed the box on the work desk and opened it before she could take a closer look at the bland case. She walked up beside him and beamed at the tools. He took out a pair of tailor scissors, a seam ripper whose handle was made of polished resin, a set of fine needles of varying sizes, and a smaller pair of scissors. She had wanted to take in a new apprentice at her store in Central City, and needed a beginner¡¯s set of tools for him. She had gone to Central City partially to finalize his apprenticeship.


    ¡°Oh lovely! Very sharp and precise!¡± She exclaimed while examining the tailor scissors. Normally, Sett found it difficult to tell if Laira was being sincere in her compliments, but he knew she meant them this time. Sett had been putting his all into her commission for the past week, and he was very talented at what he did. It was to the point that even Thane seemed begrudgingly ready to begin Ether-assisted smithing with him earlier than planned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the boy would love these!¡± Sett noticed how she didn¡¯t use his name. ¡°Thank you, love. I am so proud of you!¡± She smiled at him with an intensity that almost brought him to tears.


    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m glad you like them Laira. I worked hard,¡± Sett grinned, trying to fight back his emotions.


    ¡°I know you did! Here, how much was it? 40 Coins, I believe?¡± She thankfully turned around to a drawer under her desk, taking out three notes of 20 Coins each. Although the currency of the Krakarian Empire is called Coins, the previous Emperor introduced paper currency in the colonies, for easier transactions. Tier 4 systems and above could handle monetary transactions through the system, without need for physical cash, but the resource colonies didn¡¯t get anything more than the lowest, Tier 5.


    Sett took the money and noticed an extra 20 Coin note. He opened his mouth to ask but Laira interrupted, ¡°there¡¯s an extra 20 in there because you¡¯re such a lovely young man and you¡¯ve done an excellent job! Do not argue, I am not taking it back.¡±


    She pushed his hand away, and Sett pocketed the money. He didn¡¯t mind a little extra, especially since Thane would¡¯ve been paid 80 Coins for the same work.


    She motioned for him to sit, and moved towards the kettle. He sat on the chair near her work desk, slowly sinking in. He was unusually tired today, probably the culmination of the past few days of near non-stop work. Even after his evening nap, he could feel the fatigue seeping in. He glanced out the window and noticed the sky darkening. His father would be back right now, probably with some vegetables plucked from their little garden near the farm. Sett hoped for some fresh meat, but it wasn¡¯t slaughtering season yet, and his father didn¡¯t hunt recently.


    Laira placed a cup of warm elderflower tea in front of him, the golden liquid quietly steaming. Elderflower tea was his mother¡¯s favorite. He guessed she picked it up from Laira when she apprenticed at her store. She sat on a chair opposite him and gazed at him with a sad, nostalgic look. He could tell she was thinking of his mother. He sipped the tea nervously, waiting for her to speak.


    ¡°Saecca would¡¯ve been very proud of you, dear,¡± she began. ¡°She would¡¯ve asked you to make her something the moment you started your apprenticeship. Probably would¡¯ve pestered Thane about your progress too.¡±


    The thought of his mother constantly pestering Thane to teach him everything at once, or to let him forge early brought a smile to Sett¡¯s face. One followed immediately by tears. Emotions were bubbling up, ones he didn¡¯t expect to face today but should¡¯ve foreseen.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay dear. You can cry. You should.¡± Sett still held back from sobbing, but let himself wipe a tear.


    ¡°I never understood why she apprenticed with me,¡± Laira continued a few moments later. ¡°Physically, she belonged in the fields. Hard labor like that suited her. Her heart was always with the hunt though.¡±


    Sett¡¯s father had once captained a hunting crew. They¡¯d often venture out into the Mupnal Woods to the east of the commune, hunting game. Cervines, wild bovines, sometimes carnivores. Saecca would often go along when she wasn¡¯t taking care of Sett or tending to the farm. It was one such hunting trip where it happened. A Rainat, a large feline carnivore that lived in the mountains further north-east of the Woods, attacked their group. They hadn¡¯t expected anything that dangerous since Rainats weren¡¯t often seen this far from the mountains. Or maybe they accidentally strayed too deep into the Woods. The reason didn¡¯t matter now. Their hunting Ether rifles weren¡¯t strong enough to pierce the skin of a Rainat, but they were strong enough to scare it off. But that one moment of surprise was all it needed. Saecca died almost immediately.


    ¡°I often wish I had forced her to continue working with me. Or forbidding her from hunting. But that feels like caging a songbird. And your mother was not the type who could be caged,¡± Laira smiled tenderly. Sett could feel the tears welling up and they wouldn¡¯t stop, no matter how hard he bit his lip. He sobbed quietly, while Laira walked up to him and held him, silently crying herself.


    By the time Sett walked out of the store, it was dark. The glow stones along the street illuminated the cobblestone road. Sett could feel his dried tears mixed with the soot from the smithy. He really needed a bath. He took a deep breath of the cold night air, and began the walk home.

 2.System Onset

    Sett slowly made his way back home to the residential district, taking the long way around. He went further north, turning left from Laira¡¯s store, towards the fountain at the center of the commercial district. The walk gave him some time to clear his head, the chill of the cool air calming his turbulent emotions.


    He hadn''t thought much about his mother recently. He thought he was over her death, it had been 7 years after all. Normally, he was. He was able to talk about her, reminisce without crying, or even feeling particularly sad. Like it was a fact, like the Ether everywhere. But there was something about Laira that made him feel his emotions. Truly feel his mother''s absence. Coupled with how tired he felt that evening, Sett couldn''t help but let his emotions take over.


    He walked slowly, taking in the buildings around him. The restaurants were still open, but a lot of the other stores had closed for the evening. There were still people walking the streets though. It was barely dinner time, and a lot of people chose to eat here on their way back from the farms. The bars and food joints were loud and crowded, a combination Sett normally enjoyed but tonight wasn¡¯t the time. He wanted some alone time. Loud and crowded was an atmosphere his mother reveled in, and walking into such a place after the talk he just had didn¡¯t seem enjoyable. He would like some alcohol, though, and the rakeseed grain whiskey that Mupnal and the nearby communes in the Teh¡¯ner Plains were famous for sounded ideal to Sett. He didn¡¯t need to go to a bar for that however, since he knew his father would have a bottle or two at home.


    He had hoped to sit by the fountain at the center of the commercial district for some much needed brooding, but he should¡¯ve expected the situation he was faced with. The coping around the fountain had three couples sitting on it, probably hoping to get some quiet time. One of the pairs was immersed in an intense embrace, their mouths so intertwined with each other that even glancing over made Sett blush. The four benches arranged around the fountain were mostly occupied as well. Two of them with couples, one had three kids playing clapping games, and the fourth an old man doing some brooding or contemplating of his own. Sett debated sitting next to him, but that would put the increasingly physical duo right in his line of sight, something he was too shy to even think of.


    He shook his head and approached the fountain, standing in a relatively vacant area. He started into the pristine, dark water reflecting the clouds above. The stars were visible through the clouds and for a moment, Sett wondered what they were like. He imagined wandering amongst them in a starship, maybe one built by the famous Starwing Shipyards, a starship manufacturer so massive that the standard unit of measuring large-scale distances across the universe is named after one of their ships. He wondered what it would feel like using a Jump Gate to travel thousands of Truewing Years in an instant. There weren¡¯t many starships in the Krakarian Star System, almost all of them concentrated around Krakar I and II. There was no need for them in the Resource colonies, and there was obviously no place for a blacksmith from a tiny farming planet on one of them.


    Sett could imagine a farfetched path to getting on one. Maybe if he specialized in making something more useful in a starship, like weapons or Rigsteel smithing, and set up shop in Central City. He could get an opportunity to go to one of the Krakar planets. He was talented enough for that if he put his mind to it. He could take the help of the Tier 4 system on Krakar II or even the Tier 3 in Krakar I, to ascend to E grade. At that point he may be noticed by the government, and be recruited into a starship. But for that, he¡¯ll inevitably end up working for the Krakarian Military Corps or the government, and after listening to his uncle¡¯s stories, he did not like the idea.


    He wondered how his mother would feel, should he end up working for the government, or even move away from Mupnal. She¡¯d be happy for his ambitions, but vary of the military, probably. Uncle Tecc was his father¡¯s brother, but he¡¯s close enough to the family that they¡¯ve all begun to feel the same way about the military. Sett could imagine her in Central City, as he set up his store. She¡¯d ask him to make her weapons or farming equipment. She¡¯d insist on accompanying him to the main planets. She might even pick a fight with his competitors. He missed her tonight. More than he had in recent years.


    Sett stared at the waters with a melancholic face, his heart heavy. A light wind blew past him, sending a shiver across his body and reminding him it was time to head home. As is custom in Mupnal, Sett cupped his hands, bent over and took a little water, taking a small sip and letting the rest fall. He didn¡¯t know how the custom originated or why, but he¡¯s seen almost everyone from the commune do it. He turned westward, walking towards the northern wing of the commercial district, and the longer way back home. He had a vacant expression on his face, and he barely noticed the light crowd on the streets that night. The luster of the glow stones reflecting off the Cupric Stone buildings would be a sight to see on most nights, but Sett barely noticed as his mind wandered.


    A grab on his shoulders from behind knocked him out of his trance. He spun around, jumping away from his assailant, instincts honed by his father¡¯s strict lectures during the handful of hunting trips he was allowed on. He began raising his hands to block a blow as he studied his grabber. He saw two similar looking boys, both with square faces and sharp features. The one who grabbed him was grinning playfully, wearing blue overalls covered in mud, and farming boots. He had short, dark hair, cut into a crew cut. His muscles were big and defined, more so than expected from farm work. The other boy was dressed similar, his brown overalls covered in hay. He had longer hair up to his chin, wavy and matted, no doubt from a hard day on the farm.


    ¡°By the Ancestor, Brec, you scared me. Don¡¯t sneak up on me like that again, man¡±


    Sett relaxed, recognising the Throh twins, Brec and Bone. They were two years younger and lived in the same apartment complex as he did. Sett grew up with them, and had come to see the two as his own brothers. They worked on their family¡¯s farm, north of the commune.


    ¡°Hehe, you seemed so out of it, Sett. Like you were possessed by a mind mage or something, it was so funny,¡± Brec remarked. The boy had always been full of energy, even at the end of a day spent in the farm during harvest season. Sett had been dragged on an adventure in the Woods with him one morning when they were children, a whole exhausting day spent exploring the outskirts of the forest. They ended up sprinting back to Sett¡¯s family farm in the evening, after being spooked by a Bullbeast that wandered too far. Brec had immediately insisted on playing border ball once they got back, not a minute of rest needed.


    ¡°Yeah, today was a long day. I had a commission for Laira I just delivered, and I¡¯m exhausted now. Hi Bone. What are you guys up to?¡±


    ¡°Hey Sett. We¡¯re headed back home now. An old Bullbeast collapsed today so Dad decided to kill it. We had a little grill at the farm, now we¡¯re headed home,¡± Bone replied. He sounded exhausted, the farm work draining him and the hearty meal making him drowsy. He was a lot more subdued than his brother, and Sett found him easier to get along with right now.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like Laira. She pinches my cheeks sometimes. It hurts,¡± Brec complained, his pinchable cheeks pouting. They began walking together, Sett welcoming the distraction.


    ¡°You guys are almost 15 aren¡¯t you? Time for your System Onset?¡± The System became visible to everyone on the planet the moment they turned 15. Resource III¡¯s system was a basic Tier 5, which showed them nothing much more than their basic stats, level, a map that pointed to the nearest Ether Train station, and a compass. Sett had heard that higher tier systems could directly increase someone¡¯s stats with each level up, and even help with grade evolutions. Tier 5 systems, however, just scanned you and displayed what your stats were. Increasing them, and increasing your level, had to be done yourself. A system was installed on to the planet core of a planet, the tier depending on how powerful the core was, and how much the planet¡¯s rulers cared to spend. The only purpose of putting a system on resource planets was for data collection for the Empire. Higher tier systems that could empower individuals were too expensive and probably beyond the capability of the planet core anyway. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Yess we¡¯re a week away! I¡¯m so hyped man, I¡¯ve been preparing for months! I¡¯ve been working out heavily to increase my strength stat, and tons of border ball for agility too. When dad¡¯s not looking I¡¯ve been pulling the plows with the Bullbeast too sometimes! I need to hit 10 in strength, agility and endurance by level 5 to enlist with the Military.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re still dead set on the military? Are you sure? You know what uncle Tecc says¡±


    ¡°Uncle Tecc is boring, he doesn¡¯t get how cool the rebellion crushing campaigns were. There¡¯s no ongoing campaigns right now but I really hope they start something soon! I¡¯ll join the infantry first and hopefully get to be a melee officer. With a sick battleaxe!¡± Brec droned on eagerly about mowing down enemies with his axe instead of ¡°boring¡± weapons like rifles. Sett had hoped Brec¡¯s infatuation with the military was some fleeting obsession he sometimes gets, but it looked like he put a lot of thought and effort into the idea since the last time they spoke.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know man, uncle Tecc knows what he¡¯s talking about.¡± Seeing Brec¡¯s expression change, he quickly added, ¡°Bone, are you still going plant mage?¡°


    Bone looked up from his fatigued, empty gaze, ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah I am. There are a few in Central City who might take apprentices. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯d pick me though, a ton of people want to be mages.¡±


    Mages were rare in the resource planets, since the profession had strict requirements for affinity, and the intelligence & wisdom stats. Beyond that, being a mage required a lot of study, so apprenticeships were longer than for other professions. Almost all mages in Resource III lived in Central City, all of them nature mages specialized in agriculture. Bone planned on following that same path, so he could be a resident nature mage for Mupnal.


    ¡°You¡¯re really smart man, it¡¯s like you have Brec''s brains too. That bastard¡¯s all muscle up there¡±


    ¡°All muscle is what you need to be a hero,¡± Brec grinned. ¡°Maybe if you¡¯re half as good as you say, I¡¯ll have you make me an axe. It¡¯s a huge honor, making the battleaxe of the great General Brec.¡± Brec flexed his bicep and gazed into the distance with a cocky grin.


    ¡°Generally kind of stupid,¡± Bone mumbled.


    ¡°What was that, you little shit?¡±


    Sett ignored Brec holding Bone in a chokehold, quite familiar with their squabbling. Sett¡¯s unusually somber mood stopped him from testing his forge-honed strength against Brec¡¯s workout like he normally would, instead letting his mind wander to his own System Onset. As they turned south towards the residential area, he pulled up his own system page, looking at how far he¡¯d come in two years.


    Name: Sett Keidum


    Race: Human [F]


    Age: 17


    Level: 6


    HP: 100/100


    Ether Capacity: 70/70


    Strength: 11 Intelligence: 7


    Agility: 8. Wisdom: 9


    Endurance: 10. Perception: 9


    He¡¯d grown 5 levels in two years, something that was well above average as far as anyone he¡¯d spoken to knew. His strength increased by 3 points, and his endurance increased by 2, in his time in the smithy. The system didn¡¯t acknowledge levels with just stat increases, it used a complicated formula that measured their growth in technique and expertise in whatever work they did, along with how well they circulated Ether within their body, and used the ubiquitous energy in their work. Sett was a fast learner, his skill with the hammer growing exponentially. Once he started Ether crafting, he could imagine increases in wisdom as his control over Ether improved, and a quick few levels as he practiced circulating Ether through his body.


    ¡°I want to do that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking at your system page aren¡¯t you? I want to do that,¡± Brec said, an arm around Bone¡¯s neck. Bone seemed to have accepted his fate, content with being dragged around. He tilted his head a little and raised his eyes, both brothers looking at Sett longingly.


    ¡°Wait a week and you¡¯ll have it. It¡¯s fun playing around with it in the first few days¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it like, when it comes?¡± Bone asked, prompting Sett to reminisce about his own Onset.


    It was already floating in front of him when he woke up on the morning of his 15th birthday. It took him a few minutes to dismiss it. Until then it just floated in front of him, taking up most of his vision. He had spent the next hour bringing it up and hiding it over and over again. His father had baked a cake that morning, and they spent the day going through his stats, and comparing his status window with his father¡¯s. His brother, Mitt, had been excited at first but soon started sulking at the lack of attention. He wished his mother had been there. She¡¯d have poured him a glass of whiskey, even though you had to be at least level 5 to start legally drinking.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a big, blue floating thing in front of you. With words. Actually, just words. Big blue, floating words.¡± He knew he didn¡¯t make much sense but he didn¡¯t know how to explain the feeling. ¡°Oh, and you just need to think ¡®dismiss¡¯ to dismiss the screen. It just sort of floats in front of you when you wake up. It took me a while to figure out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cause you¡¯re an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever you say brickhead. Good luck getting a battleaxe out of me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get Thane to make it¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll smack you with his hammer if you go to him for weapons.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get the military¡¯s best smiths to make me one¡±


    ¡°Yeah cause you¡¯re a Krakar prince for them to personally make your stupid axe¡±


    The banter went on until they reached the residential district, lifting Sett¡¯s spirits before he went home. He could see the turquoise domes of the housing buildings rising far above the trees of the garden separating the residences from the rest of the commune. The domed roofs contained arrays and transducers that convert ambient Ether into usable forms to power household appliances. Of course, this wasn¡¯t enough to power the nearly 500 houses in each building, but it lessened the load on the Ether collection stations on the outskirts of the commune.


    They walked past the garden and entered the district, which consisted of a hundred U-shaped buildings of 12 floors each, arranged in a 10 by 10 grid. Each building had a courtyard in the middle, where the children play when they¡¯re not in school or helping on the farm. Most of the commune preferred to live in the residential district, including the Council members. Only a few wealthy families chose to build homes to the west of the commune, away from the other residences. Sett liked being surrounded by people, families he grew up with. The people in his building raised him, and he loved them like family.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you next week guys. I¡¯m not going to miss your Onset. Just to show you how far away we are in stats,¡± Sett said as they reached building 4-6, meaning the fourth row and sixth column.


    ¡°Yeah, sure, I bet my strength¡¯s a lot more than yours even now¡±


    ¡°Wanna try?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, you-¡± Bone held back his brother before he could charge at Sett and waved. ¡°We have to go man, mom¡¯s probably pissed. Bye Sett!¡±


    ¡°Bye Bone¡±


    The Throhs lived on the ground floor, so Sett waved them goodbye as he entered the courtyard and headed to the elevator. He had a long day and he was glad to be home.

 3. Hunting Knife

    The low hum of the Ether powered elevator barely registered in Sett¡¯s ears. He always felt claustrophobic in such a small space, barely 20 square feet, and the dull gray of the walls didn¡¯t do much to make it better. He usually chose to go up the stairs but his body begged for rest today. He didn¡¯t have to stay boxed up for long though, as he stepped out onto the eighth floor.


    He looked down from the parapet along the hallway, facing the courtyard in the centre. It was dark and too cloudy for the light of stars to penetrate too deeply, so Sett could barely make out the outlines of the trees. The height of the building was comforting, bringing him closer to the sky, and further away from the convolutions of the ground. He turned left and walked towards his family¡¯s apartment, tracing his hand across the parapet, finding comfort in the polished stone.


    He pushed the door open and walked in, knowing it would be open if someone was home, as is usually the case this late. Even if his father was out, his brother Mitt would be home, though Sett wished his recluse sibling would pull out of this angsty phase and go back to playing outside like he used to.


    He walked into the living room ahead of him. It had fiery red futons arranged around the floor in the typical furnishing of the region, bright yellow and orange bolster pillows and cushions spread across them. The bright hues clashed harshly against the turquoise walls. His mother¡¯s abysmal taste in colors and her manic obsession with reds shone through, and neither Sett nor his father had the heart to replace that piece of her. There were a couple of newsletters and a book strewn across, most likely his father catching up on weather and farming developments across the planet. Sett peeked at the book, and cringed a little when he saw it was self-improvement quackery by some famous charlatan in Krakar II. He never understood his father¡¯s interest in such collections of obvious advice dressed up as wisdom.


    ¡°Sett? Is that you?¡±


    Sett turned right, facing the kitchen where his father was cutting up some vegetables, a rakeseed broth boiled on the heating plate next to him. Sett could smell the slightly sour aroma of bread, probably still in the oven. His father had his back faced to him, haphazardly splitting a carrot like it was freshly killed game.


    ¡°Yeah dad¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re late. Everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I got held up at Laira¡¯s. I went to drop off her commission¡±


    ¡°That was today? You¡¯re done with it? Congrats kid, damn. Your first ever commission. Your mother would be proud.¡±


    Sapp Keidum turned around to face his son, beaming while holding a knife. His choppy brown hair, which he insisted he cut himself, was messier than usual today. Sett assumed he had fallen asleep in the living room before rushing into the kitchen when he woke up. He was wearing an old, grey full length tunic, loose and easy for domestic clothing. His amber eyes shone with pride at his son, the very same eyes that enchanted Saecca the first time they¡¯d met. Sett met his gaze with his own amber pair, wearily smiling. Sapp stared at him for a few moments more, his expression becoming pensive.


    ¡°Yeah, Laira said the same thing. I¡¯ve been thinking of her.¡±


    His father sighed. ¡°Of course you have. Laira brings her up every time I see her, I bet she had a talk with you about Saecca today.¡±


    Sett nodded silently and his father continued, ¡°Anyway, let''s celebrate. There¡¯s a bottle of whiskey lying around, and I¡¯ll get some nice meat from Jon tomorrow. I¡¯m sorry, I forgot the date else I¡¯d have cooked something nicer. And baked a cake. I¡¯ll do that tomorrow.¡± Sapp rambled on, fumbling through the kitchen cabinets for the bottle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I almost forgot myself today, I barely managed to polish them off on time¡±


    His father chuckled as he fished the bottle out from deep in a cabinet, ¡°Go take a bath, you look grimy. I¡¯ll finish off the broth in the meantime.¡±


    Sett turned around, heading to his room behind him. He paused for a second outside Mitt¡¯s room, but moved on, opening the next door to his own. He gazed at his bed to the left of the entrance, a stone berth extending out of the wall furnished with a cushiony mattress covered by a lanose violet blanket. To Sett¡¯s tired eyes, it looked like 22 square feet of paradise. He hypnotically walked towards the bed, halfway passed out already, but snapped himself alert and turned to his cupboard. He grabbed a towel and a purple tunic, rushing out of his room to the bathroom at the end of the hallway.


    Sett spent a pleasantly long time in the bath, partially dozing off until the warm water cooled to match his body temperature, and finally emerged from his immersion cleaner than ever. His father was lounging in the living room with his book and his brother was probably still in his room.


    ¡°Nothing like a cold broth after a long day of work right?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, the bath just felt too good. You should¡¯ve eaten before me¡±


    ¡°Nah, I wanted to eat with you. Especially today.¡±


    Sett smiled slightly at his father¡¯s words, moving towards Mitt¡¯s room to call him for dinner.


    ¡°He crawled out of his hibernation while you were bathing and took his dinner inside. I doubt he¡¯d join us now,¡± his father explained emptily. Sett sighed and filled two bowls with broth, dumping a few rolls of bread in them, and joined his father in the futon. Sapp pulled out a glass bottle with an amber liquid, partially filling up two glasses.


    ¡°To your first commission of many more,¡± he declared, raising a glass. Sett raised his too, and downed the whiskey in one graceful motion. He grimaced for a moment as the fiery drink passed his throat, welcoming the modest lightheadedness. His father proceeded to do the same, and filled up the glasses again.


    The duo devoured the now lukewarm broth in silence. Sett was famished, and so was his father apparently.


    ¡°The Throh kids have their onset next week,¡± Sett informed his father after his hunger had calmed a little.


    ¡°Ugh, is that brat still set on the Corps?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I doubt he¡¯s changing his mind. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen him plan this much for anything¡±


    ¡°I hope there¡¯s no more peacekeeping missions then.¡± Sapp spat the word out with disgust.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably best to keep him away from uncle Tecc too.¡±


    Seeing his father¡¯s displeased expression, he added, ¡°Bone¡¯s looking into nature mage apprenticeships. He¡¯ll probably be great for Mupnal if it works out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, shit, we can grow actual Ether flora if we had one. Maybe some weird variety of rakeseed that heals you if you turn it into whiskey,¡± Sapp laughed.


    Ether flora are plants that grew in areas with strong Ether concentrations over hundreds of years, or were artificially cultivated by mages. They could do anything from miraculously heal wounds to increase stats, and were incredibly rare. Even an F grade Ether plant would fetch thousands of Coins in their planet, even more if an alchemist processed it into a potent potion or pill. They didn¡¯t grow naturally in Resource III, and even on Krakar I all the naturally occurring flora had been long harvested.


    ¡°Saecca had come across an Ether flower once,¡± Sapp mentioned. Sett had heard the story from his mother, and his father knew that, but it was clear Sapp wanted to steer the conversation to her, however awkward his attempt was. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Yeah, she told me. In Ambaar Commune near the Rili Sea.¡± Sett¡¯s mother had gone there as a child with her family for vacation, as the beaches of Ambaar were famous even on the main planets. She had snuck out of the inn they were staying in at night and found a water mage in the outskirts of the commune cultivating it.


    ¡°Hmm, yeah. It was a water affinity flower that could absorb a little water that went into the person that ate it for a few minutes. A skilled alchemist could turn it into a pill that could let you breathe underwater. Temporarily of course.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t tell me that. She only said that it was the most beautiful flower she¡¯d ever seen.¡±


    Saecca had described it to Sett as an iridescent aquamarine blue, shimmering in the starlight. She had watched the mage inundating the flower with Ether, gently urging it to grow. She had been spotted and the kind lady had explained what the flower was to her.


    ¡°It was. She told me about it when I was courting her. We snuck out to the woods to, um, walk.¡± His father blushed a little. ¡°She talked a lot about the flower, how she felt it tempered her intensity a little, calmed her restlessness when she stared.¡± Sapp¡¯s eyes focused on his memory of his wife, gazing into the distance behind Sett.


    ¡°The very next week, I stole some Coins from my dad, left a note at home, and took an Ether Train to Ambaar. It took me nearly a day on the train to get there, and I could barely afford a rundown shithole to stay in.¡±


    ¡°To see the flower?¡±


    ¡°To steal it,¡± Sapp laughed. Sett giggled a little too, imagining his father breaking into a mage¡¯s residence with all the confidence of a fool in love.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t there though. I searched the whole day and eventually found the house. Apparently the flower matured a year ago, and the mage harvested it and left the planet.¡± Sapp paused to take a sip of whiskey. ¡°Your grandparents were furious when I got back,¡± he roared with laughter. Sett couldn¡¯t imagine kind, old grandpa Sinn being even slightly annoyed about anything.


    ¡°It was worth it though, seeing your mother¡¯s laugh when she heard about it. She called me a dumbass and laughed for months, and just for that I¡¯d have done it all again.¡± Sapp¡¯s laughter transformed into a sad smile, and Sett imagined his own expression would be similarly somber. His mother¡¯s laughter was wild, fiery and infectious. Sett felt a smile coming on even as he imagined it. What he¡¯d give to hear it again.


    His father snuck his hand under a cushion and pulled out a sheathed knife. He gave it to Sett who yanked it out of the sheathe. It had a beautiful and well-crafted handle, slightly curving at the end, whose whitish brown wood Sett couldn¡¯t identify. There was a tassel made of the white fur of a Rainat hanging from the handle. He ran his hands across the blade, taking in the fine craftsmanship, better than anything even Thane could make. It was about 7 inches long, with a serrated segment in the middle and a slight curve at the end, perfect for a hunting knife. It glimmered in the glowstone light, the steel containing a tinge of amber. There was only one metal Sett knew that gave off that color - Thir steel, one of the rarer metals mined in Resource II. Thir steel was blazingly red, Sett assumed this blade was an alloy containing a small amount of the robust metal. The sheathe was made of the dark brown leather of some reptile, perfectly seamed at the edge. He knew something this well crafted wouldn¡¯t come from anywhere but the best smiths in Central City, if it was even made on this planet. Sett had an inkling of who it belonged to.


    ¡°It was your mother¡¯s. She bought it from Central City when she went there with Laira during her apprenticeship. I don¡¯t think it was crafted there though¡±


    ¡°It looks expensive. What wood is that?¡± Sett asked, not taking his eyes off the knife.


    ¡°Ironwood from the Khaw Desert. She had some savings, but Laira covered most of the cost¡±


    Sett continued to examine the knife, twirling it around his left hand as his father continued after a pause.


    ¡°I added the tassel at the end. Do you remember? We hunted down a Rainat after she died.¡±


    Sett did remember. He remembered the sorrow he felt when he heard the news, freshly home from school. He remembered the initial shock, the denial.


    He remembered the rage.


    ¡°Yeah. Is it from that Rainat?¡± He gripped the knife tighter, but quickly suppressed his rising emotions.


    ¡°Yeah. I took some fur after we killed it.¡±


    Sett resheated the blade and handed it back to his father, but Sapp shook his head.


    ¡°I want you to have it. I used it for a few hunting trips but I think it¡¯s better off with you. At least, it might help with your blacksmithing or something. It¡¯s well crafted¡±


    Sett stared at the knife for a moment as he held it. It felt heavy, weightier than the materials that went into it. ¡±Thank you,¡± he said sincerely.


    Father and son stared at each other for a few moments, wordlessly sharing their sense of loss with each other. Sapp broke the silence first.


    ¡°You need to replace it though. I can¡¯t hunt anymore until you make me a new one,¡± he joked awkwardly, clearly not one for silent moments.


    ¡°Of course. Not yet though, I¡¯ll make one as good as this. I need some time to improve.¡± Sapp smiled in reply.


    Sett felt the absence of one more person in this solemn family bonding evening, and he quickly got up to drag his recluse brother out of his room, leaving the knife on a cushion. He knocked on his brother¡¯s door, and knocked again after hearing no reply.


    ¡°Oi! Come have dinner!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve eaten already. Go away,¡± a voice came from the inside.


    ¡°Come sit with us then¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because¡±


    ¡°Because what?¡±


    ¡°Just because man, open the door!¡±


    Sett could hear reluctant footsteps approaching the door, and it slowly creaked open.


    ¡°Why are you being so loud?¡±, an annoyed head poked out of the room. Before he could react, Sett quickly grabbed the head and held his brother in a chokehold. The teen¡¯s desperate struggle was no match for Sett¡¯s muscles honed from forging steel, though he was annoyed by the hardback book smacking against his face.


    He dragged the writhing boy to the living room and threw him on the futon, their father watching on with amusement.


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem aba?!¡± Mitt shouted from the ground. Sett grinned down at him in response and sat down, blocking another swing of the book.


    ¡°Calm down Mitt. Sit with us. What are you reading?¡±


    Mitt eventually did calm down as he adjusted himself to a sitting position, and sighed.


    ¡°Trent and the founding of the Teh¡¯ner plains,¡± he answered listlessly.


    Sett knew the book, though he hadn¡¯t read it himself. It was about Trent, the explorer who discovered the Teh¡¯ner Plains back when Resource III had just begun being ventured into. Rumours were that he was related to the Krakarian dynasty, but renounced his surname and went just by Trent. The book was a famous retelling of his adventures on the planet, based on his diary.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point reading about the history of the plains if you don¡¯t leave your room and actually look around, you know.¡±


    ¡°I know the plains better than you, I actually work on the farm instead of being cooped up in a smithy¡±


    ¡°Big deal, I¡¯ve worked on the farm too and I¡¯ve explored beyond that.¡±


    Mitt stuck his tongue out, but didn¡¯t argue further.


    ¡°The Throh brothers have their Onset in a week,¡± Sett brought the topic up again, knowing full well his brother knew. Sett even suspected that his brother didn¡¯t go out these days because he couldn¡¯t stand listening to them talk about the system without him. Mitt had another year to go before he could access his stats and begin apprenticeships, and he had been quite close to the Throhs. The younger Keidum hated the feeling of being left out of conversations, and he was probably also avoiding dealing with the twins leaving Mupnal for their own future plans.


    ¡°Yeah, so?¡±


    ¡°Have you talked to them about it?¡±


    ¡°Why should I? They don¡¯t need my help¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, could be fun. You don¡¯t have yours for another year, but it¡¯d still be fun to know.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Mitt said, clearly annoyed, and got up again to leave when he noticed the knife.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± he asked, picking it up.


    ¡°It¡¯s your mother¡¯s old hunting knife. I¡¯m giving it to Sett because he finished his first commission today.¡±


    Sett could see emotion welling up in his brother¡¯s face at the mention of their mother. He was only 7 when she died, but the loss was still heavy.


    Mitt, latest in a family tradition of avoiding emotional moments, kept the knife down after examining it and turned to his door. Sett could glimpse the tears in his brother¡¯s eyes, so he let him go without comment.


    Sett trudged into his room after helping his father clean the dishes. His body was exhausted, and his mind was overwhelmed with emotion. He looked at the knife in his hand for a moment, and kept it under his pillow. He collapsed onto his bed, passing out immediately.

 4. Revenge and Pain

    Sett Keidum skipped up the stairs to his house. School had been boring today. There had been only classes, with no sports. Though, he did learn more about how the Great Ancestor Krakar had expanded his empire, which was fun. Sett liked learning about the Great Ancestor. He wanted to go play with the Throh twins, but they went straight to their farms. Sett also wanted to join his parents in their farm but they were on a hunt today. He hoped they caught some Elk, he loved Elk meat. His brother had gone to some friend¡¯s house because he had a day off, which meant Sett was alone at home.


    He unlocked the door to their apartment and threw his bag on the futon. He collapsed onto a bolster pillow, rolling around on it. His parent¡¯s had promised to take him hunting with them when he turned 13, and he couldn¡¯t wait. His father was the captain of a hunting party which had a few of Sett¡¯s neighbours, and local farmers. They¡¯d go into the Woods around once or twice a month, spending a whole day catching game. His mother had already taught him how to prepare an animal after it¡¯s been hunted, but he wanted to experience it himself.


    Sett was bored of his thoughts in just a few minutes. He ran to his room and took out a ball the size of his head, kicking it around the house, knowing his dad can¡¯t complain if he isn¡¯t here. He was good enough at border ball to not hit anything breakable in the house, and cared enough to not try even when an occasional thought said it might be funny. He spent the better part of an hour playing around before collapsing on the futon, exhausted. He quickly drifted asleep.


    Sett awoke to the sound of the front door opening. His father walked in looking devastated, with blood on his clothes. Uncle Bana followed behind with a hand on his shoulder. He, too, had a distraught expression. Sett knew something was wrong when his mom didn¡¯t come in with them, and their expressions worried him more. He stared at his dad confusedly, hoping for an explanation.


    Sapp leapt forward and tightly embraced Sett, squeezing the air out of him. He¡¯d never been hugged this hard before.


    ¡°Sett I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m so, so sorry¡±


    His father was crying, his tears streaming down Sett¡¯s shoulder. He¡¯d never seen an adult cry before, it felt so odd. This whole evening felt odd, like something didn¡¯t fall into place in the universe but Sett didn¡¯t know what.


    ¡°I can¡¯t breathe!¡± Sett gasped. He liked hugs, but not this one. Another odd thing.


    His father pulled out of the hug but still held Sett by the shoulders. His face was twisted in agony, loud sobs bringing tears and snot down his face. Sapp¡¯s expression was so vivid, Sett began to cry himself. He didn¡¯t know what was going on, but the despair in the air was getting to him.


    ¡°Sett, I''m so sorry! Your mother, she¡­ I couldn¡¯t stop it, it attacked so suddenly, I couldn¡¯t..¡±


    Uncle Bana put a hand on his father¡¯s shoulder and kneeled next to him. His father looked at the ground, his whole body trembling.


    ¡°Sett, your mother was attacked by a dangerous creature when we went to hunt. I¡¯m so sorry, we tried our best, but we couldn¡¯t help her,¡± Uncle Bana tried to explain but Sett didn¡¯t understand. Is she hurt? Is she in the hospital?


    ¡°I want to see her,¡± he demanded, assuming she was in the hospital. If she was hurt, he had to see her. He felt himself getting angry at everyone else for not taking him to her.


    Uncle Bana sighed, and Sapp¡¯s sobs grew louder.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you can¡¯t see her. She is with the Ether now.¡±


    Sett knew what that meant, and he hated it. He hated Uncle Bana for saying something so cruel when it wasn¡¯t true.


    ¡°NO!¡± He screamed. ¡°DON¡¯T LIE! WHERE IS MOM?!¡±


    Sett¡¯s dad held him tightly as Sett screamed with despair and rage. All he could see was red, and he felt like nothing short of extinction of all Rainat would satisfy him.


    Sett wanted to do something. He wanted to tear the creature that took his mom from him limb from limb, tear down anyone who dares stop him. He tried to pull himself loose from his dad¡¯s embrace and run, but Sapp was too strong. Sett pounded his father¡¯s back, screaming and clawing until he was released. He bolted for the door, deftly sidestepping Uncle Bana who leapt after him. Outside, two more of his father¡¯s hunting group were waiting, their faces grim. Sett bolted for the stairs before they noticed, barrelling down the steps without a thought. He tripped on a step and fell, tumbling down a whole flight and falling on his back onto the landing. His body barely registered the pain, all senses dulled by the indescribable fury he felt.


    He jumped up and moved towards the stairs again, but the adults had caught up with him. His father and two more people Sett barely registered caught him and held him up, carrying him back up kicking and screaming. He screamed until his throat hurt and then screamed some more. Neighbours who lived in building 4-6 came out of their houses, concerned. All the uncles and aunties who raised Sett were concerned but Sett barely noticed them. The adults took him home, and left him in his room with his father to process his emotions and calm down.


    Father and son stayed in the room for 4 days, barely sleeping or eating. Mitt had come back too and cried with them, but he was taken away by Auntie Fen when she noticed Sapp wasn¡¯t in any condition to take care of him. The duo barely ate for the first few days, though the adults around them had left them food in the room. Sapp had slowly begun eating again and talking to his son, but Sett barely registered anything. His emotions hadn¡¯t calmed in these days, his only sleep coming when he passed out from exhaustion. Doctors had come to check up on him but he screamed and demanded to be allowed to hunt the beast that took his mother.


    Two days later, when Sett was wrapped up in a blanket in his room glaring at nothing in particular, his father walked in. Sett prepared to scream at him, but his father raised a hand and spoke with conviction and eyes of steel.


    ¡°Sett, I have decided.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve spoken with our party and a few others. We¡¯ve decided to hunt the Rainat.¡±


    Sett opened his mouth to demand his coming along, but his father stopped him again with a raised hand.


    ¡°A Rainat is a very dangerous animal. Our rifles can¡¯t penetrate its skin. It also runs away if it¡¯s spooked, and it scares easily. Babb Horn, from the farm next to the Throhs, has a piercing rifle. Uncle Tecc is coming along as well, with his Military Corps rifle. We¡¯ll be going with the eight, I mean seven, of our party, Babb and two of his party, and uncle Tecc. I can take you along, but there are some conditions.¡±


    Sett¡¯s eyes lit up at his father¡¯s words. He never thought his father would agree.


    ¡°One, we¡¯ll be setting off in two days and you need to eat and sleep until then. See the doctor too. If I feel like you¡¯re too exhausted or sick on the day, I''ll keep you out.¡± Sett nodded along as his father continued. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Two, you will not participate in the hunt. You won¡¯t be given any weapons, and you¡¯ll always be surrounded by at least two adults, if not more. When we¡¯re traversing the Woods, you¡¯ll be in the centre of our formation.¡± Sett wanted to argue but he knew this condition was absolute. He had logically considered what he wanted over the past few days, and he knew he was completely out of his depth in a hunt, especially of such a dangerous creature.


    ¡°Three, my orders are absolute. If I¡¯m not around, the orders of the adults around you. If someone tells you to run, you run. To stay back, you stay back. You will not argue or hesitate to follow. If you do, we call it off immediately and go back. Am I clear, Sett Keidum?¡±


    ¡°Yes dad.¡±


    ¡°Then eat something and sleep. We¡¯ll see the doctor tomorrow.¡±


    Two days later, on the morning of the hunt, Sett followed the group to the Mupnal Woods. His father led the party at the front, with uncle Babb and uncle Bana behind him. Sett was at the very back with uncle Tecc and uncle Resk, one of his dad¡¯s regular party members, at his sides. When they enter the woods, Sett would be moved to the centre so that he¡¯d be surrounded by skilled adults and safe from ambush. His father had given him his hunting knife to hold on to, despite saying he wouldn¡¯t be given any weapons. Sett¡¯s heart beat loudly, not with the excitement of his first ever hunt but with the fury of losing his mother. He gripped his knife tightly and stared ahead.


    The plan was to move eastward into the Woods, following the route they had taken when Saecca died. Once they¡¯ve reached the area, half the group, the half with the highest perception stats, would branch out and scout around, looking for traces of Rainat. The spot where they had encountered it was a long 7 hour trek into the wilderness, something Sett hadn¡¯t done before. Since tracking such a recluse animal would take a long time, they had packed camping gear and enough supplies to last at least 5 days. The thought brought up memories of when he had gone camping with his family, and the barely suppressed emotions started bubbling again.


    The hours melded into each other as they marched, more cautious than usual because of their young guest. Sett felt like they were marching too slowly, but he had no way to verify the time. His legs hurt, and he had a slight headache from being alert for so long, but he didn¡¯t utter a word of complaint as his eyes carefully scanned the forest around him. The fatigue barely registered in his mind. The company came to a sudden stop. His father spoke something to Babb and the two of them set out ahead alone.


    ¡°We¡¯re near the spot,¡± uncle Resk informed him. ¡°They¡¯re going ahead to scout.¡±


    The duo returned half an hour later, and the company continued moving. They couldn¡¯t find any easily visible Rainat tracks around the place where they were attacked, so they decided to set up camp in a clearing nearby. The group hunkered down in an hour, by which point the sun was already beginning its slumber. They had surveyed the area for nearly a whole square kilometer, looking for ambush predators that could cause them problems. Sett helped with setting up tents, though he obviously wasn¡¯t given a spot in the watch rotation. The plan was to begin the hunt the next day.


    Sett found himself under a thick oak tree the following day, his guards from before at either side. There were 3 more guards around the area, all tasked with protecting the youngest of their group. The rest had set out to look for Rainat tracks.


    ¡°Keep your weapon where you can draw it, kid¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Keep your weapon where you can draw it quickly. Don¡¯t just hold it randomly. And stay alert. Always stay alert in hostile territory, even if you¡¯re protected,¡± uncle Tecc instructed sternly. Sett gripped the sheathe in his right hand, ready to be drawn by its left when needed.


    The days passed by without any sign of a Rainat. They hadn¡¯t found any tracks that day, so they moved further into the woods, closer to the Fidar mountain range. Sett was growing more and more impatient, but he held his tongue. The tents were cold, the sleeping bags uncomfortable, the marching strenuous. Sett hated it and a small part of him wanted to go back, but the pain and fury in his heart pushed him on.


    On the fourth day, they found the first tracks. A scout hurried from further northeast, claiming he¡¯d seen tracks of a large animal he was sure was a Rainat. They had begun moving up the mountainside by this point, and the hike there was gruelling. They waited for the other scouts, and Sett¡¯s father returned from the north claiming to have seen tracks as well. The scouts returned to the spots where tracks were seen, and spent the rest of the day looking for more traces.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s only one,¡± Bana said when they gathered around the campfire that night. ¡°Its prowling the area northeast of here¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s probably its territory. There were claw marks on the rocks leading up to the rock shelter we saw. It¡¯s probably its hideout,¡± Sapp added.


    ¡°Did you approach it?,¡± uncle Tecc asked.


    ¡°The shelter? No. We did survey around it though. We found enough tracks going to and from it.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t it know you were there?¡± Sett asked, the first words he¡¯d spoken without being spoken to, this whole expedition. All eyes turned to him.


    ¡°If it did, it didn¡¯t make it known. It might not have been there, they¡¯re daytime predators, it could¡¯ve gone for a hunt,¡± his father answered him. Sett nodded and didn¡¯t say anything for the rest of the night.


    The hunting party had positioned themselves around the rock shelter the next morning as planned. Sett was positioned further to the north, between two inosculated trees. Jon and Resk stood by his side. His group was the furthest away from the action, and in the opposite direction of where they had planned to corral the beast. Babb had suggested that uncle Tecc be actively involved, or at least his rifle, and his father approved. The standard hunting rifles were enough to scare a Rainat away from Sett, which was all that was required.


    Two men approached the cave from its north east and west, their rifles up and ready. When they got within 7 feet, a low growl emerged from the cave. The two looked towards the south, where Sapp was, and nodded. They aimed their rifles and fired into the rocks and gaps between the rocks around the shelter. A mighty roar resounded from the cave, and Sett could feel his body vibrate as he heard it. The shots of Ether paused for a moment, but continued again. Finally, the infuriated beast emerged from its domicile. An earthly brown feline at least 5 feet tall, with long fur and fangs the size of Sett¡¯s fingers, glared at one of its assailants, its yellow eyes filled with violence. The hunter facing it flinched, and the beast leapt towards him, razor sharp claws primed to rip the man to shreds. A blast of Ether hit its side, causing it to stop for a moment, when another blast hit it almost face on, its prey fighting back. The blasts weren¡¯t enough to do any damage, but it conveyed the message of pain. The creature quickly turned around, running southwest. A strong blast of Ether from that direction caused it to roar and change its course, finally moving southwards. Towards Sapp with the piercing rifle in his hand. From the distance, Sett could see his father raise his rifle, steadying his breath and waiting as the fearsome predator sprinted towards him. A red streak shot out from his rifle towards the Rainat¡¯s shoulder, staggering its run as it wailed in pain. Another shot, another wound in its side, causing it to roar loudly, its agonized voice reverberating through the trees.


    Then the reply came.


    An equally loud roar tore through the air from behind Sett. He shot his head backwards to see an infuriated Rainat hurtling down the slope towards him, its face contorted in raw ferocity, eyes screaming rage. The others reacted immediately and opened fire, the blasts leaving painful welts on the predator¡¯s body. But it wasn¡¯t enough. The creature had lost its mind with rage, instincts fully forgotten. Sett met its eyes as it came for him and he saw himself reflected. He drew his knife and held it up at the beast with both hands, knowing full well it won¡¯t do anything. Still, he stood his ground trembling with fear, ready to meet his mother.


    A red blast shot out from somewhere behind him, hitting the beast in its leg as it prepared to pounce. The Rainat stumbled and slid across the slope, roaring in fury and pain. Another ether blast hit its body a second later. Sett turned and saw uncle Tecc aiming carefully at the animal. He was standing deathly still, his eyes calm as a lake and his expression like steel. He had rushed to Sett¡¯s position and barely made it in time. Another shot struck the beast from the other side as his father made it up after quickly finishing off the other Rainat. The beast collapsed less than 5 feet away from Sett, its eyes locked onto him with hate. It swiped at him with claws sharper than his own blade, but another shot, to the neck this time, from uncle Tecc suppressed it.


    ¡°Kill it kid. Use your knife,¡± uncle Tecc said as he walked over. His father looked like he was going to protest, but instead he lifted his rifle, ready for the beast¡¯s final struggle.


    Sett steadied his breath and approached the creature, circling outside the range of its claws. It squirmed as it tried to get to him, but was met with a blast from a rifle. He gripped his blade tightly and plunged it into the wounded neck of the animal, lifted it and stabbed again. And again. And again. He let his tears flow, and he wept loudly as he stabbed his heart out.

 5. Soldiers on the Street

    Sett was sitting up on his bed. He was still a bit drowsy but he¡¯d mostly shaken off the sleep. He had pleasant dreams about his mother which were slowly fading away, and a lingering dream about the Rainat he killed all those years ago. He figured by now that that probably wasn¡¯t the Rainat that took his mother, and neither was its mate his father killed. They were too far from the spot where she fell, and it had apparently fled in a different direction, away from the mountain. Rainat weren¡¯t common even in the Fidar mountains, but they weren''t rare either. It''s quite likely that the two Rainat they had killed back then were not the one they wanted.


    After that day, Sett had processed his emotions healthily, and he didn''t hold any resentment towards the species. That was an absurd thought, though it seemed very reasonable to his rage-addled mind back then. He knew there was no malice in the attack that killed Saecca, only hunger and instinct. The beast hunted for sustenance and his mother just happened to be near it. Just like his parents hunted in the woods. He didn''t feel any guilt over killing the two Rainat that day, but he did learn to control his emotions better, especially his anger. He had never been that enraged ever before, so lost in emotion that all thought or reason had been abandoned.


    He tucked his mother''s knife, now his, onto his belt as he left the house. He had no use for a hunting knife in a smithy, but it felt good to have a piece of her with him. The sun had just begun its journey to its zenith, as Sett briskly walked through the garden surrounding the residences. There was a slight chill in the morning, and the clouds were thick. The path wasn''t crowded but it was fairly active. The early farmers were on their way to the farms, his father would be joining them soon. Thane was always early to his smith and Sett had willingly inculcated that habit himself.


    As he reached the commercial district, he noticed a lot more activity than before. Specifically, the activity of the Sheriffs. Their black full-sleeved shirts, thick leather body armour, and their crests bearing the round shield symbol were instantly recognisable. He hadn¡¯t seen this many Sheriffs at once before since Mupnal doesn¡¯t get many instances of serious crime. They were walking in and out of stores, clearly investigating something. A fair few were even armed with wooden batons, and Sett even spotted a rifle in an important looking Sheriff''s hand.


    The Sheriffs were the first sign of something brewing, and Sett spotted the second as soon as he entered the main street running through the district. There were at least a few dozen soldiers wearing the red plate armor of the Krakarian Military Corps walking around the street, their round helmets glistening in the morning sun. Most were armed with rifles, but Sett spotted a few with melee weapons. There were at least 3 officers he could see, recognisable by the golden colored runes on their chest plates, and capes of darker red. He imagined Brec would have the time of his life seeing so much imperial red, but Sett was immediately wary.


    He knew something big was happening, something bigger than Mupnal usually dealt with. He walked cautiously, keeping an eye on the troopers. He wasn¡¯t the only one, as most citizens had a look of displeasure. He spotted a familiar Sheriff, and ran to gather some intel.


    ¡°Hey! Jonran!¡±


    ¡°Sett? Good morning. Are you headed to the smithy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah man, do you know what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Jonran, brother of the butcher and Sapp¡¯s hunting mate Jon, sighed. He had joined the Sheriffs after failing the Military test to spite his parents for naming him ¡®Jon 2¡¯.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know, kid. We¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that Jon 2¡­ you can tell me,¡± Sett drawled, grinning as he saw Jonran¡¯s expression change.


    ¡°Call me that one more time kid, and I¡¯ll drag you to your father.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding Jonran, I¡¯m sorry. Come on, tell me, maybe I can help?¡±


    Jonran sighed again. He held out a paper with a detailed drawing of a messy haired man with a tense expression.


    ¡°This is a fugitive from Central City. He stole something from an important alchemist visiting from Krakar II. They wouldn¡¯t tell us what, only that he got on a train and ended up here.¡±


    ¡°Who is he? Why here?¡±


    ¡°The military intercepted the train here, so he got off to escape. We¡¯ll bring him to justice right here in Mupnal,¡± Jonran declared with a determined look that Sett found amusing.


    ¡°Who is he though?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s classified kid, nothing you need to know,¡±Jonran said with a stern expression.


    ¡°Thanks Jon 2! Tell your brother I said hi!¡±


    ¡°You little shit, I¡¯ll-¡±


    Sett grinned and ran off in the direction of the smithy before the Sheriff could finish his threat.


    The smithy was locked when he got there, which was strange because Thane was usually earlier than him. He held the key against the locking runes and opened the door. He channeled a little Ether into the activation plate, and lit the forge. As it heated up, he brought one of the half completed plows onto the workbench and began his day.


    A whole hour later, when the forge was emanating adequate heat, Thane burst through the door, carrying his laughing daughter in one arm. Big Man Thane fully lived up to his moniker, a towering giant nearly 7 feet tall, with equally large muscles adorning his frame. He had the upper part of his gray heat-resistant jumpsuit tied around his waist, exposing the black vest he wore within.


    Sett smiled as he saw the morning light reflecting off of the big man¡¯s bald head. Thane had, at one point, boasted a thick mane of hair and a beard that touched his belly. A blacksmith¡¯s skill is measured by the length of their beard, he had once declared. Until one day in the forge a year before Sett began his apprenticeship, a few embers found refuge in his thick beard and started a fire. Since then Thane kept his head and face shaved, his views taking a complete turn. A blacksmith who keeps his beard exposed to the flames is worse than an apprentice, he then declared.


    ¡°Sett! You are early!¡±


    ¡°No man, you''re late. Hi Aiya¡±


    ¡°Yes, it seems I am! Aiya wanted to stare at the red plates and I stared with her¡±


    Thane¡¯s booming voice was amplified by the layout of the smithy. It took Sett weeks to get used to it when he first started working.


    ¡°Hi Sett aba! The soldiers were scary! I asked them if I could shoot their guns and they made scary faces at dad!¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Aiya had climbed up to Thane''s shoulders and made them her perch. Sett pitied the poor troopers who had to deal with the little gremlin.


    ¡°I asked Jonran about it. Apparently there''s some fugitive from Central¡±


    ¡°Yes, Alia had informed me. She said the alchemist was¡­a bad man¡±


    ¡°Mama said he was a fucking asshole!¡±


    Sett grinned at Thane''s expression. It was inevitable that the 9 year old would pick up her parents'' colorful vocabulary.


    ¡°So what brings you here you little gremlin? School kicked you out?¡± Sett asked the kid. Thane would normally never let anyone speak to his daughter that way, but Sett had earned some big brother privileges over the years.


    ¡°There''s no school today and auntie Mary and auntie Jas couldn''t take me in¡±


    Sett could guess why auntie Mary and auntie Jas couldn''t take the curly haired devil in, but he held his mouth. He turned back to the plow he was shaping on the anvil as Thane let her down and adjusted his jumpsuit.


    ¡°I heard you finished Laira¡¯s commission. She called me last night and gushed for hours. Good job, Sett,¡± Thane said as he patted Sett on his back, a gesture that would''ve knocked Sett to the ground a few years ago.


    ¡°Auntie Laira wears ugly clothes. My eyes hurt sometimes,¡± Aiya added.


    ¡°Yeah, she liked them. I''ve finished my first commision so¡­¡± Sett looked at his mentor expectantly.


    ¡°Yes. You have. We shall start Ether Crafting tomorrow.¡±


    Sett slapped the anvil in elation, continuing his work with a huge grin.


    By afternoon, mentor, apprentice, and distraction stared at the completed plow together. The trio wore well-deserved smiles.


    ¡°Aiya and I shall head to Fen¡¯s Patisserie for lunch. You should get some food too Sett, but also head to Luke''s store. I am expecting some raw iron, and we need more flux too. He will know what you are there for.¡±


    ¡°YESS!! CAKEEE!!¡± Aiya screamed with the power of a voice that was clearly an inheritance from her father.


    Sett made his way to the metal dealer¡¯s store with a sandwich in hand. He hoped Luke had some water as he was beginning to choke. He cursed when he realised he hadn¡¯t shown his new hunting knife to Thane, and heard his opinion about the craftsmanship, but all thoughts of that disappeared as he stopped in his tracks. He noticed a commotion near the intersection with the road going to the eastern farms. A woman screamed and ran, and a few people retreated away from the road hurriedly. A crowd of red plates, an officer, and Sheriffs were rushing towards the junction, brandishing their weapons.


    Sett saw the Ether blast first, coming from the East road and crashing into a store, shattering glass. A man with short, uneven hair and a face that seemed slightly familiar rushed out of East road, and sprinted towards the direction Sett had come from. A soldier shot once more, missing his target but grazing a pedestrian. There was a shout from the officer, and the soldier who shot stayed back. Another rifle blast rang out and this one hit true, however a translucent shield popped up to block it.


    An ability? Or a mage?


    By this point Sett had concluded that the cops had found their man. The military officer, clearly frustrated, drew his sword. It was a proper longsword, with a knobbed hilt. Sett watched as it glowed a deep red akin to the cape the man was wearing. The man held the sword above his head as he ran, swinging it downwards in a quick arc. A crimson crescent shot out of the swing, brimming with energy. The semicircular attack moved faster than any Ether blast, and shattered the target¡¯s shield like it was paper. The criminal was sturdy enough to not be split into two, but he had come close. In a fountain of blood, the man¡¯s body was barely being held together by his skin as he collapsed, lifeless. The officer resheathed his sword calmly as the crowd watched without a sound.


    Sett looked around and saw the citizen who was hit by the blast. He was clutching his arm like it was broken, but his skin hadn¡¯t been pierced. Sett concluded they hadn¡¯t used lethal blasts, although they came dangerously close. The crowd, which had hushed their angry protests when the officer displayed his power, slowly began cursing again. A lady threw a vegetable at a red plate, and the shopkeeper who¡¯s window was shattered confronted a Sheriff about his damages. The crowd was agitated, and the soldiers quickly retrieved the corpse and withdrew, leaving the Sheriffs to handle the fallout.


    Sett watched as the crowd gathered around the Sheriffs, consciously avoiding the pool of blood that had once been the fugitive. He imagined most shops would close up soon, especially on this corner of the district. His gaze lingered on the East road for a few moments, but he shook his head and ran to Luke¡¯s before the man closed shop.


    He had managed to catch Luke as he was locking his door, and they chatted for a bit about the recent scene. After finding out the status of the raw iron delivery, and obtaining a promise of flux early the next morning, Sett jogged back to the smithy. He noticed the crowd around the East road intersection had thinned, and a couple of Sheriffs were cleaning up the blood. The injured man had presumably been taken to the hospital, and two Sheriffs were taking the brunt of the vandalised shopkeeper¡¯s anger. He didn¡¯t linger in the area for too long, though his thoughts once again drifted to where the criminal came from.


    It appeared that either news of what had happened didn¡¯t reach auntie Fen¡¯s patisserie or the relish of her cake was so strong that it blocked out any commotion happening around, because Sett opened the smithy doors to see father and daughter sprawled across the floor, snoring loudly enough to shake the very foundation of the smithy. There was no chance Thane would leave his daughter around firing rifles, so they clearly were oblivious.


    Sett debated waking them up, but he judged the danger over, and decided to let them sleep a little more. He gently lifted Aiya and adjusted her position so that her head rested on her father¡¯s arm, and began his work. He picked up another plow to begin shaping, but switched to a scythe for a little variety. His hammering barely matched the duo¡¯s snoring, and it wasn¡¯t nearly loud enough to wake them. He didn¡¯t mind the solitude though, and he had to admit Aiya seemed less like the devil and more like an angel when she¡¯s asleep.


    It took another 2 hours before Thane emerged from his slumber, Aiya was still out cold however.


    ¡°Ugh. Fen¡¯s cakes are laced with slumber leaves or something,¡± Thane said as he blinked off his sleep. He shuffled to the canister of water beside the storeroom and drank, before splashing some on his face.


    ¡°A lot happened when you were snoring away. Didn¡¯t you hear anything?¡±


    ¡°I was sleeping Sett, I do not hear in my sleep¡±


    ¡°I meant when you were out. The cops found their guy. Killed him in the streets, some civilians caught strays too. I watched it all happen¡±


    ¡°What?! They shot people on the streets?!¡± Thane¡¯s voice rose with anger.


    ¡°Yeah, they were aiming for the criminal though. I reckon most shops are closed now.¡±


    Thane had a fuming look, clearly upset at what happened.


    ¡°It¡¯s over now though. The crowd was upset and the Sheriffs got a good deal of that anger,¡± he added, trying to diffuse the situation. ¡°Oh, also Luke was closing up when I reached him, and he said he¡¯ll bring the flux himself first thing tomorrow morning. And the iron will be ready in a week.¡±


    Thane barely nodded, still in deep thought. He then turned around and left the smithy without a word. Sett assumed he had gone to investigate the situation himself. This was the first time Sett had seen the big man in such a serious mood, but it was understandable. He didn¡¯t have a great opinion on the Military to begin with, and this was an unprecedented incident in the history of the commune.


    Thane returned almost an hour later, looking exhausted. He sat down on a stool and explained, ¡°They are done with the clean up. Citizens are being compensated. Apparently, people were knocking on the doors of the Council members, so they have called a grand assembly tomorrow at Trent Park.¡±


    ¡°The compensation¡¯s not from Krakarians or the military I¡¯m guessing?¡±


    ¡°No. The Council is arranging it themselves.¡± The big man signed and added, ¡°Most shops are closing up. We should too. Go home Sett, we shall figure things out tomorrow.¡± Thane slowly woke his daughter up as Sett prepared to close up.


    Sett cautiously made his way back home, noticing a few Sheriffs plodding about looking drained. This was the most they¡¯ve had to do in a single day since Sett could remember. He reached the East Road intersection and paused.


    After less than a minute of thought, he turned and hurried into the East road.

 6. A Pill in the Woods

    The East Road had a lot more activity than the main street, most of the crowd either soldier or Sheriff. He walked cautiously, avoiding the law keepers even though he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. Although he imagined he would be soon.


    The commercial buildings slowly tapered out on either side as he approached the farmline, and the road traded cobblestone for soil. The Throh¡¯s farm was the first one to the left of the road, a modest plot of land cultivating rakeseed. He could see uncle Throh explaining something to a Military officer in the distance, with Brec standing next to him in attention, beaming like he was just given a custom made battle axe. At least there¡¯s someone who¡¯s happy with everything.


    Sett grinned at how the soldier who was with the officer was clearly uncomfortable by Brec¡¯s sincere stare. He was avoiding the law right now, however, so he moved away from the four, and into the farm to look for Bone.


    He found the Throh twin in the barn feeding the Bullbeast. He seemed tired as always, but his face betrayed a hint of worry too.


    ¡°Hey Bone. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Sett? What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I saw a lot of cops down this road and came to check it out. The fugitive came here didn''t he?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, how¡¯d you know?¡± Bone asked as he dropped a bale of hay into the trough.


    ¡°I saw it happen. When they¡­ got to him. I saw him come from here and wanted to see how you guys are holding up.¡±


    Bone leaned on the fence of a pen and sighed.


    ¡°Was it gory? I heard it was. I mean, Brec assumed it was and he¡¯s been really excited about it. He wouldn¡¯t stop talking about it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah man, it was brutal. A swing from the officer¡¯s sword almost sliced the guy in two. It was some weird ability that shot out of his swing like a huge Ether blast or something.¡±


    ¡°An Arc Attack?¡± Bone asked, as his eyebrows furrowed even more.


    ¡°What?¡± Sett looked at Bone curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s called an arc attack. Where you swing your weapon and an arc of Ether blasts out. Brec would learn it if he joins the military as a melee so he wouldn¡¯t stop talking about his skills, abilities and stuff.¡±


    ¡°Shit okay. Yeah I guess it was an arc attack. It was bloody man¡±


    Bone sighed again, his expression contorted in worry.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want Brec to join the Military. I hope he fails. I don¡¯t want him to get cut in two like that or something. And what if he does the cutting? What kind of person do you become when you slice people in two regularly?¡± Bone looked at his friend, his eyes begging Sett for a solution.


    Sett didn¡¯t know what to say. He agreed with Bone, and nodded solemnly to show it. The image of another person being nearly cleaved in two like that was burnt onto his brain, barely suppressed by the rest of the excitement. He dreaded what would show up in his dreams.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know man, maybe he will fail? They¡¯re also really strict and I can¡¯t imagine Brec surviving such discipline, you know?¡±


    Bone nodded but his worry hadn¡¯t eased, so Sett changed the topic.


    ¡°What¡¯s uncle Throh talking to the military about?¡±


    ¡°They wanted to ask if anyone saw the guy. One of our farmhands saw a suspicious man go to the Woods.¡±


    ¡°The Woods? What was he doing in the woods?¡±


    Sett could feel an inkling of an idea form.


    ¡°Damned if I know.¡± Bone shook his head and added, ¡°Sett, listen, don¡¯t tell Brec you saw the incident. He¡¯ll find out eventually but I don¡¯t want him to get more excited for arc attacks.¡±


    ¡°Yeah of course man. Not a word.¡± Sett put a finger to his lips. ¡°How are you guys handling it? I figured you¡¯d have gone home already.¡±


    ¡°Dad wants to stay out and help with the investigation. Gather farm hands and such. Uncle Babb is leading the soldiers through the woods. Brec just likes seeing them in action. I figured I¡¯d stick around with them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I get it. Listen, I think I¡¯ll head back home now, I just wanted to check up on you guys. Apparently there¡¯s a grand assembly in Trent Park tomorrow, let your dad know. Bye man.¡±


    Sett waved Bone goodbye and headed out, cutting across the farm to avoid the patrols. He snuck around the spot where uncle Throh was talking to the officer, Brec and the guard nowhere to be seen. He ran diagonally, away from the main road to the woods, looking for a spot without patrols. This wasn¡¯t too hard to find, since the majority of the red plates were probably in the woods. He ran across uncle Babb¡¯s farm, the last one before the woods, and entered the forest through a small desire path at the far end of the farmland.


    Sett had gone exploring in the woods countless times with Brec and Bone, and he knew the terrain of the woodland¡¯s fringe like the back of his hand. He¡¯d also gone on a few more hunts with his father and other parties over the last couple of years, so he was confident in making his way around while avoiding patrols. He knew the sounds of the woodland creatures and their treads enough to differentiate them from heavily armored troops. He quickly but stealthily weaved his way around the trees, prowling like he¡¯d been taught.


    To what ends though, he had no idea. The thief had come here for a reason, and the Military investigating the forest meant they hadn¡¯t found what they were looking for on the corpse. Sett had a feeling whatever the man had stolen from the alchemist was hidden here.


    The forest was big, and finding something hidden here sounds like it would be near impossible. However, Sett considered the circumstances. The fugitive had presumably never come to Mupnal, but was forced to stop here. He probably searched the entire commune and made it to the woods under the weight of pursuit. He would¡¯ve, probably, hoped to come back if he escaped, and hence would¡¯ve hidden the loot in a place he could recognise, even if it was only his second time there. A random tree wouldn¡¯t count, neither would some shrubbery. There were a handful of memorable places Sett thought of, and he could check them out before the investigators got there, if they hadn¡¯t already.


    Sett thrived in the adrenaline rush of the hunts, but that had slowly declined as he went on more excursions. He was wise enough to know how dangerous thrill seeking was, and old enough to not get away with rule breaking. So naturally, the excitement of doing something like this brought a grin to his face.


    He arrived at the first location, a small waterfall over two boulders wedged together, trickling down from a stream. At this point of the year, there¡¯s not much rain so the water had been reduced to a trickle. The spot was about 2 kilometres in and as Sett approached it, he heard people up ahead. The soldiers had already reached, so Sett hung back to avoiding being caught. From his hiding spot, he could see one of Babb¡¯s farmhands, so he knew the spot would be searched thoroughly. There were Sheriffs with shovels supervised by red plates, ready to ransack the crag. He circled around, quickly making his way to the next location. He had no chance of getting the loot if it was here, so he hoped it wasn¡¯t. The sun was slowly descending at this point, and he knew he didn¡¯t have much time.


    Two hours later, Sett arrived at the third spot, nearly 7 kilometers into the woods. He had almost been caught by the patrols, but his knowledge of the forest saved him. He planned on quitting after this, as the last embers of dusk were making way for the night at this point. The second spot, too, was being scouted by his unwitting competitors. It was a fairly large clearing forming a near perfect circle devoid of trees or bushes. It was a strange phenomenon that no one could explain, a haven inexplicably fighting back against the encroachment of the forest. Sett had spotted a farmhand, two sheriffs, and a soldier investigating the glade. This gave him hope that the squad wouldn¡¯t have the manpower to reach his third possible location, and he was proven right. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Sett stared at the massive tree in the middle of the clearing. With its nearly pitch black wood, the aptly named Blackwood tree is a famous landmark of the Mupnal Woods that denoted the boundary between the outer area of the woods, and the increasingly dangerous inner areas. The tree was colossal, standing at nearly 150 metres tall and a diameter of about 20 feet, it was the only one in the forest. The behemoth required unsustainable amounts of nutrition for its growth, preventing anything from growing nearly a hundred metres around it. That also meant it was near impossible for a second Blackwood tree to grow in the forest, making this one a unique landmark.


    Sett immediately drew his glowstone torch and began his investigation around the tree. In retrospect, this would be too obvious a place to hide anything but he hoped the criminal was under too much pressure to think things through.


    Half an hour of frantic searching yielded no results, and by this point it was completely dark. While the patrols would leave the forest to try again tomorrow, the night predators would not. Sett had never stayed in the Woods past sunset, but he¡¯d been warned a million times about the consequences. A pained cry of an Elk in the distance reinforced his fears, and Sett called off his adventure. This was the most excitement he¡¯d had in years, and he hadn¡¯t really expected to find anything of worth anyway.


    He turned back the way he came from, and quickly but silently made his way back to the treeline. His torchlight brushed past an inconspicuous rock in the clearing, and Sett¡¯s eyes ignored it for a moment before he paused. He shone his light over the area, and noticed a patch of disturbed soil under the rock. It was clearly recently disrupted, and he decided to take a closer look after a thought. It wasn¡¯t made by an animal, and Sett noticed clear knife marks around the patch. Someone had dug up this spot recently.


    He set his torch down and began digging with his hands. The soil still hadn¡¯t settled, and he easily made his way through the ground. He didn¡¯t have to dig for long, and in five minutes his hand stubbed something hard. He shook his hand in pain, but excitedly scooped out his discovery.


    It was an ornate wooden box with mesmerising runes carved around it. Almost cubic and the size of both his hands, Sett could subtly feel Ether flowing through the etched symbols. He had heard there were specially carved containers meant to hold alchemical ingredients, Ether flora and products without losing their efficacy, and he guessed this was one of those. This box alone would be worth a year of hard blacksmithing, but Sett was more excited by what was inside. The lid opened with a slight tug, and the aroma that followed almost knocked him out. The potent smell made him dizzy, and it took a whole minute before he could gather his wits. He could feel the Ether in his body agitate, and he willed the energy to circulate. He finally calmed down, and looked down at the culprit.


    A shining orange pill stared back at him, shimmering with unseen power. Golden waves of energy swirled inside the orb that was a little smaller than Sett¡¯s palm. It was mesmerising, and though he couldn¡¯t tell what it did, he couldn¡¯t deny the power that went into creating it. The air around the orb pulsated as the ambient Ether stirred, and Sett¡¯s eyes reflected a greed and hunger he had never felt before. Humans were inherently creatures made to wield Ether in their bodies, and high quality Ether flora and pills could stir the Ether in the body, causing it to crave the treasure.


    Fuck it, Sett thought for a second and popped the pill into his mouth.


    This was his first time consuming an alchemical pill, or any Ether based consumable for that matter. He knew enough to circulate the Ether within his body, but that bit of information alone didn¡¯t prepare him for what he felt. He felt the Ether in every corner of his vessels roil, a tempest that shook him to the core. He felt no pain, but his senses were overwhelmed nonetheless as a tempest raged inside. He could feel the Ether smashing against the vessels in his body as his very being trembled violently. He felt nausea in every pore in his body, like he wanted to throw up through every tiny outlet. The feeling overwhelmed his mind and he lost what feeble control he had over his circulation of Ether, his senses too swamped for him to even form a thought.


    The feeling and tremors lasted for what felt like eternity, but it eventually calmed down. His body slowly stabilized, the energy coursing through his veins calmed down, and his thoughts were given space to form again. He lay on his back feeling dizzy, the sound of his own rough panting keeping away the sounds of the forest. This was by far the most intense experience in Sett¡¯s life and he would do it again without a thought. He immediately pulled up his system screen, dying to see what changed.


    Name: Sett Keidum


    Race: Human [F]


    Age: 17


    Level: 7


    HP: 100/100


    Ether Capacity: 80/80


    Strength: 11 Intelligence: 8


    Agility: 8 Wisdom: 9


    Endurance: 10 Perception: 9


    He immediately noticed his Intelligence and Ether Capacity had gone up. This was nice since the stat only gradually increased with practicing Ether, but it didn¡¯t match the experience he had. He was disappointed for a second, but he considered the real change to be something that couldn¡¯t be measured by a simple Tier 5 system. It could be a deeper change, maybe an ability or a change to his affinities. Sadly, checking those attributes was not easy on Resource III, let alone his simple commune.


    He then checked the time and noticed that the entire ordeal took about 20 minutes. It was the 20th hour, another 4 away from midnight. He quickly hid his tracks, burying the box after a moment¡¯s consideration. The box would be very valuable, but trying to sell something like that would implicate him immediately. He tried to leave the scene like he found it, hoping the soldiers would blame the thief for the mess Sett created by writhing on the floor.


    He ran back the way he came, correcting his course to the fastest route since he didn¡¯t have to worry about running into any soldiers anymore. It was late, and he expected an uninterrupted run home. He thankfully avoided any night predators in the forest, and made it out of the forest in a little over an hour. He stood at the edge for a few minutes, dusting himself off, and made his way back to the road as inconspicuously as he could.


    Unfortunately, his expectations didn¡¯t come true. As he walked past the Throh farm and thought about how they¡¯d all be home by now, he was stopped by a patrolling red plate.


    ¡°Oi! You! Where are you coming from?¡± The soldier grabbed Sett¡¯s shoulder and demanded.


    ¡°The forest? I went to get some fruit. I live here man, leave me alone!¡± Sett jerked his hand free, feeling his anger rise. He had an exhausting day, and he didn¡¯t want to deal with a self important soldier. Thankfully, he plucked a few Taka fruits that grew on the outskirts of the woods just in case something like this happened.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get violent with me! Are you collaborating with the escaped fugitive?¡±


    ¡°What? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about! I went to get some fucking fruit! Look!¡± He thrust a Taka at the man, his anger growing.


    The soldier grabbed his wrist and twisted him around, restraining him. He frisked Sett¡¯s body violently, his hand pausing at his mother¡¯s hunting knife.


    ¡°You¡¯re armed! I¡¯m arresting you in the name of the Krakar Empire!¡± He took out the knife and waved to another patrolling red plate, ¡°I found an armed potential collaborator!¡±


    By this point Sett was furious. He could feel his anger rising, and with it, the Ether in his body churned. He pushed his aggressor with his shoulder, and twisted his body out of the man¡¯s grasp. The red plate stumbled back a surprising distance, as Sett shouted,


    ¡°That¡¯s my mother¡¯s knife you bastard! GIVE IT BACK!¡±


    More Sheriffs were running towards the spot now, and the soldier¡¯s face twisted in rage. He dropped the knife and grabbed his rifle slung across his shoulder, flicking the safety off. Sett knew what was coming, but his rage only grew and let it flow into his fist as he retracted it to -


    ¡°Wait! Sir! Please stop! I know that kid!¡±


    Jonran came sprinting in panic, his arms waving frantically.


    ¡°Sir! Please! That¡¯s the blacksmith¡¯s apprentice!¡±


    ¡°This man is armed and dangerous, Sheriff! He must be taken in immediately! He attacked a Private First Class of the Krakarian Military Corps!¡±


    ¡°You stole my mother¡¯s knife! And attacked me first! For nothing!¡± Sett screamed, but controlled his anger enough to not get physical.


    ¡°Sir I¡¯m sorry! He¡¯s got a temper, everyone knows it! We can¡¯t escalate things with the citizens, they¡¯re already angry! Captain Sarker said-¡±


    ¡°I know what Captain Sarker said, Sheriff, do not lecture me!¡±


    ¡°I apologize sir, I¡¯m just saying. We can¡¯t antagonise them further. Please¡±


    The soldier glared at Sett, and Sett returned it. After a few moments, the red plate lowered his weapon, and Sett relaxed his muscles. He could feel the Ether roiling in his veins, especially around his fist. This had never happened before.


    ¡°Make sure this thug knows the law, Sheriff. For the sake of your own town, you need to discipline these hooligans.¡± The man sneered and walked off, kicking Sett¡¯s knife into the farms in a final act of pettiness.


    Jonran sighed and glared at Sett, clearly intending to lecture him but thought twice after seeing Sett¡¯s expression.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this later, kid. I¡¯ll come by the smithy tomorrow. Or your house. Go home.¡±


    Sett nodded and ran to search for his knife. After pocketing it, he sprinted home, running faster than he ever had.

 7. Uncle Tecc

    Early the next day, Jonran showed up at the apartment looking displeased. Sett had already informed his father about what happened, keeping his discovery and consumption of the pill to himself. He didn¡¯t want his father to get caught up in something this big. Sapp just laughed off the thought of his son evading military and police patrols to search for hidden treasure, though the idea of Sett being in the woods after dark worried him.


    Jonran gave both father and son a stern talking to about authority, discipline, the law and ¡°thuggish behaviour¡±, which neither took seriously. Content with Sapp¡¯s assurances, Jonran left with a self-important look on his face.


    ¡°Man, what a prick,¡± Sett smirked.


    Sapp laughed. ¡°Silence thug. Respect the authority of Jon 2. He alone maintains law and order in this crime infested town.¡±


    Sett burst into giggles, ¡°He sure acts like it. I don¡¯t think Uncle Jon even talks to you like that and he¡¯s older than you.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, if my parents named me Tecc 2 or something, I¡¯d have a block in my veins too,¡± Sapp grinned. ¡°That brat took up most of the morning, I don¡¯t think I have time to eat before the grand assembly. Are you coming?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t want to listen to those old guys talk. Plus, I¡¯m pretty sure the red plates will be there and I¡¯m in no mood to deal with them. You¡¯ll tell me what they said anyway. The big man¡¯s going too, so I¡¯ll try to get some sleep in since I don¡¯t have to head to the smithy.¡±


    Sett had been unusually tired this morning, and would¡¯ve slept for a lot longer if Jonran was a little less uptight.


    ¡°Okay. Eat something before you sleep. Aba Tecc¡¯s not going either, so pay him a visit when you can.¡±


    That perked Sett¡¯s interest. ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, probably for the same reason as you. Aba¡¯s been locked up at home since the first soldiers began prowling around,¡± Sapp said as he walked to the door.


    As much as Sett wanted to nap, spending time with Uncle Tecc sounded like a much better use of his time. He waved his father goodbye and headed to the kitchen. He shoved some bread into his mouth, and washed it down with water as he changed out of his tunic. He slammed his fist on Mitt¡¯s door, screaming, ¡°Oi! I¡¯m going to uncle Tecc¡¯s! Eat something when you get up!¡±


    He ran out of the building and hurried towards the commercial district. Sett stopped, closed his eyes, and cursed. He turned around and ran back the way he came, suddenly remembering the keys to the smithy. He had crafted a pair of wood carving knives for his uncle but hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to deliver them. The extra workload on top of Laira¡¯s commission was partly the reason he was so exhausted that week, but this was something Sett had wanted to do for a long time.


    He nearly collapsed at the door to the smithy, wheezing heavily. His 10 in endurance was pushed to the limit with all the sprinting he did in the last few minutes. He unlocked the door and pushed it open, stumbling onto a chair and grabbing a jug of water on the workbench. He steadied his breath for a few minutes as his eyes scanned the workshop. The plow he had begun to work on the previous day had been completed. Thane probably came over at some point last evening and finished it. The big man must¡¯ve understandably been stressed, and had come to clear his head. He found his knives on the corner of the workbench with a note that said ¡°take your projects home or I¡¯ll sell them.¡± Sett grinned and set out to find a nice box to keep them in.


    He found himself panting again as he trudged up the stairs to the 10th floor of building 6-7. For all the exhaustion he had woken up with, he found himself running around a lot this morning. He climbed the last step and sat down next to the parapet, promising himself not to run the rest of the day. He clutched a plain looking wooden box in his hand, less adorned than even the box he¡¯d carried Laira¡¯s tools in. He made a mental note to stock up on decorated boxes as he calmed his breathing, and dragged himself up.


    Sett could hear his uncle shuffling towards the door after he knocked again. The man had ignored the first two knocks, but Sett had expected that. Uncle Tecc was a recluse at the best of times, and with the unprecedented madness of the past few days, he understandably would have decided to hide away until things calmed down.


    ¡°Fuck off, I¡¯m not coming to the assembly,¡± an exasperated voice called out as the door opened. Tecc Keidum¡¯s rugged beard stared up at Sett. The man¡¯s frustrated expression eased into his natural, slightly annoyed appearance. He was a little shorter than Sett, but he had the air of someone you didn¡¯t mess with.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, kid. Why are you here?¡± Tecc stepped aside before Sett could answer.


    Sett noticed that his uncle¡¯s toned muscles were tense, only slightly relaxing when he saw his nephew.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to go to the assembly and dad told me you didn¡¯t either.¡± He held up the box he was holding. ¡°I made you something.¡±


    Tecc scratched his wild, brown beard, and nodded. He accepted the box and opened it, staring at its contents for a moment.


    ¡°Carving knives? Thank you.¡± He nodded again and put the box down on a low floor table in his living room. The floor table and the muted colors were the only things differentiating Sett¡¯s own living room from his uncle¡¯s. The table carried a mess of wood blocks, shavings, sawdust and tools.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve started taking commissions now. I finished one for Laira recently.¡±


    Tecc snorted at the mention of Laira¡¯s name. ¡°Is she still on about how those bastards are better than us?¡±


    Sett sat down on the gray futon and smiled uneasily. ¡°Not really, but she does respect them I guess.¡±


    Tecc didn¡¯t reply, instead opting to head to the kitchen for some tea.


    ¡°Did you hear about what happened yesterday?¡± Sett asked after his uncle sat down in front of him with two cups of tea.


    ¡°Yeah the neighbour mentioned it. I¡¯m not surprised those pricks fired into a crowd. That¡¯s what they¡¯re best at anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yeah it was fucked. I was there. The officer had a sword and used an arc attack or something. It was brutal, man¡±


    Tecc sneered, his eyes staring into despised memories. ¡°In officer training, they tell you not to use powerful Ether attacks around civilians. ¡®Tell¡¯ of course, but no one would listen. E grades in the military love the fucking power trip. The wretches above know it too, but no one gives a shit do they?¡±


    Tecc was the only E grade Sett knew, one of the rare few in Mupnal, and possibly the only one in all the planet living so detached from his grade and profession.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t want to see that again.¡± The conversation lulled into a somber silence before Sett perked up again. ¡°Oh, so I went down to the woods to see what the red plates were up to¡­¡±


    Sett recounted his adventures from the previous day, though this time he mentioned the pill he had found and consumed. The opinion of an E grade with the wealth of experience uncle Tecc had might help him figure out what it does. By the look on uncle Tecc¡¯s face when he mentioned consuming it, Sett started to regret bringing the matter up. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Kid, don¡¯t go around eating random pills. You¡¯re lucky you didn¡¯t explode or something,¡± the man said once Sett described his experience with the pill.


    ¡°Yeah but I didn¡¯t,¡± Sett grinned. ¡°Do you know what it was?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m no alchemist kid, how would I know? If it doesn¡¯t show up on your stat page, it¡¯s probably something abstract. Affinity boosting, or health improvement. Longevity. Hell, it could be poison for all you know.¡±


    Sett was beginning to get nervous now, the weight of what he had done pressing on him. The idea that he might¡¯ve eaten some sort of slow acting poison hadn¡¯t really occurred to him.


    Tecc¡¯s lips curved slightly, the closest thing to a grin the man was capable of.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. No one would protect or steal a single poison pill like that. It¡¯s probably good for you. Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Should I go see a doctor or another alchemist or something? Shit, then they¡¯d rat me out.¡± Sett was beginning to panic, his regret quickly growing.


    ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t worry about it kid. If you¡¯re fine so far, you¡¯ll probably be fine later too. Getting caught is a lot worse. It¡¯s probably something good but it¡¯ll be hard to figure out what without a better system.¡±


    Sett drummed his fingers on the table nervously, and then grabbed his tea and downed it. He was still anxious, but he had calmed down considerably.


    ¡°Yeah, I figured it''s something good. Like an ability or something, that¡¯d be great,¡± he chuckled nervously.


    ¡°Abilities don¡¯t work like that. You need a rune carver to carve it into your very being, the materials to make the ink, a bunch of other stuff. I don¡¯t have one, but I¡¯ve heard they¡¯re an unbearable agony, not whatever you went through. And you can see the runes on your skin, that¡¯s why they¡¯re called runes. You can¡¯t just pop a pill for them, kid.¡±


    Sett¡¯s anxiety settled as he listened to Tecc¡¯s description. Unbearable agony was not what he went through, nor is it anything he¡¯d ever want to go through. Either way, uncle Tecc was convinced it wasn''t malicious, so Sett relaxed and continued his account of his escape from the forest and altercation with the guard.


    Uncle Tecc¡¯s expression contorted more and more as Sett described his altercation with the red plate. He seemed more upset by this than Sett consuming a mysterious pill.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what they¡¯re all like. Arrogant bastards, the lot of them. A private first class, what a fucking joke!¡± Tecc spat those words out with furious contempt. He continued after thinking for a moment, ¡°Listen kid, I hate the corps, and most of them hate me, but I have a few friends. Let me know if that pig comes asking for trouble and I¡¯ll make a few calls.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? Thanks a lot uncle Tecc, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯d need to. Jonran came over this morning to, uh, lecture me but he didn¡¯t say anything about more trouble.¡± Sett couldn''t help but feel touched that his uncle would deal with people he avoided like a plague for him.


    Tecc just nodded somberly and sipped his tea, deep in thought.


    ¡°What is our town coming to?¡±


    Sett didn¡¯t know how to answer his uncle, so he just sat there awkwardly. Tecc¡¯s past with the military was a soft spot, and Sett didn¡¯t want to poke it. They sat in silence for what felt like a long time, until Tecc sighed loudly.


    ¡°Listen, kid, don¡¯t worry about the pill. You did good keeping it away from those bastards. It was probably meant for some rich prick in the Krakars, so it should be good for you. And don¡¯t worry about getting caught either, most of the red capes aren¡¯t smart enough to do investigative work. The only thing they¡¯re good for is killing, and I¡¯ll give them hell if they try that with you.¡±


    Sett nodded gratefully but didn¡¯t say anything. He watched as uncle Tecc got up and walked to his room. The man returned a minute later and placed a small object on the table.


    ¡°I made this for you, kid. Take it.¡±


    Sett picked up the gift and examined it, a phoenix carved into olive green Jade wood. It was so intricately detailed for something so small. Sett could see the fierce expression on its face, the individual feathers on its spread wings, the barbs swirling out of the long tail feathers, the digits on its claws. There was even a tiny looping feather on its head, probably to thread a string through. All this detail on a bird that was smaller than Sett¡¯s palm. He had always been impressed by his uncle¡¯s fine carving talent, but this was the best he¡¯d seen.


    ¡°Thank you uncle. I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± Sett said, his eyes never lifting from the pendant.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing to say. Take it. I didn¡¯t know Saecca too well, but she used to come over sometimes to talk. She told me she loved phoenixes, and how they supposedly fly across the stars like flaming red streaks. I mentioned that I saw one streaking across the sky when I was on deployment. I made this in her memory for you. She was a good woman.¡±


    Sett could feel tears welling up again, so he decided to leave. He got up and thanked his uncle again, promising to visit sometime later. He took a deep breath as he exited the house, and ran back home for some sleep and ruminating.


    ****


    Tecc Keidum watched the kid run home and sighed. He closed his front door, and walked to his bedroom. It was utilitarian and drab, only the bare necessary furniture scattered across the room. Except for one object neatly tucked under his bed.


    Tecc pulled out his bombardier rifle and stared at it with loathing. A thick and heavy device, its body forged with a black metal, red streaks of alloy interspersed across the stock and barrel to allow for Ether to flow through it, transforming the wielder''s energy into bursts of explosive destruction fired out of the wide rimmed muzzle.


    Tecc hated it. He hated what he had to do to get it. He had been a talented infantryman, blazing through the levels and ranks, even in times of peace. In his second ever deployment, against a pirate vessel plaguing the route to Resource IV, he mowed down 12 pirates single handedly while covering the retreat of his unit. An action that inflated his rank, medals and ego.


    The Military Corps rarely saw much deployment beyond culling beast populations in vulnerable planets, but Tecc still soared to the E grade, going through the painful advancement with the guidance of the system on Krakar I, picking up the bombardier rifle as his higher grade weapon of choice, and earning himself a promotion to Major. It was when he was riding the high of military success when the Miner¡¯s Rebellion of Resource II happened.


    Tecc collapsed on his bed as he remembered the sickening campaign. The miners of Resource II had been protesting for better conditions for years now. The world was hostile but hospitable, though it didn¡¯t have an native sapient populations of its own. The Krakars had sent workers by the billions to colonise and mine the planet, initially putting systems in place to make survival easier for the workers. The systems were expensive to maintain, and centuries of cost cutting measures led to the security of the mining population to steadily decline. Finally, when the protests and strikes didn¡¯t provide any relief, the miners rebelled. They took down the Empire¡¯s offices and outposts on the planet, and declared independence.


    The Empire deployed an entire division of the Corps to suppress the rebellion, and Major Tecc Keidum commanded a company of 1000 infantrymen. Their first deployment was to Jagged Rock, a city with a population of a million that handled the mining operations in the area. The moment the dropship reached the airspace above the city, and they prepared to land, the bomber accompanying them opened fire. Artillery attacks rained on the city, population be damned. The meagre energy shield the rebels managed to erect crumpled like paper when faced with the ordnance of the Karkarian Military. Tecc watched in horror as buildings crumpled, houses burst into flames, and blood flowed.


    He screamed into his communication crystal, demanding an explanation but it was cut off by the signal of his superior, the Brigadier.


    ¡°On my orders Major. We are to terrify the rebels into surrendering by neutralizing towns. After bombardment, your company will drop in and execute anyone not wearing Imperial red. These are your new orders from the General himself.¡±


    Tecc¡¯s shock didn¡¯t calm down even after the bombardment stopped and the ship landed. He steeled himself quickly, and gave the orders he would regret for the rest of his life. He stormed out of the ship, and watched as his men slaughtered wantonly, relishing in the rare opportunity to wield their weapons outside of training. He couldn¡¯t bring his rifle up and join the mission, instead he watched the corpses of men, women and children pile up in the streets in horror.


    They completed three more similar missions during the campaign until the rebellion surrendered, each one killing a piece of Tecc¡¯s soul. His soul was shaken so badly, in fact, that he found it difficult to circulate Ether through his body for years later. He used that as an excuse to resign immediately after the campaign ended, running back home to Mupnal and never leaving the commune since then.


    He sat down on his bed and bent forward, cradling the massive rifle in his arms. He ran to Mupnal to escape from the Military, but they made their way here. They attacked people in the town he came to care for, bullied his nephew. Memories of the campaign flooded him, and he set the butt of his rifle on the floor. He moved the muzzle towards his face and stared at the dark hole. His finger traced its way to the trigger, and he circulated his Ether through it, ready to fire.


    After a few minutes, he pushed the cursed weapon away, and collapsed on the bed with tears in his eyes.

 8. Dark Clouds

    The grand assembly was the most heated one Sapp had ever been a part of. The people were angry, and the council struggled to calm their collective temper. The Chief of the Sheriffs resigned, the council offered to pay the injured civilian and the shopkeeper compensation, but the people demanded compensation be taken from the Military instead. They promised to ¡°send an appeal¡± and spoke about measures to prevent things like this from happening again. There were talks of ¡°a dark day in Mupnal¡± and ¡°bouncing back from this incident stronger than ever¡±.


    The only thing Sett cared about was the announcement that the Military had found the box they were looking for in the Woods, and would immediately withdraw. Sapp mentioned that the Captain leading the troops seemed very stressed and anxious. Sett¡¯s father assumed it was because of the citizen¡¯s response, but Sett figured it was because they couldn¡¯t find the contents of the box. Since they were leaving without investigating, he hoped they would just blame the fugitive for eating it.


    Overall, Sett was happy to have gotten away with his adventure and excited to get back to work again. He hoped whatever benefit the pill gave would help him in the upcoming Ether crafting lessons with Thane. He was level 7 now, still a bit away from his body being ready to fully utilise Ether, which came at level 10, but he could practice his control now.


    He skipped through the streets that morning with a slice of bread in his mouth, contrasting the somber mood of the residents around him. He walked into the smithy to find Thane waiting for him with a square of unshaped metal on the workbench.


    ¡°You wanted to start Ether crafting? Let us start then. Sit down.¡±


    Sett excitedly sat down opposite his mentor, and stared at the piece of metal in front him. He noticed a straight line drawn with pencil cutting across the strip.


    ¡°Do you know how to circulate your Ether?¡±


    ¡°Yessir¡±


    ¡°Good. Can you accumulate it on one hand?¡±


    ¡°Err.. sort of? I can circulate it more in my left hand, but it feels weird and not smooth. I¡¯m not too good with my right.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Then do that while holding this piece in both your hands, release it into the metal and carve a straight line from left to right across it following the pencil I have marked for you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­a lot¡±


    ¡°So figure it out. You have loads to practice on,¡± Thane said as he dropped a big box on the table, filled to the brim with similar strips of metal.


    Sett picked up the first piece and placed it between his hands. He circulated the Ether through his body first, and then let it slowly accumulate in his left hand. He willed it to enter the metal, feeling it push against the walls of his skin and¡­stop. He pushed harder, the discomfort in his hand increasing, until the strip of metal shot out of his hand with a bang and hurtled across the room. Sett stared wide eyed as Thane roared in laughter.


    ¡°If you force something out like that, it will come out with some strength. Let it out slowly. Do not fear, you have many pieces to practice with.¡±


    Sett sighed as he picked up the next piece from the box.


    Sett dragged his feet through the cobblestones as he made his way home. His body was wrung dry of Ether after a full day of sending metal flying through the smithy, and all he managed in the end was reducing the distance it flew. He reached energy exhaustion by midday, but Thane just shoved a steak into his mouth, let him nap for half an hour, and woke him up to continue again. All the excitement for Ether crafting gave way to the dread of this training method. He just hoped things would get easier the next day.


    Things weren¡¯t easier the next day either. He left the smithy in the evening just as exhausted as before, but this time he had managed to keep the strip in his hand and even made a small indent on its side. It was far from the fine, straight line that Thane wanted, and it even heated up a little which apparently wasn¡¯t supposed to happen, but it was a start. At least he didn¡¯t have to deal with flying strips of metal anymore.


    This continued for three more days, with Sett making a tiny amount of progress each day. By the end of the third day, Sett could make a rough half inch long cut on the 4 inch long strip. He expected a few more days to reach the end of the strip, and then it¡¯s down to refining and shaping it to match the pencil mark.


    Thane had gone to drop off Aiya at Central City since her mother was going to Krakar II for a meeting and wanted to bring her family. Thane refused to go since he had a lot of work lately, so he dropped his daughter off and returned, leaving Sett alone with the smithy for the day.


    Sett stepped out to grab lunch and stopped when he heard a loud rumbling. Looking up, he saw dark clouds looming over the sky. Shit, looks like a storm.


    Deciding he didn¡¯t want to be caught in a storm, he decided to call it a day and head home. He locked the smithy door and walked towards the main street, before cursing and turning around. He ran back to the workshop, grabbed a handful of the metal strips, and shoved them in his pocket. He then sprinted towards the residential district, briefly stopping to grab a slice of cake from Madam Fen¡¯s patisserie. It was the twin¡¯s system onset the next day, and he thought about what he could gift them as he ran.


    He jogged up the stairs of building 6-7, a consequence of a brilliant idea he had on his way home. Sett wasn¡¯t satisfied with his progress on the Ether control exercise the big guy had him doing, regardless of Thane¡¯s assurances that he was progressing faster than expected. So, he decided to ask the only E grade he knew for help. From what he understood about rifles, you needed to channel Ether through the weapon to power it, which didn¡¯t sound like a task requiring fine control but uncle Tecc couldn¡¯t have reached E grade without some achievement.


    Thunder rumbled again as he trudged the last few steps, only a little less tired than he was the last time he was here. It was barely afternoon, yet the clouds in the sky made everything look like night. Sett made a mental note to carry an umbrella with him from the next day, noticing the onset of the rainy season.


    He knocked on uncle Tecc¡¯s door, and then knocked again after a minute. Just as he raised his hand for a third knock, the door swung open. Uncle Tecc wore a serious expression, more so than usual. His hair was messier than usual, and he looked like he got up from bed. There were heavy bags under his bloodshot eyes, a departure from his state just a few days ago. Sett noticed the faint smell of whiskey in the air.


    He was immediately worried. Uncle Tecc rarely worked since his retirement, only occasionally helping out in the farm or selling his handicrafts, but he still kept a strict routine. Sett hadn¡¯t known him to drink too much either, though his father had mentioned a period of alcoholism following his discharge from the Military. Sleeping late and binge drinking were worrying signs, and Sett¡¯s brows furrowed.


    ¡°Oh. What¡¯s up, kid? What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Oh I just wanted some advice on Ether control.¡± He held up a strip of metal. ¡°Forget that, are you okay uncle Tecc? Have you been drinking?¡±


    Tecc snorted and let his nephew in.


    ¡°A little. Hearing of red plates in this town brought back memories. I¡¯ll be fine, kid, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Sett walked in uneasily, but didn¡¯t reply. He would talk with his father first before doing anything.


    ¡°So what¡¯d you want help with?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m supposed to channel Ether through this strip of metal and engrave a fine, straight line across it.¡±


    Tecc observed the metal for a bit, before motioning to a cushion. Sett sat down and took back the strip from his uncle.


    ¡°It¡¯s basically what I do while carving wood. Wait here, I''ll freshen up a little and be back. I just woke up.¡±


    Sett watched his uncle disappear into the bathroom, and got up. He headed to the kitchen, searching for some bread or something. Uncle Tecc¡¯s kitchen was clean and simple, though it looked untouched for a few days at least. He found a loaf of bread that was a couple of days away from turning stale, but he kept it on the countertop anyway. He threw some rakeseed into a pot with water, sliced some carrots in, and threw an old beet in the trash.


    As the porridge boiled, Tecc emerged from the bathroom, his hair and beard still wet. He looked a lot better, though the bags under his eyes still looked heavy. His eyes were still red, but they had calmed a little.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°You need to eat first. I¡¯m making porridge.¡±


    His uncle replied with a nod, and sat down on the futon. Sett made a mental note of what groceries uncle Tecc could possibly need as the broth boiled, intending to return the next day. He poured the porridge into a ceramic bowl, garnished it with a piece of bread and brought it to Tecc.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Sett watched as his uncle sipped the broth, colour slowly returning to his face. The man ate quickly, and Sett wondered how many days it had been since he ate anything at all.


    ¡°Did you hear what happened at the assembly? The red plates are gone. They didn¡¯t find out I stole the pill. We¡¯re safe now.¡±


    Tecc didn¡¯t say anything as he stared at the empty bowl.


    ¡°Yeah. I suppose so,¡± he said after a minute.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong uncle Tecc?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, kid. I¡¯ve had a bad feeling since those bastards showed up here. I thought I was over it. It still haunts me, kid. Jagged Rock still haunts me.¡±


    Sett nodded somberly. He didn¡¯t know what to say, or if he even had to say anything. Uncle Tecc cleared his throat and broke the silence first.


    ¡°So. Ether control. Show me what you can do now.¡±


    Sett nodded and picked up the piece of metal, channeling Ether through his left hand. He¡¯d become adept at localising the Ether in his body to accumulate in his hand, and he gently nudged it into the metal. At least, he hoped it was gentle but the energy still rushed too fast, lightly heating up the metal. Sett focused, willing the flow to concentrate on the middle of the strip. A small, rough engraving began forming, like a river pushing through sand. A few seconds later, the groove grew to half an inch, but the metal burnt Sett¡¯s hand and he dropped it.


    Tecc stared intently for a few seconds, before speaking.


    ¡°You¡¯re just forcing the Ether out of your hand, kid, instead of controlling where it goes. But you can learn that with practice. Your biggest problem right now is that the Ether has nowhere to go once it enters the metal, hence heating it up. A lot of the Ether you¡¯re pouring in is lost. You need to take that back first.¡±


    Sett nodded slowly, though he had figured that much out on his own.


    ¡°How do I take it back?¡±


    ¡°Circulate Ether in your other hand. Draw in the Ether in the metal into your right hand, so it isn¡¯t lost to the material and returns to your body.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty bad with circulating Ether in my right hand uncle Tecc, I don¡¯t think I can keep up both hands at the same time,¡± Sett replied, feeling very embarrassed at his earlier confidence.


    ¡°Then practice. Watch,¡± he picked up another strip of metal Sett had kept on the table, and held it between two fingers on the same hand. A thin line began forming along the pencil mark, with the exact width of the marking. The line was complete in mere seconds, perfectly tracing the required path, and nothing more.


    Tecc¡¯s lips slightly curved at Sett¡¯s wide eyed stare. He put the metal down, grabbed a piece of wood and a carving knife, and began engraving.


    ¡°Look. I¡¯m using the knife as a conduit for my Ether. You¡¯d probably use tongs or a hammer or something for your work. Either way, you won¡¯t be able to channel anything through your tools if you keep heating them up.¡±


    As Sett watched, he proceeded to carve a corner of the piece, his Ether carving fine, swirling patterns on the wood as the knife glided across it.


    ¡°I release the Ether into the wood only at the point where the knife touches the wood, and take back the excess with my other hand that¡¯s holding the block. Wood is a bad conductor, so I need to hold it near where the knife touches the block. Metal is a good conductor, so you can reabsorb the Ether at the other end.¡±


    Sett watched intently, amazed at the incredibly precise control on display. Tecc looked up and grinned, the biggest smile Sett had ever seen on his uncle¡¯s face. That alone was worth the trip here.


    ¡°Man, I think you should come to the smithy tomorrow. You¡¯re a much better teacher than Thane.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about your mentor that way kid. He wanted you to figure it out on your own.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but you should still come though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see.¡±


    Sett nodded and picked up another piece of metal, this time trying to maintain circulation on both hands simultaneously. He failed miserably, but now that he had a direction, he gladly practiced.


    He left uncle Tecc¡¯s house two hours later, feeling exhausted but happy. He hadn¡¯t managed to accomplish what he wanted, but he made progress.


    It was raining heavily outside, and he could barely see 10 metres ahead of him. He slowly descended the stairs, trying not to think about walking through the storm. A cold wind hit him when he reached the ground floor, reminding him of the misery he was about to endure.


    He noticed the rain had reduced, or even stopped, right outside the building. He thanked his incredible luck, but paused for a moment. He could still hear the rain in the distance, just not in front of him. He looked up in confusion, and his eyes widened.


    There was a massive, black starship hovering right above them, blocking the rain. The thing spanned a few apartment blocks at least, shaped similar to the dropships Sett had heard about from uncle Tecc, but looked nothing like any ship used by the Krakarian Empire. He assumed that they appeared while he was descending the stairs, but he hadn¡¯t heard a single whisper of the wind. It was like they just appeared out of thin air, hovering ominously above their heads.


    He ran across the courtyard and into the street, and he noticed that many people seemed to have the same idea. The rain was pouring halfway across the street, indicating the point where the ship¡¯s influence stopped. Above the roar of the rain, he could hear the low hum of the engines.


    He could make out some writing in gold on the side of the ship, written in the Universal Common Tongue. Sett spoke the Teh¡¯ner dialect of the Mala language spoken on the planet, but he had learnt Krakarian in school as well. Universal Common, however, was a distant third language he had a few lessons on but nothing more. He recognised the word ¡°Resource¡±, the third word of four.


    In the distance, he could see more such ships. Above the commercial district, above the farms, above the schools. His heart tightened in anxiety and he began jogging towards the school district. He didn¡¯t get far before a voice laced with power bellowed out from the ship, stopping Sett dead in his tracks.


    ¡°Citizens of this town in Resource III. Assemble in the large expanse of land to the south of your town in half an hour. Failure to do so will result in consequences,¡± an androgynous voice called out in the Krakarian tongue. By the dialect, Sett guessed it belonged to a noble. What a Krakarian noble was doing on a mysterious ship like this and why they wanted everyone in Trent Park, he couldn¡¯t guess.


    A minute later, a low, blue light glowed from the underside of the ship, and flashed brightly. About 30 soldiers, dressed in all black armour from head to toe appeared on the street. The light flashed again, and another set of soldiers were deposited in another street. The light flashed three more times before it dimmed into nothing.


    Short distance teleport. Only really high quality E grade ships can manage that.


    The soldiers looked nothing like the Krakarian military, their armour looked modular and utilitarian, with matte-black plates contoured around the body. Their helmets covered their whole head, with a shiny, black visor covering the face. They had none of the flair or pomp he associated with the military. With their jet black rifles, they looked like brutally efficient killing machines.


    The most terrifying aspect was the aura they gave off. A tangible feeling of power billowed from the soldiers, suppressing Sett¡¯s movement, and awakening a primal fear within him. He recognised the feeling immediately.


    The aura of a platoon of E grades in full blast.

 9. Invasion

    People of higher grades naturally have a suppressing effect on those of lower grades, manifested by the power of their very presence, an invisible force pushing against anyone in their vicinity. Most people tend to keep their auras in control, suppressing them for the sake of those around, but in a situation where intimidation is key, an aura is invaluable.


    Sett¡¯s instincts screamed at him to run, but his legs refused to listen, his body trembling. Around him, everyone else suffered the same effects, some even forced on their knees. Sett moved slowly, willing each foot in front of the other, towards the road that led to Trent Park. He kept an eye on the platoon on his street, painfully aware of the powerful presences in other streets.


    The platoon closest to him raised their arms towards the top of the apartment block he just came from, and a green, spherical shield made of hexagons appeared. A second later, a large crimson blast of Ether smashed into the shield, the explosion causing tremors, and sending debris flying everywhere. The rain sizzled as the rampant energies clashed. Yet, the shield held, though Sett noticed some of the hexagons flickering.


    When Sett first learned about auras and higher grades, he ran to uncle Tecc¡¯s place and begged him to show his nephew his presence. Tecc had obliged, and it was that very same aura Sett recognised billowing from the top floor of the building where the blast had come from. Uncle Tecc was fighting back.


    The platoon were trained soldiers, however, and they responded quickly. As soon as the attack ended, Sett could see them through the debris, aiming their rifles at his uncle¡¯s position. A hail of verdant green energy blasts, each one smaller than Tecc¡¯s opening attack yet fired at a faster rate, streaked upwards toward the window. The attack was devastating, causing a cloud of dust to emerge and obscure the full result. Sett¡¯s heart thumped with fear and rage, his fist tightened hard enough to draw blood.


    As the dust cleared, Sett could see the whole region peppered with holes and destruction, entire pieces of Cupric Stone walls missing. However, uncle Tecc¡¯s window was untouched, a hazy red shield shimmering around it. The shield disappeared and the former Krakarian bombardier¡¯s rifle peeked out of the window again, firing another blast. This one split up into multiple blasts in midair, falling down on the enemy''s shield like rain. The shield held true once more, but Sett noticed a few of the soldiers staggering around, disoriented.


    The soldiers returned fire, but at that point Tecc dropped something out the window and disappeared, ignoring the hail of gunfire that followed. The whole section of wall for three stories around Tecc¡¯s apartment came crumbling down, exposing the houses behind completely. Sett could see bodies in the houses, bodies he hoped weren¡¯t corpses. A mountain of wreckage grew on the ground below. He saw Tecc leap through a hole on the floor to the next story, ducking behind an intact wall.


    The egg-shaped object Tecc dropped fell normally for a few floors, before suddenly igniting from one end. The jet readjusted the ovoid¡¯s trajectory, steering it to face the platoon. It sped across the distance in a second, enough time for 6 of the soldiers to drop their shields and flee. The object slammed into the shield, and this time it crumpled completely. There was no powerful explosion to flaunt the weapon¡¯s strength, but the shield¡¯s collapse was enough. The soldiers who maintained the shield fell to the ground too, clearly hurt. They had no moment of respite, however, as another bright red blast shot out towards them, once again breaking up in midair into a dozen or so attacks. The ground shook violently as the blasts hit, the explosion causing a shockwave that knocked Sett down on his back. His ears were ringing from the aftermath, and he slowly collected his wits and looked around.


    In the minute or so that this exchange took, two other platoons reached the intersections at either end of the street. They had their rifles raised at Tecc¡¯s direction, but didn¡¯t make any other moves. The soldiers who faced Tecc¡¯s attack without shielding were littered across the street, more than half of them unmoving. Sett was shocked at his uncle¡¯s display of strength. These were E grade soldiers, better armoured than even the Empire¡¯s best.


    Uncle Tecc¡¯s might would¡¯ve been enough for an entire platoon, maybe two. The dropship that brought them here, however, was a different beast. Sett watched with horror as a metal plate on the side of the ship opened up, revealing a sinister hole. A missile was ejected through the launch tube, initially in a straight line, but thrust vectors along its side corrected its course, turning it nearly 180 degrees towards Tecc¡¯s position. Another red Ether blast attempted to stop it, but it was too late. The attack successfully detonated the missile before it reached its target, but it was close enough. The shockwave from the explosion sent Sett flying back, right at the feet of a platoon waiting at the intersection. Cracks spread outwards on the road from the impact spot, and Sett could see many civilians lying around unmoving. The noise shook his very being, and the cloud of debris it sent into the air obscured his vision entirely.


    Sett couldn¡¯t imagine the loss of life that occurred in just the past few minutes. An entire building full of residents, probably a 1000 people reduced to nothing. Sett stared in abject horror as the dust cleared, any smidgen of hope lost as he saw the result of the attack. An entire wing of the residential block nearly reduced to ruins, an arm of the U shaped building nearly gone, apart from a small, jagged remnant a couple of stories high, its walls scarred and cracking.


    It was on top of these remains that Sett spotted his uncle, his body hanging off the edge. He didn¡¯t move, and Sett¡¯s rage reached a boiling point. He shot up, ready to rip the invaders limb from limb but their powerful auras kept his feet rooted in place. A surviving iota of sense prevailed, and he knew there was nothing he could do.


    A squad of 4 invaders got up from the ground and immediately held their rifles up, cautiously approaching Tecc¡¯s body. They fired a few shots, and the unmoving body found life as Tecc flung himself to the ground in evasion. He rolled towards his rifle using the momentum of his fall, and quickly fired a blast in retaliation. The assailants dispersed immediately, and Tecc charged forward.


    A bright red blade made of pure energy appeared from under the barrel of his rifle, curving upwards at the muzzle. Tecc sprinted towards the nearest invader, his rifle held above his head like an axe. He sliced down in a powerful motion, the blade pausing as it slammed into the target¡¯s neck armor, but cutting through as Tecc applied more weight. The rifle, led by its sharp sword, sliced through the man like butter, from his neck down his torso. Tecc lifted the lifeless corpse and turned to his side, using the body to block an attack. He withdrew the sword and charged towards his next victim.


    Sett watched the fight in morbid awe. His uncle brutally took down one invader after another in close combat, preventing the ship from intervening lest they attack one of their own. He occasionally fired an explosive Ether blast towards one of the other platoons or surviving soldiers to keep them from intervening in his dance of bloody death. As the fourth unfortunate soul¡¯s head separated from his body, an Ether blast appearing from behind drilled through Tecc¡¯s leg. The man screamed and almost collapsed, but before his knee touched the floor he flung himself to the right, narrowly dodging another attack aimed for his head.


    Sett realised what this was. Despair bubbled up inside him as he watched his uncle make his final stand, a desperate bid to atone for his sins. He knew he couldn¡¯t stop him, all he could do was watch and engrave this image into his very being. Rage soared as he bore witness, reigned in by the hopeless gap in power between Sett and his enemies.


    Even Sett could notice the immense power building up inside Tecc¡¯s rifle as he stabbed the blade into the torso of the invader who injured him. The rifle trembled with the barely contained Ether circulating through it and the rage of a man giving his life to protect his loved ones. Tecc got down on one knee and targeted his rifle towards the ship in the sky, lifting the still attached soldier in the process. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    A dozen energy blasts pierced Tecc¡¯s body, but the man didn¡¯t flinch as the rifle glowed for a final attack. An unimaginably powerful blast of energy exploded out of the muzzle, vaporizing the stabbed soldier and continuing upwards. The shockwave destroyed the rifle it was fired from and Tecc Keidum collapsed, lifeless.


    Tecc¡¯s final goodbye impacted the ship with the force of all the pent up rage the man had accumulated over the years, resulting in an explosion that threw Sett to the ground again. He watched with tears in his eyes as the ship was lifted up by the explosion, giant plates of metal falling like rain. A giant hole emerged in the seam between the wing and the body. The ship almost lost its hover, tilting to the side and slowly descending. Sett was sure it would crash on top of him, and he welcomed death more than the despair he was feeling now. The thrusters at its back, however, blazed to life and it disappeared from view. The rain was finally allowed to fall, and it washed over him, its cold touch mirroring Sett¡¯s emotions.


    He was dragged to his feet by one of the invaders and shouted at in Universal Common but he didn¡¯t understand a word. He was shoved towards the road to Trent Park, and he lifelessly trudged on. His mind was blank, the weight of all that happened in the past mere minutes being too heavy to bear. A thought of concern for his remaining family and friends popped up, but it was drowned out in the despair of everything. A large part of him wanted to charge at the invaders so they could put him out of his misery. Unfortunately, the rational part of his mind slowly put one foot in front of the other, taking him to Trent Park with thousands of other panicked citizens.


    He gazed listlessly at the ground as he walked, any ounce of strength his body once had drained. His mind wallowed in misery and despair, though a small flame of furious vengeance held on deep inside. Sett cradled the flame, biding his time to unleash it. As he approached the boundary to Trent Park, he engraved a promise on his soul that whoever was responsible for this will be paid back in blood.


    He bumped his head against someone and looked up. The man he bumped into barely reacted, but Sett noticed he¡¯d reached the park. He was right on the edge, the park filled to its perimeter with a dense sea of terrified faces. The crowd was surrounded by platoons of armored soldiers like the ones that killed uncle Tecc, copies nearly indistinguishable from one another. They had seemingly suppressed their auras, their threatening presence indicated solely by their appearances. The sight of their shiny black visors agitated his barely suppressed rage, the Ether in his body roiling violently.


    The crowd faced a massive ship, bigger than any of the vessels hovering over the town. It was parked at the opposite edge of the park, though it could''ve been hovering really close to the ground. Sett couldn''t see too far in front of him due to the heavy rain, but the massive, black hull in the distance glared at him ominously. The same strange words in Universal Common were vaguely visible.


    ¡°Salsai Sapient Resource Corporation,¡± a voice next to Sett said, his voice barely audible over the din of the rain.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Salsai! Sapient! Resource! Corporation!¡± The man yelled over the roar, ¡°That''s what it says on the side! I studied Universal Common in Krakar I years ago!¡±


    The man seemed vaguely familiar to Sett, but he couldn''t recognise him. Not that he cared currently.


    Sett worried for his father and brother, the Throhs, Thane, auntie Fen, the receptionist girl at Laira¡¯s, Jon and even Jon 2, all the people he¡¯d grown up with, loved. He wondered if this was happening planet wide, if there were similar invasions happening in Central City. Aiya and Alia, even Laira who was currently there as well.


    He scanned the immediate faces around him for someone he recognised but saw no one. He pushed his way eastward, hoping that people from the commercial district might be there. He could hear the wail of a child in the distance, even through the rain. He kept going, pushing and shoving through the agitated crowd. He wasn¡¯t the only one with the idea either, there were scores of people wading through the sea of bodies, calling out names.


    Eventually, he spotted a bald head sticking well above the crowd. Thane was at the very back, possibly having just arrived. A little behind him was a weeping child all alone, possibly looking for her parents. Sett called out the blacksmith¡¯s name and began moving towards him. Thane saw him and smiled warmly, giving Sett the first modicum of security he felt since his world turned to hell. The next moment, the voice from before resounded from the direction of the parked ship.


    ¡°Everyone! Please stop moving! I understand that you¡¯re confused, but we need to stop moving so we can explain.¡±


    The crowd paused for a moment, but the panic of the throng was not easily calmed, and the people started moving again.


    ¡°Stop where you are or there will be consequences. Consequences similar to what you¡¯ve seen near the tall buildings.¡±


    This stopped everyone dead in their tracks. Most of the population came from the residential districts and would¡¯ve seen or heard the battle that had gone on. A dropship had disappeared, explosions shook the ground, it was unavoidable. The guards surrounding them flared their auras to the maximum, suppressing all F grades gathered there. The mention of those ¡°consequences¡± enraged Sett further, and he glared in the direction of the voice, every cell in his body screaming to run up there and rip the noble bastard limb from limb. He clenched his fist till he drew blood, feeling the Ether collecting in his arms like a tempest.


    The crowd had quieted down to murmurs that weren¡¯t audible in the storm, though Sett could still hear the child¡¯s scream. A cold wind passed by, and chilled his soaked body to his bones. A few tense minutes later, the voice continued.


    ¡°Yes. I am Baron Nosadus the Second of Krakar I. I am here to introduce our generous patreon, the esteemed Salsai Sapient Resource Corporation. They are a powerful B grade very far from here, in the heart of the Universe, and they have so graciously gifted the Krakarian Empire vast amounts of precious resources, metals, and other valuable items.¡±


    Nosadus seemed genuinely emotional as he heaped praises on their mysterious invaders. Sett¡¯s brows furrowed even more.


    ¡°In return, we have promised them a small number of our fine, hard working citizens in the resource planets to take with them, as they deal in the business of buying and selling, ah, sapient property. In fact, they are by far the biggest names in the business!¡±


    Sett was speechless. He had a low opinion of the Empire to begin with, but he never thought them heartless or evil. He never expected them to sell off multiple towns worth of their own citizens as slaves. The reality of their situation still hadn¡¯t set in, slavery was something he¡¯d learnt about in books practiced in many parts of the universe, but the idea that he and everyone he loved were going to be slaves was too far-fetched to imagine.


    This was clearly something difficult to digest for a lot of the people gathered here as well, since the crowd was completely silent at the proclamation, only the roar of the rain and the crying of the child dared seep through the air.


    ¡°You may rejoice! Your sacrifice will bring great prosperity to the Krakarian Empire and the Krakar Dynasty! You are being taken in by a pre-eminent universal faction!¡±


    These words agitated the crowd, who began shouting despite the powerful weight of the auras of hundreds of E grades bearing down on them. Sett silently stared, his fury simmering yet waiting for a chance. He knew that even if every person here rebelled, it would be put down with a few missiles from the ships surrounding them.


    Sett heard a metallic voice shout something behind him and he turned around. The weeping child, less than 4 years old, was clinging to the leg of a black armoured invader. The man¡¯s protests fell to deaf ears as she continued screaming, so he lifted his knee and sent her flying. Her body stumbled onto the legs of Sett¡¯s mentor, motionless.


    Sett looked on in dread as Thane¡¯s giant frame shook in fury and screamed, a guttural, furious scream that pierced Sett¡¯s very being. Thane pounced, planting his foot down in front of the attacker in a single leap, his arm drawn back for an attack.


    ¡°Thane!¡± Sett screamed and held his arm out, just to watch his mentor¡¯s body crumble to the ground lifelessly, riddled with holes.


    Sett fell in a heap, his mind blank.

 10. Taken Away

    Sett lay on the floor for what felt like both a moment and an eternity, but was eventually dragged to his feet by someone nearby. The Baron droned on but none of the words registered as Sett¡¯s mind collapsed along with the collapse of his world.


    Thane was gone. His mentor¡¯s corpse lay just a few metres from him, probably still warm. Just this morning he had learned the trick behind the Ether control exercise Thane had made him do, and in less than an hour both his instructors were dead. That flickering flame of fury seemed extinguished, replaced by a deep emptiness that permeated Sett¡¯s being.


    The crowd had turned towards the altercation. Shocked faces stared at the consequences of disobedience. The blood was quickly washed away by the rain, absorbed by the ground below. The girl from before lay still as a corpse, but no one was brave enough to check up on her. Sett gazed at nothing in particular, not an ounce of strength left in his muscles. He was propped upright by a man who was yelling something, but none of it entered his mind.


    ¡°What? Again?! Why do you wretches cause so many problems?! You lost my affinity boosting pill last week and now this! The Empire will have to pay for your insult! For the damages to our esteemed guests! I hope you suffer for your crimes, you bastards!¡±


    The Baron was furious, yelling obscenities at the people he supposedly ruled over. The crowd faced him again, the resentment in their expressions tempered by the fear in their hearts. Sett didn¡¯t move an inch.


    ¡°Sett! Keidum! Mr Keidum, Listen to me!¡± The man continued yelling through the rain, and Sett began to register the words as his name. He looked at the man despondently, unable to respond further.


    ¡°Listen! Thane is dead! I know you were his apprentice but you need to get it together! We¡¯ll find your father and brother, okay? Please! Don¡¯t do anything stupid! Saecca wouldn¡¯t want that!¡±


    The mention of his mother¡¯s name brought him back to reality for a moment, and he looked at the man closely. It was the same person who read out the words on the invader¡¯s ship earlier, and now Sett could vaguely form the connections to his identity.


    ¡°Uncle¡­Croh?¡± Sett recognised the man who had visited them a few times when his mother was alive, an administrator at the council office at Mupnal.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you recognise me. Listen, can you follow what I¡¯m saying? Do you think you can do as I ask?¡±


    ¡°I..yes, no..I don¡¯t know man,¡± Sett mumbled, his brain unable to process anything.


    ¡°Okay, for now, just follow me. From what I understand, they intend to take us away. We just listen to them and follow for now. If we don¡¯t they kill us. We need to survive, Sett, we need to. We¡¯ll search for your family for now, and just do as they say.¡±


    The reminder that he was going to be a slave to the murderers of Tecc and Thane grounded him further, fury rising again. The thought of Mitt and his father being slaves brought back the murderous rage that had been fomenting in his heart, and he clenched his fists. Croh noticed his expression and panicked.


    ¡°No! Sett, listen to me! Don¡¯t do anything stupid! This is not like the Rainat, there¡¯s no way you can fight them! You¡¯ll only get yourself and your loved ones killed! Listen to me! We need to figure out what¡¯s going to happen first!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We need to figure that out. I won¡¯t fight. Not now at least.¡± Sett had returned to reality, and managed to control himself. His breath shook and his face warped as he processed his situation. Croh was still uneasy with Sett¡¯s words, but relented.


    ¡°Yes. Okay. We¡¯ll head to the west now okay? That¡¯s where the school district is, that¡¯s where they¡¯ll probably come from. I saw a bunch of kids running here when I was on my way. We¡¯ll find Mitt first.¡±


    Sett silently cursed himself for not heading out to find Mitt when he reached the park, guilt added to the emotional tempest he was in. He nodded and together they moved westward, when the Baron spoke again.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough explanation for you filth, then. Now move. Quickly, into the cargo ship. Rejoice, you¡¯ll be traveling in a high quality D grade vessel, far more advanced than anything you deserve.¡±


    The crowd didn¡¯t move, cautiously waiting. Sett and Croh pushed through the crowd, ignoring the orders of the Krakarian noble.


    ¡°Why do you bastards have to make my life so difficult!¡± As soon as Nosadus spat the words with venom, the armed guards surrounding them took a step forward, their hands on their rifles. The crowd panicked, but every corner of the perimeter was guarded, and no one dared attempt to escape. The guards stepped forward in unison once more, the threat obvious. Sett and Croh stopped moving and watched.


    The crowd understood their predicament and slowly pushed towards the ship. The duo were near the very back of the throng, closer to the guards, so they escaped any suffocation. However, Sett hoped a crowd crush would occur or at least that his family weren¡¯t stuck in the middle. Considering the day he had, he expected the worst.


    The soldiers marched forward again, the perimeter of their cordon shrinking. Sett stuck close to Croh, who nudged the people in front of him to move faster. Sett stopped him from shoving his way through like many around them were doing, not intending on creating a surge and making matters worse.


    The crowd pushed steadily forward. Sett assumed that they had started filling up the ship, though he couldn¡¯t see much in front of him through the rain. The guards moved forward slowly, the immense pressure imanting from them forced the masses to keep moving. He saw many people shoving their way through the crowd to get away from the wall of death behind them, and many more falling to the ground, unable to keep up.


    A man to Sett¡¯s right tried to force his way through, but was pushed back and fell on to a stone, crying out in pain. He didn¡¯t notice the steady march of the soldiers until they reached him, and by then it was too late. He scrambled to his feet, ready to keep moving, but the invader raised his rifle and shot, another corpse added to the day¡¯s toll. Sett had grown numb to death at this point but Croh, like many around him, gasped. The crowd pushed forward furiously, and Sett feared a stampede. The murder stepped over his victim¡¯s body emotionlessly, continuing their advance.


    Croh grabbed his hand and dragged him forward, pushing through the crowd. Sett didn¡¯t stop him, allowing himself to be taken. He¡¯d given his life to the man at this point, despair, fury and sorrow cycling through his mind. He was certain he would die, if not now then soon. The drive to push through had gone as quickly as it had come, and Sett trudged lifelessly through the crowd pushing and shoving around him.


    About 15 minutes later, the crowd stopped.


    ¡°That¡¯s all this vessel can take. There are a lot of you, and you¡¯re not worth spatially expanded ships. Wait for a while and another ship will come back for the rest of you.¡±


    The black mass in the distance began hovering upward until the full ship was visible to Sett. It was larger than he thought, probably spanning more than the length of Trent park. They were apparently entering through the flank of the ship, as two massive, triangular wings folded out of the body, spanning over their heads in full stretch. The rain stopped as the wings blocked out the sky. The ship continued its upward ascent for a moment, before its thrusters fired and it disappeared into the clouds.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    A minute later, a similar ship descended from the sky, hovering over the position of the previous ship. The wings similarly blocked out the sky over their heads again, before folding inwards. The ship landed, and the detestable Baron called out,


    ¡°Okay, get moving! No need to gawk like uncultured imbeciles and move!¡±


    The soldiers began their march from behind, and the crowd trudged on. Sett wondered if his family were in the previous ship. He didn¡¯t dare hope for anything, afraid that a mere thought of desire for their well being would lead to their deaths. All he could do was search the ship he was headed to, and search for them in their final destination.


    Nearly half an hour later, the ship that they were headed to came into full view. A ramp jutted out from the entrance, leading to five large chambers separated by thin, metal walls. The chambers reminded Sett of cargo train compartments, further underlining what they were now. They were at least 10 metres tall, and too deep to measure from his current location. All he saw was a vast darkness inside.


    The crowd was being led to the chambers, splitting up haphazardly. He wished he knew where he could find Sapp or Mitt, but searching right now seemed impossible.


    ¡°Stick with me. We¡¯ll head to the second chamber,¡± Croh snapped Sett out of his stupor, and he noticed he was still holding on to his hand.


    ¡°Why second?¡±


    ¡°Cause that¡¯s where this part of the crowd is headed, it looks like. We¡¯ll look for your family once inside.¡±


    ¡°What about yours?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What about your family, uncle Croh?¡±


    ¡°Just call me Croh. I don¡¯t have any. Now come on, let''s move. We¡¯ll talk when we¡¯re inside.¡±


    They pushed through, and in a few minutes, stepped on to the black metal ramp. The metal was not sonorous, and Sett guessed from how it felt under his feet that it was an alloy of Rigsteel or something. He hadn¡¯t worked with the resilient metal, but he had been taught of its utility in ship building by Thane.


    The thought of Thane turned him nearly catatonic again, his mind replaying the big man¡¯s death over and over. He stepped inside the chamber, a riot of smells of sweat, dirt, blood, urine and feces assaulted his nose. The barrage of putrid fumes snapped him back, and he trudged inside.


    The chamber was dimly lit by yellow strips of lights across the ceiling, giving the room a sinister glow. He walked further in with Croh until they reached the rest of the crowd strewn across the floor. Bodies were sitting, lying, curled up into a ball, or squatting in various stages of despair. Loud murmurs and weeping bounced off the walls. The floor was wet and filthy from the rain water and mud dragged in by throng. There were soldiers on guard around the perimeter of the chamber, but far fewer than the guards that surrounded the crowd outside.


    A few people who entered with Sett began walking through the seated masses, calling out names. Sett and Croh were about to do the same when a guard shouted in Universal Common, pointing his rifle at the belligerents. When it was clear they didn¡¯t understand, he motioned downwards with his gun, indicating that they were to sit. The crowd dropped to the ground immediately, Sett and Croh included.


    They waited in silence as the chamber filled with more and more people, leaving barely any space to move. There¡¯s a small door to the side, and Sett saw people occasionally go towards it. The room is packed to suffocation, the rancid smells in the stale air intensifying. The floor is cold and wet, viscous mud and other fluids providing some cushion. The humidity added sweat to the rainwater on his body, but the oppressive heat was a welcome change to the wet cold outside.


    With a loud clang, a blast door closed the entrance out of the chamber, locking them in. There was not even an illusion of escape now, their fates sealed. Sett sat with his arms around his knees and head down, a part of him wishing for death. The room shook as the ship took off, leaving Mupnal behind forever. His hand reached for his mother¡¯s knife for comfort, his fingers restlessly mirroring his turmoil.


    He paused as he gripped his knife and realisation dawned on him. The knife is a weapon, and he was certain they would search him once he reached wherever they were taking him to. In the best case scenario they would kill him, but if they took this piece of his mother¡¯s soul while keeping him alive, it would be torture unlike no other. He could never let them see the knife.


    He cautiously scanned his surroundings, biding his time. The vessel shook violently as it climbed through the planet¡¯s atmosphere, but calmed down in a few minutes. After waiting a few minutes to confirm that there won¡¯t be any more tremors, he got up and walked towards the door, assuming it to be a toilet. A guard watched him as he went but said nothing. He opened the door and his senses were assaulted by the putrid stench of urine and feces. He gagged loudly, but went in anyway.


    What met him was not a toilet in any sense. There was a long, thin pit about 10 metres in length across the room, and that was all. The floor was caked in mud and fluid he hoped was rainwater. He assumed people were to squat over the pit to do their business. He was used to defecating in pits during his time hunting in the woods, but this latrine reeked far more than a hole he dug up himself. He approached it and realised there was no drainage, the refuse just stayed in the trench, rotting. There were no partitions for privacy, and he suspected that the only reason the latrine was in a different room was so that the guards weren¡¯t inconvenienced.


    He steeled himself and removed his pants and underwear completely. They were both soaked, but he had nothing else to change into. He removed the knife from his pocket, and squatted on the floor away from the latrine, reaching down towards his bottom. He paused and considered his plan once more. The rectum could possibly be searched, since it was a logical place to hide something. He also expected to be stripped, and there was a chance they¡¯d notice something was wrong.


    He didn¡¯t want to take a chance, but he couldn¡¯t think of any other way. Despair welled up inside him at the thought of losing his mother again, to the same bastards who took away uncle Tecc and Thane. A thought occurred, and he sat down naked, stretching his legs in front of him. He thought again, and moved closer to the latrines while grabbing a few metal strips from his trouser pocket, his right leg stretched out next to the putrid pit.


    He took in a couple of deep breaths to steady himself, and hoped no one would walk in. He drew the knife and breathed again, before plunging it into his right thigh. He drew a cut about 8 inches long, his skin parting easily to the knife¡¯s blade. Pain seared in his leg, but he grabbed two metal strips and bit down on them. He moved the knife deeper, ripping through his muscles and parting his flesh. Blood poured out in rivers, and pain threatened to blank his mind but Sett persisted.


    He could feel his sinews tearing apart, the fibre of his muscles giving way to cold steel. The pain was excruciating and his vision kept blanking out, but he hung to a single thread of consciousness tightly. Blood and chunks of flesh poured out of the wound and into the latrine, his vitality draining. The door to the toilet opened and someone walked in, looking horrified. Sett¡¯s mind was completely consumed by the blinding agony, and he barely noticed the visitor. He raised a trembling finger to his lips, praying that the intruder understood. They apparently did, as they walked out after a few moments and no one else entered after.


    The pain reached a crescendo, and Sett couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He took his knife out of the wound and sheathed it, his eyes tightly shut and mouth clenched. A few moments later, he opened his eyes a crack and was shocked by the amount of blood pouring out in fountains of gore. Thankfully, most of it fell into the latrine, not to be noticed by anyone.


    He ripped the phoenix pendant around his neck and wrapped the string around the hilt of the knife, his hands trembling violently. He clenched his teeth again, and plunged the sheathed knife into the pocket he carved into his flesh. Pain flared again, and Sett was beginning to lose consciousness. Bright spots danced in front of his eyes, but he wasn¡¯t done yet. He pried open the tear in his flesh, searching for a big enough opening to fit the knife through. The hole he had carved out with his blade was big enough, thankfully, and the knife slid in. With every movement of the object, pain shot up his leg. He could feel his bone with his knife, and he knew he may never walk with this leg again. However, it was worth it.


    He haphazardly jammed the knife in, and brought the two folds of skin over the wound, but it still wasn¡¯t sealed. He had a plan for that. He took out one of the metal strips in his mouth and positioned it between two fingers. He took a deep breath to steady his mind as much as he could with the pain screaming in his head, and began circulating his Ether. He channeled it through the strip forcefully, not an ounce of finesse in his work. His concentration waned with the pain, but he persisted.


    In what felt like an eternity, he could feel the fruits of his work. The metal heated up quickly, searing his fingers but he held on, forcing more Ether in. When he felt the skin on his fingers sizzle, he placed the strip over the wound. Skin melted, flesh sizzled, and the cut under the metal fused together. The pain was a different kind, as his skin melted and boiled under the extreme heat. Multiple types of pain exploded in his mind in an agonising cacophony, but Sett held on. With half the wound closed and fused to the strip, Sett ripped his fingers off the metal, bits of skin choosing to stay with the heated object.


    He repeated the process with another strip, almost failing due to the pain, but in another few minutes a second strip covered the rest of the wound. His mind almost gave out just then, as he closed his eyes tightly, the noise of the pain in his head obscuring the sound of the door opening.

 11. Transport Ship

    Sett barely registered the intruder¡¯s presence, his eyes tightly closed. A large part of him hoped it was the guard, and a quick Ether blast would put him out of the misery. The pain was immense, far more than he expected when he cooked up this madness in his head, and regret began gnawing at his skull.


    ¡°Great Ancestor have mercy, what have you done, Sett?!¡± A horrified voice he recognised as Croh¡¯s exclaimed in a whisper, and Sett felt a hand on his leg. Croh gently pressed Sett¡¯s shin, but that touch was enough to send an amplified wave of pain up his leg. He almost screamed, but it only escaped as a light cough as he stifled it.


    He heard the rip of cloth, and his leg was harshly lifted. The pain increased, but he knew Croh was dressing the wound so he didn¡¯t protest. He felt the cloth wrap around the wound, each circle increasing the pain. He wanted nothing but to lose himself to unconsciousness, but he knew he had to at least get out of the latrine.


    Once the wound on his leg was dealt with, Croh set his leg down gently on the ground. That action, too, brought more pain, but he was getting used to it. Thoughts pushed through the tempest in his mind, and he slowly opened his eyes. Croh was examining Sett¡¯s state, his expression contorted with horror and worry. Sweat streamed down the man in torrents. Sett noticed a large portion of his shirt was missing from the bottom. He picked up Sett¡¯s hand, and ripped another strip of cloth. He tore it into smaller chunks and wrapped those around the missing strips of skin on Sett¡¯s fingers.


    Croh reached out for Sett¡¯s underwear and trousers on the other side of the room, and gently guided them through Sett¡¯s immobile legs. Croh pulled the underwear up and then the trousers in two fluid actions, both of which made Sett squirm in pain. The moist cloth pushing against the wound made it burn, but Sett was grateful.


    ¡°Can you get up? If I hold you?¡±


    Sett groaned and weakly swung his arm around Croh¡¯s shoulder. His mother¡¯s friend lifted him up, propping him upright in a sitting position. Sett bent his left knee, and tried to exert strength to get up but he was too exhausted, and the pain was still too much to bear.


    Croh wrapped Sett¡¯s torso with both his arms and lifted, assisted by Sett¡¯s functional leg. His right leg screamed in pain at the movement, screaming once again when he tried planting his foot down. Sett put his full weight on Croh, and the man groaned. The two slowly limped their way to the door, Sett wincing every time his right foot moved.


    By this point Sett¡¯s vision was filled with black spots, and he knew he would be out cold in seconds. Every inch of his body throbbed with pain, and the putrid stench of human refuse now carried a smell of iron and blood, causing him to retch. Croh opened the door and he heard the guard shout something, and Croh said something back. Whatever it was seemed to have worked, because they continued moving into the crowd.


    They reached an empty spot on the floor and Croh gently laid him down on the cold, wet floor, and Sett let the darkness consume him.


    ****


    Sett rushed up the stairs to his apartment, humming a tune. He¡¯d finally perfected the Ether control exercise Thane had him doing for weeks, and tomorrow he¡¯d start actually working on Static Runes. There was a slight tremor passing through the ground, which was strange, but he thought nothing of it as he skipped his way home.


    By the time he reached his floor, a storm had broken out outside. He thanked his luck that he''d made it to shelter before, because the rain was coming down heavily. A cold wind made him shudder and he felt a dull pain on his leg, which was weird. He opened the door to his apartment and stopped.


    The wall at the far end of the living room was gone, exposing his home to the storm. He could see the adjacent building through the giant hole where his wall was supposed to be. On the flaming red futon, he saw the mangled corpse of his mother. His heart stopped and fear took over. He ran over to his mother, her body mutilated with claw and bite marks all over.


    ¡°MOM! DAD?¡±


    Sett ran down the hallway, knocking on Mitt¡¯s door. No one opened, so he broke through and found it empty, just the missing wall at the end of the room, like someone had ripped it out. He burst into his own room and found uncle Tecc lying on the ground, his body riddled with holes. Blood mixed with rainwater flowed through the floor, Tecc¡¯s arms mangled and burnt.


    Sett panicked, his heartbeat resounding in his ears. The pain in his leg had grown to an unbearable level, the despair and confusion in his heart drowned him. He ran through the house terrified, calling for his father and brother. The two were nowhere to be seen, but when Sett stepped into the kitchen, another corpse awaited him. Thane lay there unmoving, blood gushing like fountains out of numerous holes in his body, much like Tecc¡¯s. The Cupric Stone floors soaked up the blood, their turquoise hue giving way to red. Sett screamed.


    ****


    He awoke to the sight of the dull black ceiling of the slave ship, a single strip of yellow light flickering above him. His throat felt dry as a desert, his body weaker than he could ever remember. He had no strength to move, and he shivered in the cold. He could feel the heat of a fever emanating from his body.


    His leg screamed in agony, reminding him of where he was and what had happened. The pain seemed to have lessened compared to earlier, though the fever could have dulled his ability to process the feeling properly. There was a small mound of mud piled under his head, the closest thing to a pillow he expected to enjoy anytime soon. The floor was no longer as wet as before, though the humid air clung to his skin like a wet blanket.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Croh¡¯s head. He tried to speak, though only a feeble croak escaped his parched lips. That was enough, and he saw Croh¡¯s distressed gaze on him. He felt a palm on his forehead, and a cold tumbler against his mouth. Lukewarm water passed through his arid lips, and he drank heartily. The water tasted stale and he could feel the grains of sand in it, but in his current state it was ambrosia to his throat.


    Once the glass emptied its contents, he felt something hard move through his lips, and he chewed. He tasted stale, mouldy bread, but he ate it anyway, the dryness sucking out the water in his mouth again. He swallowed the last crumbs of bread and closed his eyes again, his body seizing the rest it needed.


    Sett woke up from a dreamless sleep feeling slightly better. His fever had gone, and he felt warm and suffocated. The pain in his leg was still excruciating, but bearably so. He could feel that a little more strength had returned to his body, though he didn¡¯t test it immediately. He brushed his hand against his right leg to check its condition, and discovered it had swollen massively. Just that gentle examination had felt like someone stabbing him, so he withdrew his hand quickly.


    He took in his surroundings but not much had changed. Croh was no longer in his line of sight, though he could hear the man¡¯s muffled whispering nearby. There was some more hushed mumbling from all around him. His clothes were just slightly wet, which gave an indication to how long he¡¯d been out.


    He closed his eyes, and circulated his Ether, truly feeling it as it travelled through his body. Just as he expected, the energy hit a block in his right thigh, unable to reach his knee and beyond. The foreign objects in his thigh forcefully cut off the path of the energy. The irregular flow of the Ether around his wound amplified the pain, and he lost control over his circulation. He tried again, this time guiding it more towards his injured area. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He knew that circulating Ether increased healing, and he attempted to do just that in his leg. For that, however, he needed the energy to circulate throughout the leg, not slam into the blockade that was the knife in his body. He could feel small amounts of Ether below his knee, which meant it had found a way there. He just needed to find the intact path, and consciously guide the rest of his Ether through there, creating an alternate flow that moved around the stored objects. He figured this would have long term consequences for his Ether circulation, even if the knife is eventually removed but he¡¯ll cross that field when he reaches it. Even if some of the function in his leg is lost, as long as he can keep the only mementos he had of his uncle and mother, it would be worth it.


    He sent waves of Ether crashing into the obstruction, observing how it moved around the blockage. Once he noticed a few intact vessels creating a path, he directed all his Ether to follow that trail. His knee and then foot filled with energy, and he could finally circulate it through his whole body again, though he needed to consciously guide it around the keepsakes he was storing in his leg.


    The pain eased ever so slightly, but that alone showed progress and Sett opened his eyes again. He attempted to sit upright, using his hands to push himself up but winced at the pain. A hand held his shoulder and pushed him up into a sitting position. Croh shuffled next to Sett, his face contorted in anxiety.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Like shit. My leg hurts a lot. I can¡¯t move it. My whole body aches and I feel very tired.¡±


    Croh only sighed in reply. He gazed into the distance thoughtfully. Sett studied the ovaloid face of a man he barely recognised in the rain. He was clean shaven, his face long and gaunt. His forehead was slowly creeping up his scalp. A pair of circular glasses rested on his large nose, one of the lenses cracked. His frame was lanky and haggard, though Sett imagined everyone here to be in a similar condition.


    ¡°Why did you do it? What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I had my mom¡¯s hunting knife. I couldn¡¯t let them take it. So I hid it in my leg.¡±


    Croh sighed again, though he didn¡¯t argue. Sett¡¯s obstinacy was famous to all who knew him, the Rainat killing expedition had become prime gossip at that time.


    ¡°Do you know how long I was out?¡±


    ¡°A day at least, give or take a few hours the first time. You had a raging fever and woke up for a moment, so I fed you a little. Then you slept for another whole day or so,¡± Croh explained.


    Sett considered his words for a moment, and willed his system page to show up. It expectedly didn¡¯t, as they were far away from Resource II or any other planet.


    ¡°How do you keep track of time? I can¡¯t open my system page.¡±


    ¡°I counted.¡± Croh¡¯s reply raised Sett¡¯s eyebrows, and he continued. ¡°I started counting the seconds soon after you passed out from your ¡­ procedure. I lost count a few times, but I¡¯m fairly certain. I started a new day every time I slept and woke up, though I don¡¯t know how long I slept for.¡±


    Sett was surprised at the man¡¯s perceptiveness. He hadn¡¯t known Croh too well before, but he must be intelligent if he studied on Krakar I and worked in administration.


    ¡°Where¡¯d you get water and food from?¡± Sett asked after a moment.


    ¡°Every half a day or so they feed us. They distribute bread and a glass of water to everyone.¡±


    ¡°Even me?¡±


    ¡°No, they refused to. They said you need to come in person. So I fed you mine.¡±


    Guilt gnawed at Sett, a man he barely knew had gone through so much for him. Unable to hold his curiosity in, he asked,


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you had a raging fever. And your leg was swollen. You needed nutrition. You need more, but that¡¯s all they¡¯ll give, the bastards.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean why are you taking care of me so much? You¡¯ve been with me from the start, made sure I got to the ship without doing anything stupid, got me out of that shithole after I ripped my leg apart. Why? I barely know you, man.¡±


    Croh sighed, his eyes losing focus as he lost himself to his memories. Just as Sett began to regret his question, he answered.


    ¡°My parents died very young. I don¡¯t really remember them, I spent most of my childhood in the orphanage. Your mother was one of my first friends. We met in school, and we graduated together. She was a great person.¡± Croh paused as he relived happier times. Sett had known Croh and his mother were friends, he didn¡¯t realise how close they were though.


    ¡°She was probably my only friend to be honest. I¡¯m not very good with people. She was a storm that would drag anyone along though.¡± He grinned. ¡°Anyway, I left Mupnal to study in Krakar I right after, and came back a few years later. Saecca married your father by then, and I reconnected with her. I see her in you.¡±


    Sett¡¯s barely suppressed emotions began stirring again, sorrow and a distant guilt added to the tempest. His hand rested on his swollen thigh, where the knife resided.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I helped you. The moment I recognised you I wanted to do something for her. Make sure her son makes it through. Sapp and Mitt too, if we- I mean when we find them.¡±


    Sett nodded solemnly, bending his functional leg and cradling it in his arms. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Tecc¡¯s body crumbling lifelessly to the floor. He heard the screaming child, her voice silenced in an instant. He saw Thane standing tall one moment, a corpse the next.


    His anger rose and simmered inside him, begging to be released. His Ether answered the call, roiling violently through his haggard body. His leg roared in agony, begging for revenge. Sett glared at the guards surrounding them, each of them indistinguishable from each other. He promised their deaths and waited for his chance.


    He wanted to scour the crowd for Mitt and Sapp, or someone he knew. The Throhs, Jon, anyone. He wanted to gather them together and keep them safe. He never wanted to see anyone die again.


    ¡°Did you search for anyone else?¡± Sett asked Croh.


    ¡°They don¡¯t allow you to walk around. I scan the crowd every time I go to the latrine or to pick up food. I haven¡¯t found anyone I recognise but to be honest I don¡¯t know too many people.¡±


    Sett nodded and said nothing else.


    Sett was knocked out of his ruminating by a loud shout. A guard had appeared with three large metal drums, standing near the wall. He could see metal tumblers sticking out of one of them, and pieces of bread out of another. He assumed the third contained water.


    ¡°They¡¯ve brought us food. It¡¯s our section¡¯s turn. I¡¯ll get something for you, you just sit here.¡± Croh said, getting up slowly.


    ¡°No, I need to practice walking anyway. Help me up.¡± Sett held out his hand and Croh sighed. He grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. The sudden motion and his feet on the ground sent pain shooting up his leg and Sett winced. He latched an arm over Croh¡¯s shoulder and trudged towards the back of the line.


    The line was fairly small considering the large number of people here. He noticed a lot of people in the distance sitting on the floor and staring at the food.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t they eat?¡±


    ¡°The guards don¡¯t let everyone come up at once. They divide the crowd into sections. It¡¯s our section¡¯s turn now.¡±


    Sett just nodded, scanning the seated crowd for faces he recognised. A few vaguely scratched his memory, but no one he knew the name of was there. Even the line in front of him was devoid of people he knew.


    He limped slowly until he reached the guard. He let go of Croh and accepted a glass dunked in muddy water in one hand. With a wince on his face, he limped to the bread bucket and picked a piece that looked the least mouldy and trudged away, avoiding any eye contact with the guards. Croh followed him, one hand on his back for support, and they both returned to their spots. The pain radiating from Sett¡¯s leg was excruciating, but he had learned to cope with it by now.


    He took a bite of his bread and turned to Croh.


    ¡°Teach me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Teach me Universal Common.¡±

 12. Arrival

    Sett woke up on what was probably the tenth day since they were taken, by Croh¡¯s estimates. He had spent the past 8 days working on his Ether circulation, and guiding it to heal his leg. He¡¯d finally managed to complete a route around the obstruction in his body, succeeding in circulating all the Ether in his body through the leg without disturbing the storage pocket.


    His leg still hurt and he couldn¡¯t bend his knee much, but the pain had subsided. The swelling had reduced too, though it still looked more like a tree trunk than a limb. He had examined it on his trips to the latrine, and he would''ve been amused by the dark purple color of his thigh if it wasn¡¯t for the pain. Using the latrine was an excruciating task, even with Croh accompanying him and helping out, so he limited relieving himself. The room itself bore dark splotches of blood from Sett¡¯s surgery, though it had dried up, and no one else had either noticed or cared enough to call the guards.


    His fingers had healed well, scar tissue covering up the missing skin. The wounds still felt raw, but they didn¡¯t hurt anymore.


    His lessons on Universal Common occupied the time not spent sleeping or circulating his Ether, and he¡¯d picked up enough to understand what the guards were shouting at them. Croh taught him well, and by this point they occasionally had small conversations in broken Common to practice. Sett was grateful for the company and the distraction from his thoughts. His tutor had tried to strike up conversations with the guards, but was shouted down and threatened.


    There were four guards within sight of Sett¡¯s position, two on either side of the chamber, near the walls. The chamber was shaped like a long tunnel on either side, and Sett couldn¡¯t see too far down. They rotated every three hours, the old guards disappearing down the tunnel in the opposite direction from where the crowd entered. They were all E grade, evidenced by them flaring their auras everytime they rotated their shift.


    ¡°Next section! Come get your food!¡± The food soldier, as Sett had taken to calling him, screamed, carrying his three drums.


    Sett winced as he got up without assistance, taking care not to bend his right leg too much. He held onto Croh¡¯s shoulder to steady himself for a moment, and limped towards the distributor. Sett picked up a glass and dunked it into the water that seemed dirtier than the last time, glaring at the guard¡¯s visor. He immediately felt a pressure descend on him, a wordless threat. He lowered his eyes, grabbed his bread and left. A hundred eyes stared at him, but he ignored them and sat down.


    ¡°What did you do, Sett?¡± Croh sighed as he sat down too.


    ¡°Nothing! I just stared at him! I couldn¡¯t help it. I was angry. I¡¯m still angry but I couldn¡¯t help it when those bastards are so close I could-¡±


    ¡°Die. They¡¯re so close they could kill you. Don¡¯t mess around with them, you aren¡¯t strong enough. You¡¯ll get your chance, just wait.¡±


    Sett just nodded and bit down on the rock hard bread. It tasted rancid, and the water was brown and thick with mud, but he endured. Wherever they were taking them, he¡¯d look for his family there.


    Sett spent the next few hours circulating his Ether, focusing on the way it flowed through his body. He guided it where needed, and observed it as he relaxed his control over the simmering rage inside him. He clenched his fists as fury threatened to consume him, but he distracted himself with the activity in his body. His Ether roiled and churned like the ocean in a storm, rattling against the walls of his vessels. He could feel a distinct flavor to the energy, one that resonated with his rising emotion. He figured this was what an affinity felt like, but had nothing to confirm his thoughts.


    He reigned in his emotions before they overrode his rationality. The Ether calmed down, once again flowing through his body like a river. He wanted to experiment with different emotions, and see how his Ether reacted but a shout forced his eyes open.


    ¡°...one ¡­ speaks Universal Common, come forward!¡±


    Sett didn¡¯t understand a few words the new guard shouted, but he figured out the gist. He looked at Croh, a worried expression in both of their eyes. The guard repeated the question, and Croh sighed. He stood up, and Sett immediately grabbed his arm.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. They probably need me to translate or something. I promise, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    They both knew that was a lie, but the argument made sense. Sett released his grasp and Croh walked away, disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel.


    Sett waited nervously for what felt like hours. He had no way of calculating how much time had passed, he lacked Croh¡¯s patience to count the seconds. He realised how attached he had gotten to the man, and he panicked at the idea of one more person he cared for dying. Finally, he heard Croh¡¯s voice resound through the chamber like an announcement.


    ¡°We are arriving at the mothership. You will be dropped off at the starship hangar. All merchandise are to move towards the end of the hangar and queue up in front of any of the 100 unguarded doors Sett 26. Be quick or there will be consequences.¡±


    The nervousness was evident in his friend¡¯s voice. The crowd erupted in muffled whispers, but Sett focused on one part of the message. ¡®Sett 26¡¯ was a message spoken directly to him, hoping none of the invaders understood. The crowd would have picked up on it as well, but Croh had thought it was worth the risk. I have to get to the 26th door?


    There were no developments for a while after that, but Croh hadn¡¯t returned. Sett waited nervously, a sentiment shared by the people around him. He cradled his relatively healthy leg, and waited for something to break the nervous waiting.


    His prayer was answered, as the chamber shook violently, throwing bodies around like dolls. The tremors lifted Sett off the ground and he came crashing down. His leg throbbed with excruciating agony, and Sett squirmed on the floor, screaming his lungs out.


    The quake stopped as quickly as it had appeared, and Sett lay there waiting for the pain to subside. By the time he regained his senses and sat up, the blast doors at one end of the tunnel slammed open. Beyond the exit, Sett could vaguely make out a black wall in the distance, similar to the walls of the chamber.


    ¡°Move!¡± a guard shouted, and kicked someone in the crowd. People scrambled to their feet, their bodies swaying unsteadily from the lack of proper food for so long. The first of the crowd began plodding uneasily towards the exit, and Sett slowly stood up. He limped cautiously, each step sending pain up his leg. As he walked through the ship, he saw many bodies lying across the floor, unable to get up. He wondered for a moment what would happen to him, but it was obvious. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    He exited the ramp onto a dark metal floor, similar to the one inside the ship he just exited. The hangar, however, was cold and dry compared to the musty, humid warmth of the chamber he was in. The room he was in was gigantic, the ceiling at least a 100 meters above him. The hangar seemed to be shaped like a horizontally aligned octagon, with diagonal ramps connecting the floor and ceiling to the walls. Far above, giant yellow strips of lights illuminated the chamber in the same sickly glow he had gotten used to in the freight ship.


    He looked to his left, and in the far distance he spotted a shimmering, translucent blue curtain of energy. Beyond that, he recognised the vast emptiness of space. To his right was a giant octagonal wall, and he assumed that was where he was supposed to be headed.


    The crowd had the same idea, as they pushed and shoved their way out of the ship. Sett limped slowly toward the wall, taking in his surroundings. As he left the shadow of the vessel he arrived in, the full scale of the hangar he was in dawned on him. The vehicle he had arrived here in was gigantic, bigger than Trent Park, but the hangar he was in could fit at least four of those and still leave space in its cavernous interior. In the distance, he spotted another of the same ship that brought him here, though it seemed empty. He hoped that it was the first ship he saw take off from Mupnal, and its cargo arrived here safely.


    He powered on, most of his co-passengers overtaking him. The limp forced him to move at a snail¡¯s pace, each step earning a wince. His face now wore a permanent scowl, one he imagined would stay with him for a long time.


    The walk to the wall was excruciatingly long. He had been moving for what felt like hours, his energy slowly trickling away. He saw many former residents of Mupnal strewn across the floor, unable to make the long journey. He considered curling up into a ball and joining them, but he had too many people to think of.


    Eventually, he spotted the hundred queues in front of doors he could not see. The lines stretched on for a long distance, but he welcomed the chance to not keep walking. He counted the 26th line and joined the back, a line that was bigger than the rest. He imagined it was Croh¡¯s announcement that caused this, a lot of people seemed to have inferred its meaning.


    The woman in front of him was trembling, possibly out of a mix of both fear and the cold. Her body was emaciated, like most aboard the ship, and her limbs frail. She was hugging herself with all the strength she could muster, her torn, thin clothes unable to keep her warm. Sett expected her to end up like the many bodies strewn across the path they had just walked, but he hoped to be proven wrong. Many in the line in front of him had sat down, hoping to get some rest while they waited. Sett knew he couldn¡¯t, the moment he sat down he may never be able to get up on time.


    Five minutes passed before the line moved, its pace excruciatingly slow. Fatigue had consumed his body a long time ago, half way through his trek to the queues. Now, it threatened to consume his mind and consciousness. He fought the urge to sit down and rest, knowing the consequences if he couldn¡¯t get up, he ignored the pain in his leg and held on. After what felt like a day but was likely just an hour, the line had barely moved a dozen or so metres. Sett swayed in place, ready to collapse. He had stepped over an unconscious body in the line, and he wasn¡¯t ready to join that man. The lady in front of him shivered more violently, but she held on as well.


    Sett¡¯s leg screamed at him, the pain reaching unbearable levels. He wanted to lie down and wait for the guards to end his misery, but he kept the faces of Mitt, Sapp, Bone, Brec, and Croh in his mind and he held on. He assumed the line was most of the way through at this point, scores of unconscious souls lay in his wake. The lady in front of him had collapsed half an hour ago, to be replaced by a man who collapsed a few minutes ago.


    He had long passed the point of unconsciousness, and relied on his unyielding rage to keep him going. Alternating between the faces of his loved ones were the helmed faces of his kidnappers, the scum of the universe who had murdered those Sett held dear. The fury dulled the pain in his leg, and turned his expression into steel.


    An hour or an eternity later, the man in front of him disappeared into a door, leaving Sett next in line. He wondered if this was the 26th door that Croh wanted him to go to, or if he had even interpreted the message correctly. A few minutes later, the door opened and his question was answered as he saw Croh inside.


    He stepped inside a large room that paled in comparison to the hangar he was in, but dwarfed Thane¡¯s smithy back home. In front of him was a table with nothing on it, and a creature that was armored similar to the guards outside but had no helmet, giving Sett a clear view of its face. Behind him stood Croh looking more haggard than Sett had ever seen the man. His eyes were sunken and heavy dark bags hung beneath them. His glasses were skewed and he swayed in place, barely able to stand up straight. Sett imagined he had been here the entire time he had been waiting in line, perhaps longer.


    To the left, a large pile of dull gray clothes filled a corner of the room, presumably what he¡¯d be wearing from now on. On the other side of a room, he saw a furnace and a long, thin rod sticking out of it. On the far end of the room, behind Croh, was a door he presumed he¡¯d be going through.


    ¡°Come forward.¡±


    The creature in front of him made a high pitched sound as it spoke in Universal Common, a voice like nails on a chalkboard. It looked humanoid, but its skin was a pale pink without a speck of hair, glistening with wetness. It had two mounds with thin holes for ears, and two round slits for a nose. Its nose dripped a pale liquid down to its bulbous lips.


    Sett obliged, limping forward to the table. It said another word which Sett didn¡¯t understand but Croh chimed in weakly, ¡°he wants you to strip.¡± The man¡¯s voice was barely audible.


    Sett removed his shirt and placed it on the table, slowly unbuckling his loose fitting pants. They fell to the floor, exposing the putrid wound on his thigh.


    ¡°What is this?!¡±


    The creature walked up to Sett and smacked his injured leg. He screamed in pain, dropping to the ground squirming. He writhed and clutched his leg, the agony preventing him from hearing the words Croh was speaking to the guard. As the pain calmed down, he felt a hand on his shoulder jerk him upwards. He stumbled as he balanced himself, but didn¡¯t fall again. A moment later, the hand grabbed the back of his head and slammed it onto the table.


    He was bent over across the table, his legs threatening to collapse. He felt the guard rip his underwear in two, and shove a hand into his rectum. Just as he expected, the cavity was searched. The pain of the violating probe dulled in comparison to the pain in his leg. A moment later, the creature was done.


    Before Sett could get up, both his hands were grabbed and stretched forward across the table. He felt a sudden and intense pain in the nape of his neck, a pressure pushing down on him. He heard his skin sizzle, and felt his flesh melt. Sett¡¯s whole body shook and he screamed, his fists clenching so hard he drew blood. He felt foreign tendrils of Ether invade his skin and embed into his neck, the infringement amplifying the pain tenfold. His own Ether attempted to resist but the murky energy burned itself onto Sett¡¯s very being. The branding iron was pulled out after a minute of mind-numbing agony, leaving Sett heaving for breath. His legs had given way the moment the brand touched his skin, but the creature held his head in place.


    When he finally thought the ordeal over, he heard the rattling of a chain approaching, and he felt a similar searing pain on his wrists. Heated metal wrapped around his forearms, burning through his skin. He screamed again, quaking violently as steel embedded itself into his wrists. The only silver lining was the lack of Ether being forced into him, a lesser pain compared to his branding.


    He wasn¡¯t given a minute to compose himself, as he was yanked by his shoulder upright. His legs collapsed and he almost fell, but Croh caught him and held him till he managed to find his own balance. He opened his eyes to find thick steel cuffs cooling on his wrists, and a long metal chain, about 10 metres long, connecting the two. His hands trembled from the ordeal, and the chains clanged in response.


    A pile of clothes was thrust into his hand as the creature shouted,


    ¡°Get out and go to the ¡­. Now leave!¡±


    He glanced at Croh who explained wearily, ¡°Go to the medical bay once you leave. I¡¯ll come find you later if I can.¡±


    The door at the other end of the room opened and Sett was thrown out before he could wear his new clothes. He lay on the floor naked, collecting himself.

 13. Treatment

    Sett wanted nothing more than to lie there and hope to die, but he knew he couldn¡¯t. He slowly rose to his feet, stumbling a few times. The chains were heavy, though he would barely notice the weight if he was at full health. He didn¡¯t know if he would ever be at full health again.


    He looked forward and saw more of the dull black walls and sickly yellow lighting, but the hall he was thrust into was rife with activity. The ceiling reached as far up as the hangar from before, though he could see the criss-cross of steel beams holding it up. Scores of walkways bridged the upper reaches of the room far above his head, the tiny silhouettes of despondent thralls moving across them. Hundreds of thick, giant chains the size of Sett¡¯s swollen leg extended across the floor, moving slowly towards unknown destinations like gunmetal gray snakes, their segments clanging as they were pulled by unseen forces. Thousands, maybe tens of thousands of slaves were pulled by their shackles, their manacles attached to the giant chains across the floor by some unknown force.


    Sett guessed it was some sort of guidance mechanism that uses the chains to send the slaves to where they¡¯re needed. He noticed the people from his commune exit the doors next to his, naked as Sett himself. Some of them collapsed out of despair, others understood their situation and quickly scrambled to put their rags on. The moment a slave got close enough to the giant chains, their own shackles would surge towards their enormous counterparts seemingly magnetically, yanking the wearer in the direction they¡¯re supposed to go.


    He took a deep breath and unfurled the bundle of clothes he¡¯d been given. The upper garment had open sides with laces along the fabric so you could wear it over your head like a poncho, and lace up the sides. It seemed like it was made considering the manacles on the wearer¡¯s arms. The material was thin and smelled synthetic, like chemicals, though it would quickly be replaced with the stench of sweat, dirt and blood. The loose sleeves reached Sett¡¯s elbows, and barely did anything to protect him from the cold.


    He sighed and slowly sat down, dreading the process of wearing the pants. They were thankfully loose fitting, but any brush of clothing against his leg would hurt. His face contorted into a permanent wince, he gently guided the fabric up his legs, breathing through the incensed pain. A few minutes of agony and rest later, he tied up the laces around his waist and pushed himself upward, taking care to keep his leg as steady as possible.


    The door behind Sett opened, and an older man walked out, naked as the day he was born. His wrinkled face was marred with despair and exhaustion, his body littered with purple bruises. He was holding the same dull bundle of clothes in his hand, which were promptly dropped onto the ground as the man collapsed, weeping and crying out a name Sett didn¡¯t recognise.


    He watched the man and considered helping, but knew there wasn¡¯t anything he could do. His own leg pulsed in pain, and he could not take up someone else¡¯s.


    ¡°Put your clothes on quickly, man. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯d do if you don¡¯t,¡± Sett instructed hoarsely and added after a moment, ¡°You need to make it through this.¡±


    The man looked up at him but Sett turned around, limping towards the giant chains. He didn¡¯t want anymore conversation, exhaustion and pain robbed his heart of any empathy. All he could do was move forward.


    The chain linking his cuffs lurched forward, locking itself onto its gigantic cousin with a clag. Sett was jerked forward with a force too strong, and he stumbled to his knees. The colossal links continued pulling him without a pause, and Sett winced as he climbed to his feet and walked at a pace too fast for his injury, tears of agony welling up in his eyes.


    A few minutes of frantic movement later, the chain that was carrying him was swallowed into a hole in the ground. His manacles detached before they reached the cavity, and quickly reattached themselves to another, equally big, fetter moving perpendicular to his original path. Sett¡¯s body was quickly yanked to his left, and he struggled to stay on his feet as his new guide dragged him to a narrow hallway in the wall in the far distance.


    The hallway was dark, the yellow lights that spanned the ship sparsely spread out across the low ceiling. Going from a vast hall to this corridor barely a few metres across invoked a sense of claustrophobia that was overshadowed by his aching legs. Sliding doors of the same dull black littered the walls, but he didn¡¯t see another soul in here, neither guard nor slave.


    A short while in, his chains abruptly detached from the larger one, the momentum of his pace causing Sett to stumble and fall. He cried out and clutched his leg, slowly opening his eyes after a moment of collecting himself.


    He had reached close to the end of the corridor, and he noticed the chain disappear into a hole in the wall at the end. His surroundings looked the same as any other section of the hallway, with a door next to where he was deposited. He assumed this was the medical bay he was meant to go to, so he sighed and slowly got up.


    He had considered ignoring Croh¡¯s advice of going to the medical bay, knowing that the knife hidden in his leg would be discovered. If the chains didn¡¯t drag him there, he would¡¯ve followed the rest of his cohort to wherever they were sent. Now that he was dragged here, though, all he could do was hope the doctor wouldn¡¯t cause any trouble.


    He took a deep breath to ease his nerves, and limped towards the bleak looking door that slid open as he approached. Sett knew he should¡¯ve expected a medical bay for slaves to be horrible, but he was still shocked at what he saw inside. There was better lighting, thankfully, a white glow illuminated the otherwise bare room. It was about the same size as the chamber where he was probed, with a handful of steel tables stained with blood strewn across.


    At the far end of the room, a woman of a race Sett didn¡¯t recognize with scaly green skin sat on a seemingly uncomfortable chair, her reptilian eyes studying him. She wore the same gray clothing as him, though with a notable absence of shackles on her arms. She had a thin scaly tail that poked out of a gap on the chair, her face surprisingly human apart from the scales. Human enough, at least, for Sett to make out an irritated expression. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    She glanced at a tablet-like device on a smaller, less bloodstained table next to her, and motioned with her head towards one of the bloody ones. Sett complied, and slowly limped towards the closest desk, observing as she eyed his leg. As he prepared to mount the table, his doctor spoke in a whispery voice he could barely hear,


    ¡°Remove your pants first.¡±


    Sett was thankful for the Universal Common lessons as he quickly undid the knot and let the flimsy fabric drop. He winced in pain as he climbed, the cold of the steel feeling sharp against his bare skin. The metal strips that closed his would were crusted with dried blood.


    The woman turned around to walk towards the metal cupboard near her desk. He caught a glimpse of a healed scar on the back of her neck as she turned, shaped similar to the symbol on the ships that took him, the emblem of the Salsai. It seemed like the absence of visible chains didn¡¯t mean freedom.


    She opened the cupboard and picked out a long needle-like device with a circular lens attached on one end. She stabbed the sharp end into his injured leg and Sett screamed. He squeezed the edges of his makeshift bed until his knuckles turned white. She ignored him as she slowly poured Ether through the needle and stared into the lens. After a minute, Sett felt her Ether leave his body, and she removed the device.


    ¡°How did you get ¡­.?¡±


    He assumed the last word meant injured, and he recited the excuse he had prepared, ¡°I accidentally got hurt when we were transported here. By a sharp object. On my ..uh.. planet.¡±


    She stared at his face before speaking, ¡°Why is there a knife in there?¡±


    Sett felt dread grip his heart. He had hoped she didn¡¯t notice, but it was inevitable that she would. His grip tightened and he opened his mouth but he didn¡¯t answer her. He didn¡¯t know what to say. She stared at him for a few excruciating minutes, her expression morphing into a frown. Without a word, she walked back to the cupboard and returned with a scalpel.


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°We need to remove the ¡­ or it¡¯ll get worse. Your wound is ¡­¡± When she saw Sett¡¯s confused expression, she shot off a few more synonyms until she landed on one Sett recognised, ¡°diseased.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t remove the knife. Please. It is a possession of my mother,¡± Sett begged in all the Common he could manage.


    She stared into his eyes expressionlessly and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t remove the knife you will never walk. Is that acceptable?¡±


    Sett nodded and she made a thin, precise cut next to the metal fused with his skin. His leg erupted in pain as pus and serum gushed out of his wound like a river, pouring down the table and onto the floor. She continued her surgery, deftly seperating molten skin from cold metal as she removed Sett¡¯s crude staples. The skin under had scarred, and while her scalpel drew blood, it did not reopen the wound.


    He shut his eyes tight and endured the agony when he felt her hands wrap around his thigh and squeeze, the torment amplifying by multiples.


    Sett¡¯s leg shrank at a noticeable pace as the festering wound was squeezed dry. The putrid purple eased into a color closer to Sett¡¯s own complexion as dollops of black, red, yellow and clear fluids gushed out. Sett screamed through the entire process, his throat burning in overexertion.


    After what seemed like forever, the doctor seemed satisfied and withdrew her hands. The table and the floor below it were a mess, with blood, pus and other liquids Sett didn¡¯t recognise painting a gory picture. The pain slowly eased as he lay there panting, sweat pouring down his body and adding to the mess.He heard the splashing of her feet as she walked away and returned, and felt the cold of a salve being rubbed against his wounds. He lifted his neck to see a dark green gel being generously applied on both the festering cut he made and the clean incision next to it. He instantly felt the stinging of the wound reduce, though the ache of the torn muscles and flesh under it didn¡¯t budge.


    She wrapped his leg tightly in a long strip of cloth that was closer to a clean rag than medical bandages, but Sett was grateful nonetheless. Even more grateful about her implied decision to not report his hidden weapon to the guards. Sett desperately welcomed the gesture of solidarity in this hellhole.


    He wanted to lay there for a moment until the aching dulled a little more, but he knew rest was a distant luxury here. He swung his legs out of the side of his bed and dismounted, wincing at the pain but recognising that it wasn¡¯t as bad as before.


    The doctor walked back to the storage cupboard and began rummaging for something as Sett dressed himself. His new clothes had lost what little cleanliness they had, splotches of blood and other fluids added to the gray. He looked at her once he was done, but she didn¡¯t glance back. He wanted to thank her, but he realised he hadn¡¯t learned the word for it from Croh. He hadn¡¯t expected to show gratitude here.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    He was slowly limping towards the door without a word when she called out. She handed him a verdant, spherical pill smaller than the one he swallowed in the woods what felt like a lifetime ago.


    ¡°Take this if you ever remove your knife. It¡¯ll ¡­. your flesh.¡± She sighed at Sett¡¯s expression and said, ¡°Make new.¡±


    He understood immediately. A pill that will regrow the flesh displaced and taken out when he created the cavity, a priceless gift in his situation.


    ¡°I am ¡­ happy,¡± he muttered after a moment of searching for the right words, hoping to convey gratitude.


    ¡°The word you want is ¡®thank you¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Now leave.¡±


    ****


    Sett stumbled out of the hallway and into the giant chamber he had come from, dragged by parallel chains moving opposite to the ones that brought him there. The pace they set was more manageable after the treatment he had just received, though he still walked with a limp he expected to be permanent as long as the knife was a part of his body.


    He had already hidden the pill, wrapped up in the edge of his sleeve, and tied together by a torn strip of cloth. It was a precious gift, just as important to him as the knife and he would make sure not to lose it.


    The chains around his arms detached from the larger one, and quickly reattached to another train moving deeper into the hall, parallel to dozens of others dragging many more slaves. Sett let it take him to his fate.

 14. Settling In

    Sett¡¯s eyes snapped open suddenly. He stared at the bleak ceiling for a few moments, disoriented from the sleep. He hadn¡¯t expected to fall asleep when he was dragged here after his visit to the medical bay, but the events of the day had drained him entirely. He was grateful it was a dreamless sleep, he dreaded the faces he¡¯d see if he dreamt again. He sat up before he fell back into sleep.


    He was in a smaller hall similar to the chamber they were kept in, in the ship that transported them here. It was similarly packed with the wretched who¡¯s fate he shared, and he was currently surrounded by a dull cacophony of snores, sobs and groans. From what he could gather, at least half of his sleeping chamber¡¯s inhabitants were from Mupnal, and the other half were mostly human, spare the occasional inhuman feature here and there.


    He hadn¡¯t seen Croh since his arrival, and he invested whatever little hope he had into reuniting with his only friend. He began plans of searching through the slaves for people he recognised, but he quickly abandoned that idea until he had an idea of how his life here would be. He knew he had to try to strike up conversation with the people from outside of Mupnal to gather information, but he had no energy to be social at the moment.


    Sett¡¯s lamentation was interrupted by a shrill whistle that cut across the room so loudly he could feel the vibrations. The chamber erupted in screams that were blocked out by the piercing alarm. He held his ears in pain for a whole minute before the sound stopped. The room stirred, its inhabitants sitting up with shocked faces. The sliding door opened but no one walked in.


    The slaves who had been here from before Mupnal slowly got up and began filing out of the room, prompting Sett to bring himself to his feet. He guessed the sound was an alarm, and he dreaded hearing it everyday. As he left the room, he noticed a display above the door showing numbers in Universal Common, probably a clock of some sort. He committed the number to memory, resolving to learn his schedule before devising any plans.


    The chain in the hallway outside his sleeping chamber led him to another chain, and another, across a series of intersections and through the main hall, before dropping him off outside an open door along with the rest of his cohort.


    He walked into the chamber that was bigger than the one he slept in, but much more crowded. The floor was littered with people sitting down, holding misshapen plates filled with a sickly yellow paste and a single roll of bread. To his left was where they collected their food, as Sett noticed a line of slaves filing beside a series of dispensers that dropped the viscous mess and bread onto their plates.


    He joined them and filled up a plate he picked up from a pile next to the dispensers, before looking for a spot to sit. His eyes widened and he limped as fast as he could to an older, ovaloid face that was sitting despondently against a wall.


    ¡°Croh!¡±


    The man looked up and beamed, the only hint of happiness either of them had felt since the dark clouds gathered over Mupal that fateful day. He jumped up with energy no one here should have and hugged Sett tightly.


    ¡°Oh my boy! You¡¯re alright! I dreaded I¡¯d never see you again!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you too, Croh!¡±


    They sat down together, and Sett studied his new friend. The man¡¯s face had become more gaunt than before, and the bags under his eyes seemed to have grown. His glasses were still there, though another small crack had been added to them.


    ¡°Where were you? Did you go to the medical bay? Did they..?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I did. The doctor bandaged me up. She noticed the knife but didn¡¯t report it. I was so stressed, man.¡±


    ¡°I was worried about that too. I¡¯m glad you got some proper treatment for that leg. Where do they have you sleeping?¡±


    ¡°Pretty far from here to be honest. I switched those chains five times.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re called Transport Chains. They drag slaves to where they need to be.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°The guard who searched you yesterday told me. I think he was frustrated about the slaves not understanding him, so he was pretty talkative with me.¡±


    ¡°What happened after they called for people who spoke Universal Common? I was very anxious when you were gone, man.¡±


    ¡°They took us to the bridge of the transport ship and asked how well we spoke the language.¡±


    ¡°Us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah there were a number of us who were fluent in Universal Common. The guards questioned us. There was a genuine D grade there too. I think the transport vessel they used was D grade. The one we¡¯re on right now must be C grade. Anyway, they made me make the announcement. Once we landed, they sent us to as many of those interrogation rooms as possible. I was there for so long. So many hours. Once we were done, they cuffed me up like you and sent me to my sleeping chamber.¡±


    Sett remembered how haggard Croh had looked when he¡¯d gone into the room. The man could barely stand.


    ¡°What else did the thing that molested me tell you?¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Croh sighed and looked around.


    ¡°He told me where we¡¯re headed. He said it was a little gift for being a translator. Apparently, we¡¯ll be making a Spacefold Jump through the Krakar system¡¯s jumpgate in a few days to a much busier system with an asteroid field. It¡¯ll take a lot more jumpgates and jumps before we reach where we¡¯re finally headed, though he didn¡¯t say where that was. Just grinned, that bastard. Anyway, he said it¡¯ll take a lot more time to get the permission to use the jumpgate from there, so they¡¯ll be sending us to mine in the asteroid field while we wait.¡±


    Sett sighed. Making a Spacefold Jump was a small dream of his, but the manner in which it was granted was cruel beyond measure. It also meant he¡¯d be taken much further from home, and then even further, and further still until he was hundreds of thousands of Truewing Years away with no way back.


    ¡°So they want us to mine asteroids?¡± He asked after the melancholy set in.


    ¡°Apparently. We¡¯ll find out soon anyway. I¡¯ve also been talking to the ones who¡¯ve been here for longer, to find out what it''s like.¡±


    Sett sat up, placing the untouched plate to his side.


    ¡°They need a portion of us to power the engine every day. I don¡¯t know how that works, starships I know are powered by either Ether stones or the crew themselves, but apparently this one is powered by us. I think it involves pulling a giant wheel or something. The rest of the time, the Transport Chains drag us around the ship randomly for no reason. Maybe to stop us from getting idle. Or they make you clean the place. If you¡¯re useful in other ways, they¡¯ll put you to use. I may be called to translate or like that doctor you saw. One Sauri I spoke to had been here for a while and said they sometimes stop at mining colonies or other places that need manpower, and we¡¯ll work there for a while before coming back. Probably what¡¯ll happen in the next system.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a Sauri?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re a species that look like lizards. It¡¯s difficult to hear them when they speak. They unsettle me a little.¡±


    ¡°Oh the doctor here is one. How long has the one you spoke to been here for?¡±


    ¡°Years, he said. He didn¡¯t want to elaborate so I didn¡¯t push the matter.¡±


    Sett could feel the dread building up inside him, but he suppressed it. The situation was hopeless, and the only goal he had for now was to find someone he knew. He glanced at the sickly gunk on his plate and shoveled some into his mouth with his fingers. He wasn¡¯t hungry but he knew he needed the energy. It was bland and tasteless, which was better than what he expected. The bread was stale but not mouldy, unlike the pieces he was given on the transport ship.


    ¡°What happens if we try to get more food from the dispenser?¡± He asked after a few minutes of eating in silence. Croh grimaced, remembering a horrible sight.


    ¡°One guy tried that a bit before you arrived. The chains he was wearing were suddenly attached to the wall behind the dispensers and he collapsed in pain. He screamed for so long, Sett.¡± His voice shook as he recounted the incident, and Sett shared his grimace. He finished the rest of his food in silence.


    ¡°Can we continue learning Universal? I want to talk to the people here too.¡±


    Croh opened his mouth to reply but the shrill whistle that woke them up in the morning cut him off. The more experienced in the crowd immediately dropped their plates in a large bin and hurried out of the chamber. Sett and Croh took the hint and prepared to leave.


    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you whenever we get the chance to speak. Take care Sett. Stay alive.¡±


    ¡°You too Croh¡±


    With that, Sett let himself be dragged to wherever the transport chains needed him to be.


    ****


    After what must have been hours of being yanked through the starship¡¯s countless hallways, chambers and corridors, Sett was deposited in front of the cafeteria again. His leg was screaming in pain at the unceasing movement, including the excruciating task of climbing up stairs. He guessed this was the random travelling that Croh mentioned.


    While the exercise was exhausting, Sett kept his brain running throughout, taking in the layout of his prison, and the faces that populated it. He rarely saw a guard, only outside certain doors or occasionally patrolling the halls. They were all E grade, which might explain why they seemed so scarce.


    The starship he was in was enormous. He had been made to walk dozens of kilometres, and he still felt like he barely scratched the surface. He had noticed a few vaguely familiar figures with downcast faces walking around like him, but most of the slave population weren¡¯t from Mupnal. Being constantly on the move like he had been made it impossible to strike up a conversation and gather information, but just knowing he could see the face of someone he knew was enough.


    He entered the cafeteria on the verge of collapse, dreading the labour that would come after this meal. He expected his turn to power the engines might come soon.


    Sett scanned the crowd for Croh but couldn¡¯t find him. Worry began building up inside him, as he filled up his plate and limped around the room, calling out his friend¡¯s name. Many tired eyes turned to him but not a single one with cracked glasses. Sett¡¯s exhaustion caught up to him and he sat down after nearly falling, his face morose. He hoped nothing had happened to Croh as he finished his food and waited, scanning every face that walked in. When the siren finally rang, Croh still hadn¡¯t come.


    Sett was led, along with many others, towards a door flanked by two guards he had seen earlier. The doors opened into a platform surrounding a giant, almost cylindrical structure with strange runes all over it in the center. The structure extended both below the floor and above the ceiling, possibly surrounded by more platforms with more slaves across floors. The sinister purple pillar had scores of black beams jutting out from its walls. The room¡¯s walls were also filled with runes and carvings similar to the pillar, symbols Sett could not recognise from what he learnt in the smithy.


    A dozen or so guards stood in full armor near the walls of the room as Sett and his cohort walked in. Another door on the other side of the room let in just as many slaves, giving the room a crowded feeling with over 60 slaves and the guards watching them. Sett could hear the drumming of confused footsteps walking around the ceiling above him.


    The slaves from outside Mupnal began approaching the pillar in the centre, and Sett watched as their chains shot up towards the beams protruding from the structure.


    ¡°Move!¡±


    The guard¡¯s bellow was all he needed as Sett moved close enough so that his own chains could be connected to the pillar, the force yanking his arms upwards. Once everyone had been integrated, the guard barked an order and some of the older prisoners took a few steps forward, stretching their manacles taut above their shoulders. Sett copied, and eventually the ring of slaves began turning the pillar in circles, a little out of sync at first but gradually moving as one.


    The runes on the walls and the spinning structure itself began glowing, illuminating the room in an eerie purple glow. Sett felt his Ether churn inside him, slowly drifting out of his body and towards the pillar. He could feel his leg complaining but he steeled himself, applying all his strength on pulling the chains and putting one foot in front of the other.

 15. Spacefold Jump

    On Set¡¯s third day on the starship, the transport chains took him and the rest of his cohort back into the sleeping chambers immediately after their first meal. From what he had learned of the clock, the shrill alarm announcing the end of meal time had come earlier than usual too.


    ¡°We will be making a Spacefold Jump through a Jump Gate shortly. Do not stand up if you wish to survive.¡±


    An announcement rang out across the chamber and everyone inside promptly sat down, some even choosing to lie prone on the ground. Sett slowly descended, his leg pulsing with a mild ache. He was grateful for rest, or the lack of labour at least, as his body had only begun acclimatising to the workload.


    He had come to terms with leaving the Krakarian System and what was his home. Even if he had the chance, he despised the idea of going back to living under an empire that so casually sold its population. If he ever escaped Salsai, he would find a place where he could grow in strength and then return only for vengeance.


    Croh didn¡¯t harbour any such hope of liberation or revenge, he had resigned himself to his new life. Sett had too, to some extent, but the candle of rage still flickered in his heart, waiting for an opportunity, hidden even from his closest confidant in this hellhole.


    The former administrator¡¯s presence was still a beacon of comfort for Sett. The panic he had felt when he didn¡¯t see Croh in the mess hall that day was palpable, and the relief he felt when the man walked in the next morning gave him the energy for the rest of his day.


    Croh had been called to translate for a guard trying to order a group from Resource III to power the engine. It was a rare cohort with no other, more experienced, slaves and the guards were forced to call a translator. An action that saw the group brutally punished in front of Croh¡¯s eyes. Croh wasn¡¯t called to translate since.


    That incident and the man¡¯s conversations with people, however, yielded results. There were slaves from communes all across Resource III here, abducted in their entirety just like Mupnal. Croh also spoke to a number of former residents of his own colony who had been brought here on the first transport ship that departed on that fateful day. This meant everyone from Mupnal was in this starship, reigniting Sett¡¯s hope of finding his loved ones again. He never ceased scanning the faces of everyone he came across, for a hint of those amber Keidum eyes.


    He also learnt that there were other wings just as massive as the one he was in, completely removed from his own. A lot of Mupnal¡¯s population was spread across these other wings. The only time slaves from the other sections could see each other was when they were called in to power the engines. A monotonous but intense task of making the pillar spin, where Sett had to focus on keeping pace with his aching leg and couldn¡¯t strike up conversations with anyone else.


    The knowledge that they were all there was enough, however. As long as his family and friends were on this same ship, he would find them.


    The yellow lights in the chamber dimmed into nothing, heralding the start of the Jump. A few minutes later, a subtle vibration passed through the air. Sett could feel it in his bones, and pain shot up his leg. A minute later, another stronger wave passed through. This one left a lingering thrum in the air around them after it had passed, and he could feel the Ether in his body begin to roil. He involuntarily grabbed his leg, an impending sense of agony warning him.


    The feeling was proven right soon after, as another wave passed through them, causing the whole room to tremble. The shaking quickly intensified, and the crowd was being pushed around the room by the tremors. The clanging of chains and screaming of slaves were drowned out by a piercing hum that resounded in Sett¡¯s ears.


    He felt his head impact an elbow, and his chains got caught up with another. He barely felt any of that as he fought to calm the storm in his body while trying to ignore the agony radiating from his wound.


    Bodies were flung across the room like shattered glass from an explosion, his own bouncing off walls with a force that cracked a few bones. Air was forced out of his lungs before he could scream, until it all stopped.


    Sett found himself floating in the centre of the room, surrounded by equally shocked bodies suspended in the air like motes of dust. He was unable to move or scream, like he was frozen in ice. They lay there levitating for an excruciating amount of time, before he saw something that would make his eyes widen in horror if he could move them.


    Space in front of him was expanding, like reality was being stretched. The people in front of him were being pulled away by the ever expanding space between them, their forms squeezed into a thin line. The bodies beside him shrunk similarly, but they were pulled closer to him as the volume between them disappeared. Sett felt his own body stretch as his vision thinned and reality collapsed in front of him.


    His vision went black the moment he heard a thunderous crack, and he felt his body slam against the floor. His mind faded and he welcomed unconsciousness.


    ****


    He woke up sometime later to his whole body aching and a feeling of wetness on his torso. He lifted his head with all the strength he could muster and saw a puddle of vomit dripping from his chest. He groaned and put his head down, planning to deal with it after his body stopped aching all over and his head stopped ringing. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The Ether in his body had calmed down, thankfully, but the pain in his leg had not. While it overshadowed the pain in the rest of his body, he still felt a sharp sting with every movement of his muscles.


    The cacophony of vomiting, groaning and crying humans mixed with the clanging of their chains reached his ears once the ringing reduced. The stench emanating from his chest was the next sense to awaken and it caused him to immediately turn to his side and empty his stomach.


    A few minutes of lying there gasping for breath later, Sett slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position, the bile in his chest sliding down. The movement made him dizzy and triggered another bout of nausea but he had nothing in his stomach to empty out anymore.


    Next to him, a Sauri lay face down and unmoving, though Sett could see the rise and fall of his breathing chest. Most people around him were in a similar unconscious condition, though a few were squirming on the floor, clearly awake, and fewer still were sitting up like him.


    Sett winced in pain as he crawled on all fours to the nearest wall, every muscle in his body screaming at him. He slowly stood up, leaning against the wall for support. After waiting a moment for another bout of vertigo to pass, he limped his way to the toilets, hoping to wash up before anyone else got up.


    ****


    Sett collapsed onto the floor of the cafeteria with a plate in hand. The muscles in his body had become more defined after a whole month of turning the engines, but the exhaustion barely reduced.


    By now, he was certain that the engines were fueled in part by the Ether contained in the slaves. Sett had been circulating the energy within his body every moment he could to offset what had been absorbed into the ship. A week ago, during a particularly brutal session on the engines they¡¯d been forced to do since the Jump, Sett let his anger boil out. His Ether had roiled within him, and he could feel his strength increasing with his emotion. The Ether leaving his body seemed to have its own flavour, one of unbridled rage, and he could¡¯ve sworn he noticed a slight dimming of the runes on the walls. Letting go of his rage made the exercises easier, but the period of exhaustion afterwards had made him reconsider. Even so, it was his only opportunity to let loose a little, and he revelled in it.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re nearing the mining colony they¡¯re sending us to.¡±


    Croh sat down next to him with a grace that wasn¡¯t present until very recently. He, too, looked more rugged, a far cry from his gaunt figure a month ago. He had lost his glasses, trampled underfoot during one of his walking sessions.


    Sett hummed in response, not a mote of excitement at the prospect of visiting a different planet. He dreaded the workload at the mines, something he was sure would be harsher than his current labours.


    ¡°Any news from the other sections?¡±


    ¡°Nothing in particular. No one I spoke to has heard of your brother or father. Or any one else we know.¡± Seeing Sett¡¯s expression falling, he quickly added, ¡°though they are as big as our own section. It¡¯ll be hard for a handful of people to search for someone. Maybe we¡¯ll reunite in the mining colony.¡±


    Sett grunted in response and continued eating. Soon after he was done, the siren blared again. Sett immediately noticed the discrepancy, it was too early for meals to end.


    They hurried out of the cafeteria and were dragged along by the transport chains, though not towards the engine room or the sleeping chambers. The roar of thousands of manacles clanging together grew as a large crowd, far larger than any Sett saw ever being transported, was moving toward the doors they once walked through a month ago - the doors of the hangar. Guards were stationed along the walls, though only the larger centre door was open. It seems they wouldn¡¯t be going through the initiation rooms like before.


    The crowd halted in front of the open door, a fully armored soldier waiting in front of it. In the confusion of the journey Sett had lost track of Croh. He looked around frantically for the middle aged man but the blaring of the guard¡¯s aura stopped him in his tracks.


    ¡°You lot! Form a line and go through these doors! You¡¯ll receive instructions on the other side!¡±


    A line promptly formed and passed through. When a few hundred had disappeared behind the doors, the guard stepped up and stopped the line. Sett was a few people behind the front, and was ready to walk through when they stopped. Nearly half an hour later, the guard stepped aside and the line continued.


    Sett saw a transport ship in front of him, significantly smaller than the one that brought him here. It, too, had its wings folded over its body, and the name of his slavers written across. A crowd was forming in front of it though he saw no one who walked through earlier. They must¡¯ve been taken away in another ship while he waited.


    The sound of chains scraping against the floor stopped as the slaves stopped pouring in once a few hundred of them had gathered. Sett felt his skin prickle as a guard blared their aura, the suppression felt in his bones.


    ¡°This group will be leased to the Za¡¯ard Autocracy. They will be your new masters until the lease period ends and you return here. You will be sent to Etherstone Asteroid 8465. You will receive instructions from the Za¡¯ard Autocracy once you reach the mining base. Now get inside!¡±


    The words ¡°new masters¡± caused the suppressed monster inside him to flare up, the idea that he would have a master he had never heard of until now above him made his blood boil. He knew he didn¡¯t stand a chance as he was, so he steeled himself and entered his new carrier, burning the name of Za¡¯ard into his soul, right next to Krakar and Salsai.


    ****


    Sett was still reeling from the violent landing when the doors opened. He pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the pain in his leg as he limped out of the ship, his chains dragging behind him. He could feel the very air around him thrum with energy, the Ether surrounding him so dense he could feel it in every breath.


    A hint of panic began forming as he took in the view outside, the vast expanse of space right above his head, but upon closer inspection he could make out the translucent turquoise shimmer of an energy shield protecting them from the perils of the cosmos. Scattered in front of him were tall spires made of a dark rock, reaching up to the stars, but what really stood out lay beyond the spires.


    A giant crater, many times bigger than Mupnal Commune, spread out in the distance, as far as he could see. He couldn¡¯t see what was inside the crater, but the cylindrical shard-like structure floating in its centre was unmissable. Sett had a strong feeling the crater and the floating tower inside would be his residence for the foreseeable future.

 16. Mining Colony

    A short tremor originating from his right shocked Sett out of his surveying. He looked behind him only to notice multiple starships like the one that brought him here, all belonging Salsai, had landed next to his own.


    Only then did he realise a larger crowd of slaves had already been here when he had exited the vessel, he had just been too enamoured by the scenery to notice. His habit of scanning new faces began its work, and soon bore fruit.


    Sett pushed his way towards the new arrivals filing out of their ship, nearly tripping over someone else¡¯s chains in the process. He hurried back to his feet, the pain in his leg easily forgotten, and wrapped his own manacles around his arms for better mobility.


    ¡°Bone! Bone Throh!¡±


    A gaunt, lifeless face looked up at him through a curtain of unkempt, wavy hair. A flicker of recognition passed through Bone¡¯s eyes and they widened.


    ¡°Sett?¡±


    Sett replied with a hug that contained all the pent up emotions over the past month. Bone hesitated but raised his own hands and returned the embrace.


    ¡°Fuck man. I never thought I¡¯d see you again,¡± Sett exclaimed through tears. He could feel a wetness on his shoulder from Bone¡¯s muffled sobs.


    ¡°Stick to me man, we¡¯ll make it out of here.¡±


    Bone barely nodded, snot and tears running down his cracked skin. The young boy looked like he aged a hundred years, his features haggard and hollow. He had a scar running an inch down from his lip. Sett nearly trembled in rage at how his friend had changed, but he held it in. Now was not the time.


    ¡°Have you met anyone else? Where¡¯s Brec?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. We were together until they took us to these ships. We got split up when we got here.¡± Bone replied with a raspy voice. His tone had always been closer to mumbling, but now he sounded like he could barely speak.


    ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll find him. He¡¯s strong as a Bullbeast, he¡¯ll survive. You¡¯ll get back to him when we¡¯re done with this shithole. Your parents?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t seen them since Mupnal.¡±


    Sett opened his mouth to ask about his own family, but held his tongue. That could wait until they were settled in.


    His decision was justified immediately, when a loud crack rang across the area, demanding the attention of the slaves. Three E grade auras descended and Sett noticed Bone trembling next to him. The boy¡¯s breathing became increasingly heavy, and his eyes were glued to the ground.


    Ten circular disks hovered above them, each carrying a person. They looked humanoid but Sett quickly noticed that their ears were long and pointed, and their fingers seemed disproportionately large. They had frost-like complexions, and silver hair. He thought he noticed a faint glow emanating from them, but that could well be tricks his eyes were playing.


    Two of the E grades were geared in pure white plate armour not too different from the gear of the Krakarian Military Corps, and armed with curved swords resting on their hips. Five of the remaining seven F grades were also guards, though they wore white cloth like armor that resembled chalky leather and were armed with rifles not too different from Karkar¡¯s own.


    The person who seemed like their leader, one of the E grades who¡¯s hovering disc was at the very front, spoke in a melodic voice, ¡°You are now our property. The Etherstone mines and this asteroid will be your new home. Work hard, and you will be rewarded with survival by the benevolence of the Za¡¯ard Grand Duke. Neglect your labour, and you will be met with His fury. You are fortunate to have been graced by my presence as his vassal, do not abuse that grace.¡±


    Sett would¡¯ve thought it to be a joke if not for his current position. The man¡¯s words were amplified by the gradual release of his aura, and the sight of his glowing white robe that covered his entire body, fluttering in the non-existent wind only magnified his presence. He stared at them with cold indifference, as if he were talking to ants. Sett¡¯s hate and disdain for such noble figures flared at the display as he clenched his fists until they turned white.


    The vassal and the other two E grade guards began moving forward, their levitating discs picking up speed as they disappeared into the distance. The action left Sett confused, he did not expect there to be no E grades supervising them.


    His hopes were crushed a moment later, when two powerful auras permeated their beings, originating from the top of two spires. A warning that there would always be a stronger power above them. Sett¡¯s heart didn¡¯t falter as he glared at the guards hovering over their heads. I can take them. Away from the E grades.


    Maybe not directly, definitely not all at once, but they were his own grade. They were at his level, and he would punish them for it when he got that chance.


    ¡°Your unworthy eyes actually got to glimpse one of the Hands of Za¡¯ard. You are lucky. We will use that luck in the mines. Move towards the crater!¡±


    One of the two men who were not guards spoke up. They, too, wore robes, though not as majestic as the being who just left. Theirs were shorter and a tighter fit, probably to allow ease of movement. Their faces weren''t too dissimilar to the ¡°Hand¡±, though the one who just spoke wore a contemptuous sneer, and the other looked tired. They both held what looked like the handle of a sword, though there was no blade at the end. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    The crowd had been trained to obey during their time in the slaver ship, and they promptly began their march. Sett held Bone¡¯s bicep and dragged him along. The boy barely flinched, never once lifting his eyes from the ground.


    Without transport chains to drag them along, a lot of the long manacles placed on their hands clashed against one another, often getting tangled up. Sett wound his own around his arms, leaving just enough length for mobility. He helped Bone do the same, though he barely noticed.


    The supervisors and their guards followed above them in their floating discs, shouting out instructions. They would be living in chambers carved into the walls of the crater, and mining for Etherstone in the drifts and stopes of the mine.


    The giant shard floating above the crater was a drill used to tunnel through the rock, and loosen the Etherstone ores. As he expected, it was powered by slaves.


    Sweat poured out of him in buckets as he walked, the heat gradually increasing as he approached the rim. The crowd abruptly stopped, the members in the front gazing down into the crater.


    Sett shoved his way to the front to look, and was greeted with a wide, roughly cut staircase that wouldn¡¯t be able to hold a thousand slaves marching through it at once. There would be a stampede and many would die.


    The stairs went down for many kilometers, to the very base of the crater. There were periodic terraces with adits that ran deep into the walls. He could barely make out walking figures along the terraces cut onto the crater walls. He assumed the majority of the slaves would be underground.


    In the very center, right under the tip of the giant drill, was an abyssal hole where no light seemed to penetrate.


    The cohort¡¯s hesitation in descending the staircase was not taken lightly, as the supervisor began screaming at them. A few brave souls slowly began making their way downwards, but the majority, including Sett, stayed behind.


    A crack and a shout resounded to his left, and one of the slaves collapsed in pain. Sett saw a prismatic whip made of energy snake back into the device the supervisor was holding. The clothing on the victim¡¯s back was singed, an acrid smell reaching Sett¡¯s nose.


    Even Bone, who had been walking lifelessly alongside him, looked up in horror. The crowd was knocked out of their shock by another swing of the overseer¡¯s arm, a cord of multicolored Ether shooting out and striking another helpless target. The woman managed to put an arm up to defend, but the pain where it struck caused her to bend over, a painful, crimson welt forming at the impact point.


    Sett took the hint and guided Bone down the staircase, dreading the pain his injured leg would be in after this ordeal. The others followed at a frantic pace, leading to many tripping stumbling. Chains tangled with each other, shoulders bumped into another, and Sett had to struggle to keep both himself and his friend on their feet.


    An hour of minor stampedes, stumbling, and tripping later, they were told to stop at the third terrace. Sett and Bone had fallen over twice, and Sett¡¯s leg was screaming at this point. They were told to spread out and enter one of five adits, and he was met with an oppressive heat as soon as he stepped in. The hallway was carved out of the dark rock that formed the asteroid, and illuminated by the same yellow light strips that were beginning to define Sett¡¯s life.


    The humid air clung to Sett¡¯s skin, but that meant there was water. The hallway gave way to a cavern that felt a bit cooler than the adit. Five guards waited inside, wearing the same leather armour as the ones outside, but armed with only energy whips. They stood in front of a pile of lamps attached to what seemed like headbands.


    ¡°This is where you will be living from now on. Carve it into your memories. Wear these lights on your heads and go into the drift. You will get time to rest when the labour is done.¡±


    The duo picked up their torches and approached an entryway that led to the drift. From the wall next to the entryway, a small stream of muddy water flowed through to a pond. The water looked murky but he was glad to have something to drink. Many had the same idea, and a crowd began piling up beside the pond. Sett was glad he didn¡¯t join them, as five streaks of energy shot out from the guards, followed by pained screams.


    ¡°I said rest after labour! Get moving or I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    The crowd quickly hurried out of the chamber and into the drift. They followed it into a massive stope with a labyrinth of earthen pillars holding a low ceiling in place. The walls thrummed with energy that Sett could feel in his veins. Lodes of bluish brown ore snaked along the rock walls, and Sett immediately understood what they were. Etherstone ore. Concentrated, crystalline Ether hid within these walls, the most precious mineral in the universe.


    In the centre of the cavern lay a train of carts filled with pickaxes. A group of overseers armed with rifles and energy whips stood nearby, waiting impatiently for the crowd to enter.


    The oppressive heat and exhaustion from the long trek here had drained Sett, the pain in his leg becoming increasingly noticeable. He glanced at Bone and saw the kid in a worse condition than himself, swaying precariously from exhaustion.


    ¡°Hey, listen. We¡¯ll need to work before we can rest. Come with me and pick up an axe, and stick close. Just act like you¡¯re working. I¡¯ll mine your share, just stay on your feet till we¡¯re done, okay?¡±


    Bone barely nodded, his eyes drifting in and out of focus. Sett cursed to himself, but approached the carts anyway.


    Another group of slaves, seemingly also from the Salsai ship, piled in from another drift. He gave them a quick glance as he picked up his pickaxe, when a voice made him look up in shock.


    ¡°Sett? BONE?!¡±


    ¡°Brec?! My god man, you¡¯re here?¡±


    Brec Throh ran up to them from the other group, grinning like an idiot. Before he could approach Sett and his brother, a whip cracked the ground between them.


    ¡°No talking! Get to work, lazy wretches!¡±


    Sett threw Brec another glance and mouthed, ¡°Later. Follow us.¡±


    They picked up their tools, and waited. Bone looked like he got a second wind at life, his eyes welling up with tears. The twins were staring at each other, and Sett cracked a smile.


    ¡°Listen up! Pick a spot to mine, pry out the ore, and pile them into these carts. Spread out across the stope, don¡¯t stick too close to each other. No resting, no stopping, no talking until we tell you! Now move!¡±


    Sett subtly gestured towards a particularly dense vein of ore deep into the chamber, and the three moved over. The guard who stopped them from speaking followed, and Sett sighed in frustration.


    He faced the wall with the ore, the lamp on his head illuminating the stone. He drew a deep breath and struck his pickaxe into the seam. The force of the impact travelled down his body, and his right leg stung but he ignored it. The reunion had to wait. For now, he had some rage to vent.

 17. Reunion

    Sett lost himself to the motion of his pickaxe. Each clash of the pick against the stone resounded like the clash of Thane¡¯s hammer against heated metal. The sight of Thane¡¯s corpse lying on the cold ground, drenched in rain, flashed through Sett¡¯s head with each strike. The memories fueled his rage, which in turn fueled his strength. Sett could feel the force of his swing increase with each hit, the sound reminding him of gunfire.


    ¡°Sett!¡±


    He hit with precision, ore deftly pried from stone, as debris piled below him. Sett didn¡¯t notice, however, his mind wandering in the memories of those he had lost. Of those that were taken from him. All the rage that had been built up since he saw uncle Tecc fall was let loose against the stone, as he prepared for the day he could unleash it against his enemies.


    ¡°Sett!¡±


    The helmets of Salsai¡¯s warriors, the flash of their rifles, the power of their ships, the condescension in Krakar¡¯s nobles, the chains that bound him, the brutality of Za¡¯ard overseers, the lifelessness in the eyes of those he loved, Sett had carved them into his very soul. He will pay them back if it''s the last thing he did.


    ¡°Sett!¡±


    The pickaxe stopped. Reality caught up to him and he took in his surroundings. He had gone a dozen or so meters into the rock, carving a human shaped hole in the process. A giant pile of debris cluttered all around him, ore and tailings combined. Behind him, Brec stood wearing a troubled expression, surrounded by three guards with their energy whips deployed.


    Sett walked out of his little cave with an eye on the guards, bracing his body for punishment.


    ¡°Get back to work kid!¡± One of the guards yelled at Brec, shoving him with one hand. The boy kept his eye on Sett, but retreated to his own section.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen many of your type, scum. Those with all the rage against us in their eyes, but have nowhere to take it out so they let loose on the mines. That is fine, but we asked you to pile the ore into the carts. This is not for your peace of mind, you bastard. We allow you to work our Grand Duke¡¯s mines, not beat away at rock for your pleasure,¡± One of the guards sneered, the scar above his lip turning his expression all the more menacing. The two around him wore amused and disgusted expressions. Members of their race as a whole were a significant length taller than him, and they looked down on him, literally and figuratively.


    He nodded and began to collect what seemed like ore from around him, but that was not enough.


    ¡°Step forward and get on your knees.¡±


    Sett obeyed, trying his best to hide his limp. He winced as he bent his right leg, the knife hidden in there pressing against bone and sending jolts of pain up his body. He saw the guard¡¯s long fingers tighten around the whip as he raised it.


    The first strike of the whip caused him to shout, pain erupting in his back. Another crack followed by an impact on his body caused more pain. Sett gritted his teeth and endured, the sting of the whip paling in comparison to the agony of ripping his own flesh apart. The strikes kept coming, one after the other, but he had experienced worse. He allowed the pain, carving its memory into his flesh. This, too, would be added to the debt he was owed.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. He needs to work,¡± one of the guards stopped his attacker, who stepped back with panting breaths. Sett could smell burnt cloth, and his back pulsed in pain.


    ¡°Get back to work, wretch. Do what you¡¯re told or you won''t survive the next time.¡±


    He slowly rose to his feet, hoping they wouldn¡¯t notice his stiff leg. He staggered back to his section, and got on his knees to collect ore. He didn¡¯t take his eyes off the ground as he got up and shuffled to the carts, the glowing, silver chunks of ore in his hands.


    By the time he had cleared the debris and deposited the ore, the pain had reduced to nearly nothing. He got back to mining, this time taking care not to let out his rage, carefully working his way through the lode.


    His arms ached after hours of labour, his injured leg numb. When the call to end finally came, he was on the verge of collapse. He dropped the pickaxe where he worked and made his way back to the living chamber. The Throh twins joined him, Bone barely conscious and being held up by Brec. The sturdier of the duo, Brec¡¯s eyes still looked devoid of stamina.


    Sett had a lot he wanted to talk to Brec about but he didn¡¯t have the energy to make a sound. They arrived at the chamber to find a crowd scrambling into two carts rapidly being emptied of what he assumed was food. Sett understood immediately, and sprinted with every morsel of strength he had left, shoving a couple of unfortunate souls out of the way in the process. His battle had earned him three dry spheres the size of his fist, with the color and hardness of the rock that formed the walls. He examined them as he handed them to his friends, who were seated with their backs against a wall.


    Brec suspiciously studied the balls with fatigued eyes, while Bone muttered under his breath, ¡°wa..water..¡±


    Sett and Brec moved as one, grabbing an arm each and carrying the nearly unconscious Bone to the murky pond. Sett pried open a gap in the crowd surrounding it and fed the kid handfuls of water. Each splash of the earthen brown liquid seemed to drag Bone back to full consciousness. Once Bone was able to drink by himself, Sett and Brec took long drinks of water, feeling the coarse sand passing down their throats with it.


    ¡°What the hell are these things?¡± Brec asked once they sat down again.


    ¡°I have no idea, man. They¡¯re hard as rock though.¡± Sett spoke while trying to break off a piece of the hopefully edible ball. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Bone squeezed some water soaked up by his filthy clothes onto the orb, softening it enough to crumble at his grasp.


    ¡°It tastes like hay. Or like dried bread.¡±


    ¡°How do you know what hay tastes like?¡±


    ¡°You told me. After you ate a bunch cause you thought it¡¯d make you as strong as a bullbeast.¡±


    Brec grinned at the memory, not an ounce of shame at having voluntarily eaten animal feed. Sett chuckled, and then broke out into laughter for the first time in over a month. The other two joined him, and in the middle of this foreign mining asteroid, facing irate stares, three slaves laughed like the funniest joke in the world had just been told.


    ****


    Sett spent the rest of their time catching up with Brec and Bone, who now seemed more alive than when he first saw him. They had ended up in the first transport out of Mupnal and were kept in a different section in the main slaver ship, which is why Sett never ran into them. Neither of them had seen his dad or Mitt, though Bone had managed to figure out there were at least three more such sections, each housing tens of thousands of slaves, so Sett¡¯s family could be in any one of those.


    He was incredibly elated to be reunited with them. Croh had been his only support throughout this ordeal, and even he only got closer once the invasion had taken place. To meet two close friends he thought he lost forever filled him with enough life to survive in the mines.


    ¡°You lot! Twenty of you! You are needed in the crushers!¡±


    Sett was walking back from the latrine pit, a large hole in the corner of the chamber that people stayed clear of because of the smell, when one of the guards shouted at him. More particularly, at him and nineteen others surrounding him. Brec and Bone weren¡¯t in the group, but he knew better than to disobey a direct order just to have a word with them. He followed the guard into the tunnel leading to the adit, grateful for the chance for some fresh air.


    This was the first time in the week they¡¯ve been here that there was a change in schedule. The tunnel was long, and as they approached the adit, Sett could feel the air getting crisper. The smell of sweat, rock, and urine was replaced by the more neutral, dusty smell of the surface of the asteroid. Compared to the sweltering heat of the underground, the air felt like winter¡¯s kiss on his skin.


    ¡°Down the staircase, twenty first terrace, third adit to your left. Now go!¡±


    The pale faced guard shoved Sett down the stairs, and his injured leg almost sent him tumbling down. He steadied himself, shooting his aggressor an irate glare, but averted his eyes before the man noticed.


    Going to the twenty first terrace, meant passing the twentieth, and the sight he saw as he walked past shocked him. There were no adits leading into the mines, instead the platform was littered with poles that reached the sky. Beams jutted out of the poles, and emaciated figures hung by their arms from those beams. A hundred poles, a hundred bodies, hoisted upwards by the chains on their wrists. Sett hoped they were corpses, the thought of hanging like that while still alive, until his skin clung to his bones was horrifying.


    A few guards loitered around the platform, one of them noticing the gaping crowd. His mouth curved upwards, the scar above his lip seemingly glowing. Sett recognised the man as his tormentor a week ago, though the man thankfully didn¡¯t recognise Sett.


    ¡°You mess with us and this will be you lot hanging from here. Move to where you¡¯re needed before I see you up here,¡± he jeered, smacking a pair of dangling feet. The body swayed with the hit, and a groan escaped the man¡¯s lips. He was alive.


    Sett hurried down to the next terrace, but took the opportunity to shoot a glance towards the interior of the crater. There were about ten more terraces before the abyssal hole at the center. He noticed shafts dug around the hole, and adits dotted along its interior walls. There was work going on in there, though he hadn¡¯t ever  heard the drill turn on.


    He was greeted at the adit¡¯s entrance by a slave that seemed to be of the same species as his new overlords. He had the same silver hair, cut so short it was barely visible, and his long pointed ears had small cuts across them. He studied the new arrivals with bored eyes, motioning with his head to follow.


    Sett obliged, and they were led through a labyrinth of tunnels for what seemed like at least an hour. The monotony of the walk was beginning to bore Sett, so he glanced at his non-human colleague.


    ¡°How¡¯d you end up here?¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°You look like the guards and overseers. How did you end up here?¡±


    The man raised an eyebrow at him, and Sett began to regret talking. He didn¡¯t know it was rude, he just assumed it wouldn¡¯t be any worse than being put in chains and made to mine.


    ¡°My father wrote an article questioning the Grand Duke of Za¡¯ard¡¯s divinity.¡±


    That one line brought up more questions than answers, and Sett took a moment to prioritise them.


    ¡°What race are you?¡± He eventually chose to ask something completely irrelevant, prompting the raised eyebrow to move even higher.


    ¡°I¡¯m an Alfen? Was it not obvious?¡± He asked, seemingly insulted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, man. I¡¯ve never heard of Alfens.¡±


    ¡°Alfen is the plural. You¡¯re from some remote sector in the middle of nowhere aren¡¯t you? We¡¯re quite common across the universe, I think.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so. I haven¡¯t seen a sapient species except humans until Salsai showed up.¡±


    The Alfen snorted but didn¡¯t say anything. Sett didn¡¯t waste his opportunity, however, and continued.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name? Do your people have names?¡±


    ¡°No, we refer to each other solely by numbers. I¡¯m number 351,564,008.¡± The man replied promptly. Seeing Sett nod in understanding, he added, ¡°Yes, of course we have names. I am called Taban.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Sett.¡±


    Taban nodded but didn¡¯t reply. Judging from the increasingly loud noises coming from up ahead, Sett guessed they were reaching their destination.


    They walked through a doorway into a chamber that felt hotter than Thane¡¯s furnace. To his right, Sett saw a line of three cylindrical  trip hammers periodically coming down onto a giant bowl filled with ore. Behind the hammers, a horizontal wheel was being constantly spun by five slaves, probably to power the trip hammer. Another slave would load ore into the bowl under the hammer, while removing the extracted, crystalline Etherstone.


    Sett saw the pile of extracted Etherstone lying in a cart. The silver, slightly translucent metal glowed with power, the air around them shimmering.


    The workers stopped their labour when Sett¡¯s group walked in, and a shout from the guard announced the changing of shifts. Sett hurried to take the place of the person who loaded the crusher with ore, just for the chance to hold the precious metal in his hands.

 18. The Drill

    Sett quickly grabbed the pure Etherstone crystals from the crusher and dropped it into the bucket. He could barely feel the weight of the chains wrapped around his arms now, compared to five months ago when he first arrived here.


    Over the last few months, he slowly circulated his Ether while mining and working the crusher, the potency amplified by the mineral. The Ether contained in his body was denser, and he could feel the latent power in his body.


    Most F grades across the universe never really learned to take proper control of the Ether flowing through their veins, and hence couldn¡¯t circulate. Sett only learned as a consequence of his profession, but most of the slaves working in the mine couldn¡¯t fully make use of the opportunity. Sett taught Brec, Bone and Taban what he¡¯d learned, and he could see the difference. Bone still hadn¡¯t gotten the hang of it yet, but Sett could notice the change in his bearing, the boy rarely got as exhausted as he used to.


    ¡°I heard¡­ they¡¯ll be powering up the drill soon,¡± Taban commented through laboured breaths as he loaded the crusher with a new pile of ore. Sett and Taban were working the crusher this time, with the Throh twins doing the more exhausting job of powering the machine.


    ¡°The big thing in the middle of the crater?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They power it¡­ every few months when¡­ the previous drilled hole has been expanded¡­ and mines have been made.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be powering it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Sett groaned, he hated powering the engine in the slaver ship. It left him drained beyond what any physical labour could do.


    ¡°It leaves you¡­near dead. I could barely...make my way back¡­ to the living chamber.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk until we¡¯re done, man. Focus on breathing right.¡±


    ****


    The four of them hiked up the stairs, Bone being able to walk without assistance for the first time, while Taban told the other two about the drill.


    ¡°I hate the powering machine thing,¡± Bone said despondently. Brec had a sombre look on his face, piquing Sett¡¯s curiosity.


    ¡°Bone always seemed more drained than anyone else when we used it in the ship. I hate it too, but it seemed to take more from Bone than me.¡±


    Bone was already the weakest among them, and while the Ether circulation made him a little more robust, he didn¡¯t know what powering the drill would do. The thing seemed more ominous than the device in the ship, like a knife held above their heads.


    Sett lost himself in his thoughts, barely nodding as Taban made his way back at the fifth terrace. They had gotten a feel for navigating the labyrinthine passages in the mines now, and could make their way to different terraces through the drifts underground. No one wanted to lose the chance to have a glimpse of the stars, however, so the group would always take the stairs on the surface when they could.


    ¡°Your limp has gotten better,¡± Bone commented as they reached their terrace. Bone was the first to notice Sett¡¯s uneven gait when they¡¯d first arrived, and he had explained to the twins what he¡¯d done. They were horrified, and since then Sett detected a hint of admiration in Brec¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Yeah but it still hurts, man. I¡¯m just used to the pain. Now it just feels like mom¡¯s with me you know? And uncle Tecc.¡±


    ¡°Tecc was right. I was an idiot. I should¡¯ve fucking listened. I wanted to put down rebellions like him but if I¡¯d joined I¡¯d probably have to kill you guys,¡± Brec sighed. The guilt had been eating at him since that fateful day back home, but it had gotten worse since Sett mentioned his uncle¡¯s sacrifice.


    ¡°You were an idiot. But even if you did listen, this shit would¡¯ve happened anyway. It¡¯s not your fault you¡¯re an idiot, man,¡± Sett said as they entered their cave, the familiar stench of open latrines and sweat-soaked bodies hitting them. Bone squeezed his brother¡¯s shoulder wordlessly as the trio collapsed onto a wall.


    Leaning against the wall elicited a wave of pain, his back still tender from the latest round of lashings. The Alfen guard with the scar above his lip hadn¡¯t forgotten him like Sett had hoped, instead he¡¯d taken an interest in him. He wasn¡¯t always present in the mines, as the guards he was familiar with rotated between the third, fourth and fifth terraces, but whenever he was there Sett got whipped. The pain was bearable, but the hatred he felt for the scarred lip and condescending eyes only grew.


    Sett examined his leg, its dull pain constantly humming in his head. It had swollen red from the exertion, just like it did at the end of everyday. He rubbed it tenderly, imagining his mother¡¯s face. The thought of her, and the possibility of his father and brother being alive calmed his heart as he fell into a dreamless slumber.


    ****


    Sett awoke to a cacophony of snores around him, Brec¡¯s bullbeast-like growls being the loudest. He felt one of the grain balls hidden under his shirt, and silently thanked the one who¡¯d put it there.


    He limped to the pond, washing his face and drinking mouthfuls of water, giving up on sleep until the guards showed up.


    He stared at the flimsy metal plate covering the doorway meant to keep them in, instinctively knowing he could break through it if he gave it his all. This was a new feeling, like he resonated with metal objects. He began feeling it increasingly over the past few months, especially on the chains he now kept wound around his arms. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    It was like their presence became clearer to him, like the links of metal became more real. He could feel a resonance with the steel, like it was more ¡®him¡¯.


    He hoped it wasn¡¯t his mentality adjusting itself to that of a slave, but he was sure that wasn¡¯t the case. His rage still boiled inside him, growing with the same intensity. His eyes still scanned his world, looking for an opportunity. He knew he wasn¡¯t just resigning himself to his fate.


    The feeling was familiar, like the resonance he felt with his own emotions when he let his anger out. Despair, those fleeting moments of joy, none of them made his Ether roil like rage did. No other material called out to his own Ether like steel did, not even crystalised Ether itself.


    Sett cracked his neck and held the unbound strip of his chains in front of him, held taut between his two hands. He closed his eyes and recalled the Ether control exercise he had been practicing, quickly suppressing any thought about his two mentors.


    He began pooling the Ether on one hand, slowly injecting it into his chains. He¡¯d barely managed to carve a line in the metal strip the last time he practiced all those months ago, but this was a whole new beast. The chain consisted of multiple detached links through which he¡¯d have to guide his Ether, while preventing it from going into the sections of chain wrapped around his arms. His Ether was magnitudes denser since arriving here, making it a lot more difficult to manipulate. He instinctively felt the metal was strong enough to not blow up even if he failed, which gave him the confidence to try.


    Sett was shocked by how easily the Ether entered the chains that he almost lost concentration. He felt the steel welcome his energy, not quite like he was moving it through his own body, but considerably easier than the first time he¡¯d tried with the strips. He guessed it was a property of the metal itself, possibly a good conductor of Ether whose name he didn¡¯t know.


    In just an hour of experimentation, he felt the Ether pass from one chain link to the next, a task he couldn¡¯t imagine performing on the  metal strips in the smithy. Half an hour later, he successfully cut off leakage of Ether into other sections of the chain, channeling it all into the part he was holding. By the time others began stirring from their sleep, the Ether released from his left hand entered into his right. He¡¯d channeled it through a chain of interlinking metal.


    Fueled by the feeling of accomplishment, he wanted to immediately test his control on the sheet that served as a door, but the exhaustion of his experiment finally caught up to him. He washed his face, dreading a whole day of work after this.


    The sheet was moved and three slaves dragged two minecarts full of dry wheat balls, signalling the start of the day. He grabbed enough for himself and the Throh twins, and kicked them awake.


    ****


    Unlike usual days, where they¡¯d be split up into groups to work in different areas of the mine, today the entire cohort were led outside and up the staircase, to the rim of the crater. Waiting for them on flat ground were scores of floating barges, and thousands of slaves to fill them. Sett spotted Taban and approached him, the Throh twins following behind.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, man?¡±


    Taban sighed in exasperation. ¡°They¡¯re taking us to the drill. It will be a long day.¡±


    Sett cursed, regretting his experimentation earlier. It had left him drained in a way only the movement of his Ether could, and there will be a lot of that during the drill powering.


    Brec gave the crestfallen Bone a pat on his back as they filed into the barge, and its ramp door slammed shut a few minutes later. Its walls were shorter than the passengers, which meant a small slip would send a person to their deaths. It took off violently, and Sett had to hold on to the parapet to avoid falling off.


    They flew towards the middle of the drill, and Sett noticed nearly a hundred platforms lined up along its midsection. He peered over the edge, and noticed that the abyssal hole from before was gone. The rock that made its walls were cut and shaped into three new terraces, matching the gradient of the crater.


    The barge slammed into the side of one of the platforms, causing its passengers to fall over en masse. The ramp door fell with a clang, and the group cautiously made their way out.


    ¡°Be careful not to faint. They¡¯ll hang you up for a day,¡± Taban warned.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have told us that before?¡±


    ¡°Would it have made a difference?¡±


    Brec didn¡¯t have an answer, knowing well that it wouldn¡¯t. He glanced at his brother with worry in his eyes, but Bone just forced a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll pass out once we¡¯re back, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    The platform they were on had no walls, they were meant to work under the stars. That brought some relief to Sett¡¯s mind, as they approached the pillar in the centre. It was similar to the one they used to power the engine of the slaver ship, though this was made up of an intricate web of mechanical parts, too complex for Sett to even begin to understand. The various gears, pistons and other components were adorned with circuitous runes, some of which were vaguely similar to the pillar in the ship.


    This structure, too, had hundreds of beams to attach chains on, though these beams jutted out at a height reaching Sett¡¯s shoulders. Taban attached the centre of his chain to a hook on the beam, and Sett proceeded to do the same, unwinding his own manacles, on the beam in front of Taban¡¯s. Bone joined in front of him, and Brec in the one after.


    There were a dozen guards stationed around them, all armed with energy whips. Sett¡¯s anger boiled as he recognised the scar above a lip, the Alfen who enjoyed tormenting him. He averted his eyes, hoping he wasn¡¯t noticed.


    Once everyone had locked themselves in place, the beams rose to a height well above Sett¡¯s head. His arms were yanked upwards, and the chain was pulled tight. He moved into the familiar position, pulling the chains over his shoulders. One of the guards shouted an order, and the group began moving around the pillar. The mechanism in the walls began working, gears spinning and pistons pounding as they walked increasingly faster. The runes began to glow a bright red, casting a sanguine light across all of them.


    The pace increased constantly until they were jogging, Sett struggling to keep up with his injured leg. He stumbled a few times but managed to pick himself up before it was too late. He could see a bright red glow beginning to spread from under the platform, and sweltering heat followed the light. The platform began shaking, and the din of the tremors and the moving parts filled his ears, his senses completely overloaded.


    The jog continued for many hours, and Sett could feel himself on the verge of collapse. He held on with pure willpower, but that wasn¡¯t enough for Bone in front of him. The boy collapsed, his unconscious body being dragged by the chains.


    Sett shouted his name, his voice barely audible above the racket. Brec turned back in horror, stopping his jog to check on his brother. The pillar continued spinning, yanking Brec¡¯s arms before he could do anything. The guards moved quickly, the scarred lip releasing Bone from his chains with a swing of his whip. Bone¡¯s body was dragged out of the way, and so was Brec¡¯s. The other Throh was whipped relentlessly for stopping his run, Sett grabbing horrifying glimpses with each round.


    He stopped his own run and leapt towards the guards, his chains holding him in place. Scarred lip grinned, releasing Sett with his whip, and coiling it around his neck. Sett was dragged to the ground next to Brec, and before he could get up, half a dozen ropes of energy were raining down on his back.


    Sett lay there in a fetal position enduring the incessant barrage, his eyes glaring with unrestrained hate at scarred lip.