Clutching my new pickaxe tightly with my only available hand, I endeavored to steady my panting breath, while exhaustion slowly crept over me. The reverberating symphony of Artanian chatter and the ceaseless percussion of metal meeting stone enveloped me from all sides.It's barely even a minute after Gulfram led me here to finally start my job mining and now I can barely keep myself from collapsing.Admiring the small cracks I inflicted on the massive boulder in front of me, I rested my tool on the boulder before wiping the sweat from my forehead. Curious, I turn my head to my right.As I gazed ahead, the scene of Little Fish and a procession of miners diligently extracting a portion from the stretching cliff-wall promptly captured my attention.Merely a few meters from where I stood, Little Fish ceased his mining activity and briefly pivoted in my direction, as though attuned to my scrutiny. Despite the dirt smudging his body, his appearance seemed surprisingly vibrant. Were it not
I was suddenly woken up by movement and familiar voices around me. Opening my eyes, I could see figures hovering and shuffling around, the sound of groaning and yawning filled my ears at the same time.Though I wish I'm fully well and recovered, I could still feel the lingering pain all around my body, especially the ones from my limbs and broken arm, however, the pain is less intense compared to before. And that's where the memories of yesterday flooded back to me; the journey to the quarry, the exhausting mining work we undertook, all coming back in vivid detail.Great, more work, more pain..Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and glance around, my eyes darting from my fellow miners to miners until they landed on the familiar figure of Little Fish, not only that, he seems to be locked in a conversation with Arde.I, along with the other miners in our group who had also just awakened, began to rise from the old and dirty cloth we had slept on. It was spread wide enough to fit within the shed,
The sky is already dark and our shift for the second day is now over, my body is drenched with sweat while my hands shakily gripped the handle of the pickaxe that was resting on my shoulder, I could hear my labored breaths as I endured the pain and aches across my entire body.Currently, me and the rest of the group are descending down the hill, by the looks of everyone, they are all exhausted just like me, even Little Fish seems to be panting, but he's slightly in better shape compared to the rest of us.I suddenly felt my stomach grumble as we traverse down the narrow and complex pathways of the hill, I then gritted my teeth as I try to ignore my stomach's protest.I've never felt so hungry and exhausted before.If only we were given more food during breakfast then perhaps we wouldn't be in this condition right now.Fuckers..It felt like an eternity before we finally managed to return to our shed. After resting their own pickaxes against the wall, at least a third of my group went
As we continued walking down the path, I couldn't help but hear a commotion in the distance, by the sound of it; it's like a group of people were arguing and shouting at each other.I took a small glance at Roslik and I could tell he'd heard it too. With that, he quickly broke into a small jog towards the noise, the others following suit."W-Wait!" I called out, feeling the strain and ache in my legs intensify as I try to quicken my pace.I can't do it... it really hurts.Maintaining a walk, I noticed myself falling behind the others, the sound of their footsteps and hushed conversations fading as they moved ahead. Little Fish, however, spotted my lagging pace and hurried back to me, placing a reassuring hand on my back and helping me catch up with our group."Thanks.." I expressed with a nod at him to which he responded in kind.At this point, I could already see a few miners peeking out from their residential quarters as we walked past them, some of them even leaving their buildings
Just as the cloak's axe was poised to descend upon the injured miner on the ground, a sudden shout echoed from behind the cloak. In swift succession, the figure of a familiar miner emerged, bursting onto the scene from the rear.Wait.. is that?I could feel a small weight lift off from my chest as I watch Gulfram try to wrestle the axe from the cloak's hand, while also shouting something at the same time. By this point, the wounded miner had already been dragged away to safety by his fellow miners.I noticed several cloaks halting their advance, casting bewildered and confused glances at Gulfram. This pause granted certain miners the opportunity to scatter and flee. Nevertheless, the count of miners that fled was so small that it failed to impact our collective strength significantly.I shifted my gaze uneasily in the direction of Arde, who appeared equally taken aback, grappling with a mixture of shock and fear, his efforts to arrive at a decisive course of action evident. Little Fis
"Wood" Gulfram said, holding a piece of plank in front of my face, "Repeat it."I stared at the plank for a second before clearing my throat, "W-Wood.." the moment the word left my mouth, I could already tell that the pronunciation was a little bit off.Gulfram chuckled briefly, then gestured toward the fireplace in the corner of his room, directing my attention to the crackling firewood nestled on the hearth."Wood" I repeated the word once again, despite the funny accent and pronunciation, Gulfram was nodding his head in approval, a small smile plastered on his craggy face.Then, he raised all of his fingers in front of me, "Ten repeat" he blankly stated.Clearing my throat once more, I began repeating the word 'Wood.' However, on the eighth try, my tongue slipped, turning the word into an incomprehensible jumble. This mishap elicited another chuckle from Gulfram."Again.. from start." Gulfram said while crossing his armsWith a sigh, I embarked on the process once more, only to stu
I took the bread given by the cook in front of me and quietly made my way toward the table where my group was sitting. Despite the appetizing smell of all the newly cooked bread inside the wagon, I knew better than to linger around. After all, there's still a line of miners stretching in front of the carts.I could feel the gazes of nearby cloaks and guards as I walked past them. Because of this, I lower my head along the way, not wanting to attract any attention to myself.Let's just get this day over with...As I passed by tables crowded with miners eating and talking, their voices merged into a cacophony that blended with the surrounding noises; the clanking of tools, the creaking of wheels from passing wagons in the near distance, and many more.Suppressing a yawn, I felt the morning breeze sweep over me, sending a subtle chill through my entire body.There, spotting my group sitting in the farthest corner, I carefully made my way towards them, doing my best to avoid bumping into
I found myself standing in the midst of an empty space, surrounded by an endless expanse of white void. The surface beneath my feet seemed non-existent, yet I could distinctly feel that I was standing on something substantial. As I attempted to stomp my foot, a distinct tapping sound echoed through the emptiness.Where the hell am I?"Carillus" My name was suddenly softly whispered in the most angelic voice, like a gentle breeze caressing my ears, not to mention the voice was so oddly familiar.I turn myself towards the sound, and there... stood the figure of my mother, her entire body was glowing, as if she's an angel herself. Also her face remained blank, devoid of any trace of emotion."Mother..." was all that escaped my lips. Despite the countless questions swirling in my mind, I found it difficult to decide which one to ask first.Where am I?What brought me here?Why are you here?Before I could finally ask her one of the questions in my mind, she suddenly asked, slightly catchi