"Yes," was all she said, and then nothing more. Her voice had changed, going from a bit friendly and free to guarded. Her face hardened with that sneer. "Come on, follow me to the section of Flagbearer Steelclaw and where you’ll be working. Be quick; I still have to get my wound looked at."
I didn’t know why she changed and began talking like that, but I didn’t care either. We walked into the first layer. The ground here was better, softer than the one we’d been walking on before. Now that we were in the camp, I could see that the ruins were not as close to each other as I had previously thought. They were spaced out, and I saw camps of different colors surrounding each ruin.
The people here were quiet but more watchful, as if waiting for a fight or a monster’s attack. Merchants piled their goods anywhere they could unfold their tents, shouting out to buyers to come and get something that would make them stronger.
Everyone seemed to be watching each other’s colors before they interacted, and there was a subtle tension in the air that raised my hairs. Just what type of place is this? It’s like a storm could start at any time.
"This is the base of the Steelclaw Alliance in the first layer. And that’s our main ruin here. It’s where most of our resources from this layer come from and where you will work. It’s hard labor, but it’ll keep you alive for now."
A cluster of tents painted red and black stood before us. There must have been over a hundred tents, each big and long, able to hold many people at once. In the middle of it all was the mine, a rugged mound of earth held up by wooden and metal beams. I could see the dark opening, like the yawning mouth of a beast.
She gestured, and I followed. I felt eyes on me as the people standing nearby saw and dismissed me. Everyone was looking at the new guy. Scrawny and without anything of worth on me, they quickly forgot about me. They’d seen many like me, and all dead, almost all.
I also watched them in return. They weren’t bad. They looked well-fed, and most of them were even exchanging conversations with laughter. I suppose they give them food so they can perform well. It’d be bad to have half-starving skeletons working, I thought.
Finally, we stopped at a tent that looked just like any other there, and we entered. It smelled like dirt, sweat, and sourness. Taiwo grimaced. "Your new home. I am handling Group 10, and you are part of them—thirty of you. The people in this tent will be your direct co-workers. Any questions?"
I hesitated but then asked, "The people from outside—are they also workers of the labor camp? They are... well."
Taiwo pressed her lips together. "There are ten wings for this mine, from number one, the best wing, to number ten, the worst. Meaning the resources you can get in each wing descend from number one downward. And there’s a quota to be maintained.
"You get your commissioned resources and more, then you can be moved into a better wing, get good food... meat. But us in the lower wing? Dream to survive the next day." With that, she turned and left.
I stood there in my new home and got a first good look around. Now that I was looking, I saw that it was not as big as it should be, with the five bunk beds cramped into it. There wasn’t much in the way of personal belongings that I could see. And even I brought nothing.
With nothing to do, I sat down on the closest bed and studied the small globe of light attached to the roof of the tent. My hand scratched my neck, and I froze. What? My wound has healed!
I touched it again and swallowed. The small cut on my neck was gone as if it had never been there. I know I’m a Squire... but this hasn’t happened before. Why can I heal myself now?
My fingers were filled with scars I had gotten from scratching the prison’s door until they bled raw. So why now? I had never received any lessons about the Squire rank. Is it because I killed a monster?
I didn’t get the chance to think more about it before the tent flapped open, and the dirtiest people I’d ever seen walked inside. Men and women, all covered in dust that clung to every part of their bodies.
They froze when they saw me, and nine pairs of eyes watched me.
"Seriously? This one? The last one still had some stamina. This one looks as if he’d fall over any moment," a woman said. She was almost as thin as me, with muscles as tough-looking as boiled leather.
"Stop it, Syla. Don’t scare the newcomer," a gruff voice said.
Syla snorted and shot me a glare. "What? He’s going to die anyway. Everyone in wing ten always dies. We are the exception for three years now. You know I’m telling the truth, Tiber."
The man grunted.
The others behind her flinched, and it was then that I saw the other members in the tent crowding behind the two.
Tiber and Syla were just so... normal that I was focused on them, but the others fit into what I expected here. They were gaunt and thin, with limbs that twitched and eyes that were dull and downcast.
I knew those eyes, it’s the look of someone for whom everything is hollow and bleak.
Tiber and Syla finally moved out of the way and claimed a bed for themselves.
The others shuffled forward and also claimed their beds, dust and all.
My stomach growled. Wait... won’t they give us food? When was the last time I ate?
I heard no answer except for the snoring of my new team. I stared at the small yellow light. What a fun bunch, I thought, and then I rolled into the bed and closed my eyes.
At least I’m not in darkness again.