I was already determined to see this to the end. "So you are the thieves."
Torin nodded and watched me carefully as he said, "They stole your starsalt, so why don’t you punish them? Kill them!"
The workers whimpered and moaned as they heard this, pressing closer to the wall and holding each other tightly.
Tiber grappled Slya tighter to prevent her from going forward and doing who knows what. "Let’s see how he handles things. It’s none of our business."
She hissed, "I just want to punch that guy’s face."
I ignored them and focused only on Torin. "Death as punishment? I agree."
Torin was surprised, but he smiled, a cruel light shining in his eyes. Meanwhile, the two workers were looking at me in shock, already sobbing as if I already draw a knife to their neck.
Tiber drew back in shock, and Slya became still. They hadn’t expected this from me as well.
Short man Eron let out a surprised snort. "I wasn’t expecting that, for sure!"
I shrugged and continued. "But according to my principles, those two are your slaves and fall under your responsibility. Therefore, it is you I will hold responsible for their theft."
A ripple of surprise passed through everyone.
The workers stopped crying in sheer shock and looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. Torin had lost his smile and was looking at me with hostility and disbelief. "You want to kill me?"
I replied calmly, "You said it yourself—death should be the repayment for the troubles you’ve caused me."
Torin stared at me as if I’d gone mad, and the remaining man beside him sneered. "Why are you talking to him? Just finish him. He’s not right in the head."
Without looking away from Torin, I said, "Why do you even steal it? You don’t seem to need it."
Torin shrugged and raised his metal rod. Then he slashed to the left and slammed the closer worker—the man. Crack! The man screamed out and clutched his broken arm. All the while, Torin maintained eye contact with me.
I shook my head and said, "When I was twelve, I killed my first human—a child like me—and my father made me bury her. Then it was a man. Kill them if you want, but you won’t go free from touching what’s mine."
My anger had cooled, iced over, and turned into a cold thing that filled my veins. I took a step forward, then another.
The goon beside Torin wanted to please him, so he rushed forward, shovel raised to strike my head.
I casually lifted my weapon just as the man brought down the shovel. I timed it so perfectly that the goon smashed his hand against my pickaxe, shattering fingers as the shovel clattered to the ground.
"My hand! My hand! My hand!"
Tiber stiffened, and Slya narrowed her eyes. So I knew my way around weapons? That move just now was timed so perfectly! So I wasn’t just a scrawny guy.
Disdain flashed on Torin’s face, and I smiled. "Now, no one will disturb us."
Mentally, I sighed. I knew how bullies worked. Now that I had come under Torin’s radar, Torin wouldn’t let me go easily and would only continue planning ways to humiliate and destroy me. I didn’t need that in my life right now, so I came to a brutal conclusion: I had to remove the problem once and for all.
"Tiber, do you know our wing leader, Taiwo? Please go to her and tell her that Vale has caused a mess in the wing," I said without taking my eyes off Torin.
Tiber stiffened and looked at the back of my head in shock. "What are you planning to do?"
"Just tell her. She’ll be here."
He shared a look with Slya, then shrugged, turned, and left the tunnel.
I shrugged my shoulders. "Alright, then."
One reason I was going through with this was to set an example, once and for all, that I wasn’t to be messed with. The second was because I thought I had an advantage. The mining work might be hard, but it had also loosened my muscles and made me remember that I was the top sword fighter back in my class. The space was too small for the weapon Torin was using.
From what I could see, Torin had some training. The man gripped his metal rod tighter, then exploded forward. His two hands went around the rod, and he swung it like a hammer.
I didn’t try to dodge, it was too narrow. Instead, I met the strike with my pickaxe and waited. As soon as the two metals clashed, I used my weapon to hook the rod away from myself, then I moved into my opponent’s space.
"Tch!" Torin wasn’t a total novice because he quickly threw the rod away and flashed a dagger from his waist.
How did he get that? I thought in shock. Now, Torin had the advantage. He was faster and more able to move in the confined space.
Dust churned as the fight turned chaotic. I was trying to keep the dagger away from me, but I got a nasty slice to my hand as I swung my much heavier weapon around.
I gritted my teeth. Damn it, I shouldn’t be struggling against someone like him. I’m a Squire!
My brain made a connection with my core. It was a feeble thing but enough. Strength flooded through me, and I blurred forward. I swung my weapon with so much force that Torin’s head shattered under the blow, and he stumbled, twitching.
Warm blood squirted upward, splashing me and everyone around. The workers whimpered and drew back while the two goons began begging for their lives.
But I didn’t mind them because I was preoccupied with something else. Low in my abdomen, I could feel my core spinning, and it was hungry for essence, a lot of it. Lots and lots of it.