Chapter 16: Crazy Miners & Ending with a faint
"Good boy. Now let's see what we can get you to do for the first job.
Hey, guys, come here, meet Zagreus. This boy lived with me for one week. Don't look at him as if is just a little shit. He managed to stand his ground against Mayer Loftso and even took a beating from that fat bag like a champion. Also, he's pretty intelligent, so we better teach him how to mine, so we no longer have to instruct new shits."
"Ohh, that little shit took a beating from Mayer. You managed to not lash at that fat guy? Wow, this kid is weird, most young guys would lash out, but I think they would get targeted hard by the guards." said some of the miners who stopped to check Vlad.
The guard who watched this group of miners stuck at the deepest point had a weird expression on his face, but he said nothing. Not wishing to offend those crazy guys from shattering rocks.
'What should I do? Intervene put them back to work? I can't. Those guys are the biggest criminals of Kaysang. Traitors of the kingdom and the noble houses.'
'Sigh, why did sir Belpel choose me to stay watch over those bunch of monsters?'
The miners who stopped seemed to be just like your average uncles, but if inspecting closer, you could see that they had nasty scars around their arms, chest, legs, and other body parts.
Vlad saw the miners as they approached him with curious faces. One even grabbed him by the shirt and rose him up to meet his eyes.
"Hmm, not bad. This kid really isn't a pissed pants. He didn't even get scared by me raising him from the floor."
"I know Grigos, this kid is super weird. You know I told you about that chess game. The boy came up with that game."
"Hmm, boy, where are you from?" asked the tough-looking middle-aged miner.
"I don't know the name of the island."
"Heh, are you sure? You smell and act similar to those prodigies from the noble houses. Whatever, I don't care, even if you are a noble. Hey old man, you take care of the boy. If he messes something in the gallery, it's on you."
"Sure, sure. Go mind your own business."
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Walking a bit to where a stash of stones was placed, Nius said to Vlad in a casual tone.
"Little Zagreus, come here. Let me instruct you on what you got to do, so it doesn't seem like you came here for nothing. Those people up will check on you and take note of your activity."
"I noticed that, sir."
"Okay, that's even better. You took that bucket with you. We'll have one of our guys fill a bit that bucket with stones, and you only have to carry it out. Take your time, no one is rushing you down here. Hehe, it's not like they dare to do that since if we get angry, we can just collapse the mine on all of them."
When Nius said that, all the middle-aged miners give a hearty and crazy laugh.
"That's right little shit. So you don't have to worry about those arrogant bastards even saying a thing."
Vlad nodded his head as if understanding his task. Looking around himself, he could see the meticulous manner the guys were digging deeper in the mine and the precise cuts they delivered.
He also observed the guard who turned his head at him, looking weirdly at him and later even saying to him.
"Kid, you better work. Even though those guys here say all those things, if I feel you are slaking, I can report you to the staff members."
"You'll do shit, arrogant brat. Shut your mouth, don't upset our new little guy." said one miner glaring at the guard.
The guard gulped his saliva and choose to keep quiet, only observing from a distance this group of crazy guys.
Meanwhile, Vlad was surprised by how the guard reacted and how the miners here treated him.
'Those guys aren't normal. Could it be, those guys are those crazy bastards the people here were referring to? Psychopaths, big criminals, betrayers, and so on? But they look to be quite normal.' (A/N: Because you are also a crazy guy)
After waiting for a bit more at the site of the stashed stones, one middle-aged miner who had a scar on his forehead walked toward him while yawning a bit.
"Hey, kiddo. How many stones can you carry?"
"I have no idea." replied Vlad shortly after.
"I see. Then let's do this. We'll test on how much you can carry. Get your bucket ready to carry since it will be hard to pick it from the ground while it is filled. Here let me teach you how to place the bucket on your back, so it doesn't feel hard to pick them up."
The middle-aged guy taught Vlad patiently, while yawning a bit, how to set up his bucket for an easy carry. After he was done and Vlad had the bucket on his back strapped by ropes, he began picking rocks from the stash as if they were nothing to him.
Rock by rock, Vlad began feeling the weight on his back increase. Then, after he senses that he could no longer handle the weight, he said to the miner.
"Sir, this is enough. If you place more on the bucket, I will not even be able to move."
"What are you talking kid, you barely have 20kg on that little bucket. That's a lot?"
"Argh, for me is, sir. I'm not like you. Also, I have to get more muscles to pick more."
"I see. No problem, kiddo, take it slowly. You don't have a time limit per se, but those arrogant fucks have to see you at least 3 or 4 times delivering the stones to the processing zone. If they don't see you, they will not stamp your badge for the work completed.
Vlad nodded his head as if understand, and with a red face, he began stepping, climbing up with the load he had on his back.
Meanwhile, the miner returned to his station, and when arriving there, he said as if targetting the miners working.
"That kid isn't bad. He didn't complain or even said much about the difficulty of the job. Hey guys, is 20kg hard for a 10 or 11 year old kid?"
"I don't know, I have a kid outside of this camp, but I never tried to check how much he can carry. But if it's a kid of 10 years old, maybe around 10-15kgs? Why, how much did you put on the kid?"
"Twenty."
"Damn dude, do you want to kill the boy, snap his back in halves? Why would you do that."
"No man, don't take me like this. The kid was fine, look he's out from this gallery, so it clearly he can carry that weight."
"Wait, really? Wow, he's really out."
The miners continued their job with solemn faces, while Nius had a smile on his face when hearing this guy's conversation.
'Good on you, little Zagreus, it seems you'll have it pretty easy around this mines. Those two officers of mine who brought you to me also entrusted you to me, so I have to check on you and see if you are truly little Lucius's son. I also need Opheltius for confirmation.'
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Back to Vlad, who was carrying the stones with a bucket strapped on his back, he only said something simple and deep meaning while going up.
"Damned rocks. I'm barely halfway, and I feel that my legs would soon collapse on me. I didn't deliver this, and I feel it hard climbing up. Just 3 delivers, and I'm out."
Vlad was starting to suffer from the huge load on his back. He started swearing in all the languages he knew, the standard dialect of this world, going as far as Latin and Turkish.
Reaching half of the route out, he wanted to stop a bit, but a thought ran through his mind that he would never reach out if he stopped. Still walking up, he passed a group of miners who were shattering stone while under the surveillance of a guard.
This didn't stop him from cursing along his way.
"Hey kid, leave words for other times, now finish your job. Friendly advice you're wasting energy even when you're swearing like this."
"Mind your business. As long I work, you and other arrogant fucks have no reason to pick on me."
Triggered, the guard was almost close to hitting the passing kid but held back and only said. "I will remember you, kid. When you'll have me to watch over, I will surely treat you well."
As the guard said, Vlad, who struggled to keep his balance and not drop his stones, calmed himself a bit but still replied as he walked in a questioning tone.
"Oh really? Just shut the fuck up and take care of your job and we'll talk when I'm older." ended Vlad while passing the zone the guard in question was tasked to watch over.
As he passed them and distancing himself, he could only hear the guard talk.
"That's if you would manage to get older."
'If I was older, I would just crash your throat right now and stick that annoying mutt in your ass. But I have to be calm while working in such a place. Any wrong step on this floor, and I'm flying straight to Hades.'
Minutes passed, and Vlad could finally see the area where he was supposed to leave the rocks on the processing zone site.
Not long after getting out, Vlad started to spot kids around his age carrying buckets of stone that, compared to him, were nothing. They would only leave the rocks at the dumping spot while not being affected by the task.
'Wait, what? Those kids seem to have it easy. How many stones did they carry? Don't tell me that crazy guy did it on purpose?'
Thinking that, he dropped the rocks, finally having his little body release all the stress it accumulated. His back, legs, and arms were hurting him like someone was burning him.
Looking around himself, he took a seat on the ground to recover a bit, but not long that he did that, and suddenly he sensed the sound of a whip flying in his direction, hitting him around his side of the body.
"Keep working, slave. No pause allowed until the working mark is done for your batch."
Feeling the pain, Vlad exhaled a deep breath, hissing a bit in pain. Turning to look at the guard in question, he asked with a dumbfounded expression.
"Do you really have nothing better to do? Give me a break. Do you know from where I come, from deep down, you fucking retard? Do you think that I will work harder if you whip me?"
"Quiet slave. You better go now back to where you came and come back with the other batch of stones otherwise, you will get nothing to eat."
Vlad looked angry at the guard who whip him, and as he walked toward the gallery, he said to that guard.
"Motherfucker. I will remember this whip."
"And I will remember you mutt, now get the fuck down and start working."
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He went back on the same dark yet illuminated by torches route, arriving at the middle of the mine, he passed the annoying guard. The meeting went without incident. No one wanted to make a bigger deal of the conflict. Even the guard didn't want to bother with a stupid kid who didn't know what was best for him at the moment.
After 15 or 20 minutes, he started to feel the floor under his feet becoming slippery, a sign that he was close to the deepest point.
"Ohh kiddo, finally back. Are you still alive?" asked the miner tasked with filling his bucket.
Looking at Vlad, he observed a whiplash mark around the side of his body.
"Hey, kid, who is the retard who lashed you? Come tell uncle so he can take revenge for you."
"No need, sir, I will take it myself. But if you want to help me out with something, put a small quantity of stones on the bucket. I barely managed to get it out."
"Sure, kiddo. It's my fault anyway. I thought that 20kg was easy for kids your age, and you also seemed to be able to carry it. I even got laughed at and scolded by my mates here, so here I will place only 15kg on your back. How does it sound?"
"Thanks, uncle. With that amount, I can finish my task without breaking something in me."
"Hehe, indeed. Go take a break of 10-15 minutes before we start filling the bucket. Come put that crap down and come to me in the meantime. Let me teach you how the other processes of mining are like."
Vlad felt weird receiving such a warm treatment from someone strange, but he walked along with the miner until he was close to the digging site.
Getting there, the miner who looked at the other miners working began explaining to Vlad the entire process of digging and making a mine path. From the starting techniques of using the pickaxe and hutting the rocks to the standard hammer and chisel. How they had to raise the wooden logs and make support over their heads in case the mine was to start collapsing.
"So, do you understand the process, little Zagreus? It's not really complicated. It's more about working in a team. Raising the supporting logs and also clearing out the rocks. We usually take out the stones ourselves since those bastards on the upper floor don't want to send carrying boys to help us."
"I think I understand the process, uncle. But I doubt I will be able to help you much when it comes to shattering stone and raising the supporting logs."
"No hurry, once you grow up and we are tired and sick of even seeing rocks, you'll be the one to take over the job."
"Sir, I can only say that I will try my best." responded Vlad while staring at the miners shattering rock like they were bulldozers.
The middle-aged miner chuckled and took Vlad back to the rock site and tied the ropes of the bucket around his body.
After filling the bucket with what seemed 15kg, Vlad began his second delivery.
The difference between 15kg and 20kg was visible from far away. The steps he was taking looked far more stable compared to the struggling ones.
Reaching halfway, he passed the guard without even bothering with him, not willing to drop that low and be a petty person.
Climbing up for 25 minutes with 15kg on his back, he arrived at the dumping spot and slowly dumped the stones on the processing zone. Looking as he was moving slowly toward the mine, he observed that he still had more rocks on his back compared to the kids around his age.
As he finished looking around, he went back to his station and was taken by surprise by the middle-aged miner who helped him fill his basket. He also began to take out rocks. He had a large basket that was around the length of the pathway. This basket was full of stones. It looked like almost 10 times what he carried.
"Hey, kiddo, go a bit to the walls because this basket is too large for me to dodge around people. Take a break while you are down. When I come back, I will fill it for you again."
"No problem, sir," responded Vlad, looking surprised at the large number of stones the miner took out.
Reaching down, he felt his feet hurt a lot, and seeing a flat rock, he took a seat, waiting for the miner to come back.
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Minutes passed, and only after 30 minutes the miner came back while carrying in one hand the empty basket, and Vlad could see his empty hand a little bit bloody.
"Uncle, what happened?" said Vlad while looking at his bloody hand.
"Ohh, this? Don't worry, this isn't my blood. It's that retarded guard who whipped you. Hmph, he dared whip such a good and smart boy who is one of us. I didn't kill him, boy. If you grow up and feel like killing that trash, you're always welcomed."
'Ahh shit, I told him to not do anything. Now, what if that guard makes my life hard? Damn, those guys really are crazy and weird. But I like them, hehe.'
Placing down the large basket on a corner of the gallery, the miner who Vlad found out was called Andreas walked back to Vlad, ruffling a bit his hair, and tied Vlad's bucket on his back again.
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The same process happened at least two more times because that was the limit Vlad could carry. When he delivered those batches of stones, he noticed that the guard who whipped him wasn't there.
He still had some energy left, and using that, he walked back to the depths.
"Little Zagreus, why have you come back? You already delivered your 4th batch, just go to those arrogant fucks, get your badge stamped, and take a meal." replied one of those miners who was taking a break.
"I think I can carry one more."
"Ohh, you are daring, little boy. Come let me help you out with the stones since Andreas is busy with the wooden logs."
Then as he moved to the rock site of this gallery, before the miner could fill Vlad's basked, Nius was heard saying toward him.
"Little Zagreus, you better do a faked faint, so you have those staff members feel pity for you. Maybe next time, they will be more lenient with you."
"I think I don't need to fake it since probably with this one more batch, I will go to sleep."
"Do as you wish. I just told you what I would do in your steps."
Vlad nodded his head, and after having his basked tied town and filled, he began his final delivery.
The route up really felt like torture for his feet. His feet could feel every single bit of rocks, from the flat ones to the pointy ones. Some would hit his feet nerves that would shut down his feet senses, but he could only adapt and try not to make the same mistake too many times.
Passing the middle point of the mine and then after some more minutes, he could see the light of the tunnel. Breathing a bit hard, as if he lacking the strength to move, he made his way out of the mine.
Still, there was a bit more before getting to the dumping site. Using all the energy Vlad could muster to get his tired body to the dumping site, he unstrapped the ropes of the bucket on his back, and suddenly as the large weight on his body was released, he dropped to the ground.
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Finally, he fainted not far from the dumping ground. His faint was genuine. He didn't even bother faking it. The fatigue accumulated over the first batch was now telling its story on the boy's body.
'To hell with it. I'm sick of all those rocks. I want to sleep.'
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A/N: Here it's the end of the working day for "little" Vlad. We found more interesting characters who were just mentioned by the guards, the "crazy bastards" are they the miners at the deepest point of the mine tunnels? It's for you to think and believe.
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Hope you liked this type of stuff, even though I will not write too much about his suffering as a slaving miner boy. His time inside this mine will be a
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