Chapter 24: By the Lake
"Another factor that kept Maceria afloat are its slaves. Slaves, in Atraidan, are everywhere. Slaves form part of any country's economy. In the Obsidian Empire, slaves work the households, the mines, and the forests. Without them, this Empire, this kingdom, would have fallen long ago."
-History Lecture Series 516, Lady Martina Trevovsky
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Somewhere deep underground
16 Aramar 11 AE
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Drip. Drip. Drip.
The monotonous dripping gave a lulling mood. Yvaine was so tired she just wanted to continue her rest.
"Cadan!" The name sounded familiar. The voice sounded familiar. Cray.
Yvaine snapped to wakefulness as Cray's voice echoed all around. He sounded far away. He's looking for her. Her body ached all over. She felt every part of her limbs, making sure nothing was broken. She's badly bruised and had a few cuts, but otherwise, she felt that she's fine. And soaked to the bone.
Yvaine slowly opened her eyes. The sky above her was pure black. No. It wasn't the sky. It was the mouth of the chasm that she fell into. As the blackness seemed to just stretch endlessly above, they must have fallen a long way. Other than Cray's previously echoing call, everything else was eerily silent. And dark. Yvaine's mind immediately registered her plight. They were deep in the abyss. She silently cursed Cray's blunder. Fortunately, the buffoon seemed to realize his mistake and did not repeat the shouting.
The smooth large rocks on the groundfloor barely budged as she weakly sat up. Her thin slave garb stuck to her skin, soaking wet, making her cold. Everything was dark. But her eyes are used to the dark. She was at the bank of a small underground lake. It was more of a pond rather than a lake in terms of size. But it must be quite deep as it was able to successfully break her fall.
A few paces beside her lay a large mass of black. The mass of black stirred and Yvaine finally registered it to be a body. She only ever saw his eyes behind a black mask and a black hood that fit seamlessly into his black garment. But Yvaine easily recognized the Gale. His mask was still on but he was unhooded, exposing a tanned bald head.
The Gale hacked. His hands languidly struggled to lower his mask. When his mouth was free, he coughed up some water as he heaved his body up. He didn't seem to notice her yet.
The Gale was a mystery to the miners. Yvaine was probably the first slave to see his face. And she immediately understood the reason behind the mask. She managed to hold her gasp at the unmasked being beside her. He had a reptilian snout in lieu of a nose and his mouth stretched all the way to his ear. The Gale was a Nagakin.
A movement from across the underground lake caught Yvaine's attention. The Gale immediately lifted his mask back and looked at the source of the commotion. Yvaine likewise silently shifted her head in the same direction.
Cray. She easily recognized his shadow from this distance. And another figure was with him. The silhouette was a little shorter than Cray. Erik.
In a few seconds, they covered the distance. Erik crouched beside the Gale, helping the man sit up. Cray ignored them both and crossed over to her side.
"Oh thank the Bowmasters," Cray said, barely a whisper as he crouched beside her. "Are you all right?"
Yvaine nodded and looked at Cray's shoulder in response.
The spear was no longer there and in its place was a rough bandage covering the wound. Blood seeped through the cloth but otherwise, Cray looked fine.
"I'm fine," Cray said. "It'll take more than this to kill me."
"It could still kill you," Erik said. "If you do not treat that, the infection will give you a slow death."
"Granted the Grouls don't get me first," Cray replied.
"Aye."
"I need to be with Yekob," the Gale said. Everyone looked at the man.
His hood was back on. He was staring at the black ceiling. To the settlement that was now way above their heads.
"You seriously think about that?" Cray scoffed.
"Yekob needs me."
"First," Erik interrupted. "We need to find a way back."
"I wouldn't hope if I were you." All heads turned back at the source of that deep and loud voice.
Everyone recognized it. It was the last thing they heard before the explosion and the ground gave way.
A man in full explorer gear was approaching them from behind. He had a silver chest plate, vambraces, and sabatons. Yet despite the apparent metal boots, his footsteps were strangely silent. He carried a ridiculously large sword over his shoulder. Or was it a cleaver?
The Gale was up in a moment, crouched, in the defensive. Erik was likewise in the same position. Cray and Yvaine just remained as they were. Dumbfounded.
"You!" the Gale hissed.
"Do you seriously want to scuffle here?" the man said, noting the Gale's and Erik's stances.
Yvaine took his meaning. This was dangerous territory. They should not make unnecessary noises. But she did not understand his casual speaking volume. The man was dangerously loud.
"Does it matter?" Erik whispered. "Your voice could be heard for miles."
"Oh, I don't mean the Thralls. I killed the closest ones so we should be in the clear for a few hours. I mean this." He hefted the giant cleaver of a sword a little. He was the only one armed among them.
Erik relaxed his stance. "Oh. That didn't —"
The Gale sprung into action.
The man and the Gale disappeared into a blur. Yvaine was too tired and too weak and too uninterested to follow them. She already knew the outcome. The Gale could not catch her. And this man certainly radiated power she has never felt before.
True enough, the battle was over in less than five seconds. The Gale slumped back to the ground, unconscious from a blow to the back of the head.
"What about you, junior?" the man looked at Erik.
"I'd settle for diplomacy right now, if that's on the table," the settlement sentry guard replied.
"It always was. Sit down."
The guard obeyed, sitting beside Cray. The man casually tossed his giant cleaver sword to the side which then disappeared. The air seemed to distort for a while before consuming the massive object into nothingness. Magic. Yvaine knew this man was fearsome.
With mouths agape, all three looked at the man standing before them. Yvaine knew Erik and Cray must have felt it too. That overpowering feeling of hopelessness. That overwhelming radiation of strength.
Then it was gone.
"Can't be too careless down here," the man said. He squatted before them. "So, will it be introductions? Or down to business?"
Yvaine blinked. What? He seemed unusually friendly.
Cray finally found his voice. "Who are you, Ser?" His bravado was gone. He literally trembled before the man.
"Ah," the man slumped down on his backside. "Introductions it is. I'm Teck."
"The merchant?" Cray asked. "Why? How?" Teck raised a palm and Cray quieted.
Yvaine wondered that too.
"Introductions usually involve an exchange of names," Teck said. "I said mine. What are yours?"
"Erik."
"Cray. He's Cadan." Cray indicated Yvaine.
"Hmm," Teck finally regarded Yvaine. "Is he mute?"
"Yes." That response was expected. Cray has never heard her speak since he came to the mines five Reapings ago. She introduced herself by writing the letters of her name on the ground when they first met.
"But he's fast," Teck remarked offhandedly. He must have been observing their fight.
"I," Cray started. "I didn't know that." Yvaine understood Cray's confusion. She was confused herself. In all her ten years of existence in the mines, she has never experienced that kind of battle before. Granted, it was the first time she faced off with the Gale.
Erik, however, was unnaturally silent about the matter.
"It's a wonder he hasn't been harvested yet," Teck said.
"What?" Cray asked.
Teck looked at Erik. Erik just stared back.
"Well, lad," Teck said to the guard. "Seeing as you'll be stuck with us for a while and they're as good as my property now, you can tell them."
"Tell us what?" Cray asked.
Erik looked at Cray. Then at Yvaine. His tightened jaw indicated he was having a hard time.
"They're not your property yet," Erik finally managed to say. Teck's eyes widened at this. He obviously did not expect this statement from the guard.
"You heard the terms of the mine supervisor," Teck said.
"Yes, but Cadan here was tagged. So technically, you only own Cray. Cadan still belongs to the Empire." Teck visibly winced at that.
Yvaine tentatively touched her shoulder. The chalk mark was no longer there. But the Gale did tag her in the end. She was not yet free.
"Aye, you have a point there." Teck rubbed his chin in thought. "But I prefer him over this monkey. Can't the customer ask for a change in his purchased goods?"
"What?" Cray had to interrupt. He was ignored.
"You will have to renegotiate with the mine supervisor in order to do that," Erik said flatly. Silence. Teck eyed the guard. But Erik stood his ground.
"I will consider that," Teck finally said.
"Though I must ask," Erik said. Yvaine saw a smirk flash in his lips which quickly vanished. He seemed to have figured something out. "Why are you here and not in conference with Yekob?"
"Because he's a cheat," the Gale said out of nowhere. He limped back to the small circle of people beside the lake.
Yvaine wondered about the Gale's welfare and feared he might stir up trouble again. But Teck did not seem to mind him. In fact, he seemed to have expected and sensed the Gale rousing from his stupor.
"No, I am not," Teck said smiling, without looking at the approaching man. "I will pay him eventually. We agreed on the amount. And it's not something I can bring to such a place."
"Liar." The Gale finally settled beside Erik.
"Believe what you will," Teck said. "But as of now, I say I own these two and if you want to stop that from happening, you will have to claim them from me."
"Bah!" The Gale said loudly. "What do you want, merchant?"
"Good," Teck remarked. "Now we're on to business. Do you have a name, by the way? Or is it just the Gale? Do I have to put 'the' before Gale? Or can I call you without the 'the'?"
The Gale just jeered at him.
"You know what, I'll call you Gil." The Gale just ignored this.
"Both of you," Teck looked at Cray and Yvaine. "From now on, he's Gil. All right?" The two slaves nodded in response. "You better get used to it, because we'll all be watching each other's backs down here."
"Wait," Erik protested. "You don't mean to tell me –"
"Yes, my boy. If you want to live, you will all have to accompany me to Thurim."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
antonvalentyne
antonvalentyne Hey, everyone! Here's Chapter 13 (or 15, if you count the prelude and prologue). I had a lot of stuff going on. So, apologies for the delay. I hope you didn't miss anything too much and that you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. As always, any form of support is appreciated. Much thanks :)
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