15 A miner's start
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 for the grime that covered him, one could easily overlook his role as a miner, especially if he eventually found a way to break free from this place.
And then there's the substantial heap of mined rocks resting right beside him, a tangible testament to his unrelenting and vigorous mining efforts. Remarkably, he has spent as much time here as I have, yet his proficiency in this task is nothing short of astounding. There isn't even a hint of exhaustion evident on his features.
Apparently, following my departure from the armory with Gulfram, he guided me to a shed. There, we met up with Little Fish and the others from our group who had accompanied us from the barracks. It was then that Gulfram explained to us that this shed would be our new residence.
It didn't qualify as the most ideal dwelling. Its size was compact and confining, riddled with holes and gaps that seemed to appear almost everywhere. Additionally, its foundation was far from stable, relying on a sparse collection of ropes and several rusted nails to maintain any semblance of structural integrity.
But it's an improvement over the cell in which we resided back at the barracks.
After familiarizing ourselves with our new home, Gulfram appointed an 'overseer' to maintain control over our group, just like the others that came before us, every miners in here has their own overseers, their responsibility was to ensure that the miners under their purview adhered to their designated areas and shifts. Most importantly, they had to meet the daily stone production quota. These stones were to be delivered to workers outside the mining area. Any shortfall in performance would result in disciplinary action, affecting both the overseer and a select number of miners under their supervision. While the exact penalties weren't detailed by Gulfram, none were eager to incur punishment, particularly on their first day.
That role eventually fell on a middle aged man named 'Arde', back in the barracks, he is known to be a simple and honest man, yet I didn't know why he was sent in the dungeon in the first place. Fortunately, everyone had no qualms about him rising to the position of 'overseer'. In addition, Arde, and the rest of the overseers inside the quarry would regularly meet with Gulfram to give their reports by the end of the day.
I find this role exciting yet tiring at the same time.
With that accomplished, Gulfram ultimately assigned Arde our initial task for the day. And so, it is this directive that presently has me here, engaged in chipping away at rocks until the sun sinks below the horizon.
Giving him a brief smile, I slowly turned away from Little Fish before lifting my pickaxe from the ground and resumed bashing it upon the boulder in front of me, each strike producing clangs and thunk accompanied by the scattering of tiny debris.
Seconds passed, then minutes..
Lost in the passage of time, I was jolted from my focus by the familiar voice of Arde calling out to us. As I blinked a few times, the alterations in my surroundings became apparent. The temperature had plummeted, erasing the memory of the sun's scorching heat. Instead, a pervasive chill had settled, enveloping me in its cool embrace.
It didn't take me more than a second to realize that the once dominating sun above is now descending on the horizon in the distance, casting a mix of orange and gray on the vast sky above. At this time, the moon and a few several stars are already up, a small glow around them as they hover above, as if staring at us down below.
If only I possessed knowledge of astronomy, I could have attempted to align the constellations of my homeland with the stars and their configurations in this unfamiliar sky. Such an endeavor might finally provide the answers I both crave and fear. Yet, in truth, am I actually prepared to accept that 'certain' conclusion and subsequently adapt to the times that lie ahead?
Probably not.. I'd kill myself right now if that's the case.
Exhausted and drained, I slowly limp my way back towards the assembling group, noting that nearly all of them share my condition. Little Fish and a select few, however, seem to be exceptions, probably capable of enduring a few more hours of work before succumbing to exhaustion.
Little Fish and a handful of others nodded in my direction, and I reciprocated before joining their ranks. A surge of anticipation welled up within me as I shifted my gaze to Arde. Despite his attempt to maintain a composed expression, it was clear from the quiver in his form and the restless interlocking of his hands that he was clearly nervous.
With a sigh, Arde began to say something to us, though I couldn't understand his shaky and crumbling words, it is already obvious he's trying to give us instructions.
Instructions to return home and finally rest I hope..
When Arde was done speaking, I took a glance at my fellow miners, expecting them to pack their tools and start moving down the hill, but instead, they all turned towards the cliff wall behind us and starts making their way towards the pile of mined rocks that littered the ground.
Oh right! I almost forgot them.
Before long, each of us began to gather the fruits of our mining labor into a compact clearing nestled between the cliff-wall and the pathway, a large pile of rocks now forming in the process.
The look of disappointment in Arde's face is clearly visible as he eyed the small chunks of mined rocks I pushed into the pile. Clearly he wants to say something, but eventually decided against it.
It's not like I can do anything about it! With most of my strength and energies sapped, not to mention the unavailability of my left arm, I couldn't work as efficiently as the others.
The sense of uselessness and helplessness quickly swarmed over me as I considered the thought
If only....
If only, I was...
With a sigh, I just nodded my head at Arde before placing the most apologetic look on my face. My visage only screams one thing: cute and deadly.
That was until the sound of approaching hoofbeats echoed from a distance.
Oh, that's a...
The rhythmic clopping of hooves and the creaking of wheels now clearly audible as a wagon emerges from a pathway and begins slowing to a stop in front of us, the handler, clearly not a miner, waves at us before getting off the wagon.
He and Arde initiated a conversation, and after what felt like a brief moment, Arde took charge and began guiding us in loading the stones onto the wagon.
After everything was loaded, the handler hopped on the wagon before moving once again back towards the direction he came from, leaving us to ourselves.
I can already sense my muscles straining and my limbs burdened, with every motion, even the slightest, demanding a substantial amount of effort and accompanied by pain.
Fuck.. if this is going to happen every time I go to work, then...
I swiftly dismissed such thoughts from my mind; there's no benefit in further demoralizing myself. In fact, this could hold potential benefits. I require the physical exertion to enhance my strength, and this could serve as valuable training for me.
Suddenly, a familiar voice reached my ears from nearby. Swiftly shifting my gaze in that direction, I spotted Arde once more. However, this time, it appeared that he was gathering the others to finally head back.
Taking a long and deep breath, I followed them down the hill despite the heavy pressure in my limbs, passing groups of miners who were probably on their way to their night shifts, along with the occasional passing wagons. At this point, the sky had already darkened, the stars illuminating the dark expanse above like scattered lanterns.
With a sigh, I trudged beside my fellow miners, ready to spend the rest of the night resting along with them.
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CHAPTER DONE!!
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A/N: School's gonna eat up a bunch of my time from now on, it's going to be a 3-5 chapters update every week starting now, and I apologize for any delays. I hope you will all understand, thank you!
