Lament of the Slave

Chapter 51: Tough Choice

I sat down on the floor of the cage, curled up and holding the ring in my hand with which I did not know what to do but hide from the eyes of others. As the guardswoman closed the cage door, I looked up just in time to see the enchantment on the bars light up for a brief moment, thus sealing me in.

The glance at my cellmates, who tried to keep their distance from each other despite the cramped space, showed me the sad truth. Everyone had collars on their necks. None of them were a [Slave], though.

I could only wonder why they ended up as slaves. Was the man a thief? Did the short woman kill her husband? What about the young girl, had she accumulated such debt that it was enough for a collar around her neck? I had no idea, and quite possibly, they were here for the same reason as me.

Not sold for experiments, of course. But falsely accused and put into slavery.

I flinched as Rutledge struck the bars next to me. "Listen, bitch. Until I tell you otherwise, you won't move a muscle, you won't make a sound, and you won't use any skill!"

He didn't even bother to wait until I acknowledged his command, knowing full well that it was almost useless. Plus, if he really meant it, he would use my name in the order.

It made me wonder if this crew of idiots had something planned behind the Shadowbreakers' backs. After all, Rutledge hadn't told Ward about the insufficient strength of the collar. Hmm...

On the other hand, the half-baked order could be his negligence, which he proved to be no stranger to, and had nothing to do with the ring in my hand.

I looked up at the blue sky just before they threw the tarp over the cages, plunging my small cubic world into darkness. Immediately a terrifying thought that this might have been the last time I saw the sky crossed my mind.

My heart sank even deeper as the wagon moved, forcing me to think about the things I've been through here, the people I won't see anymore, and the horrors that await me. It made me ponder about my life, whether it's worth fighting for. It would be much easier just to replace the [Never-Dying], and I don't know ... bang my head against the bars until my brain becomes mush. I was aware that there are better ways to die, but I felt like doing that right now, anyway.

I was so depressed I couldn't even decide whether to wear the ring.

In the end, I took the risk.

Though, as time went on with nothing happening and the wagon no doubt neaing the gate, I began to question the ring's purpose. If I wasn't wrong and it was indeed a magical tool, it required mana to function. Mana, which was bound by magical shackles. I couldn't even use my spatial ring, let alone this one. So, what was its purpose?

I slowly came to terms with the fact that the ring was just another mistake made by the guardswoman.

Therefore, when I heard a female voice in my head, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"If you can hear me, tap the bars once," a woman told me. I was so shocked that for a moment, I thought I was talking to Traiana. I almost started bowing to the heavens. But her following words proved me wrong.

"Shit! Does this damn thing work at all?" she cursed, and I knew the one talking to me was the guardswoman, sitting at the front of the wagon.

I swore, too. I heard her, but tapping on the bars was easier said than done. Despite Rutledge's neglect, it meant a lot of effort for me. Yet, in the end, I did it and taped the bar with the ring itself still on my finger.

"Okay ... good. Well, in short. Since you can't use mana, only I can speak. One tap yes, two no. Do you understand?" she asked me. Her distress was quite distinct in her inner voice.