Lament of the Slave

Chapter 52: Talk

Strength, endurance, and dexterity were stats I was musing about, unable to decide where to place that one point I had. It took me so long to make up my mind that fatigue, the rhythmic rocking of the wagon, the clanging of horseshoes, and the silence in my mind put me to sleep. But no dreams came to me, no answer to my dilemma, nor nightmares.

I had a rough awakening, though.

When the wagon came to a sudden stop, I hit my head on the bars pretty hard. Massaging the sore spot, I took a quick confused look around with my perception, finding to my disappointment that nothing had changed in the darkness under the tarp. There were still thirteen terrified slaves crammed into three small cages and a foul smell of feces and urine. Of course, I was huddled in here with them, breathing the same air.

According to the system time, I slept for at least three hours.

It was too damn little for a good night's sleep that I so desperately needed, but enough time for Aspen to try to free me. A selfish wish considering she would be the one doing the fighting, and I was aware of that.

However, she was also the reason I was in this situation in the first place. It wasn't just self-preservation that made me want to send her into battle, it was logic too. We were escorted by only two Shadowbreakers so far, which in my opinion, was the best opportunity to get rid of them, and she blew it.

Now, from what I could hear with my perked ears, we were at a fork in the road where more members of Shadowbreaker Company awaited us. Surprisingly, Ward was not among them.

"She's..." Rutledge spoke but did not finish the sentence.

"The last cage, I see her!" scoffed one of the Shadowbreakers without looking under the tarp. His skill, whatever it was, must have had greater range than my domain because I didn't see him in mine.

Moments later, I whimpered in pain into the gag as the tarp was lifted, and I was blinded by the light that penetrated the darkness of the cages. It also brought fresh air.

"Ughhh..." the man grabbed his mouth to stop himself from vomiting.

"Let me have a look," a woman's voice came from behind him, and a moment later, she appeared beside him. "Yuck, what a stench. Someone inside had to shit themselves. Don't you dare barf at me, Jad!"

"I'm fine," he said, obviously struggling.

"Sure. That's a pretty fucked up terran girl," she remarked on my looks, not hiding her disgust.

"She looks exotic, though," observed the man, still struggling not to throw up.

My urge to shout at both of them was not worth the effort and trouble, even though I found their behavior extremely humiliating. They made me feel like an animal in a zoo, trapped behind bars, something people came to see for amusement. It was a sickening thought, but that's how they most likely saw me. Like a rare beast, they're gonna make money off of.

"Guess, that's why there's such a buttload of gold for her," said the woman, grinning and her words confirming what I thought.

"You two, what are you doing there? Move," the man with that good perception skill ordered those two.

"Tss, I just wanted to see what was so valuable, oh great leader Isaac," retorted the woman, but, in spite of her displeasure, like her fellow, she obeyed the order. The cage sank back into the darkness with their departure.

"Left," said Isaac, this Shadowbeakers leader, to Rutledge. At least, that's what I gathered from the voice that answered him.

"But that's the way through Esulmor Woods."