Tomas sat down on the wooden chair, grimacing a little as the sharp flat surface dug against him. The chairs were clearly meant for utility, not comfort. The young man cast his gaze about. The room was packed with the other survivors- the other male survivors to be precise. They sat with tired and distant looks in their eyes; there was a quiet chatter that buzzed amongst most of the people there. Tomas sensed it was mostly apprehension and anxiousness.

Most, at least.

With the unflappable Mr. Gabriel at his side, Tomas considered himself fortunate in a way. The old man was more like a constant. Like gravity, Mr. Gabriel’s existence would always be a stern lecture in not giving a shit about others. Quite reassuring when you’re trying to figure out the very frightening “what comes now?”.

Tomas and Mr. Gabriel sat at the back, and the others had been quite content on leaving them alone there. The feeling that hung in the air was of an invisible curtain that split them from the rest, a quiet separation that left the bulk of the group not quite sure whether to talk to them or not.

For their part, their focus was mostly on the Major. The man appeared to be a big-shot in the village and behaved like all big-shots, imposing and demanding attention with just his presence as soon as he entered the room.

Tomas idly wondered how the Major could get that muscular. The man looked like a bear, muscular and ready to rip someone’s arm off if the need for it came up. Or if he just so happened to shake someone’s hand a bit too enthusiastically. Where did he get all that protein from? Tomas had barely seen any meat on the breakfast menu.

“Ahem.” Huge coughed loudly, drawing everyone’s attention. “So, for a start, some good news. Last night we found one of the members of the second expedition team. He is now receiving intensive care, but… it does not appear there were any other survivors.” A stern glare followed. “We would have begun hunting for their remains, but our spotters noticed that a large chunk of the mountain came down North-East of here, and that’s triggered an initial feral rush that is coming our way. So as of right now all further search and rescue operations have been called back.”

“The what?”

“Questions at the end.” The Major waved off the person who’d attempted to speak up. “Anyway, order of business here. First the legalities. As off-worlders, the Edogia kingdom extends their warm welcome, yada yada yada…” He flipped through some papers scowling before he tossed it over his shoulder. “Look, I am not good at formalities. Short of it is that the kingdom is happy to have you, and you will be given citizenship after some formalities.” A weary sigh followed. “If you don’t want to be a citizen, you’re free to walk East through the frozen peaks since that’s the quickest route out of the kingdom from here. Or you can try to act like a more sane person and head on over to Cuenes before doing that.”

“Wait, what?”

“Questions at the end.” Huge declared, rotating his shoulders to loosen them up. “Now, like all other humans on the planet, you need food, and to pay for the food, you need a job.” His eyes swept over the crowd. “Law says all citizens of Edogia are to spend at least a year in service fighting ferals, potentially also helping in their domestication and getting them used to the whole ‘society’ thing. This can start right now, you can postpone it for up to three years, or you can pay the kingdom a small mountain of gold and have your mandatory service waved off.”

A little pause as his attention moved to Mr. Gabriel.

There was a slight smile there, and a curt nod. “For people nearing Elder Gabriel’s age, that service is automatically waved off in exchange of spending a year in the Inheritance program. Which is a fancy way to say that you get paid for sitting on your ass all day barraging a bunch of brats with whatever wisdom you’ve gathered in life.”

“Can’t say that sounds like a bad idea.” The old man chuckled, rubbing his chin in thought.

Tomas was mostly thinking over the ‘pay-off’ option in the earlier deal. Considering what they’d gone through the forest… did he have some way to gather that much money?

“Trust me, it’s not. My pops spent most of his late years doing just that. Lots of kids got a taste of his cane.” A hearty laugh escaped the Major, he took a sheet of paper and raised it, on it, written in bold letters, was the word ‘Major’. “Now, quick question, who here can read this? Show of hands please. And don’t lie because we’re going to do some tests later.”

When all hands rose, the man hesitated, the serious expression broke into shock. “That’s… ok, that’s… um, that’s great!” Another laugh followed, his mood quickly lightening. “Ok, so I was going to give a little speech about the importance of reading and writing and… hm… skipping that part I guess.” He glanced at the discarded pile of papers he’d tossed earlier, giving it a forlorn look and a sigh. “Anyway, we’ll do some basic tests, questions, try to figure out what you know, and suggest some options for the team you should probably build up.”

“Team?”

“Of maidens.” The Major replied offhandedly. “If you want to earn money, you’re going to need to work at something. No better option than to get your hands on some maidens to start your own thing and go from there. Train them from the ground up.” A moment of hesitation. “Ah, unless you want to apply to the army. Those suckers will probably give you something nice and comfortable since you’re pure humans and all that.” He waved his hand dismissively. “But I personally prefer the reclamation program. You get to pick out some nice land to claim as your own, settle down, and so long as you can pay the rent fees for a couple decades, that land and everything you put in it is yours to keep.”

Tomas’ thoughts wandered to the abandoned farm they’d nearly drowned in. The young man held back the grimace.

Hesitating, the Major made a face. “Anyway, that’s about it. If you plan to start the service fighting ferals, then we’ll get you started, give you some gear, a partner, and all that jazz.” A light shrug. “If you don’t want to take the mandatory service right away, then the best the Hunters can offer is an escort service to the bigger cities West of here. Questions?”

Tomas’ hand shot up instantly; Huge arched a brow and pointed at him. “Is there any way for us to go back to our world?”

“If it exists, I don’t know about it.” The man shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll be able to find more than a few page-lickers that would eagerly talk about the theory behind it over at the capital. More questions?”

Tomas didn’t miss a beat, speaking up before the crowd could get rowdy. “What are the chances to earn money without owning slaves?”

A long pause as the Major scowled at him. “Kid, maidens are our partners.” His brows furrowed. “Out there? With Wildlings and ferals out to eat you or worse? Your maiden is your lifeline. If you think about them as property, I can guarantee you, you’re going to die.”

“But they are,” Tomas replied, then hesitated. “No?”

“On the books, maybe.” Huge shook his head. “Look, at the end of the day what the law says doesn’t matter, half the assholes who should care don’t; and the other half only use it to stick a knife on your back.” His fist clenched tightly. “Maidens might not have a say in many things, but even a bond can rot.”

The Major took a moment, glancing around the room and noticing the quiet. A little chuckle, he relaxed. “Look, my wife is a maiden, and if you told me she’s my property, I’d laugh in your face. We’re partners.”

That seemed to ease the crowd a little, nods were shared, even if hesitantly.

“Erm.” Tomas raised his hand. “What about the… money part of the question?”

“Money? Ah.” Huge nodded a little, chuckling loudly and rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah, forgot. Hm… how to explain this…” His eyes moved around the room for a moment. “Someone tell me a job, from your world, one you think you’re great at. One you think you could use in this world.”

There was a chuckle from someone in the front-row. “Programmer.”

“Programmer.” The man arched a brow. “You mean that fancy thing with the circuits and electronics and blinking screens?” There was a sudden silence, and the people shared looks with one another. Huge noticed Tomas nodding a little, and he nodded in return. “Pitbelle.”

“What?”

“Pitbelle,” the Major repeated. “It’s a species of maiden of the Doggirl genus. Fluffy dog-ears, blond usually, nasty bite, can shock you hard enough it stops your heart. They can interact with the electronics stuff without touching them.” He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. “Last month we had some ferals trying to get to our radio beacon.” His eyes swept through the room. “Unless any of you can use several computers with your minds, a Pitbelle is likely able to do that job better. Another example, you.”

His finger pointed at one on the opposite corner to Tomas. The young man hesitated. “Ehm…?” His eyes glanced at those around him. “Farming?”

“Give me a patch of land and a hoe, and maybe I’ll be able to get a tenth of the annual yield you’d get if it were some rookie Elf.” The Major snorted loudly. “Want to try fighting? There are literally hundreds of relatively weak breeds of maidens that can put my ass on the cobblestone in two swings. Maybe shoe-maker? There are maidens that can turn plants into leather. Tracker? My niece can follow a week-old scent in her sleep. How about smith? My wife can melt steel with her bare hands.”

A deep breath, he shrugged, leaning back and crossing his arms.

Slowly, his stare steeled as it swept across the room.

“Now.” He frowned. “Unless any of you have some form of superpower…” There was a pause, his eyes flicking over the crowd- no one reacted to his words and Huge deflated slightly, apparently disappointed. “… then the one thing that sets you apart, the one job you can do that no maiden can, is making bonds.”

“What the fuck is a bond?”

The Major smirked. “Good question. I guess we might as well go over the basics.”