I’m level five now. I got into a little trouble with goblins, but this super pretty elf girl saved me. She’s angry that I forgot to get health potions. But, she’s super cute, so I asked her to party with me for a while. She agreed (After some begging on my part)! She’s so tsundere it hurts.

The workers trudged home in the setting sun, walking in straight lines back to the settlement. The Masters, wearing their thick furs, wandered up and down the lines, looking for any who fell out. They were beaten with metal staves, encouraged to keep walking. Some didn’t. They were left to die there, frozen and alone.

“There ya go boy.” Master Krell grinned, exposing yellow teeth. He handed Markus a lump of coal, payment for his days’ work.

“Thank you Master Krell.” He said, bitterness hidden in his voice.

All that work, these huge quotas, and they only give enough for an hour or two of burning. Markus thought, anger welling up in him.

The workers lined up, holding out reaching hands to the Masters, who gave them their shares. The rest of the load would be carted away on sleds, to feed the Empire’s growing hunger for coal. It seemed to get worse and worse every year. The snow fell, but it never melted. It was an endless winter.

Markus stumbled home, a meager tin canister that functioned as shelter. There, bundled in blankets, Fel shivered, turning the pages of a worn book. She was weak and fragile looking, with glassy blue eyes and boyish short silver hair.

“Fel.” Markus said as he lowered his scarf.

“You’re back.” She managed a weak smile.

“Learn anything new?” He said, crawling into the narrow home, covering the entrance with the thin leather curtain that acted as a door.

“Not really. All these books always tell the same thing.” She sighed.

“What’s that one you’re reading about?”

“The Supreme One’s ascension.” Fel said. “He led a great and powerful army against the Blessed Ones, who were tyrants that terrorized the world. After he had destroyed them, he turned on the gods who blessed them, and sealed them away. It brought about a new era of peace. Or so the book says.”

“Peace huh?” This wasn’t peace. How the hell is this peace? While the Nobles fattened themselves up in the capital, we Commons are left out here to die. “Anything else?”

“Well.” Fel said, pausing to think. “I would like to learn more about the Order of Fallen Hands. Or Ice Wraiths. Or even what exactly a Blessed One was. But, there aren’t any books on that. At least none from the ones I read.” She sighed.

“I see.” Markus sighed. “You want another book?”

“If you could get one me, then yes.” She smiled. Her smile was the only thing keeping Matkus going. If she wasn’t here, he would’ve left himself to die in the snow years ago. Like so many others.

“Any books on rebellions?” Markus asked.

“Not really. There are a couple mentions in this one, but they were all crushed. The closest one to victory seemed to have been over a thousand years ago. A bunch of rebels faced the Supreme One, and he killed them all in one strike.”

“I see.” He said. He noticed that she was shivering. She had gone all day without heat.

“How much do we have now?” He asked.

Fel crawled over to the corner, opening a small panel in the floor. Stockpiled inside were several chunks of coal.

“Thirty-eight pieces now.” She said.

“We’re going to need at least fifty to buy ourselves some semblance of a life.” Markus sighed.

“Almost there.” Fel said, crawling over to grab the newest piece from his hand. “thirty-nine now.”

“It’s going be dangerous. I already know what carriage to steal. But even then, we’re testing our luck. If we’re caught, the Masters will…”

“Send us to the Experience mines, right?” Fel said.

“No one comes out of there. They’ll make you work twice as hard, to set an example for me.”

They were both silent. The sun outside set, giving way to cold winter night. The wind howled, and the snows fell, The Commons near frozen in their metal huts, while the Masters drank away in their warm cottage. A few Commons were allowed to serve drinks. It was a reward for working hard. They were beaten there too, but at least it was warm.

Markus and Fel huddled together, their single small stove cold and empty.

“Do you want to burn some coal?” Markus asked as they shivered.

“No.” She shook her head. “It’ll be a waste. We’re almost there.” She said. “Do you think, do you think I could get more books in the Eastern Hearth? History books especially?”

“I heard that they have a royal library there.” Markus said, teeth clanging together. “Don’t know if they’ll let you in though.”

“We can make more coal there. There’s a bunch of jobs we can do.” Fel said. “I can help with transcripts and writing there maybe. You can probably do some manual labor.”

“Always planning huh?”

“It’s what I do all day.” She smiled. “While your gone.”

The night grew colder and colder. A few burnt their coal, basking in a few hours of warmth. Others, like Markus and Fel, did not, opting to stockpile it for later. A few didn’t wake up in the morning, frost stealing them in the night. And It was a cold night.