The box we were in didn't have any windows, so I couldn't see what was going on outside or where we were. I could only hear and feel the walking of the beast that was carrying us, any attempts at talking to Alma for better enlightenment of the situation were ignored.

Our locks were fixated to the ground of the box by chains. We, the prisoners, were sitting at the back of it while two guards sat by either side of the door at the opposite end of the box.

Running away would mean having to break the chain, disable the one called Setros and the strong fat one, lift the door, avoid the other four "guards" outside and drop from a three meters height, then manage to escape from the other two groups of—probably real—guards, soldiers or whatever the fuck they were, and survive in yet another unknown environment. And all that while cuffed, and only if I planned on leaving Mina behind, which I didn't.

Mina was sitting by my left, despite all the ferociousness she demonstrated before, the girl looked utterly harmless, back hunched, eyes downward, body closed. Like the slightest movement would mean her death. I regreted not asking her more about this place, before, unfortunately now wasn't the best time to ask.

Waiting was the best option, I had to know what I was dealing with. So far what I knew was that Drak, Setros, Len, Rimni, Alma, the old man and the five other guards were in some kind of scheme together. They killed—well, Alma did—the real guards at that prison and took their role, now they were pretending, acting. I just didn't know for what purpose

After I started taking care of Asha, I tried to find ways to be better, to manage my anger and impatience, and counting—ironically enough—was what worked best for me, it took my mind off the situation. Along the years as life got better, I started to need doing it less, until I stopped completely, ever since I woke up in these caves, I've found myself falling into the habit of doing it again.

My mind drifted as the numbers followed one after the other, quite some time passed, around a hour. They didn't give us water nor food, not that anyone asked for it, except Len. His pleads on having to piss were denied three times before he threatened to do it right where he sat, and Setros looked too annoyed to just ignore him, so a few minutes after that, we stopped for a break.

When walking out of the wooden box, I was confused for a second, contrary to my previously view from above, the place looked somewhat deserted. It wasn't empty, but it wasn't very alive either, the few people that saw the creature we were on ran into corners or up houses, some looked from small holes on the structures, with a flame illuminating from within. They all looked haggard, some better than others.

The ladder was put down and we got off the balled. From the ground it all looked even more somber, constricted. The misshapen houses built from the rock, the wooden ones seeminly built at random, some even on top of the gray roots up above, connected by bridges. And the smell, the air had a faint smell of garbage and shit.

Everyone was off the creature when the man, probably their captain or something similar, talked. "We'll stay here for a few molten, form in groups of five and pick a house, each prisoner will be in a separate group," he said.

Molten?

"You two," he said, towards two men with clothes similar to his, except for a few ornamental details, and the fact that they carried a spear each, "with me, we'll be taking care of the prisoner Mika."

They pushed me along, following the man, until we stopped in front of one of the houses with the door near the ground. He gestured to one of the men, they walked closer to the door and stopped.

"King's Light! Let us lighten your home!" he said in a jovial tone.

When no one answered he looked at the captain for a second and received a nod in response.

The soldier kicked the door, which easily cracked before falling back.

Inside was dark, darker, some candles illuminated the place, but they did so in a way that only made the shadows stronger. A round table with four small bowls, four stools and some tapestry on the walls were all the furniture and decoration in the place. A man and a boy sat by the table, the boy looked scared and the man just seemed nervous.

"Not answering is quite rude, he did say who we are, right?" said the captain.

"Y-yes, we're very sorry, with how things are around here, we can never be sure..." he trailed.

"Indeed," said the captain, "but now that you know we are official, may we come in? We need a place to rest for a few molten."

"Of course, of course, please come in," he answered.

He walked in and gestured me to follow, so I did. One of the soldiers put the broken door up, then joined the other in walking around the room.

"May I?" said the captain, gesturing at the stool to the side of the boy.

"Please," said the man.

The captain sat, and again, gestured for me to do the same.

"Were you expecting someone?" said the captain, looking at the two other bowl filled with something.

"Yes," he answered, a little too fast, "they're a bit late."

"I see, you got these two stools and bowls to be always ready for guests? Quite the host you are."

"Thank you," he said meekly.

"Don't mind us, keep on with your meal."

They uncomfortably, slowly started eating again.

"Oh, what rude of me, I almost forgot," he said, "Bry, take off his cuffs."

The soldier walked up to me and used some kind of key to open the metal lock at the side of the restraints.

"So, Mika, right? We haven't been introduced yet, my name is Hadrum Tribadil. Tell me about you," said Hadrum, turning his attention to me.

"What do you want to know?" I asked. Better to let him lead the conversation, I would have time to think more if he made the questions, it also prevented me from saying something I shouldn't.

"Let's start with the way you talk, there's something odd about it."

I did just learn the language recently. Could I explain it as an accent? Did they even have another language? Better go with safe answers.

"I can't control my tongue properly," I said.

"Is that so? A birth defect?."

"Yes."

"Hm, what about your left arm? Those are some odd markings."

The centipede.

"I was poisoned by a sectioned," I answered.

"Ah, I imagine that's expected from living in the tunnels."

He believed that?

"I guess."

"Are you... dying or...?" he asked.

"No, I was, but with some medicine I managed to stop the spreading, I just can't move it anymore."

"It mus be hard, living out there without an arm," he said.

Don't talk much.

"It was."

"Are you a member of the Cleave?" he said, like it was just another question. But I knew this "Cleave" was something important to them, I had to be careful on what to say.

"The Cleave!?" the boy said, "Ar—"

I almost jumped out of the stool, but the soldiers immediately pointed their spears at me. Hadrum slapped the kid with the back of his hand so hard that he fell back and hit his head on the floor.

"Enta!" the father screamed, going for his son.

Hadrum looked at one of his soldiers—the one that didn't broke the door—and he seemed to have got whatever the message was, walking towards the father and kicking him in the stomach, the father coughed and gasped while the soldier kept kicking him.

Hadrum looked at me for a second and smiled, with a wave of his hand the other soldier stopped pointing his spear at me and kept walking around the room, looking.

"You shouldn't interrupt adults when they're talking, child, it's bad manner. I understand it's not your fault, though, your father is the one to blame, but you'll never learn if I don't reprehend you too." he said. "Now, what were we talking about again? The Cleave, yes, you see, I have the duty to..."

He kept talking but I couldn't really pay attention, the soldier kept hitting the father who had already stopped struggling, and the son didn't show any sign of consciousness.

I just kept staring at the boy, as my heart started racing and my mind tried to make sense of what just happened. My attention shifted when the other soldier started ripping the tapestry to our left, revealing a hole in the wall.

"...that's why it's im—"

"Sir. Sorry to interrupt, but I just found his 'guests'," said the soldier. He reached inside the hole and dragged a woman out, she was screaming, struggling, holding his hand so he wouldn't rip her hair out.

"Mom!" shouted a crying girl, running out of the hole towards the woman. She couldn't be older than six or seven.

The soldier pinned the mother down in front of Hadrum with one hand and the weight of his body, and used the other to grab the girl by the neck.

Crying and with a runny nose, the uselessly tried to free herself from him and get to her mother.

Illem, I heard, or I thought I heard. I noticed I was making a fist with my hands, both of them, the scales half formed on my arm, a hard layer of skin barely visible.

"Oh? No wonder the son is so rude, the father is a liar and the mother doesn't even greet her guests," said Hadrum.

"Sir, may I?" asked the soldier, expectantly.

"Hm...I do wish there was another room for it, and outside is just too dangerous," said Hadrum, thoughtfully, "but who am I to prevent a sacred act. You may."

The soldier smiled, he tossed the girl back, hard. She didn't get up rigtht away and started crying even harder.

He pulled his lower garments down, then started ripping the woman's clothes. She began wrestling harder against his grip, more wildly both in movement and sound.

"Stop hurting her!" screamed the crying girl, while gettin back up and running towards the man.

He kicked her in the chest this time, she made a noise between a cough and a gasp before falling back, pressing her chest and wailing almost inaudibly.

I was about to say something but managed to set my jaw, hard. She's okay, you'll just end up dead if you try anything, you need to go back to Asha, I thought, trying to convince myself that there was nothing I could do.

The woman was now laid naked on the ground, the soldier on top of her, before he could make the first thrust, I looked away, to Hadrum, who was staring at me. As much as I didn't want to, I could still see the woman and the soldier in my peripheral vision, even when I closed my eyes I could still hear the change in the tone of her cries, going louder then getting cut by a hiccup, all synced with the sound of his thrusts and grunts.

Illthem, I heard again, a raspy voice whispering behind me. I turned, but there was no one.

"Does this make you uncomfortable, Mika?" said Hadrum, somehow managing to sound genuinely surprised.

I didn't answer. I didn't trust myself enough to.

"Jem? Jem!?" said the father, awake again, "No, no, no, please stop it! Please! I beg of you—"

"Bry, shut him up," said Hadrum.

The soldier put the spear through the man's chest, who seemed to grab the pole in slow motion before dropping limp.

Kill them.

"Sir, I also... the girl...can I?" he said, pulling the bloody spear out.

Dark purple rings of armor now covered my whole arm, I couldn't do nothing anymore.