He had been left alone in the foul-smelling Slaughterhouse for what seemed an eternity, though it was a little more than a day since the Baron and Timmy had been there. Yesterday, he had spent the entire day writhing on the grimy floor, occasionally shedding a tear. Although he recalled nothing of his past, he was certain he had never felt so powerless before. He went to bed, if the least dirty corner of a cabin could be called a bed, sobbing and crying. He awoke not feeling rested at all. His eyes were swollen, and his back was sore, but today felt different. He could think more clearly. All his troubles and the mental fog that came with them were washed away by the morning sun. Reflecting on the previous day, he felt a sliver of pride. The Baron did not like his answer at all. In a way, he had told him, ’Even though I am a Player, I’d much rather be a slave than an Adventurer like you.’ That wiped the smug grin right off his face. Perhaps being a Player has its perks.

  He recalled how Reacher’s behaviour had changed since the knights first noticed his ’Status’. He wondered how he had been able to see the ’Status’. After all, it was Becket who had slapped him that day. He figured there must be a way to check it without engaging in a fight. He was curious what the ’Status’ of the other slaves looked like, as he had missed the chance during the brawl. He also wanted to see his own, if possible. What was it? LVL 1? And PP was LVL 10 or so, while the Baron was LVL 50. Man, that’s a lot of stuff to keep track of.

  His thoughts soon became unfocused, and he couldn’t concentrate any longer. He was bored. And he was hungry. Very hungry. There wasn’t much to do inside the Slaughterhouse, and no one had brought him food or water during his time there. By now, he had already fantasised about all the different ways he would prepare the pig hanging in the middle of the room. However, that only made him hungrier, so he resolved to keep himself busy somehow. He had tried opening the door, which of course was locked, paced the room up and down a few times, and attempted to climb the walls to look outside through the slits under the ceiling, which resulted in him falling on his backside. He had to somehow free himself from his wrist bindings first. The knot was tight. He pulled at it with his teeth and even tried wedging a toe into one of the rope’s loops, but nothing worked. All that remained was to sit there until the sun set and ignore his rumbling stomach. He somehow preferred working the mines with the others to steaming in there alone. In the end, the Slaughterhouse wasn’t as bad as expected. Then again, I am a Player. Cadmun left here bleeding from top to bottom. Who knows what they do to the others?

  He had no time to dwell on that injustice because suddenly the door to the Slaughterhouse swung open. The room was filled with torchlight. Two men, Reacher and the servant Timmy, stepped inside. Without a word, Timmy grabbed the pig and took it outside. He wasn’t wearing a mask this time. Even though he’s bigger than me, he can’t be more than 15 years old.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Reacher came over to him and cut his bindings. The Mace took a look at his busted chin, but when the hand was raised to heal it, he turned away. He wouldn’t do it if I was like the others.

  Reacher lowered his hand.

  “Go outside,” the Mace said, “we’re heading back to camp.”

  When he stepped out the door, he saw Becket riding one of two horses with a torch in his hand. Beside him, Timmy awkwardly tried to hold the dead pig. The servant was not allowed to place it on the free horse, as that was reserved for Reacher to ride. As soon as the Mace mounted, they set off. After just a few steps, Timmy lost his balance and dropped the pig on the ground. Upon hearing the thud, Reacher turned to scold him but refrained when he saw Timmy hurrying to pick up the pig again. He grabbed the front legs and gestured for the servant to take hold of the other two.

  “Let me help you.”

  The servant looked up to meet his eyes. Timmy seemed surprised and hesitated. He nodded to show the boy it was alright for them to do it together.

  “Hurry up, you two,” Becket reprimanded them.

  This startled Timmy, and he grabbed the hind legs of the pig without a second thought. The pig must have been too heavy to carry alone initially, or perhaps he was just too weak from not eating for so long. Together they transported the pig all the way to the camp. Occasionally, Reacher glanced over his shoulder to check on them. They followed the two mounted knights on the various paths of the manor, crossing some fields until they descended a hill. The slave camp grew larger and larger in their field of view. When they arrived at the border of the shanty town, the knights left them on their own. They had to make their way towards the campfire without the light from Becket’s torch. The shanty town was once again deserted, and he half-expected Lydia to pop out of one of the shacks at any moment. He was reminded of his first day carrying logs with Varyan. How ironic.

  As they approached the camp, he saw a large crowd gathered around the fireplace. He recognised most of them by their faces and clothes as miners, while others wore the typical red garments for servants. There was a third group of people wearing clothes he hadn’t seen before. All in all, there must have been well over 50 people waiting for them. How will that one pig feed us all? It’s not even that fresh anymore...

  The two boys moved closer to the fire, stepping into the light, and people began to notice them. One by one, they turned around, and as soon as they laid eyes on the pig, they couldn’t stop smiling.

  “Recruit,” he heard a familiar voice call out, “you took your sweet time getting here.”

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