Ed awoke to the sharp scent of damp earth and the distant echoes of clanking chains. His eyes, accustomed to perpetual gloom, scanned the low cavern where shafts of weak light battled the darkness. The air was thick with the musk of sweat and defeat, but a new day within Lord Varkar’s walls meant possibilities, however grim.

"Morning, Ed," Kaynard's voice cut through the dimness, tinged with that characteristic playfulness that seemed so out of place here. "Ready to earn our keep?"

"Always," he replied, rolling his stiff shoulders back and rising from his makeshift bed. The stone floor had done little for comfort, but that mattered little now. Survival was their game, and he was determined to play it well—until the day they could turn the tables.

"Remember the rules," Kaynard continued as they walked side by side toward the mining area, their steps in sync. "We mine, we eat. We slack, we starve."

This was true enough. The guards had repeated it ad nauseam during their first week. The more you collect, the more you eat. You collect below a certain amount you eat nothing. The quota changed day to day making it impossible to cheat the system.

"Then let's make sure we're the best miners these lizards have ever seen," Ed quipped

The two men picked up their tools, the weight familiar in their hands. They worked steadily, and rhythmically, allowing the sound of metal against rock to fill their ears.

"Looks like you're aiming to break a record today, Ed," one of the other prisoners noted, a hint of envy in his tone.

"Maybe I am," Ed responded, without missing a beat. He wasn't just mining for sustenance; this was his training. If he wanted to become stronger, his body needed food. With this, he would kill two birds with one stone.

"Careful, Ed," Kaynard warned under his breath, catching Ed's arm during a brief pause. "Don't draw too much attention. We need to stay under the radar if we're going to make any move."

"Right," Ed conceded, lowering his intensity just enough to blend in, yet not enough to suggest defeat.

The morning wore on, the relentless sound of labor the only measure of time in the unforgiving underground. But as sweat beaded on his brow and his muscles ached with exertion, Ed's resolve only grew.

"Keep your eyes open, Kaynard," Ed whispered, barely audible over the din of work. "If we want to get out of here we have to look. look for opportunities, weaknesses, anything that can get us out of here."

"Of course," his comrade replied smiling, his gaze sharpening

The dust-choked air of the mines clung to Ed's lungs. A shimmer of sweat trailed down his temple, yet his grip on the wooden handle remained firm.

"Watch out!" Kaynard's voice cut through the monotony leaving him spinning on his heels.

A boulder, dislodged from above by careless hands or perhaps the cruel indifference of fate, plummeted towards them. The world narrowed to the shadow of impending doom, and Ed acted on instinct, shoving Kaynard aside with a force borne of desperation. They hit the ground hard, the boulder crashing inches away, sending a spray of stone fragments over them.

"Close one," Kaynard gasped, getting to his feet and offering Ed a hand up.

"Too close," Ed muttered, scanning the treacherous walls of the mine with a scowl. "This place is a death trap."

"Time to head back," barked a guard, the lizardfolk's scales reflecting the dim torchlight. The prisoners shuffled towards the exit, exhaustion etched into their every step.

"Hey! Leave off!" The sharp cry cut through the din, drawing Ed’s attention from his labor.

A few paces away, a commotion had broken out. A smaller prisoner, his frame slight compared to those around him, struggled against the bulkier forms of five aggressive miners. They were shoving the frail figure back and forth like a ragdoll, snatching fistfuls of the meager ore he'd gathered.

“Give it back!” The smaller one snarled. He looked to be a small boy with thin grey hair and large amber eyes.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Didn't hear ya, runt. Speak up!" one of the bullies sneered, his meaty hand gripping the young boy's arm hard enough to leave bruises blossoming like dark flowers on pale skin.

He had seen similar situations like these growing up. The strong pick on the weak to survive. It had even happened to him. When he was a boy he had to fight for himself. His father had drunk himself to death leaving his family penniless and heartbroken.

“Stay strong,” his mother told him. “Stay strong and survive”.

That was before she slit her throat with a knife leaving him alone in this world. What had he done until this point besides staying strong and surviving? After they died he had to live in the streets of Valonde like a rat. He had to resort to stealing to get by. Either that or eating the animals he had caught

The alleys were his closest friends. They were dark and private besides the usual drunks. More importantly, he had food. Trash that others would throw away would be his dinner for the night. Half-eaten apples, over-baked bread, and discarded bones were the most common. He especially hung around where the nobles gathered.

There was one time when he had caught a fat pigeon near one of the sewers. An older boy had tried to take it from him. Stinky Sym they called him. Bigger than any kid his size and smellier too. This was especially true after he kicked him into a pile of horse shit. That night the pidgeon tasted like victory.

He looked back at the little boy. There was something in those amber eyes. A hunger but for what? He seemed more animal than man. Baring his teeth, saliva dripping down, and trying to move his hands as if clawing the air.

“That’s quite enough don’t you think,” Kaynard said hands in the air. “The poor girl looks just about ready to kill the five of you in your sleep”

That was quite a surprise for him. He hadn’t expected Kaynard to be the type to stand up for the weak. Also, had he misheard, or did he just call the kid a girl?

"Got a problem, demon?" the second aggressor challenged, spitting on the ground. "You redskins disgust me."

"Enough," Ed growled, abandoning his pickaxe as he strode toward the scuffle. He had heard enough.

"Looks like we got ourselves a pair of heroes, eh?" jeered the first, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. A cruel grin spread across his face, revealing a missing tooth. “The little whelp owes us”

"Owes you nothing," Ed replied, his voice low and dangerous. He stood between the bullies and their prey, though the boy seemed more predator

"Give it back," Ed commanded, his patience fraying. The tension coiled around them like a serpent ready to strike.

" Or what?" mocked the toothless one, his confidence bolstered by the approving grunts of his cronies.

" Or I'll make you," Ed threatened, the heat of anger flushing his face.

"Let's see you try!" the larger of the two roared, lunging forward with surprising speed.

Ed quickly sidestepped the attack. The man flew into the cavern wall breaking off pieces.

“Seems like you don’t need tools, your head does just fine” Ed jeered.

He turned just in time to see another fist fly at him. He raised his arms to block it but the force sent him back.

He crashed into the walls, the rocky surface embedding into his skin. He was bleeding from somewhere but it didn’t matter. He had to finish this quickly before the guards noticed.

There were five of them. Two on him, one holding the kid, and the other on Kaynard.

Grabbing the dust on the floor and throwing it created a smokescreen for him. He used this opportunity to punch one in the guts and kick the other.

A rush of adrenaline filled him. He hadn’t had a battle in a long time and this excited him. A wide smile crossed his face and a wild fervor filled his eyes.

Everybody in the mines was watching now either stunned or they didn’t want to get hurt themselves. The guard didn’t step in either probably because he hadn’t seen something interesting in a long time. That or he wanted to see humans hurt each other. Ed didn’t care as long as he stayed out of it.

“Come on you assholes, I’ve spent too much time in this stinking shit hole of a place!” Ed screamed at them. Yes this was something new, something refreshing.

“You little shit, you think you can get away with this,” the toothless one said as he wiped away blood. “I’m going to split you from head to toe and make your little friend watch!”

He lurched forward grabbing Ed by the shoulders and tackling him to the ground. The ground rumbled again as they made contact.

Ed quickly grabbed a rock and smashed it against his opponent's head. The blood trickled down onto his face and he screamed out in pain.

He got out of the grapple quickly and delivered a strong punch to his temple knocking him out.

“That’s one down,” Ed said stretching his arm. “You’re next”

He dashed to the other side of the room and delivered a kick to his opponent's shin. He winced as he did so, the fall must have sprained something. Nonetheless, he had to fight.

Ed looked quickly to the side. The man holding the kid had dropped him to help his friends. Kaynard seems to be holding up well. He had trouble with just two and yet Kaynard seemed to be perfectly fine against three.

“I’ll teach you to look away at me!” The big man brought his whole body weight as he side-tackled Ed.

He hit the floor again wincing at the pain. His wound had worsened and he was bleeding profusely now. Stay strong and survive.

Ed tackled his knees and gnawed at them causing the man to drop to the floor. He then used the chains on his feet and began strangling him.

He began to struggle making Ed pull even harder. The adrenaline was flowing through his veins, blood pounding in his ears. He didn’t want to stop, not until he was knocked out or possibly even dead.

For a moment he stopped. Had he always been this bloodthirsty? He had believed since he was young that he was a good man. He protected the weak and helped the innocent. Maybe he had never been a good person to begin with.

His thoughts stopped when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Did you think I was dead?” said the toothless man now with one more missing tooth.

He cracked his fist across Ed’s face drawing blood. The attack left him dazed and weak. He felt the other man grab him under the pits, holding him up.

Punch after punch came at him. They burned like hot iron and felt like war hammers. He couldn’t see anymore, blood had covered his eyes. Ed knew he was going to pass out soon.

Stay strong and survive

Ed threw back his head bashing it against his captor's face. It was enough for him to drop Ed and wince in pain.

Using this chance, Ed went for the throat and pushed him to the ground. The strangling had made it bruised and weak. With one final punch, he was finally out of commission.

He quickly turned expecting his friend to help but saw nothing. Nothing except for toothless standing there. Behind him was the little kid. They had a crazed look to him that made Ed gulp in fear.

The man dropped to the floor and Ed quickly realized what happened. The kid held a pickaxe in his hand dripping with blood. He descended on the man bashing his head deeper and deeper. The blood sprayed and leaked but he was not satisfied.

“That’s what you fucking get!” The kid screamed as he drove his weapon deeper and deeper into his skull. “Fucking Die already!”

There was one last sickening crunch and the head was gone. There was nothing except for pieces of his brain and blood pooling around it.

The fighting had stopped on the other side. His comrades looked shocked to see him dead. Kaynard on the other hand looked rather pleased.

“What have you done!” They screamed ready to begin the battle anew. There was fury in their eyes and bloodlust. The kid was still driving his pickaxe into the corpse body angering them further

Suddenly a voice called out. It was another prisoner.

“Lord Varkar is coming you have to run!”

Ed looked at the corpse in front of him. It was going to take a long time to explain this one.