They arrived at the manor under the flickering light of a few torches. The moon cast a dim glow on the defensive spikes as they were repositioned. Without uttering a word, the knights detached themselves from the slaves and swiftly headed to the mansion on the hill. They didn’t bother retrieving the torches. Once they were out of sight, Montgomery hurled the sack onto the ground before him.

“What on earth did you do?” he demanded.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, who does then? I certainly don’t.”

The men began to gather around them.

Montgomery continued, “But if there’s one thing I know, it’s that a yelling Reacher is far less frightening than a silent one.”

A murmur rippled through their ranks.

“The dog’s stopped barking. That can never be good,” a miner remarked.

“I’ve never seen him like this,” someone else added.

They focused their attention on him.

“He wasn’t like this before we went into the cave,” another chimed in.

Montgomery asked again, “What did you do?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t know. I just asked for some water, drank too much, and then the Sword knight slapped me.”

The crowd grew restless.

“How do we know he’s telling the truth?”

“Cut the crap!”

“He’s been here one day and already causing trouble!”

“What is it? What did you tell them?” One man grabbed him by the neck.

“Hold your horses! If there’s something he knows, we can use that to our advantage.” Montgomery attempted to pacify them, but to no avail.

They weren’t backing down. Other men closed in around them. There was no escape.

“Then he’d better tell us now, wouldn’t you say?” The man tightened his grip on his throat.

I can’t breathe!

“Calm down!” Montgomery shouted. He tried to separate them, but someone shoved him aside.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Whatever it is, you just have to tell us.” The man’s grip tightened further. “Just tell us. Make yourself useful for once.”

His head began to throb. His vision blurred. How am I supposed to speak like this, you asshole?

“Stop it!” he heard someone shout.

It could have been Montgomery, but he wasn’t sure. His senses started to fade. Why are you doing this? I haven’t done anything wrong!

Suddenly, he collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. He was wheezing. He heard angry voices:

“You wanna go, big man?”

“You know something we don’t?”

The man who had just choked him lay on the ground beside him. Blood streamed from his nose, and he staggered as he tried to sit up. Behind him, he saw the towering figure of PP, ready to take on four men simultaneously.

“Bring it, you ogre!” one yelled.

PP was ready to throw punches, but none of the miners dared to make the first move against the big man, even though his hands were shackled. It was a back and forth dance of feints and attempts to punish a misstep. It was a stalemate. The first to act would lose. The man with the bleeding nose lunged at the big man from behind, but before he could attack PP, he grabbed the man by the ankle, making him fall again.

“Let go of me! The bootlicker has it coming.” The man kicked him in the face to free himself, the dirt burning in his eyes. “Fucking Adventurer pets.”

Hearing this, PP knocked the man trying to rise unconscious. As soon as he turned his back to the other miners, however, they pounced on him. One wrapped himself around the big man to restrain him, exploiting his limited movement due to the chains. The other two began punching him in the face and gut. The fourth struggled to wrest the sack containing pickaxes from Montgomery, who was still desperately pleading with them to stop. In the darkness and with dirt in his eyes, he could barely make out what was happening. We shouldn’t be fighting like this! We have to stick together!

image [https://i.imgur.com/ZKP6tsu.jpeg]

“Stop this madness at once!”

The slaves were separated. It was Varyan and the miners who had given him a torch earlier. They pulled the attackers aside, and PP repositioned himself next to him and Montgomery, ready to throw punches again. The three miners, larger than the other slaves, formed a barrier between the two sides of the conflict.

“You dare raise your hand against another miner? Have you completely lost your mind? What is this insanity?” For the first time that day, he saw Varyan truly angry. “This behaviour is utterly unacceptable!”

The man with the bleeding nose regained his composure and, upon seeing Varyan, dragged himself over to the others without a word. The attackers stared at the ground like chastised children. They never dared to challenge Varyan’s reprimand.

“You have brought shame upon the name of Blitz. I could have you keelhauled for this! If Sir Frost finds out…”

The man with the bleeding nose dropped to one knee. “Lord Blitz, I apologise. It was never my intention to—”

“Don’t waste your breath,” Varyan coldly interrupted.

The other attackers also bowed. This doesn’t feel right.

“You are to atone by carrying their load. Pick up the pickaxes, take them to camp, and clean them. You’ll be the last to dine today. Am I understood?” Varyan’s authority was unquestionable.

“Yes, my Lord,” the men replied in unison.

Without lifting their heads, they picked up the sacks and torches, their gazes fixed firmly on the ground. Varyan signalled for the slaves to move towards the camp. When the attackers had departed, PP finally lowered his guard. It was evident that he didn’t trust or follow the authority of the Blitz family like the rest. He only adhered to the Adventurer’s commands. Adventurer pets, huh?

He looked over tp Varyan, who sombrely observed the miners heading home. And how does that make us any different from being a Lord’s pet?