-Break-
Location: Íogair grassland
An almost endless pasture of grass and flowers stretches out far beyond what any one man can see, and right in the middle of that land one boy screams out in pain.
Landing on my ass, I scream out in pain and look upon my attacker, in front of me is a moving giant orange sunflower. “What the hell is going on with this bastard.”
“Do you need some help?” My roommate says as he stands behind me.
Despite how sassy his words come across; it is very clear that there was no intent behind them at all. He really makes my mouth feel dry.
“Yes, I would like that.”
“In each of those flowers as you can see, they have clovers growing out of them, and inside those clovers are different coloured seeds, we want those. But these flowers move around a lot while still stuck in the ground, so picking them out isn’t simple.”
Walking forward, the boy stretches out his hand which causes the flower to move, and in that moment with his other hand, he pulls off a clover. “The flowers follow a specific pattern, so if you pay enough attention, you can figure it out and quickly pluck the seeds.”
“That sounds like a waste of time.”
“Ok.”
Giving him an annoyed look, I stand up and say, “Just watch my razor-sharp moves.”
Running forward I grab the flower and push it to the ground, then I say, “I can pull off as many seeds as I want while it like this.”
Suddenly in my hands, the flower starts to wither, so I say, “What’s going on.”
“If you're physically violent with the flower they will die of shock, and wither immediately, the surrounding flowers will also seek vengeance.”
“Vengea?” Before I can finish my sentence, I am whipped by the other sunflowers knocking me all the back over to my roommate.
Getting up, I scream, “YOU MOTHER FUCKING FLOWERS.”
The two flowers that just hit me instantly withered, and then my roommate says, “Emotional violence will also cause them to wither.”
“WHAT ARE THESE FLOWERS, CHILDREN!?”
My roommate says, “If you raise your voice above a certain volume.”
Turning my head to face him, I say, “Let me guess they wither and die.”
“No, they just shot pollen directly into your face.”
Turning my head, I see a giant sunflower in front of me, then moments later pollen is shot from the top of the flower directly into my face.
Instantly, I fall to the floor and roll all over on my back as I itch my face. “Itchy, itchy, itchy, itchy, ITCHY!”
The flower shoots another volley of pollen directly to my face.
-Break-
After I stop itching, I sit up and say, “This really is going to be annoying.”
“If you get the patterns down you will eventually get it. Now I will be going to get my work done over there, but before I leave there are three rules, you should remember.”
“What are they?”
“First, You are forbidden from communicating with people outside your house, if you are caught doing so it will be grounds for execution. Second, the flower with purple, silver, and dark green, seeds are much more violent than sensitive and will attack rather than wither when bothered, so be careful. And lastly don’t push yourself too hard.” With those words, he walks away.
He said all of that with the same tasteless tone he says everything so I am pretty sure there was no intent behind that sentence just information, I should probably accept it all as fact.
Standing up, I say, “There is a lot to think about but right now the most important thing for me is revenge against these flowers. So come at me!”
-Break-
With its stem, it swings at me to attack, but I jump over it. Then the flower shoots pollen at me again but I lunge to my right and then lunge forward, still with no waste in movement the flower uses one of its leaves to whip me directly in my side leaving a small cut in it, but in that moment I grab one of the seeds directly out of the clover, then scream, “DIE YOU LOSER.”
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Moments later the flower withers, and I fall to my ass.
“Now that makes twenty seeds, I even got one of the rare silver ones.”
Walking up to me my roommate says, “You’re finished?”
“Yeah and I got twenty whole seeds, took me from sunrise to sundown but I got it done.”
“I see.”
“No reaction, you really are a dry human being.”
“I see.”
“Say something other than I SEE!”
“Ok.”
“I would think your fucking with me, but I don’t see you to be capable of such a thing. So now what?”
“I will take your seeds to hand in, you can go back to camp. But when you do I suggest you pick up some of the leaves you see lying around.”
“Why?”
“Because it will help us with work tomorrow.”
“Ok then.”
Handing him my seeds, walk away while picking up the giant leaves from the clovers as I go.
Soon I entered a line of people walking from the grassland back to the campsite, and eventually, I entered the campsite.
Walking with a smile on my face, I say, “I was only able to get twenty seeds today but I am sure I will be able to get quite a bit more than last time tomorrow. But it definitely would be easier if I had more to eat, all they gave me was a crappy potato and a little bit of water.
Suddenly while I walk through the campsite I hear a cry, then looking over to one of the numerous tents I see a grown man cowering with his hands behind his head.
“What’s going on?”
I hear someone mutter to the person beside them, “Apparently all of his roommates pissed off all the flowers in the area and they withered so no seeds were collected.”
“So it seems they were punished with only him being left behind as an example.”
Immediately, I walk away to my room and lie down on the floor. “I was being an idiot, I should not get comfy here because I am leaving the first moment I can.”
-Break-
Opening my eyes and sit up, saying “Looks like I got up before the bell this time.”
Turning my head to the left, I see my roommate sitting on his knees messing with the leaves I picked up yesterday. “What are you doing?”
“Preparing something for our survival today.”
“I take your word for it.”
“Also I would suggest taking your top off because it will also increase your survival today.”
“You know I would like to know what is going on toda-.”
The bell chimes throughout the area telling us it is time for morning prayers. “I guess I just have to wait till it starts.”
Following my roommate's instructions, I take off my top, but I would barely call it a top at this point. Due to all the blows and lashes I took from the plants, it has tears all over it.
But on the topic of clothes, I have noticed that all the people who have been here before us have the same clothing; a thin shirt, and thin bottoms that only go up to their knees.
I doubt our masters are kind enough to give us such things, so I wonder why they have such similar clothing.
Walking out of the room with the boy who has also taken off his top, I see a horde of people walk out as well.
As the elder of the two boys stares at the younger's face, certain thoughts race through his mind; I didn’t get a good look at his face last night but it seems he took quite a beating from the flowers as well. I guess I did pretty well compared to him. Looks like whatever he is talking about today will be easy enough for me.
Location: Scortha fields
With seeds in my hands, I dig up the dry and hard land beneath me and start planting seeds.
Our task today is to plant as many seeds as we can in these endless fields. But the big issue is that the fields are beside the giant tree I saw when I first looked into the area.
What I didn’t know was that the beautiful leaves of that giant tree increase the power of the sunlight so they shine down on me, so it is fucking hot, and because it is the leaves are reflecting sunlight everywhere the shade of the trees isn’t even working.
The only thing keeping me from falling unconscious right now is the giant combination of leaves on my back providing shade.
Looking over to my roommate who gave me the covering, I see that even on his lifeless face the sunlight is making him struggle. Even a zombie like him is reminded he is alive under this heat.
A few meters in front of us I see a man fall over and collapse. “This isn’t good if he is left out here, he will die.”
Feeling my foot move, I hear my roommate say, “Don’t move, they’re watching.”
Moments later a beastkin walks up to the man, then kicks him, saying, “GET UP!”
He keeps stepping on him while saying, “I know you shit for brain humans struggle to even understand the simplest of instructions but napping on the job is to much for even me.”
Out of anger, I move my foot forward but at that moment I see the beastkin immediately turn his head towards me.
Walking over he says, “Is there something wrong with your eyes, get back to work you eejit.”
Feeling enraged, I just stare at him struggling to hold myself back.
“Oh does this little gobshite want to end up like the manky piece of dirt over there? When the beastkin reaches me, he hits me directly in the face, causing me to go backwards.
From my mouth, I spit up some blood and two teeth.
Walking up to me stretching his arm he says, “When you get to the underworld, tell the rest of your piece of shit clan how you life when arseways.”
As he is about to hit me again, another beastkin steps in and says something to him. The language they both begin to speak is completely unrecognizable to me. Huh to my knowledge don’t all races speak the same language the Song of the Saviours?
Suddenly they stop and give me a look of disgust, then the one who hit says, “What the hell does that marquis want with these two?”
“It doesn’t matter, just get back to work.”
“I know, I know. But before that.” Picking up my leaf covering he rips it into little pieces then says, “Oops my hand slipped, now get back to work slave.”
In that moment my father's words play in my head again and again, which allows me to calm my seething rage. Standing up I get back to work.
The sun’s intensity is a lot worse now, but still, I can’t stop now I need to get all my work done I have to.
As I work my vision continues to become more and more hazy until I completely blank out.
-Break-
Location: Campsite
In the dark of the night, slipping in and out of consciousness, one boy hangs on the back of another with a leave giving shade to both of them.
The young boy walks towards his hut in the campsite, but as he does grown men stop him and say, “You're late you spawn of a traitor.”
Bowing his head, he says, “Can I please drop this person back in his room?"
The young boy is immediately punched in the face, and then the older man says, “Don’t ever think we would ever listen to a request of yours.”
Dropping the boy on his back, the young boy takes the leaf and covers him.
Then walking up to the men in front of him the young boy gets hit another time directly in the face. This continues with the group of men around the boy cheering with each hit.
The young man tethering on the surface of unconsciousness fully falls asleep, as the other boy gets beaten.