Zan was gobsmacked. This supervisor expected refugees from a war zone to work for their safe passage?! "Are you daft and cruel?!" Zan said, raising his voice, his inner idealist no longer to take holding it all in.

"Boy! I expect you to show some gratitude to those who help you. Perhaps I will rescind my offer to teach you and your mutts a lesson?" the supervisor said while Zan's face turned first white with shock, then red with anger. Finally, Zan and his face returned to normal, some help from Winters calming him back to a talkative state.

"No. I apologize, sir. I will do the work," Zan said, swallowing his anger.

"Good! That is what I like to hear, boy! Either of you ever hear of 'dungeoneering' before?" the supervisor asked.

Zan said he had not. Winters said he had heard of it but knew nothing but hearsay.

"Simply said, it is glorified cartography and some light mining. I work for Sunstar Enterprises. A big part of the company's purpose is exploring these towers once we're contracted on a premise. Due to the quality of the work, not many people sign up for this valuable occupation. The company therefore always needs able hands to probe the depths of each tower," the supervisor talked in a way which made Zan think he had given this speech a hundred times before.

"Quality?" Winters asked, curious himself.

"The work is labor intensive. Tedious if you are doing it on your lonesome. Nothing your party of warriors can't handle easily, though, I suspect."

The supervisor then explained the exactitude of what they would be expected to do but did not go into details. He explained what they would be mining, what they would be mapping, but only in brief. "I will let my assistant direct you to your labor site and the conditions. Honestly, just go. I'm tired of looking at ya..."

"Will do, sir. Thank you again," Winters said, directing Zan to leave with him.

"I will be right with you," a woman said. "I only need some words from my boss. Wait a moment with your party, please."

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Alone and outside, Zan wanted to storm off and cuss, but Winters held him back.

"Zan, enough. What was that back there? Are you trying to get people killed? I didn't ask you to come with me on this engagement so you could act your age and mouth off to people we desperately need to help us. What were you thinking?" Winters said, demanding answers.

"I was thinking we would shove off past him anyway. We have people to protect. We have the swords, the shields, and the numbers. What does he have? Workers unwilling to take up arms and defend their own home. We shouldn't have to accommodate walking, talking piles of traitor."

"You are proposing, then, we simply force our way through this place by sword's tip?"

"Yeah, why not?"

Winters regarded Zan cooly. He took a few steps to Zan until he was in front of the boy. Then, with great restraint but well-forged practice, slapped the boy from one side of his face clear to the other. Zan's whole head erupted in pain.

"I expect more from you." Winters said. "Men of the king do not behave like barbarians. Or like your rebel friends. The men who run this tower are directly allied with our king. We will not do anything to jeopardize this, wild plan or no. You will learn this." Zan turned away and cried a single tear. Not for the pain he felt, great as the swelling red throbbing felt, but he shed his tear for the shame he felt at letting Winters down in his eyes as well as his own standing.

Until the supervisor's assistant returned for them, Zan stood by himself, clearing his head.

He took a deep breath and exhaled. He repeated this several times while trying to clear his head and sort his feelings.

The Colonel is right. I am here as a free blade fighting under the king's banner. I have to listen to Winters and how he wants the job done. Whether I agree with how he does things is irrelevant. Zan thought this while he leaned against the wall, shaking with rage as he thought of the supervisor's nerve; the way he casually exploited refugees for cheap labor. It was sickening.

"No more. I let my pride show and it cost me face. I will behave myself," he said to himself, composing himself after his precious moments alone.

Returned to Winters, who was getting back himself from talking with his direct subordinates, Winters asked the youth "Feeling better?"

"I am. I had a moment, but I am back to my normal self. I'm sorry, sir." Zan replied looking directly into the Colonel's eyes; to show he meant it.

"Good. Because while we were meeting with the supervisor, a less-than-ideal development occurred."

"What does that mean?" Zan asked.

"Look at the sky and see for yourself," Winters said, motioning toward the sky.

Zan looked up and saw an airship. On its side was the banner of the New Woodland Expanse.