Sett barely registered the intruder’s presence, his eyes tightly closed. A large part of him hoped it was the guard, and a quick Ether blast would put him out of the misery. The pain was immense, far more than he expected when he cooked up this madness in his head, and regret began gnawing at his skull.

  “Great Ancestor have mercy, what have you done, Sett?!” A horrified voice he recognised as Croh’s exclaimed in a whisper, and Sett felt a hand on his leg. Croh gently pressed Sett’s shin, but that touch was enough to send an amplified wave of pain up his leg. He almost screamed, but it only escaped as a light cough as he stifled it.

  He heard the rip of cloth, and his leg was harshly lifted. The pain increased, but he knew Croh was dressing the wound so he didn’t protest. He felt the cloth wrap around the wound, each circle increasing the pain. He wanted nothing but to lose himself to unconsciousness, but he knew he had to at least get out of the latrine.

  Once the wound on his leg was dealt with, Croh set his leg down gently on the ground. That action, too, brought more pain, but he was getting used to it. Thoughts pushed through the tempest in his mind, and he slowly opened his eyes. Croh was examining Sett’s state, his expression contorted with horror and worry. Sweat streamed down the man in torrents. Sett noticed a large portion of his shirt was missing from the bottom. He picked up Sett’s hand, and ripped another strip of cloth. He tore it into smaller chunks and wrapped those around the missing strips of skin on Sett’s fingers.

  Croh reached out for Sett’s underwear and trousers on the other side of the room, and gently guided them through Sett’s immobile legs. Croh pulled the underwear up and then the trousers in two fluid actions, both of which made Sett squirm in pain. The moist cloth pushing against the wound made it burn, but Sett was grateful.

  “Can you get up? If I hold you?”

  Sett groaned and weakly swung his arm around Croh’s shoulder. His mother’s friend lifted him up, propping him upright in a sitting position. Sett bent his left knee, and tried to exert strength to get up but he was too exhausted, and the pain was still too much to bear.

  Croh wrapped Sett’s torso with both his arms and lifted, assisted by Sett’s functional leg. His right leg screamed in pain at the movement, screaming once again when he tried planting his foot down. Sett put his full weight on Croh, and the man groaned. The two slowly limped their way to the door, Sett wincing every time his right foot moved.

  By this point Sett’s vision was filled with black spots, and he knew he would be out cold in seconds. Every inch of his body throbbed with pain, and the putrid stench of human refuse now carried a smell of iron and blood, causing him to retch. Croh opened the door and he heard the guard shout something, and Croh said something back. Whatever it was seemed to have worked, because they continued moving into the crowd.

  They reached an empty spot on the floor and Croh gently laid him down on the cold, wet floor, and Sett let the darkness consume him.

  ****

  Sett rushed up the stairs to his apartment, humming a tune. He’d finally perfected the Ether control exercise Thane had him doing for weeks, and tomorrow he’d start actually working on Static Runes. There was a slight tremor passing through the ground, which was strange, but he thought nothing of it as he skipped his way home.

  By the time he reached his floor, a storm had broken out outside. He thanked his luck that he'd made it to shelter before, because the rain was coming down heavily. A cold wind made him shudder and he felt a dull pain on his leg, which was weird. He opened the door to his apartment and stopped.

  The wall at the far end of the living room was gone, exposing his home to the storm. He could see the adjacent building through the giant hole where his wall was supposed to be. On the flaming red futon, he saw the mangled corpse of his mother. His heart stopped and fear took over. He ran over to his mother, her body mutilated with claw and bite marks all over.

  “MOM! DAD?”

  Sett ran down the hallway, knocking on Mitt’s door. No one opened, so he broke through and found it empty, just the missing wall at the end of the room, like someone had ripped it out. He burst into his own room and found uncle Tecc lying on the ground, his body riddled with holes. Blood mixed with rainwater flowed through the floor, Tecc’s arms mangled and burnt.

  Sett panicked, his heartbeat resounding in his ears. The pain in his leg had grown to an unbearable level, the despair and confusion in his heart drowned him. He ran through the house terrified, calling for his father and brother. The two were nowhere to be seen, but when Sett stepped into the kitchen, another corpse awaited him. Thane lay there unmoving, blood gushing like fountains out of numerous holes in his body, much like Tecc’s. The Cupric Stone floors soaked up the blood, their turquoise hue giving way to red. Sett screamed.

  ****

  He awoke to the sight of the dull black ceiling of the slave ship, a single strip of yellow light flickering above him. His throat felt dry as a desert, his body weaker than he could ever remember. He had no strength to move, and he shivered in the cold. He could feel the heat of a fever emanating from his body.

  His leg screamed in agony, reminding him of where he was and what had happened. The pain seemed to have lessened compared to earlier, though the fever could have dulled his ability to process the feeling properly. There was a small mound of mud piled under his head, the closest thing to a pillow he expected to enjoy anytime soon. The floor was no longer as wet as before, though the humid air clung to his skin like a wet blanket.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Croh’s head. He tried to speak, though only a feeble croak escaped his parched lips. That was enough, and he saw Croh’s distressed gaze on him. He felt a palm on his forehead, and a cold tumbler against his mouth. Lukewarm water passed through his arid lips, and he drank heartily. The water tasted stale and he could feel the grains of sand in it, but in his current state it was ambrosia to his throat.

  Once the glass emptied its contents, he felt something hard move through his lips, and he chewed. He tasted stale, mouldy bread, but he ate it anyway, the dryness sucking out the water in his mouth again. He swallowed the last crumbs of bread and closed his eyes again, his body seizing the rest it needed.

  Sett woke up from a dreamless sleep feeling slightly better. His fever had gone, and he felt warm and suffocated. The pain in his leg was still excruciating, but bearably so. He could feel that a little more strength had returned to his body, though he didn’t test it immediately. He brushed his hand against his right leg to check its condition, and discovered it had swollen massively. Just that gentle examination had felt like someone stabbing him, so he withdrew his hand quickly.

  He took in his surroundings but not much had changed. Croh was no longer in his line of sight, though he could hear the man’s muffled whispering nearby. There was some more hushed mumbling from all around him. His clothes were just slightly wet, which gave an indication to how long he’d been out.

  He closed his eyes, and circulated his Ether, truly feeling it as it travelled through his body. Just as he expected, the energy hit a block in his right thigh, unable to reach his knee and beyond. The foreign objects in his thigh forcefully cut off the path of the energy. The irregular flow of the Ether around his wound amplified the pain, and he lost control over his circulation. He tried again, this time guiding it more towards his injured area.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  He knew that circulating Ether increased healing, and he attempted to do just that in his leg. For that, however, he needed the energy to circulate throughout the leg, not slam into the blockade that was the knife in his body. He could feel small amounts of Ether below his knee, which meant it had found a way there. He just needed to find the intact path, and consciously guide the rest of his Ether through there, creating an alternate flow that moved around the stored objects. He figured this would have long term consequences for his Ether circulation, even if the knife is eventually removed but he’ll cross that field when he reaches it. Even if some of the function in his leg is lost, as long as he can keep the only mementos he had of his uncle and mother, it would be worth it.

  He sent waves of Ether crashing into the obstruction, observing how it moved around the blockage. Once he noticed a few intact vessels creating a path, he directed all his Ether to follow that trail. His knee and then foot filled with energy, and he could finally circulate it through his whole body again, though he needed to consciously guide it around the keepsakes he was storing in his leg.

  The pain eased ever so slightly, but that alone showed progress and Sett opened his eyes again. He attempted to sit upright, using his hands to push himself up but winced at the pain. A hand held his shoulder and pushed him up into a sitting position. Croh shuffled next to Sett, his face contorted in anxiety.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Like shit. My leg hurts a lot. I can’t move it. My whole body aches and I feel very tired.”

  Croh only sighed in reply. He gazed into the distance thoughtfully. Sett studied the ovaloid face of a man he barely recognised in the rain. He was clean shaven, his face long and gaunt. His forehead was slowly creeping up his scalp. A pair of circular glasses rested on his large nose, one of the lenses cracked. His frame was lanky and haggard, though Sett imagined everyone here to be in a similar condition.

  “Why did you do it? What did you do?”

  “I had my mom’s hunting knife. I couldn’t let them take it. So I hid it in my leg.”

  Croh sighed again, though he didn’t argue. Sett’s obstinacy was famous to all who knew him, the Rainat killing expedition had become prime gossip at that time.

  “Do you know how long I was out?”

  “A day at least, give or take a few hours the first time. You had a raging fever and woke up for a moment, so I fed you a little. Then you slept for another whole day or so,” Croh explained.

  Sett considered his words for a moment, and willed his system page to show up. It expectedly didn’t, as they were far away from Resource II or any other planet.

  “How do you keep track of time? I can’t open my system page.”

  “I counted.” Croh’s reply raised Sett’s eyebrows, and he continued. “I started counting the seconds soon after you passed out from your … procedure. I lost count a few times, but I’m fairly certain. I started a new day every time I slept and woke up, though I don’t know how long I slept for.”

  Sett was surprised at the man’s perceptiveness. He hadn’t known Croh too well before, but he must be intelligent if he studied on Krakar I and worked in administration.

  “Where’d you get water and food from?” Sett asked after a moment.

  “Every half a day or so they feed us. They distribute bread and a glass of water to everyone.”

  “Even me?”

  “No, they refused to. They said you need to come in person. So I fed you mine.”

  Guilt gnawed at Sett, a man he barely knew had gone through so much for him. Unable to hold his curiosity in, he asked,

  “Why?”

  “Because you had a raging fever. And your leg was swollen. You needed nutrition. You need more, but that’s all they’ll give, the bastards.”

  “No, I mean why are you taking care of me so much? You’ve been with me from the start, made sure I got to the ship without doing anything stupid, got me out of that shithole after I ripped my leg apart. Why? I barely know you, man.”

  Croh sighed, his eyes losing focus as he lost himself to his memories. Just as Sett began to regret his question, he answered.

  “My parents died very young. I don’t really remember them, I spent most of my childhood in the orphanage. Your mother was one of my first friends. We met in school, and we graduated together. She was a great person.” Croh paused as he relived happier times. Sett had known Croh and his mother were friends, he didn’t realise how close they were though.

  “She was probably my only friend to be honest. I’m not very good with people. She was a storm that would drag anyone along though.” He grinned. “Anyway, I left Mupnal to study in Krakar I right after, and came back a few years later. Saecca married your father by then, and I reconnected with her. I see her in you.”

  Sett’s barely suppressed emotions began stirring again, sorrow and a distant guilt added to the tempest. His hand rested on his swollen thigh, where the knife resided.

  “That’s why I helped you. The moment I recognised you I wanted to do something for her. Make sure her son makes it through. Sapp and Mitt too, if we- I mean when we find them.”

  Sett nodded solemnly, bending his functional leg and cradling it in his arms. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Tecc’s body crumbling lifelessly to the floor. He heard the screaming child, her voice silenced in an instant. He saw Thane standing tall one moment, a corpse the next.

  His anger rose and simmered inside him, begging to be released. His Ether answered the call, roiling violently through his haggard body. His leg roared in agony, begging for revenge. Sett glared at the guards surrounding them, each of them indistinguishable from each other. He promised their deaths and waited for his chance.

  He wanted to scour the crowd for Mitt and Sapp, or someone he knew. The Throhs, Jon, anyone. He wanted to gather them together and keep them safe. He never wanted to see anyone die again.

  “Did you search for anyone else?” Sett asked Croh.

  “They don’t allow you to walk around. I scan the crowd every time I go to the latrine or to pick up food. I haven’t found anyone I recognise but to be honest I don’t know too many people.”

  Sett nodded and said nothing else.

  Sett was knocked out of his ruminating by a loud shout. A guard had appeared with three large metal drums, standing near the wall. He could see metal tumblers sticking out of one of them, and pieces of bread out of another. He assumed the third contained water.

  “They’ve brought us food. It’s our section’s turn. I’ll get something for you, you just sit here.” Croh said, getting up slowly.

  “No, I need to practice walking anyway. Help me up.” Sett held out his hand and Croh sighed. He grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. The sudden motion and his feet on the ground sent pain shooting up his leg and Sett winced. He latched an arm over Croh’s shoulder and trudged towards the back of the line.

  The line was fairly small considering the large number of people here. He noticed a lot of people in the distance sitting on the floor and staring at the food.

  “Why don’t they eat?”

  “The guards don’t let everyone come up at once. They divide the crowd into sections. It’s our section’s turn now.”

  Sett just nodded, scanning the seated crowd for faces he recognised. A few vaguely scratched his memory, but no one he knew the name of was there. Even the line in front of him was devoid of people he knew.

  He limped slowly until he reached the guard. He let go of Croh and accepted a glass dunked in muddy water in one hand. With a wince on his face, he limped to the bread bucket and picked a piece that looked the least mouldy and trudged away, avoiding any eye contact with the guards. Croh followed him, one hand on his back for support, and they both returned to their spots. The pain radiating from Sett’s leg was excruciating, but he had learned to cope with it by now.

  He took a bite of his bread and turned to Croh.

  “Teach me.”

  “What?”

  “Teach me Universal Common.”