A tall human man in weird, ash-dulled armor scowled down at me, his fist still stinging from the blow that woke me. "I better not catch you dozing off again, dwarf we don't need lazy ones like you," The man growled, his chest plate glowing with a faint lunar shimmer. My head throbbed, ash coating my tongue, and my right eye pulsed under a rough eyepatch perhaps my [Moonshard Eye], maybe? I shifted and groaned at the pain in my right leg. My missing leg had been replaced by a makeshift peg of rotted wood and all that was left of my leg was a nub. I gripped the carriage edge to maintain my balance. The man strode off with his armored crew ahead of us.
Before I could contemplate my circumstances more a raggedy old man spoke from across the carriage.
"So Dwarf why did they send you here?"
"I-I don't remember" I answered to the old man.
He let out a sickly laugh
"Ha! The captain must've scrambled your brain, short stuff!" The old man wiped the spit from the sides of his mouth.
"Remind me, where are we again?" I asked my head still pounding from the pain.
The old man changed his expression from lively to serious. "Fort Tinia... it's a grinder. Slaves and prisoners are all forgotten by those moons up there." He points up to the two moons.
'Great just great.'
The old man returned to his previous expression.
"Now c'mon dwarf you have to remember what you did. Everyone here in some shape or form pissed off a Lunareth Monarch or was sold to them. So which is it?"
"Exiled and sold." I cough clearing my throat. "Or so I've been told."
The old man looked at me with a hint of confusion in his face.
"Well you see I stole from a Lunareth lord and now I'm here! So nice to meet you dwarf the name is Greland!"
"Korbar.... I guess, the pleasure is all yours old geezer."
We both chuckled to each other despite the bleakness of our current situation.
'Maybe the old geezer's company beat dying alone... again'
The carriage continued to ride up the path to the fort. The fort loomed, its stone walls blackened by ash, waves crashing against jagged spikes like a beast's teeth.
Finally, we arrived at the fort.
The carriage jolted to a halt beneath Fort Tinia's shadowed gate, its iron teeth gnashing the ashen sky. Soldiers' boots echoed on the ramparts, patrolling and watching over. The air was thick with the tang of saltwater and despair. My gut sank. This wasn't a new start, but a cage.
Above a silver banner with a crescent moon fluttered over the castle mocking the chains biting my wrists. Lunareth Monarch's crest I was guessing.
Guards barked orders, yanking prisoners off the carriage one by one. I was last, my hands trembling as I gripped the splintered edge, hauling myself up. My peg leg wobbled, a clumsy stump where flesh should've been, and I leapt... or tried to. Gravel rushed up to meet me, ash stinging my split lip as I tumbled face-first. Perfect dwarf debut. A guard snickered, "Look at the stump roll!" while another spat, "Fit for the mines already."
Greland's raspy chuckle cut through the jeers. "You alright there, Korby? That's a whole story for a short one like you!" He shuffled forward, bony hands outstretched to help, but the Captain who assailed me earlier loomed, his armor's lunar glow pulsing like a trapped star. "Don't help him up, old man, or you'll join him in the deep," He growled, his scarred face twisting. Greland shrank back, hunching into line with the others, his coughs rattling like broken bones.
The captain seized my torn tunic's collar, hoisting me up, his spit flecking my face. "I'm going to make an example of you, dwarf," he sneered, then turned to the prisoners. "ATTENTION, YOU LOWLY SCUM! HERE IN FORT TINIA, REMEMBER THREE THINGS: ONE, I AM IN COMMAND. TWO, YOU'LL WORK THE MINES FROM DAWN TO DUSK. THREE, FREEDOM COMES ONLY WHEN YOUR QUOTA'S MET. CLEAR?"
The prisoners shifted, mumbling nods, their chains clinking like a dirge. His grin widened. "Good. You'll be split into groups. Group A handles the leisurely task of hauling minerals to storage. Light work for the lucky. Group B works the upper mines. Group C, the lowest of the low, digs the deepest, most dangerous shafts where the moon's shards crashed deep underground. Most don't last a week."
"Now how we will determine your order amongst the groups is by a little friendly competition. You will all fight against each other to determine your place."
He kicked me in the gut, and I doubled over, spitting blood onto the ashy gravel. "Our first match pits this dwarf against his friend, the old man," He announced, pointing at Greland. "Winner joins Group A; loser goes to Group C. The rest of you, a tournament bracket. Let's make it entertaining shall we?" Guards on the ramparts whooped, coins clinking as bets flew, their laughter a jagged edge to the fort's hum.
I dragged myself up, my endurance a stubborn ember against the pain. The ash beneath my hands warmed faintly but it wasn't enough to steady me. Across from me, Greland stood straight, his hunch gone, fists raised in a fighter's stance. His eyes flickered with regret, but hunger sharpened his gaze. "Sorry, Korby," he muttered, "I need that group."
"FIGHT!" The captain roared, and the ramparts erupted in cheers. I shook my head, banishing guilt, no more living for others, this time it's me or the void. I dropped into a stance, my [Heavy Handed] fists heavy but sure. Greland screamed, charging with a swift kick that smashed my peg leg. Wood cracked, and I stumbled, my balance gone. I swung, a clumsy arc aimed at his jaw, but he dodged backwards, snatching a jagged rock. Pain exploded as it met my temple, and darkness swallowed me.
I awoke in a damp cave, a dim torch casting flickering shadows. Before me stood a tall human woman, the most breathtaking I'd ever seen. Her eyes a beautiful hue of blue, with long blonde hair. I could see her stout figure in the dimness of the cave. Her voice, husky and warm, rolled through the stone. "Gotta say I'm surprised that you're alive dwarf." She gave me a faint smile.
"Welcome to Group C."