Kneel

The workers scattered, dropping their tools and rushing forward. 

Ryker grabbed Kael by the jacket and pulled him after them. The urgency in his grip was sharp, a sign that there was no room for hesitation.

Kael stumbled behind him, confused by the swift movements of everyone around him. 

His heart was pounding in his chest, but it wasn't fear. No, it was anticipation—a kind of dread that had no clear reason. His stomach twisted, and he instinctively knew that the arrival of the officials meant something more than just another exchange of goods.

As they reached the front of the cavern, Kael could finally make out the officials. 

The figures were silhouetted against the soft glow of the cavern's light. White linen robes, flawless and blindingly clean in the dust-choked air of the mine. Their faces were obscured by featureless masks, stark and unsettling—just smooth, unbroken dark glass surfaces. 

At least ten of them had entered, their steps measured and deliberate as they marched into the heart of the cavern. Kael eyed the rifles they carried, which glowed with a neon blue. 

Against the worker's pickaxes and shovels, those guns were an overwhelming force. 

The workers around him, those who had lived with the crushing reality of the mines for so long, didn't seem to react beyond their expected obedience. 

It was as if they'd been conditioned to this exchange, like clockwork. But Kael could see the subtle tension in their posture—eyes that never met the officials' masks, hands that trembled slightly as they stood at attention.

Then, from the front of the line, Elysia stepped forward. She moved gracefully, as if born to this ritual. Her posture was perfect, her face carefully neutral.

She knelt in front of them, her head bowed, her voice even as she spoke, "Great officials, we have mined the required obsidian. Please take it from us as a sign of our devotion to your cause."

"Five tons of obsidian, correct?" One of the officials spoke up, their voice slightly muffled from behind the mask.

Elysia nodded, her face stone-cold.

"Double it for next week," said the official, his tone devoid of empathy. "We are seeing a shortage from the other mines."

Elysia's expression didn't change, but Kael noticed her jaw tightening ever so slightly. She didn't look like she had a choice. "Understood," she said flatly.

A murmur rippled through the crowd of workers.

"W-what!?" Someone spoke up from the crowd, their voice tinged with disbelief and anger.

Elysia's eyes immediately snapped toward the source of the interruption—a middle-aged man, his hair a dull gray, caked in dust and grime from years of labor. 

The sight of him, this man who had likely seen countless horrors in the mines, standing up now was something Kael didn't expect. But there was no fear in his eyes—just pure defiance.

The atmosphere in the cavern shifted instantly. The workers around them stiffened, some glancing nervously toward the officials.

Shushes and whispers rippled through the crowd, but the man didn't back down. He stepped forward, his voice rising as he addressed the officials. 

"Why should we be punished for the faults of other mines? We have kept to our regiment for years. Never once have we missed a shipment."

Kael could hear the bitterness in his voice. This wasn't just about the increase in quotas—it was the weight of years of tireless labor, of sacrifices made with nothing to show for it.

Ryker eyed Kael, as if telling him not to move a muscle.

"And what is your name?" The official called out.

"Tuck. Why should we be punished for the faults of other mines? We have kept to our regiment for years. Never once have we missed a shipment."

"It is an order. Of Royal decree."

"I've laid down my life for these mines. For your Royal decree. How much more will we be punished?"

The officer took a step forward, his posture tightening. "It is not to be questioned, old man."

"I have accepted your orders time and time again. I'm one of the oldest workers here in these mines. But I will not do this extra work."

The officer raised a hand, and two of the officials raised their weapons.

"Tuck, kneel!" Elysia shouted. "Right now!"

The officer looked at her. "Silence, Elysia."

"Shoot me," Tuck taunted. "I stand by my point."

"If you die, you leave more work to your friends. If they are unable to get that output of obsidian, they too will be punished."

Tuck didn't move, staring at the official with defiance gleaming in his eyes.

But then, the official lowered his hand. The rifles stopped glowing, and the workers exhaled in collective relief.

With blinding speed, the officer stepped forward and struck Tuck across the side of the face, knocking the man to the ground. 

Tuck didn't cry out, nor did he fight back.

The official slammed a boot onto the man's face twice before stepping back, crimson blood now splattered on his pants. 

"Anyone else have something to say?" The official asked, daring anyone else to speak.

Kael didn't move a muscle. None of this was fair. But what could he hope to do against a squad of armed men?

Silence filled the cavern, and the official seemed satisfied. "Load up our transport. We're on a tight schedule."

"Understood," Elysia said. "Ryker, Yorin, Nella, Chavyn. Let's get this obsidian loaded up!"

Ryker gave Kael a warning glance. Stay put. 

Kael stood still, watching the five workers follow the officials. 

As soon as they were out of sight, he rushed over to the man, who lay in a growing pool of blood. 

His face was partially crushed, a broken nose and already bruising eyes. A few of his teeth had been knocked out and lay on the stone floor.

"Tuck," he whispered, putting a gentle hand under the man's head. He was still breathing, but seemed to be unconscious.

"Get out of my way," a high pitched voice said. A boy around his age knelt next to him, holding bandages. He began wrapping Tuck's forehead. "I've got it from here."

"Will he be okay?"

"I doubt that'll be the last of his punishment," the boy said, his eyes unblinking as he worked. Something about him seemed distant and indifferent to what had just taken place. "The officials will never forgive what Tuck did today."

Kael stood, wiping the man's blood on his pants. So this is the punishment for retribution. I won't ever step out of line, Kael decided. 

Never.