by Aaron Oster
It took him another hour to finish sweeping by the entrance to the village, after which he was forced to spend his time off working in the kitchens. It was hard, back-breaking work, as they went out of their way to make him move the heaviest items. This seemed to Roy as particularly cruel. When a Martial Artist reached Yellow-Belt, their bodies were reinforced with Essence, giving them more than natural strength and endurance. Or so he guessed based on watching them work. He’d never been taught anything about the Martial Arts, as they would be wasted on him.
Any one of them could easily have moved the massive cauldrons, carried the heavy sacks of rice flour or shoveled charcoal into the fire. They could have given him an easy job, like cutting vegetables or watching over the cooking pots, but they always insisted on working him to the bone. Their argument was that it wasn’t their fault he was a freak, and if he was normal, such tasks would be effortless.
It wasn’t all bad though. When he worked in the kitchens, it was always easy for him to pilfer food. And since his pay was now being docked for two weeks, it was now more important than ever to do so. He’d saved up some money, but it wouldn’t be enough to get him through two weeks, plus the week it would take for him to get his money once they did start paying him again.
Once he was done in the kitchens, he had fifteen minutes to eat lunch and give his aching muscles a break. Then, he was off to the water pits, where the Martial Artists of the clan would cultivate Water essence. Here he would have to shovel away all the mud that had been churned up by the practicing youths and spread a fresh layer of gravel along the bottom of the shallow ponds.
Despite this being the most difficult of his daily tasks, Roy enjoyed this one the most. He would spend over four hours calf-deep in water. The gravel felt nice against his toes and it was always shaded from the harsh sunlight. The clan made sure to keep an ample supply of bamboo growing around their cultivation ponds, to keep evaporation to a minimum and to provide shade for their members.
It was nearing evening when Roy finally finished his task and put away the shovels and bags of gravel. He noted that the gravel was growing low and he would have to leave the village and gather some in the next day or two.
This was a rare occurrence and one he enjoyed more than anything. He’d go far enough away so that no one would be around, but not so far that he’d be in danger. He wished he could do so more often, but he was kept too busy to leave. Gathering gravel was an all-day trip and he would have to report it to Shah Shota, the elder in charge of keeping the village maintenance.
Out of all the people in the Shah clan, Roy disliked the old man the least. He couldn’t say that he exactly liked him, but Shota would never go out of his way to make Roy miserable. That being said, he never went easy on him either and never scolded anyone for being cruel to him, not even the children.
As Roy limped over to the pavilion from where Shota directed his workers, he heard the sound of laughter coming from the direction of the village entrance. He grimaced as he recognized the voice as belonging to Koya. If he could pick someone he hated more than anyone in the clan, he would be at the top of his list.
He was two years younger than Roy, but as a Yellow-Belt, he out-ranked him within the clan. Not that it was any great accomplishment. Most five-year-olds out ranked him. Koya however, seemed to take his presence as a personal insult and would go out of his way to make Roy’s life a living hell. Though he’d never outright attacked him, Koya had, on accident of course, caused Roy no less than fourteen visits to the infirmary over the last two years.
He’d also broken several of his work tools, forcing Roy to pay to have them replaced and had broken the flimsy door to his house every time he’d come to fetch him for some menial task. He’d always apologized, saying that he didn’t know his own strength, but Roy could see the malice behind his eyes every time he did so. In short, Koya was a bully who enjoyed picking on those weaker than him. And in the Shah clan, there was no one weaker than Roy.
“Roy, good, you’re here. All finished for the day?” Elder Shota asked as Roy came up to sign his worksheet and write his hours.
“Yes elder,” he said, noting that a red line had been marked near his name.
He felt his heart sink at that. He’d been hoping that Lynn would forget about docking his pay, but apparently, she hadn’t.
“I need to go refill the gravel in the next couple of days,” he said as he signed out for the day, placing the small brush back into the inkwell and stepping back.
“Very well,” elder Shota said, marking it down in his ledger.
“Come to me in the morning for the gathering and storage constructs.”
Roy nodded, bowing respectfully before leaving. The amount of available gravel was obviously limited, so the village smiths had created several machines reinforced with Water Essence to mine it from underground, then gather them into a pocket space so it could be easily transported. The thought of not having to do backbreaking work tomorrow put a bit of a spring in Roy’s step.
He could already imagine his day away from this horrid place. He would leave at dawn, taking with him meals for the day. It would take him two hours to reach the last spot he’d marked on his map, but it would be an enjoyable walk nonetheless.
Roy was so wrapped up in his thoughts, that he didn’t notice the foot that had been stuck out into his path. He did notice it however, when he tripped and was sent sprawling face first onto the ground.
“Hey, watch where you’re going freak! You could have seriously injured my leg!”
Roy inwardly groaned. He’d been hoping to avoid running into him, but of course the sadistic cockroach would come looking for trouble. Rolling over onto his back, he had to suppress a grimace, as he stared up into the cruel eyes of Shah Koya.
2
“I apologize for getting in your way, Shah Koya,” Roy said, keeping his anger in check as he tried to get back to his feet. “I was careless, please forgive me.”
Just as he managed to get his crippled leg braced however, Koya’s foot lashed out, splintering the wood, causing him to topple over once more.
“I must apologize for that,” Koya’s voice said from above him, followed by the sniggering laughter of the rest of his friends. “My foot seems to have slipped and accidentally broken your brace.”
Roy could feel blood trickling down his cheek where he’d scraped it against the ground with his latest fall, but he gritted his teeth against the pain and indignity and forced himself onto his back once more.
“It is quite alright. Please forgive me for getting in your way,” he said, forcing an apologetic look onto his face.
It ate at Roy from the inside to have to apologize for something that was clearly not his fault, but once again, his self-preservation kicked in.
“But it’s not alright,” Koya said allowing a false look of concern to come to his face. “Please, allow me to help you to your house. After all, I did break your brace.”
Roy was about to refuse, but two of the boys in Koya’s group heaved him up off the ground and began dragging him in the direction of his small house, set near the outskirts of the village. This was quite a walk as the Shah clan village was enormous. The clan itself boasted well over ten thousand members, all of which lived in the village. It had also been spread out, to leave room for future growth.
The entire time they marched him to his house, he kept insisting that he was fine and that he could manage it on his own. And each time, Koya said that it was his duty to help the village cripple home. Roy wasn’t fooled however and knew that Koya had something planned. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have deliberately tripped him, then broken his leg brace.
He got his answer soon enough. Just as they were passing near the dining area, where most of the clan had gathered for dinner, one of Koya’s friends kicked him in the rear, sending him sprawling. He’d been walking directly in front of Roy, while his two friends had walked behind, supporting him between them.
Roy let out a groan as Koy
a cried out in feigned surprise. He knew that the kick hadn’t done a thing to the Yellow-Belt. His body was too tough for that, but he could already see where this was going and prepared for the fallout.
“I offer my help after you so rudely bump into me, and this is how you repay me!”
Everyone turned as Koya rose from the ground, anger painting his features, but Roy could tell it was an act. He could see the malicious gleam behind the boy’s eyes and knew this would not be pleasant.
“What is going on here?!” a female voice called out.
Roy felt his heart sink even further as Shah Lynn separated herself from the crowd.
Koya put on his best hurt expression.
“Honored Lynn. This cripple was shirking his duty near the cultivating pools today, so we went to help him. He insisted he could do it himself, but didn’t lift a finger to help while we did all the work. He claimed he couldn’t work as his brace had been broken, and though we could clearly see that he’d broken it himself, we still did his work for him.”
Roy could feel his rage building with every passing second.
This was too much, even for them. Sure, he’d slack off occasionally, but he never left a task uncompleted, and Koya had certainly never helped him with anything!
“We then offered to take him back to his house, even going so far as to carry him there. I don’t know why, but he just attacked me out of the blue! Perhaps he was looking for a way to redeem himself in the eyes of the clan, or perhaps he’s just bitter because he’s a cripple and a drain on our clan’s resources.”
Lynn’s face had grown harder and harder as Koya had told his story, and by the time it was over, she was practically glaring at Roy.
“Herald Leroy, I know that you’re less than half a man, but this behavior is unacceptable, even for you! What do you have to say for yourself?!”
“It’s not true!” Roy exclaimed, looking around to all the clan members gathered there. “Koya just made the whole thing up! He and his friends were training in the Dungeon all day, and I’ve never shirked my duties!”
Everyone likely knew he was telling the truth. Even if he had kicked Koya, it would have done nothing to him. But, as one, they all glared at him, ignoring his pleas of innocence. In their book, he was guilty. Not of the crimes Koya claimed, but of the crime of simply existing.
“So. You have been caught red-handed and try to lie to save yourself? Disgraceful!” Lynn said with an angry glare. “All of your earnings for the next three months will go to Shah Koya for the hard work he did in your stead. You will also formally apologize to him before the entire clan. There will also be a hearing with the clan elders to see if further punishment is required. For now, go to your room and do not leave. You are a disgrace, both to yourself, and to the clan!”
She turned her back on him and marched off, leaving Roy dumbstruck.
How could this be happening!? His life had been unfair, but this was just ridiculous! Everyone here knew that he was in the right, but they wouldn’t say a thing. They would spit at his feet and turn the other way.
“Despite your rude behavior, we will still escort you to your house, as is befitting one of my station,” Koya announced.
Roy felt his face burning in anger and shame as he was marched past the majority of the clan, many of whom clapped Koya on the back and told him he was truly honorable. None of them even spared a glance for Roy, who hung limply in the grasp of the other two Yellow-Belts.
It took another ten minutes for them to reach Roy’s house, a small shed that had room for a single bed and table. When they reached the step, Koya turned around, a wide grin plastered on his face. With a nod to his friends, Roy was unceremoniously dropped to the ground. It had rained earlier that day and the normally dry dirt before the entrance had been turned to mud.
Roy, of course, fell face-first into it. He could hear the laughter of the others as they walked away, but Koya crouched down near him, lowering his voice so that only Roy could hear him.
“You’re a disgrace to our clan, cripple. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll be gone within the week. Maybe the wild Beasts won’t think you’re a disappointment.”
He sniggered to himself, rising to his feet and purposefully treading on the back of his head and pushing it further into the mud as he did so. Roy could feel the cold mud entering his nose, mouth and even ears, but he lay still as Koya and his friends walked away.
Hot tears spilled down his cheeks as he pulled his face free of the sucking mud, and he crawled up the small step to enter his house, dragging his lame leg behind him.
No one should be treated this way, he thought bitterly as he dragged himself inside and pushed the flimsy door shut behind him.
He had no way to clean himself, and since his brace was broken, he couldn’t even limp over to the bathhouse to wash off. And even if he could, he didn’t think he could bear the shame. He was completely and utterly miserable. There was not a person in this world who cared for him, and every day was a living hell. If Koya could get away with something like this, then who knew what would be next.
Would they allow him to be attacked outright? Dock his pay permanently, making him beg for necessities like food and clothing? Or, would they perhaps just turn him out, as they’d been threatening to do for his entire life?
Roy curled into a ball on the floor of his house as thunder rumbled outside and rain began pattering on the roof above. Within a few second, it began to leak, dripping water down onto him. There was nothing he could do though, so he just closed his eyes, allowing the cold water to land on him, seeping into his muddied robes.
If this kept up for too much longer, he may very well be tempted to take his own life. Perhaps death would be a release from the misery of his everyday existence. With those thoughts in his mind and shivering against the cold, Roy finally succumbed to exhaustion and slipped into an uneasy sleep.
***
A loud banging at his door, accompanied by the angry voice of elder Shota roused Roy from a miserable sleep. Groaning lightly, he dragged himself to the door, feeling dried mud flaking off his clothes and skin as he did so. Pulling the door open, he blinked up into the early morning sunlight, staring up at the older man.
“You were supposed to pick up the constructs and head out to collect gravel nearly two hours ago,” Shota said, not commenting on his appearance.
He’d likely already heard the story and decided that it was no excuse for him not to work.
“What’s the point of working if all my money will go to that weasel Koya?” Roy asked bitterly, not daring to meet elder Shota’s eyes.
He knew talking this way was improper, especially for a cripple, but he was too miserable to care.
“The point of working is so that you can continue breathing,” Shota said simply. “If you cease to be of use to the clan, they will cast you out into the wilds, where you will be killed within the day.”
“And what if I don’t care whether I live or die?” Roy asked in a quiet voice.
Elder Shota was quiet for a few long moments before letting out a sigh.
“I know that life has not been easy for you Herald Leroy but giving up at such a young age is shameful.”
Roy finally looked up, craning his neck to meet the older man’s eyes.
“I have not given up. Rather the world seems to have given up on me. How can I, an outcast and a cripple, hope to live in a world where people can slice boulders to ribbons with a thought? How can I hope to survive in a world where anyone can do what they like to me and get away with it, just because I am weak? There is no justice in this world. If there was, the Martial Arts wouldn’t even exist. No one person should have that kind of power over another.”
His eyes blazed with anger as he stared up at the older man, daring him to argue. He didn’t, merely dipping his chin a fraction of an inch.
“Yes. What you say is indeed true. There is no justice in this world. But you are weak, and therefore, can do nothing about it.”
Roy felt his anger spike. Despite him saying as much only seconds before, it still hurt what little pride he had left to hear it spoken out loud once again.
“But,” elder Shota continued. “It is still possible to live a normal life. Yes, it may seem hopeless now, but someday you will look back on this day and laugh.”
Roy very much doubted that, but he wasn’t about to argue with the old man. It would do him no good.
“I heard about the shattered brace,” the old man continued, placing a new one on the ground near him with a loud thunk. “I also heard about the punishment administered by Lynn. Though I know you to be innocent, her standing in the clan is too great to contradict her. You are also a cripple, and therefore, no one would, even if they could. The best I can do is assure that you will not go hungry in the next three months.”
Roy’s eyes widened at that.
Did elder Shota just offer him free food for three months? No one had ever shown him such kindness within the clan.
“Get yourself cleaned up,” Shota said, tuning his back to him. “I expect you at the pavilion within the hour.”
Then he walked away, leaving Roy feeling just a bit more optimistic.