The blistering heat burned, the sun shined down from the highest peak, and the eight individuals were struck by the crown. When they try to overcome what is in front of them, sweat and blood combine.
He then called out, "Kacha, now!" and the wizard finished his chant, killing the elite minotaur.
These eight persons exhaled in relief as the smell of burning flesh filled the air. They then called for the ninth person as they caught their breath and recovered some strength.
The porter.
A young girl with a huge cart and a large bag suddenly emerged and started to go toward the burning monster body. At the side, a holy-looking woman wearing a tight dress and a robe gave the order, "Make it quick".
She simply nods and starts gathering and disassembling the charred flesh, hide, and horns that she can still save. In less than three hours, the dismantling process was completed.
While she walks away from her job, she directly proceeds to where their group leader is resting. "Leader, I already finished dismantling the hide and horns," she said while wiping her sweat with her gloves.
"Why do you take so long?" he grumbled. "But, leader, that thing is big, and I'm the only one doing the dismantling," she added.
He lifted his right hand to smack her after hearing her response. He continued to slap her hard multiple times despite her immediate attempts to guard her head by lifting both of her arms.
He only quits when he is done, but not before kicking her directly onto her stomach to express his disgust. She then staggered back.
"I'm sorry," she said repeatedly while holding her abdomen in agony and writhing in misery.
"Hiro, enough now; let's go before dusk falls; surely nobody in here wants to pitch up camp outside, right?" The armored man didn't wait for a response and began to descend the slope while carrying a shield on his back.
Hiro didn't look back at the young girl on the ground and began to walk away when he heard her yell, "Wait! I still didn't take a break."
Once again, he became enraged and picked up a stone and tossed it right at her, striking her forehead; she then began to bleed.
-----
How long have I been working as a porter? I honestly can't recall; I can't even recall how I ended up in this city or whether I had family.
I can only recall my name. And even if my visage gives the impression that I am between twelve and fifteen years old, I believe that I am eighteen or something.
A porter with a young appearance.
In any case, I'm not a slave at all. They treat me that way because they believe it; I'm not sure why, though.
I'm only thinking about this. I lack the courage to speak or converse with them. I think my social anxiety is present. I'm aware of it, yes.
-----
When the gang arrives and reaches the city, it is already dark. After entering, they already submitted the supplies for the subjugation and mission fulfillment.
He gave her ten copper coins and said, "Here's your wage, little miss porter." She then accepted and recounted the coins that were given to her: "Ten copper? Well, the payment is twenty copper plus reimbursements for the medical care that I need for my head injuries."
They all chuckled at her response when she raised her hand and said "five" instead of ten; this shows how versed she is in her arithmetic. "It takes you three hours to complete a task that can be completed in thirty minutes; you already waste our time waiting for you."
He grabs and opens a flask, then drinks the remaining liquor.
"Listen here, you didn't do a thing; you just observed from the sidelines and gathered the supplies."
The little girl erupts in fury at hearing his tone. She cries out again, "I'm a courier, not a combatant; you employ me for that specific job!"
Noticing that no one is listening to her, she keeps voicing her complaints: "And because that minautor is huge, naturally it will take more than an hour to dismantle it!" She cliqued her tongue and looked at the mage afterward. "And not only that, but you also destroyed the materials."
She couldn't take it anymore; that's why she kicked the ground in frustration while screaming, "I did my best to save as much as I could!"
She gazes at every member of the party while saying, "You hurt me physically, and I'm wounded, so you need to compensate."
Because of the commotion she created, many people inside the guild got intrigued and tried to listen. Hiro noticed it and decided to leave.
He taps her shoulder and whispers, "I never ever tried to hurt you, and there are no witnesses that I did try to hurt you." He silently laughs before leaving the guild with the other members.
She couldn't move and only stayed still for a minute, even though the group had already left the area. She did her best to hide her tears. "I'm a courier, but why do they treat me like a slave?"
While she was questioning herself, she picked up her bag and went outside. She then pulled her cart and walked for an hour before arriving at the back alley of the building, which had previously been a jewel shop.
"I want to change jobs, but no one wants to hire me. Why was reality so harsh to me?" she asked herself.
Nobody notices her as she throws everything on the ground and begins to sob once again. She cried until she was no longer crying.
She wondered, "What am I going to do now?" While it was risky and would endanger her life, she came up with a plan to survive. The last thing she wanted was to perish in the cold due to the weather; her head was beginning to pound from lack of sleep and the brisk wind.
'I always manage to find something here.' She was lost in thought until she caught sight of a door to her side. "Maybe there's a spot to relax." Before going in, she pondered, "But will someone else discover it first?"
She saw that the room was large and that there were two cots, one on the right and one on the left. She sighs as she moves slowly: "They didn't have enough beds for humans. Maybe I'll share it with a dog?"
She went to lay down on the sleeping cot as she walked over to it when she sensed something was off and that someone was watching her.
She turns around and saw nothing and just ignored her paranoia "it's probably my imagination" her body relaxed after seeing nothing 'it wasn't real, not real' she continued to lie down, and soon fell asleep.
-----
She awakens at midday with a severe headache. She pulls out her coin purse right away and goes for it, then she pulls out two copper coins.
She likewise opened her other pocket and scrutinized each penny, telling herself, "I'll survive with four or five more copper coins that I have in my pocket," before quickly stowing the coin purse and rising up.
She began working and selling anything she could find after leaving the abandoned building in order to eat and drink until nightfall.
The young girl worked for hours selling items before being rewarded and permitted to eat some bread and cheese she had purchased earlier that evening. Then she decides to go for a stroll and investigate the area after nightfall.
She maintains her pace until her legs give out, at which point she collapses and passes out.
------
Later that evening.
She has no recollection of how long she slept before waking up to an elderly man staring at her.
She sat up immediately, terrified. "This old man apologized for disturbing your beautiful slumber, young miss," he said softly, easing her stress.
"If you don't mind me asking, sir, how old are you?" She asks, lowering her head. "I'm old enough to be your grandfather; you don't have to worry about me getting sick or dying early this year," the elderly man stated with a smile.
The man sat beside her and looked at the darkening sky. "The moon is full tonight," the old man commented, "I'm glad you noticed." She replied with a chuckle, "It must be hard for you, being here alone" the girl asked as she continued to watch the bright moon.
"I guess, but it doesn't bother me," he paused to smile at her, "but since you asked, I'm not really alone." She looked at him puzzled, "How come?"
The old man answered with a hearty laugh. "It seems you've been a good girl all this year." The old man looked at her like his granddaughter. "I've been a really well-behaved girl, but life fucked me up all this years, you know?"
"Yes, I can see that. Hmm... I'll give you this," the old man said, handing him a tattered book. "There's plenty of interesting things written there, so if you've got time, try to read it."
The old man stood up and dusted himself off. "Thank you for giving me this; I won't forget it," she said as she stood up and watched the man leave.
"This might be the best gift anyone has given me in years," she says, looking at the small, worn-out book. Maybe it's time to start reading a story.
She opened it. Its pages were covered with ink, and the book was old, but the paper looked as fresh as new, and the illustrations looked nice.
The illustration showed a guy patting the head of a joyful child, and she felt that the man was staring at her directly even though he was wearing a black bird mask.