Chapter 16

«Martha told me all about you. Is it true that you can knock down anyone with one blow?» – Kyon decided to break the silence. Of course, the doctor didn’t provide him with such revelations, but he had to start a conversation somehow.

«I guess she’s been exaggerating a lot.» – Byron grunted impassively.

«I think it’s really cool that she has such a high opinion of you, don’t you?»

«Yeah, maybe.» – All his attempts to get Byron talking failed against the wall of his indifference.

{Fish would envy his talkativeness. It’s time to call in the heavy artillery.} – And he said out loud:

«Someone told me that you have a wonderful brother, and you get along very well…»

Of course, Kyon remembered perfectly well Borya’s words that the relations between Byron and his brother were far from “normal” and, therefore, he decided to go the other way around… However, Byron’s reaction exceeded all his expectations:

«The son of a gun! If only I ever get out of here, I’ll tear him into ten thousand pieces!» – Byron roared, going ballistic at once.

«Did your brother do something to you?» – Here it is at last!

«The fucking bastard kicked me out of the family and sold me into slavery!»

«Why did he sell you? Did you do anything bad?»

«Because I was weak… I was the only one in the family who had failed to connect with the spirit! I lost to a 14-year-old brat, but it doesn’t justify his actions. Hell… I’m so sick of it…» – The hatred in Byron was so strong that he started to hyperventilate. He couldn’t care less that a boy he barely knew had just gotten the lowdown on him. Byron just needed to let off steam.

{Hmmm, this man doesn’t strike me as smart. He is willing to share his ugly biography with just anyone. But it works for me.} – Kyon chuckled to himself and continued pulling strings:

«How do you imagine tearing him into ten thousand pieces if you’re the weakest in the family?»

Byron answered through gritted teeth:

«I’m going to find someone who will do it for me!»

«It’s a good approach, but if he could give you to slavery, then you have no money or important connections. How are you going to hire someone for nothing?»

«I don’t know.» – Byron lowered his head, clenching his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white.

«I see how determined you are, and I’m willing to help you.»

«You?» – He could see sneer in Byron’s eyes. – «You can’t help me. Forget it.»

«That’s where you are mistaken… I have lots of influential friends outside the mine who will do everything for me.»

Some people might despise Byron for wanting revenge by proxy but not Kyon. “All is fair in love and war” – that was his credo.

«Don’t make my fists laugh! Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds? A weak kid who is in slavery in the mine tells me he has connections! Then what are you doing here? Have you come to play with the stones?» – Byron said bitterly.

Kyon clicked his tongue:

«You might have heard that I was brought here as an exceptional delivery, all by myself. Why do you think I was so “honored”?»

«I have no idea. What is it supposed to mean?»

«That my family, the one who sold me here, has a great influence! I’m going to seek help among the influential friends of mine…»

«Hmm … I don’t understand. Enlighten me.» – Byron didn’t sound so skeptical this time.

On the way to the common hall, Kyon diligently pulled the wool over the eyes of the gullible listener. It was a sob story that hit Byron really hard. Kyon told him that he was also the weakest in the family and, just like Byron, could not connect with his spirit. That’s why his status in the house was lower than a servant. He made a good scapegoat for everything that had been going wrong in the family, and then they finally exiled him to this hole. Their betrayal hit him real deep (at this point, Kyon played a single man’s tear). But despite his status, he had influential friends (he swelled up with pride for himself) that were probably looking for him and were waiting for his sign to do everything he needed.

“The end justifies the means.” Kyon couldn’t care less that there wasn’t an ounce of truth in his tall tale. The moral component didn’t matter to him. He cared only about results! Kyon needed to get close to Byron, become kindred spirits with him, at least a little bit.

His story touched the simple-minded man. It never occurred to Byron to doubt the truth of Kyon’s words.

«You have faced a lot of upsetting injustice.» – Byron said slowly when Kyon finished his story. – «My problems are nothing compared to yours… However, it’s beyond me why they did it?! You are so young…» – He shook his head angrily, wondering why human beings could be so callous. Then he stroke Kyon’s hair: – «You can always come to me if you need any help. We are brothers in misfortune, after all.»

«I will. By the way, they have confiscated my tools, and I have no new ones… Can you help me out?»

«No problem. What if I send you to number 9? This group is responsible for screening spiritual stones from the rocks. The job is much easier than swinging a pickaxe or battering the ore.»

«I agree!» – Kyon grinned from ear to ear.

«It’s a deal, then. I’ll introduce you to Osip at the end of the working day. He’s the warden of group number 9. Take a rest until then. I have to distribute the earnings among the wardens.» – Byron shook Kyon’s hand in solidarity and farewell and closed the door to the common hall behind him.

The unpretentious hall was carved into the mountain. It was huge and could accommodate half a thousand people or even more. At the moment, it was empty: everyone was at work. Lighting crystals were attached to the high ceilings. Here and there were stone tables, chairs, and stools. A sort of mini-stage was constructed against the wall. There were eleven doors (apparently the entrance to the “apartments”) and a small door to the bathroom in the farthest corner.

{It is a pity that Byron was in a hurry. I have so many questions for him…} – Kyon sighed, looking around his current place of residence.

Kyon wanted to learn about cultivation, particularly how to activate the keys. Only, Byron could find his questions about basic things rather suspicious, especially after his story about the “influential and powerful family.”

Kyon pushed the first door he could find. There were about 30 beds inside, each with a name badge on the headboard. He walked past each of them and memorised all the names in passing. Kyon couldn’t find his bed, so he went to explore the next room where he found Mike. He was sleeping, as pale as chalk.

{Poor fellow, he hasn’t fully recovered and now he has to call in sick.}

If Mike didn’t go to work, he wouldn’t get any food. Nobody envied Mike. Alas, there was nothing Kyon could do to help him at the moment.

Two of the 11 rooms were locked. {There must be the bedrooms for the wardens and the leader.}

When Kyon finally found the bed with his name on it, he lay down and tried to rest. {Dinner in the hospital is served at 7 pm, the working day starts at 6 am and lasts 15 hours. Taking into account their travelling time, it’s less than an hour before the others arrive.}

Kyon didn’t have any kind of watch, but Synergy gave him the correct time to the second, which was quite convenient.

He could also transform Synergy into electrical impulses and use it for his benefit, e.g., playing his favorite music in mind.

It clicked with his mood to stretch his good-for-nothing body. But before that, he had ground the wooden key into dust against the floor to get rid of the last evidence.

An hour later, he could hear the distant chimes. It was the end of the work shift. About fifteen minutes, the common hall began to fill up with noise. The tired workers were coming back, led by the wardens. Many of them immediately went to their bedrooms and fell fast asleep.

Kyon entered the common hall to be spotted at once. Almost everyone was staring at him. He decided that it was all about his young age: a tender 14-year-old boy stood out against the muscular brutes. In fact, there was a rumor yesterday that they found the boy who had been missing for three days – which was surprising – but the news that his formation was out of order shocked everyone.

In all the commotion, Kyon easily found Byron. He was talking on the move with a man aged 50-55. Apparently, the big guy wasn’t talkative only with strangers. When they came closer, Byron waved to Kyon:

«Kyon, meet Osip, the head of group nine and your new warden.»

Kyon held out his hand:

«Nice to meet you.»

Osip shook his hand, frowning:

«Keep in mind, boy, I’m very strict when it comes to the quality of work. I hope you won’t let me down!»

«I will do my best!» – Kyon nodded, seriously pretending to be an enthusiastic workaholic.

«That’s what I wanted to hear. I’ll give you a quick tour and give you everything you need on the first day of the week, just before work.» – Osip said goodbye to Byron and went to his group.

«Osip is very conscientious. Don’t skip out on your work, or he will punish you.» – He glanced at his back and added quietly: «Actually, he didn’t want to take you, but he did me a favor as a friend.»

«I get it. I won’t let you down.»

Byron nodded and went to his private bedroom.

Osip was a slave of the 2nd rank, a warden. He got a decent percentage of the over-fulfillment of the norm of his group. That’s why he had always been very meticulous. Well, it was also an inherent part of his character. Osip was a strict but fair boss: he always punished for shirking duties, and very severely as well, but he didn’t hold the hard-earned money, either. Kyon liked those odds.

Suddenly, he heard a loud cry from behind:

«Where the fuck have you been, son of a bitch?»

Kyon whirled around at the shout and saw a rapidly approaching tall man with a face contorted from anger. The formation burning on his forehead said John, which means he was Kyon’s warden, the one who got a thrashing for losing him. In this case, his rage was quite understandable.

The tall man of a thin build was quickly approaching Kyon, cursing loudly. Pushing ahead like a tank, the warden could not help attracting attention, and now everyone in the room was nodding in recognition. Everyone had long known about the missing boy, as well as the fact that John was to take the fall.

Kyon estimated the aggressive attitude of his former boss and realized that no words would help him. He would have to defend himself.

Running away or hiding behind Byron’s back was out was the question. Kyon could stand up for himself with his reaction and movement skills.