We're hungry

The sky is already dark and our shift for the second day is now over, my body is drenched with sweat while my hands shakily gripped the handle of the pickaxe that was resting on my shoulder, I could hear my labored breaths as I endured the pain and aches across my entire body.

Currently, me and the rest of the group are descending down the hill, by the looks of everyone, they are all exhausted just like me, even Little Fish seems to be panting, but he's slightly in better shape compared to the rest of us.

I suddenly felt my stomach grumble as we traverse down the narrow and complex pathways of the hill, I then gritted my teeth as I try to ignore my stomach's protest.

I've never felt so hungry and exhausted before.

If only we were given more food during breakfast then perhaps we wouldn't be in this condition right now.

Fuckers..

It felt like an eternity before we finally managed to return to our shed. After resting their own pickaxes against the wall, at least a third of my group went straight to sleep, the stench of their grime and sweat-soaked bodies quickly filling the room.

Having become accustomed to the fetid scents and odors, I simply sighed at the scene before me. I rubbed my stomach and then cast a glance at the others in my group who were still awake.

Judging by their expressions, it's clear that some of them are grumbling about their hunger, as they mimic the action of rubbing their stomachs. A few seem to be having difficulty falling asleep despite likely being exhausted.

There must be another way for us to acquire food!

I started searching my mind for any possible clues or ideas that could lead to us filling our stomachs. It took me a minute before I came up with an idea, though I'm not too confident about its success. I think it's still worth a try.

I hastened over to Arde, who was engaged in conversation with a couple of miners from our group. On my way, I passed by Little Fish, who was diligently cleaning his pickaxe, he offered me a brief smile as I walked past him.

Sensing my arrival, Arde turned towards me and raised his eyebrows in curiosity.

Then, taking a deep breath, I gathered and combined the most common Artanian words that I had heard and become familiar with over the previous days. I formed a message that I hoped would be understandable enough for them.

"Gulfram.. G-Gulfram give.." I paused and gazed at his intent eyes, I hesitated for a brief moment before eventually continuing, "Gulfram g-give food.. yes, Gulfram give food." I finally ended my words with a smile, my heart swelling with pride at the small feat I had just accomplished.

And as for how I thought it best to suggest asking Gulfram for food; I believed it to be a prudent course of action. His interactions and management style within the mine, evident from how he assigns overseers to each group, indicate a significant degree of power and influence among the miners. In fact, it's quite clear that he holds a certain level of sway. If circumstances align, it's possible that he could even have connections and dealings with the cloaks and guards stationed outside.

Arde slowly nods his head as he contemplated and considered my words.

Then, a thought suddenly crossed my mind..

What if the words that came out from my mouth were a jumbled mess, and that he's only pretending to understand my words to prevent offending me?

I swiftly dismissed such thoughts; they were absurd. If Arde couldn't comprehend my words, he would surely indicate it, and he'd never leave me in the dark like that.

I'm confident in my decision to suggest it to him.

The two men accompanying Arde exchanged glances and words before nodding in agreement and approval with my suggestion.

The three men spoke for another few seconds before Arde finally called out to the remaining miners who were not yet asleep. After gathering them, he began to explain something to them, though I couldn't understand every word he said, I'm confident it has to do with what I had just suggested earlier.

After he was done, Arde gave me a small nod before gesturing everyone, including me, outside.

Arde pulled back the flap, and he stepped out of the shed, leading the way. I followed, and the rest of the group came after me. The pathway stretched out ahead, empty and dimly lit. Occasional torches and lanterns cast flickering light, revealing the path. There wasn't a single miner in sight nearby. However, the sounds of murmurs and chatter drifted from the surrounding residential quarters.

Once everyone had gathered outside, Arde turned to me and gestured with his hands, indicating that I should lead the way.

Wait.. why me? does he have no idea where Gulfram's quarters is?

Nervousness gripped me as I glance at each of the miners around me, hoping to spot any signs of dissent or opposition to Arde's suggestion. There was none, even Little Fish was nodding his head in approval, flashing me with a grin.

This is ridiculous!

Inhaling deeply, I proceeded ahead of the group until I reached the forefront. With a somewhat shaky wave of my hand, I set off along the empty pathway, the rest of the group following suit, their footsteps and murmurs behind me clearly audible.

"I-I think I can do this" I whispered to myself.

Our first stop should be with Roslik. Not only can he speak Saragonian, but he can also guide us to Gulfram's location. With that in mind, I started retracing the directions and turns that I remembered from navigating the town with Gulfram yesterday.

Despite the darkness, there were plenty of torches and lanterns along the pathway, providing ample illumination to serve as my guide for directions.

As we rounded another corner, I could sense the growing and intensifying pain and aches across my entire body, with each movement becoming increasingly difficult and agonizing. Yet despite that, I ignored it and continued to move.

As we continued, we passed by a group of miners who were headed to their night shift, the rhythm of their footsteps and the occasional clanking of their pickaxes filling my ears as we walked past them, not a single interaction happened between our two groups, though I could notice the curious and confused glances thrown at us by the other group.

We came across three more groups of miners on our way, each of them heading to their night shifts. After a few more minutes of navigating through the town, I finally spotted the familiar stone building in the distance where I had first met Roslik.

As we made our way towards it, I noticed that the front area had been cleared out compared to when I first saw several miners there when Gulfram led me there yesterday. A lone lantern also hung above the doorway, casting its light on the entrance.

As we reached the front of the building, I slowly walk towards the door, flanked by Little Fish and Arde on both sides. Raising my hands hesitantly, I knocked on the door with a slow and uncertain rhythm.

After a few moments, I heard a shuffle behind the door, followed by footsteps that gets louder and louder in each passing second. Finally, the door creaked open slowly, revealing Roslik's face, contorted in an expression of confusion.

He began to speak for a few seconds, then paused, likely realizing he was using Artanian to address me. After clearing his throat, he quickly switched to Saragonian.

"Carillus? what need?" He asked in his broken Saragonian, his eyes darting towards the miners standing behind me.

"Sorry for disturbing you at this hour." I began, scratching my head nervously, "But can you help us find Gulfram, we have something important to discuss with him."

Roslik narrowed his eyes at me momentarily before opening his lips to speak.

"What important? you tell me." Roslik asked, now fully opening the door, revealing his slightly bulky and ragged appearance.

Should I tell him that we mean to request food from Gulfram?

As I wiped the sweat off my face, I stole a glance at Arde and Little Fish. Judging by their expressions, they appeared uncertain about me handling all the conversation. After all, they were kept in the dark, unable to understand the words being exchanged. Nonetheless, not a single one of them complained.

Well fuck this..

I cleared my throat and began, "We're planning to approach Gulfram for food. Many of us couldn't sleep due to hunger. I'm sure you can relate."

Roslik's eyebrows lifted at this. He gazed at me for a few moments before heaving a sigh.

"Me hungry too, let's go.." Roslik paused, carefully choosing his words from his limited Saragonian vocabulary, before continuing, "But I no sure Gulfram give food, okay?"

His response ignited a glimmer of hope in my eyes. Taking a step back, I glanced at Arde and Little Fish, vigorously nodding in their direction with a smile. They seemed to grasp my intention, immediately turning their attention to the miners behind me and starting to address them.

"Thank you," I expressed to Roslik as he joined our group, to which he responded with a grin and a reassuring pat on my shoulder.

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CHAPTER DONE!!