Taken

1 year later

Spending every day working on the farm allowed me to save up a lot of money, especially since I was now living with Alex in his house.

It took me a while to get used to sleeping on a bed and some nights I still opt for sleeping on the hard stone floor I was used to.

Another benefit from working on the farm was the training I went through using the staff and the training dummy that Alex gave me.

Now, I was able to break apart the stone that the dummy was made from, forcing Alex to make a lot of them until he found a stronger stone.

Before working on the farm, I never knew what they were for. Since we survive on mushrooms only, their meat had no real use, so I thought just the leather and feathers was enough for us humans.

But I soon found out that the Demons place a special importance on the animals, as they come to collect some from the farm every so often.

As well as this, the main food source of the animals, stones, is sourced from the mines, allowing the Demons to get rid of the stone they carve out.

Life was good for the both of us, and I never could have dreamed of such a life back when I was alone, starving on the streets.

However, good things never last.

Alex's house was close to the entrance of Tauran Junction, allowing us to eat and leisurely walk to work every morning.

Every morning for the past year had happened the exact same way, until THAT day.

**

As we exited the house together, Alex realized he had forgotten something inside, leaving me alone outside the door.

I reached into my pocket, pulling out the present I was going to give him, for everything he had given me this past year.

It was nothing much: just a small model made of Modeling Stone–a type of stone that is malleable until exposed to slightly higher temperatures–depicting us together, holding our staves and smiling.

It wasn't the best depiction of us, but I think he'll still like it.

As I was inspecting my work, I heard quick footsteps coming from the tunnel leading to Tauran Junction.

Looking up, I adjusted my stance to be ready for anything that would come out from there.

What I expected to be a Stony animal from the farm was something else entirely: a light-green blur that seemed to be covered in some sort of hair.

As it approached, I tried to duck under it and allow it to pass by, but it struck my forehead before I crouched fully down, sending my head to the pavement below, leaving me unconscious.

**

Opening my eyes, the only thing I could see was a large stone doorway in front of me, breaking up the otherwise monotonous and smooth walls around me.

Attempting to get up, I found that my arms were strapped to the chair I was sitting in, the stone bindings strangely fitting my arms and legs perfectly.

I tried to break out of my restraints, but I couldn't move at all. Then, the door in front of me opened, revealing three cloaked figures.