Alpha Zero (Alpha LitRPG Book 1) by Arthur Stone (top 5 books to read TXT) 📕

going to have to earn your keep. Ash is your new master. His every word is to be obeyed without question. If at any point you have a problem with Ash, your matter will be resolved by Ash himself. The gentleman to his side is Makyr. He is a master miner. Those of you who wish to pay off your debts quicker will have to show him that you’re worth something. His jobs pay best, but he won’t hire just anyone. And this is our local celebrity, Hugo the Ambidexter. He has garnered quite the reputation already, and I’m sure that some of you have heard about him. Mostly bad things, but I’m here to tell you not to believe the rumors. The truth is that he’s much worse than the rumors claim. Hugo’s job is to maintain order in the fort. Nothing happens here without his knowing and consent. Everyone got that?”

“Where are my bondservants?” Makyr asked impatiently.

Kashik gestured to a few peasant families standing to the side.

“Here are your spongers.”

“Why are two of them on the ground?” the miner inquired.

“Like I said, they’re spongers. Caught a few bites from the kote and are using it as an excuse to slack.”

“I don’t see a single healthy man among them. Nothing but women and snot-nosed kids. You can’t keep bringing us this crap, Kashik.” Ash groused.

The caravanner gave a noncommittal shrug.

“It’s not up to me, you know. I bring whoever I’m given. And I do it well. Besides, is it such a bad thing to get women without their men?”

Ash grimaced. “These women are either pregnant or uglier than Hugo. Bedding them is more of a chore than anything.”

“They won’t be pregnant forever,” Kashik reasoned. “And they’ll get prettier after popping out those kids. And I’m seeing some great asses. Cushion for the pushin’ and all. There are no more men in the village, and a widow on every corner. So they decided you can use some free women here.”

Ash gave a bitter chuckle.

“Free women are good and all, but there’s little use for them in Makyr’s mine. We’ve started a new drift, and we need manpower above all else. Makyr thinks the new vein will be richer than the last. But how can we test it without masters? Of all the people we’re getting, none of them have Mining skills. Even if we could train some of them, that takes time. Bloody lots of time. Which we don’t have. Our quotas are due now, not months from now. So what do you expect me to do?”

The caravanner shrugged again.

“This is your fort, not mine. I run the caravan. My job is transporting cargo, not giving out advice.”

“So you’ve got nothing to say, huh? Color me surprised. Whatever. I’ll write a letter for you to deliver personally. Count it among the cargo you so love to transport. What about the rest of these people?”

Kashik pointed to a large family standing to the side.

“These aren’t in debt, but serving a sentence of ten years. They were given the option of a shortened five-year sentence at the fort, and they agreed. The old man is a seasoned miner, and so is his son, that one over there. Not as experienced as his pops, but hardly useless.”

“Where did they learn their talents?” Ash asked.

“The old man swung his pickaxe in lots of places, and his son did some work in the Sathenar Quarries in the off-season.”

The fort commander frowned again. “Work in the quarries don’t mean squat. And the old man doesn’t impress me. Better than the rest of these dung beetles, but his old bones won’t last long in our mine... Who else?”

A well-built man in his early thirties stepped forward. Paying no mind to Kashik’s attempts to speak over him, the man introduced himself.

“Svent Dahar of the free Dahar family. I’ve got high-level talents for snares for small game and traps for large game. Also a unique talent for storing game. Advanced disguise on wooded terrain, decently leveled dressing, and I’m working on leveling up my spear and bow. The higher powers have taken my elder son from me, but the younger one is growing fast, and he’s got all the makings of a hunter. My wife is a herbalist, but the blight that took our son also deprived her of sight. She can only tell light from darkness. Our daughter is studying herbs as well, but her talent is as weak as she is. Still, she can be of assistance. I want to spend a few years here, enough to earn my hunter’s post. And, of course, our primary goal is restoring my wife’s eyesight. She’s a good herbalist and should be plenty busy here.”

Ash nodded approvingly.

“You won’t be lacking for work here. And if you do good, we can discuss a loan toward a guild healer. Now see, Kashik, here’s someone we’re happy to take. Bring as many of these guys as you can. Svent, meet Hugo. He’ll explain our distribution system and assign you to a team. Is that it, Kashik, or are you hiding a few elite masters in one of your wagons that can smelt superior ores?”

The caravanner looked behind him, as if ready to actually produce some high-level specialist. Alas, there were none. There was but one person that remained unaccounted for.

Kashik pointed at me.

“We picked up this one along the way.”

“Fugitive?” Ash asked non-threateningly.

“Says he’s an orphan from a free family. Lost everyone to the blight. It has wiped out lots of folks in the north.”

Ash shook his head.

“He doesn’t look like a northerner. Fine facial features, like an Imperial. And his eyes are almost blue. That’s a rare color even for an Imperial, but you’re never going to find it here.”

“Why do you care who he is or where he’s from?”