Ravens Vol: 1

Ana took Livya to meet Luís, but unlike the visitor, the duo ended up leaving the Nest. The Pit was peculiar, with few people walking from one place to another. There were no crowds like in a city.

Livya looked at the guard posts with doors; they were all lined up next to each other, resembling the arrangement of the houses. With buildings hidden beneath the ground, the entrances looked much like gravestones.

Since the buildings were hidden, there were no alleys, but Livya paid close attention and realized there was something resembling a map of what the Pit would look like if it followed the entrances to the underground. As a result of this choice, the trees spread across the plains above, casting large shadows where children played happily.

People moved from one door to another, always carrying bags and products. The young woman concluded that it wasn't just houses, but the entire commerce.

"How different," she commented.

"What?" Ana asked curiously.

"This city is different."

"You think so?" The other asked, looking around, seeing nothing unusual. "I thought the outside Pits were strange, but I don't see why the houses have to be so... " Ana searched for the right word to describe what she felt.

"Outward?" Livya helped.

"Exactly! Why are they above the ground? It makes it much harder for criminals and crime to happen."

Livya couldn't disagree. Thinking from that angle, the place was extremely safe, plus it was easy to see anyone approaching on the horizon without any difficulty.

"Do the patrols work on the surface and in high-traffic areas?" the young woman asked.

"Yes," Ana answered indifferently. "Do you really want to talk about patrols now?"

"No," she said, being honest. Then she spotted something in the distance.

A caravan was slowly approaching, and it was possible to distinguish only the animals and some of the vehicles. Livya immediately became curious, looking around for a place where transactions were made.

Ana, noticing the other's enthusiasm, said:

"As soon as we talk to Luís, I'll show you our main market. Then the princess asked me to show you the place where the users are."

"Princess?" Livya asked, curious. She had heard that word in Ancient tales.

"Our leader. She looks like a princess with that braid, just like in an Ancient story that talked about a woman with long hair. I'm not sure about it either, but I know she hates the nickname, so everyone uses it."

"She doesn't look like that at all!" Livya commented.

"Not at all," Ana replied with a grin. She took a few steps and stopped in front of a trapdoor. "Luís works here so the sound doesn't bother us. See the pipes?"

Livya followed where her friend pointed, seeing two pipes through which smoke was coming out.

"That's where all the smoke comes from. Without this, he'd probably suffocate."

Taking the ring on the metal plate with both hands, Ana lifted it, letting out a groan from the effort. The sand slid across the smooth surface and fell torrentially from the sides as the Corva opened the entrance.

The sound of metal being filed along with the smell of herbs cooking hit Livya as the stairway that led down appeared before her. The stairs were lit by LEDs that glowed softly, flanking the steps. When she stretched her neck, she saw the door at the end.

Ana went ahead, followed closely by Livya. The steps were a little slippery because of the sand. The Corva opened the door effortlessly, leading them to Luís's workspace. It was a spacious room with plenty of room. There was the usual fire, sharpening stone, iron, and several sacks of gunpowder piled up toward the back.

A pot was boiling herbs and releasing a scent of cinnamon and cloves. Next to the pot was a shelf completely piled with glass jars containing colorful, mostly lethal substances. Another small door at the back was closed.

Luís was stirring the boiling liquid with a long piece of wood when he saw them enter. His curly hair was sticking to his neck because of the humidity from the pot. He stopped what he was doing, leaving the spoon out and walked toward the two.

Livya had an initial strange reaction when she saw him wearing a tight white tank top, but decided not to comment.

"Good morning, Ana," Luís greeted, stretching one hand to his fellow Corva, then turned to the other. "You must be one of the guests?"

"Yes," Livya replied, returning the handshake. "Nice to meet you, Livya."

"You know what the princess will say if she sees you like this again," Ana said, motioning to her friend's attire.

"You can't imagine how hot it gets in here," Luís interrupted, brushing some strands of hair off his forehead. "If you want me to cook myself, just say so, and she won't know unless you tell her." He winked playfully at them.

"Just don't forget to change before you leave this time."

"After last time, I guarantee it," he said, grimacing as he remembered what had happened. "That won't happen again."

Luís then went to his forge and sat in the upholstered chair, facing the two. He scrutinized Livya without any shame, making her feel a little shy.

"You arrived yesterday in bad shape," he said, pointing to a bench against the wall. Seeing the two sit down, he continued: "Can you tell me what happened?"

Livya briefly summarized all the events, being concise about the factory since it was a memory that didn't sit well with her. Luís nodded the entire time as he listened, and Ana was shocked to hear about her companion's brutal loss.

"I looked at them earlier," Luís said, referring to Gabriel and Naomi. "Aside from the cut on the guy's ribs, the other one had no injuries. I was really impressed at the time. Now that I know more of the story, it's almost a miracle." Calling her closer, he continued: "I'd like to see the wound on your leg."

The young woman stood before him and lowered her pants without hesitation, leaving only her underwear. She observed as Luís immediately focused on the long white scar.

He knelt and examined the cut for a moment while murmuring to himself. He ran his hand over the white line on her brown skin and asked, "Does it hurt?"

"Not anymore."

"Good," he said almost to himself as he sat back down. "You can put your pants back on. Is there anywhere else you're hurt, besides your arm?"

Livya shook her head, and Luís immediately stood up and walked toward the shelves of jars. He began to mess with the last shelf while muttering to himself. He switched jars several times, occasionally pausing to stare at the contents.

Satisfied, he returned to the others with a single jar containing algae-green liquid. He sat back down and took Livya's arm.

"Your leg is fine. It wasn't professional work, but from what you told me, if it weren't for Samuel's actions, you would be dead by now, or at best, you'd have lost your leg. Burning it was a bit rough, but the idea of preventing infection was good." He began to apply the contents of the jar to her arm wound. "I don't know who stitched this up, but it's been a while since I've seen such well-done work."

Livya simply nodded while waiting. Ana walked over to the pot and curiously looked at its contents but hesitated to get too close and asked, "Is it dangerous?"

"What?" Luís asked, without taking his focus off what he was doing.

"The contents of the pot."

"No, it's just a mixture of herbs that are very useful against poison." He finished with her arm. "For your leg, there's nothing to be done, but the scar will stay."

"I was expecting that," Livya shrugged.

"Well, that's it," Luís said as he stood up. "I'm going back to my work, just don't forget to bring the equipment for a check-up."

The young woman nodded as she followed Ana back to the staircase, which led them back to the surface. She looked toward the caravan but didn't see it. The trail on the ground made her realize that the vehicles had passed some time ago.

"What was the door at the back of the room?" the other asked.

"The garden. I understand your confusion, but since there are many poisonous plants, Luís preferred to make a subterranean greenhouse."

"Don't they die without sunlight?"

"At first, everyone thought the same, but it seems the princess had some fragments of ancient knowledge, and they used special lamps that came from the Bunker to keep them alive."

"Cool," Livya replied, her eyes gleaming.

Ana led her companion, following the wheel marks in the low grass. People were leaving their homes, giving the place a city-like atmosphere with its crowds.

From where they were, they could already see the canopy of a colossal tree. The wagons stopped, forming small streets next to it, using its shade to protect the merchandise. Livya noticed that a large number of people were leaving the houses with baskets strapped to their backs or small wheelbarrows.

A woman passed by with a group of children, pushing one of those wheelbarrows, which was overflowing with distillates and dried meat. She walked, grimacing from the weight, and the children tried to help as best they could, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference.

"Is this the market?" Livya asked.

"No," Ana replied, as if it were obvious. "It's down below. The caravan just stops here because it's easier to bring the goods."

Livya didn't immediately understand what the other meant, but when they got closer, she did. The tree stood between the wagons, and an unusually large hatch, ten meters wide in every direction, was closed, which left her a bit disappointed.

They went to the area where the sales took place, the bulls were untied and grazing several meters away, escorted by the children. Ana became interested in a piece of light green fabric.

The walk was more relaxing than Livya expected. After everything she had been through, lowering her guard, even for a moment, felt wonderful. Ana returned with the green cloth wrapped around her neck like a scarf.

"Did you see any Ravens that disappeared from here?" the young woman asked, tossing the cloth behind her dramatically.

"Yes."

"Was there a woman among them who fought with a staff?"

"No," Livya answered, intrigued by the other's curiosity. "Why? Did a Raven who fought with a staff disappear?"

"Unfortunately, I never had much of a friendship with Amanda," Ana said. "She was one of the ones who disappeared, and she was our best Spearhead."

Livya felt a slight shiver run down her spine like a wave. She was also a Spearhead, and if even a Raven, who was considered the best in a Nest, could disappear, what could a rookie like her do? But the memory of Little Sister made her doubt disappear.

The movement stopped when the whole ground shook for a moment, making the cattle moo nervously. Livya, with her heart racing, realized that everyone was calm and then noticed the cause of the tremor. The hatch was slowly rising.

Unlike the population, who were indifferent to the event because they were used to it, Livya was frozen, watching the lid slowly open. On the sides, two thick iron beams lifted only one side, and the gears creaked as they carried out the heavy work.

Even though the hatch was rising slowly, people started coming out from the stairs below. The lid didn't rise completely, staying open just enough for a tall person to enter without any trouble. The entire tunnel flickered a few times as the lamps on the sides turned on.

"This is our market," Ana said, standing next to her stunned companion. "Shall we go?"

Only nodding, Livya, along with many others, headed for the newly opened corridor. An elderly woman was sweeping the steps as they descended. They entered an underground neighborhood where row houses formed streets. The buildings ended directly at the ceiling, with no roofs.

Livya finished descending the staircase, which led to a corridor along the wall, leading to other streets. She counted two on each side and one in the center. Five streets with seven houses on each side. The ceiling was lined with lamps, spaced fifty centimeters apart. The lighting was so good that it didn't lose out to the outside world.

Some shopkeepers were coming down with baskets full of goods, while others were going up to get more. Ana leaned against her companion's arm, drawing her attention.

"Do you want to eat a pastel?"

"Pastel?"

"You don't know it?" Ana asked, surprised by the other's reaction. She didn't wait for an answer. "You'll love it! It's a fried dough with shredded meat inside."

Ana led Livya down the side corridor and turned left until they reached the last row of houses. Some of the shops were opening, with their owners arranging things for customers or tidying up recently acquired goods. A pleasant smell filled the air near the last two houses.

Livya saw a short, chubby man stirring a pot full of bubbling oil. He seemed to know Ana, greeting her with a smile.

"Did you bring a friend today?"

"Yes. Can you believe she's never had a pastel?"

"We'll fix that right now. Are you two eating here?"

"Unfortunately, no. We have to stop somewhere first."

"For the trip then," the man said, dropping two dough parcels into the oil, making the pot crackle.

Livya saw more vendors carrying baskets full of various products to their shops, and noticed some bottles of mead.

"Afterward, we're going where Sandy sent us. I assure you, it won't be very pleasant."

"I've seen some of those people. I can guarantee you, Ana, I'm prepared."

The man brought two pastels in brown paper bags. Ana thanked him, paid for the order, and handed one to Livya.

The Corva eyed the steaming food suspiciously, nibbled at one of the edges, and then took a bigger bite. That had just become her favorite food.

"You can't not like pastel," Ana said, satisfied.

They returned to the surface, holding only the greasy paper bags without the food, passing two new Corvos who would be keeping watch at the market. Ana then turned around and said,

"We'd better finish this quickly. Shall we?"

"Yes. Then we can come back and buy another one?" Livya asked, referring to the pastel.

"If you have the stomach for it, I wouldn't mind."

Ana took her to a more remote corner of the city, where a Corvo guarded one of the entrances. He recognized them and opened the way for the pair, who descended a poorly lit path. The smell was strong before the door opened, reminding Livya of the odor of the man who attacked her at the Oasis.

Without waiting, Ana opened the door, which slid open smoothly. The entire floor was overcrowded with people in delirium, from adults to children. Corvos ran among them, doing all they could, even though they knew it wouldn't make much difference in the end.

Luís was there as well, with the pot that had been boiling earlier. He carried the liquid in a long iron spoon, pouring it into the mouths of the most agitated. The place smelled of death and feces. Livya completely changed her mind about eating more.