The First Cultivator

Gerald sat miserably alone in the pit. Well, he wasn't alone. There wasn't enough space for anyone to be alone. But he was mentally alone. His mother had died long ago at childbirth. It had always been him and his pa against the world. Now his pa was dead. He was alone. That wasn't true, he chided himself. He had his friends Azura, Hamal and Toren. Were they okay? Were they here? He should look. He should do something. Yet he couldn't muster the will to move. What was the point? The mages would just take his friends away as well. No one could stop them. Azura had magic, but she was just one mage. There were too many. No. The magicless kin would always be taken advantage of. The dwarves had been right all those years ago. Better to leave the magic wielders to their own devices and get out of the way. He was so lost in his dark thoughts that he overlooked the rabbit-kin pulling on his arm. It wasn't until she stuck her face right in front of him that he reacted.

"Gerald!" The rabbit-kin shouted. He blinked. She was a brown and white rabbit kin. One of Toren's older sisters. Mio if he remembered correctly.

"Mio?" Gerald asked, his thoughts hazy. Mio grabbed his arm, trying to pull him. Trying was an optimistic description. She couldn't even lift his arm.

"Come on, you dummy! We need you."

Gerald slowly stood as if rising from deep hibernation. He followed the rabbit-kin at a slow, unsteady walk. She led him through packed groups of kin. The kin were all in different states of shock. Some cried. Others were curled up with their families, looking fearfully at the mages above.

As they moved, Gerald noticed the distant stench of shit and piss that permeated the air. The mages hadn't even been kind enough to leave them proper facilities. Nor could they dig a latrine. The entire pit had been formed out of granite. It was getting messy.

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Mio guided him to a spot near the edge of the pit. There, he saw most of Toren's family. Gerald hesitated when he got closer. Alenina held Tabitha while the others gathered around, their eyes swollen.

"Mom, I found Gerald," Mio said as she pulled him into the group. Alenina kept stroking her daughter's fur, not looking at him. Tabitha wasn't responding. Her gaze was lifeless.

"They got you too," Alenina said, her voice hollow. "Where's your father."

Gerald swallowed, his vision blurry. "They killed him." The words weighed him down. He sat, unable to carry the burden. Mio and a few others gasped. Quickly, several hugged him. Their small arms couldn't wrap around his large frame, but it was comforting.

"Where's Toren?" Gerald asked. They went quiet, and several began to cry.

"I'm sorry," Gerald said before they responded. "I don't want to know the details. I, I can't handle it right now." They were all silent for several minutes.

"What about Azura and Hamal's family?" Gerald asked.

"I've been looking around. I didn't see them," Mio said. "I also haven't seen a single rat-kin."

Gerald wasn't surprised. They'd always been a very prepared group. He'd hoped Azura made it out. She was a sweet girl, even if she was trouble. If she had any sense, she would stay far away. There was no way a single mage could help here.

"That one!" Came a shout from above. Gerald looked up as a mage with bright orange hair pointed at Tabitha.

"Don't worry Love!" The mage shouted. "I'll buy you in a day or two when you're up for sale. I have luck on my side after all." The mage laughed as he showed a rabbit foot on a chain. It wasn't small like a regular rabbit. It was kin-sized. Seething hatred burned in Gerald as he began to rise.

"Don't!" Mio urgently whispered in his ear as the other rabbit-kin either cried or curled up on themselves.

The mage laughed again at their reaction. The mage then gave them a cheerful wave before walking off. Gerald didn't know what had happened, but he could guess now. He promised himself that if he ever got the chance to kill that piece of shit, he would. Soon enough, his anger faded to despair. As the night deepened, it only got worse.