The Master of Names

Chapter 4- The Hissings

  Reaching the upper lip of the crater which overlooked the Hissings, he came to a stop. The Hissings was a vast mining site, stretching out over two hundred acres of harsh infertile land that smelled as terrible as it looked, and this lumpy shaped crater that he called work, was just one of the many. The rusted scent of the iron transport carts intermingled with the stench of sulfur, dampening the sanity of the poor souls who came to find work. The lower decks of the crater however, were home to a four large tents, each with a different array of colors as workers lined up outside of each of them.

  The lower deck was crawling with guards, each wearing bright cloth masks, which shimmered in the sun. Armed to the teeth, they wore suits of armor bearing the colors of the royal family: red, white, and gold. They stood attentively, staring down workers, who shifted nervously in place in line.

  And at the bottom of the strangely shaped crater was a large fissure, roughly the length of a town block and two meters in width, where the sulfuric smell originated. Every few minutes the fissure would ring with loud pop and a hiss, spewing out a sickly green cloud of smog as workers, who wore heavy brown masks, repelled from ropes carefully, descending into the crevices. They each carried a heavy backpack and pickaxe, hugging the walls, and being careful not to slip as their faces were tensed, staring down into the dark abyss below.

  Keldon however, had nothing to do with them. He'd made sure of it. Instead, he ran towards a small plain white tent on the other side of the crater. He leapt off the edge, landing on the slanted side of the crater as he slid down the dirt, using his hand to balance himself. But, as he enjoyed the small thrill of sliding down the dirt walls, he kicked up some of the soil, revealing a jagged piece of stone. He desperately tried to move his hand out of the way as he twisted his body, but it was too late; gravity was a hard habit to kick, and had forced Keldon to maintain his balance as his hand slid over the sharp stone. A flash of pain overcame Keldon as he pulled his hand away in reflex.

He lost his point of balance, as he felt the shift in weight pull his body towards the ground into a tumble, where rolled down, crumpling into a mess.

  Covered in dirt, he rolled himself over and groaned.

"Okay, up and attem" he said, pulling himself up.

   Feeling a stinging in his hand, he turned it over to reveal a deep gash, oozing with sticky warm blood.

  "I've really got nothing going for me today." he said, shaking his head while clutching his palms. He quickly jogged over to the plain white tent just down the road.

  Reaching the tent, Keldon saw a cross-looking woman with dark skin and curly brown hair in a clean pair of dark blue overalls. She was organizing stacks of Skill Orbs when she locked eyes with him.

  "You're late. Again." She said with a crease in her brow.

  "You know that if you had shown up even five minutes later I'd hafta fi-" she started to say. But, as she got a better look at him, she cut herself off.

  "Gods, you look like a worger chewed you up and spit ya' out." she said as her expression softened. She looked over his injuries, making note of the deep gash in his hand as she let out a soft sigh.

  "Alright c'mere, you've been punished enough. Let's just get you to work" she said. Keldon walked over to her and extended his hand. She took his hand into her right and with her left hand, she drew a circle in the air as a small light blue orb the size of a fist materialized.
  

 Activate Skill: Lesser Healing Touch

 

 The woman's hand glowed a soft blue as Keldon's hand grew warm. Before Keldon's eyes, he saw the flesh and skin grow and reconnect with each other as the unsightly gash faded, leaving behind only the dried blood with nothing more than a painful memory.