Role

Chapter 2

For a little while they were making a good bit of scratch as harvesters. Not
that it ever went to the benefit of Arratok or even Gemma, meals still
consisted of refuse, while his parents filled themselves with booze. As all
dealings with the magi go however, things quickly turned sour. The demand for
the materials grew, the pay dwindled, missions became far more dangerous and
yet still, the pay continued to dwindle. They had ravaged a good deal of the
locally growing fungus and roots, and as the quantity dropped, their bellies
grew empty. Arratok often would suggest that they push back on the magi, and
demand more for their work, but his parents wouldnt hear it from him. They
were afraid of the power the magi had, and were too weak to oppose them, even
as they knew they were being cheated. Things continued down the slippery
slope, and they soon found themselves with not only a lack of food, and a
lack of coin, but the lack of ability to get the things that were now being
demanded of them. Trips stopped being just Arratok and his father, now his
mother and sister joined the searches because they needed every pair of eyes
and hands they had available. Arratok tried to talk sense into his parents,
Gemma was too little and it was far too dangerous for her to be out with
them. On several of the most recent missions they had come across cavefishers
and were lucky to sneak past unnoticed. Despite his pleading his parents were
stubborn. They were scared that if they didnt get what was demanded they
would not anger the magi. She could get into smaller crevasse and had sharper
eyes then all the rest of them, there was no way they would not be taking
her. And so they set out, on what would turn into the first tumbling of
stones, for the avalanche that would destroy everything they knew.