The whole chamber quieted to listen to Vale, and soon people started to come out of their tunnels. This was new; no one had ever done something like this before. Someone stole starsalt? It wasn't surprising, but for the owner to be shouting about it? They wanted to see how this would end.
Curiosity lit them up.
Tiber and Syla recognized his voice and came out as well. Syla raised her brows at him. "What's going on?"
Vale waited until the murmuring stopped. He surveyed them; not all the workers were there, and he could still hear the sound of pickaxes hitting rock.
But he nodded. "I piled my starsalt of three carts at my entrance, but then I couldn't find it when I went back to add another one."
The murmuring began again, and a short man with hair the color of dirt snorted. "Stupid lad! Why'd you do that? Of course it'll get stolen! Do you think others haven't thought of the same plan?"
The man was just like Tiber and Syla; he didn't have the lifeless look like the others. Vale also noticed more "normal" people among them, but he didn't have time to think about that right now.
He looked at Tiber, and the big man shrugged. "I doubt you'll be able to catch the person. Or even if you know them, then what? Report them? This is the borderland, the labor camp. Nothing will happen, unless you catch them in the act."
Already, the workers were returning to their tunnels as if they couldn't be bothered with anything Vale did.
He clenched his teeth as a wave of helplessness swelled within him. Just like that? Everything he had worked for since morning? Forget about lunch; at this rate, he'd even work till midnight!
Syla's gaze softened, and she said, "Maybe you can inform an overseer? I've never seen someone report this, but you can try."
Vale nodded, glad for something to do. He dropped his equipment and turned toward the main tunnel. He couldn't believe he had been so stupid; why hadn't he thought it would get stolen? His hand clenched, and his eyes narrowed.
There were already workers in line for the overseers, and he joined them. They gave him curious looks because he had no carts with him, but everyone was too tired to ask anything of anyone.
Each overseer was stationed beside a storage chamber.
When it got to his turn, the overseer gave him an impatient look without even raising his head from the book in front of him. He gestured for Vale to take the cart into the storage room beside him and asked, "Name?"
"Vale."
But when the man saw that Vale didn't move, he looked up with a frown and a sneer already forming. "What is it?" he snapped.
The workers behind him were already mumbling, and those around him watched with curiosity. Vale took a deep breath and said calmly, "My starsalt was piled at the entrance of my tunnel because I wanted to do my first half all at once before bringing it here. But when I got back later, it had been stolen."
The overseer, a thin man wearing the red and black of the Steelclaw Alliance, blinked. He looked at Vale again and checked his book for his name. "Say that again?"
Vale calmly repeated what he had said.
The man was so surprised that he laughed. "You're reporting stolen starsalt to me? Ahaha! What a joke! Are you stupid? I know your type, you've been sleeping since morning and are now looking for an excuse to shirk your work!"
The man snorted and called to the other overseer beside him. "Did you hear that, Overseer Bram? His starsalt got stolen... and miraculously, it's the first half of today!"
The other overseer snorted and glared at Vale from his place. "Whip him or something! At least he had the guts to fabricate something like this. He's a bold one for sure."
They're not even taking this seriously, Vale thought. He expected this, but still, his face burned with shame as everyone focused on him and gave him angry looks.
The workers looked at him with hostility. A lazy one who doesn't want to work! Can't you work like everyone else? Get out of here!
The overseer in front of him shook his head. "Get out of here and don't come back with such foolish tricks. If you don't meet your requirements for today, you'll wish you had walked deeper into the tunnels! As if someone like you is smart enough to fool me!
"This is the borderland; even if it's true your starsalt got stolen, then it's only your fault for being weak. Everything that happens to you is your fault."
The words hit Vale like a physical blow. He stood there, stunned.
Everything that happens to me is my fault? It's his fault... wait... it's really his fault.
Because he let it happen to him.
He turned blindly and shoved his way out of the line. He ignored the hisses and glares sent his way. He nearly laughed on his way back to his wing, but he was feeling too many different emotions to do that.
But one thought was constant in his mind: he had almost forgotten that he was an Athrimir.
He entered the wing. The workers were back in their tunnels as if nothing had happened. But he wouldn't just let it stay that way. He took a deep breath and picked up his tools and then began to bang his pickaxe and shovel together again to draw them out.
Bang! Clang! Clang!
The sound revibrated through the tunnels and soon drew them out, their glares bouncing off him.
He didn't let them speak before he shouted, "They said I should deal with it as I deem fit."
He let that sink in, and without giving them a chance, he pointed at his tunnel. "We can trace it. The reason I wanted to report it in the first place was because I wanted them to deal with it myself. Now, I'll do that myself."
Tiber chuckled. "Oh, this should be interesting."
Vale walked toward his tunnel. "They made no effort to cover the tracks. You can see the way the starsalt started from my tunnel all the way over there!"