Chapter 2 — The Fight Blossoms

Waking up is the only good feeling I’ve felt in this place consistently. It’s brief, sure, and it doesn’t fix any problems. But in the short time it lasts, it’s able to make me feel comfortable, as if I wasn’t even here. I heard from some elves that we have much better beds in the North than on the East side. Another difference between these sides is that in the East side, hierarchy is way more important than it is in the North side. I heard that in the East side, the elves with the most respect and willpower are the only ones that can survive for longer than a couple of years. I like to think of the East side as a death penalty that is incoming to you. But if you play your cards well... you might survive. Might...

Four knocks on my door. It wasn’t unusual... if it wasn’t for the pacing. You see, I’m used to one knock, pause, and three rapid knocks. But four rapid knocks aren’t the wake-up call... These are the “I need your attention as soon as possible.” So I got up and approached the door. I thought it might’ve been Aliee, after all, it was hard to expect her actions. I got surprised when Lin stood there. He was neither from my quarters nor any neighboring quarters...

“Liam, am I correct?”“Correct.” I sighed and replied, “Correct... what are you doing here?”

I thought maybe Aliee had already started a movement, or he wanted to sell me something. After all, people would try their best to survive here.“Miss Izeala wants you to come.”

That was concerning... I know I said I would owe her a favor, but I hoped it wouldn’t be that soon...“Yeah... I was planning to go to her. I mean, she’s the Theater scripter and you know... I work with her and need good relations.”“It’s not about work, Liam. She wants you to come today, in the next hour, with me getting you to her.”

I didn’t like that idea... Nothing about it sounded good... but if it’s what I need to do in order to help our nation, I suppose I can’t deny this request.

“Okay, I’ll just put on some—” Lin threw a coat he was holding in his hand right at my face. It was old and used, but it covered my body. He said to me, kind of nervous but also slightly annoyed, “Put it on fast and let’s leave. She doesn’t like people coming late.” I sighed, put the coat on, and left with Lin.

For context, Nightsoil was always lacking in plants. Humans believe we love them so much that giving them to us would be too gentle. So if someone ever gave you flowers, they would be withered. Or drawn with a pencil on a single sheet of paper. Instead of grass, Nightsoil had dirt mixed with some gravel. That’s possibly where the “soil” in Nightsoil comes from. Of course, also the fact that our bodies would be turned into soil which would have nothing growing on them. A human captain said it to us once... during a meeting. I’m not sure if it was a threat, but I think it scarred our minds more than a threat.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that there never was an instance where we saw nature in the city. So when Izeala greeted me with roses, I was surprised to say the least. I always saw roses as plain — romantic, yes, but I would never give those to a girl. They have too simple a meaning... Still, getting roses, especially in Nightsoil, felt nicer than I would want it to.

“Thanks, Izeala... but what are they for?” I asked, kindly and flustered.“This is before I ask you for the favor. I’m not a cruel being after all, am I?” she asked, with the devious smile she often wore.

It’s hard for me to deduce whether she meant that in an ironic way or if she really meant it. For me, she wasn’t bad morally, compared to the surroundings we all were placed in. But the way she said it grew my suspicion. I still was happy to get these, but flowers have more meanings than romantic ones. They also could mean a funeral, or compared to our surroundings, rarity. It was clearly something worth seeing.

“That’s nice of you, Izeala... I don’t know what to do with them... after all, humans would probably hurt me if they saw me having them. Also, I don’t know how I could water them...” I took the roses from her hand. Refusing a gift was not something anyone would do, regardless of the person who gave it. In Nightsoil, you wouldn’t gift things to someone unless you had respect and trust for the person. After all, giving away things in a place where everyone has so few belongings was a big burden for you.

“I hope you like them. They weren’t easy to obtain and no, sugar~ I won’t tell you how I got them~ Let’s say it’s a secret I won’t share with you. For fun purposes~”

I hate what she did — she made me wonder. Wonder how she got them... I knew Theater was different from jobs and gave you benefits. But this showcased the power she had... She wanted me to see her position in this matter. She took a step closer to me and grabbed my chin with her hand.

“Who is this slut you’re seeing? Huh? Explain.”“Calm down, Izeala, she’s a strategist, she was fighting for our race, Izeala! Her name is Aliee.”

She tightened her hand on my chin for a few seconds. Then she loosened it and said,“And what’s the reason you’re helping her? Why is she here to begin with? She isn’t the prettiest here. Not even near. Also, tell me why a political enemy is in the North side?”

That was a great question... a very good question... Why would they put her here... I thought about it for a few seconds...“I don’t know...”“Well, then we have a problem, Liam. I think I know why that slut is here. She is going to die. Think about it, beautiful elf with your moist, worm-sized mind. They’re gonna try to make her do something illegal and wrong. And then murder her before our eyes. And you want to help her out?”

I was mad that she said that — partly because I didn’t want to believe it. But the bigger part of me was that it made sense.

“Well... She still can help us, Izeala... I believe that she’s able to give us an example of how to fight with humans.”

Izeala laughed sarcastically and clapped her hands together.“Fight with humans? You think it will help us? You think we can rebel in Nightsoil? Maybe we’ll change it into a city? Get out of here, loverboy. I will see you in a few hours.”

And she left inside her quarters. Lin took me by my shoulder and led me to my quarters. I took the roses and hid them in a Captain’s hat. I don’t know why it was able to hold liquids, but it could. I got it from a kid who stole it. He was giving them away because someone snitched on him and he was going to punishment. I remember he was so polite, and I couldn’t refuse. You don’t refuse a gift.

There were a couple of unwritten rules in Nightsoil. One of them was to never tell someone they are going to die. I never understood it — after all, someone should be aware of their actions. But the more I thought about Izeala’s prediction, the more I grew anxious about meeting with Aliee. Telling someone that they might die sounds reasonable and makes sense... but it also changes someone’s behavior. If someone knows that they might die, they will change their actions to be more patient... but they could also give up on the idea. If Aliee gave up on rebelling...

Waiting for someone was unusual to me, yet I know helping out Aliee is the best I can do. She finally came out of her quarters and said,“Greetings, Liam, how was your sleep?”“Mediocre. Are you ready for the Theater work?”

Her eyes rolled and she whispered loud enough for me to hear,“Yeah, hopefully no one strikes me today. Are you sure there are no other options of work that wouldn’t be so... foul in a way?”

I didn’t think about it. There wasn’t much to think about — you wouldn’t have access outside working in other jobs, at least not for a long time. Yet when you were a Theater worker, you wouldn’t be questioned. That’s because often Izeala would send people around the North side, and humans got used to Theater workers being outside. I immediately answered,“This is the only job that will let you be outside for longer than an hour. And I’m pretty sure Izeala won’t make you work hard. She’ll probably leave you alone.”“Yeah right.”

Aliee playfully punched my shoulder and laughed,“Well, are we standing here or working? After all, our ‘Boss’ told us not to be late.”

I laughed it off and started walking with her to the Theater.“Okay Liam, you need to tell me something though. And don’t you dare lie~ What’s up with you and Izeala?”I blushed a bit at this question.“I don’t know... She always looked at me weird. Sometimes I think it’s just the way she rules over elves.”

I told it truthfully; it wasn’t rare for Izeala to flirt with people to get an advantage.“Yeah right~ Keep telling yourself that and before you know it, she will own you.”

I smirked and walked off with her toward the Theater.

Walking into the Theater, we saw an elf. I didn’t know him — he was probably older than me... It’s hard to tell since he was getting brutal kicks from humans... also he was being beaten using wooden bats. Aliee held my arm tighter instinctively. I think it’s clear she didn’t expect to walk into this... situation, if we can call it that. I was used to seeing brutality from humans, and I thought since Aliee had been in many battles, she wouldn’t be so scared watching this.

Across the room, Izeala waved at us — especially at me. She had a big smile, probably good news, or at least something she found optimistic. I smirked at her and greeted her with a casual two-fingered salute. I’m pretty sure Aliee was flabbergasted from the beating and didn’t notice Izeala. I started walking, holding Aliee gently by the shoulder and guiding her toward Izeala.

We circled around the beaten-up elf, and Izeala greeted us,“Hello my worms, first day at work! I see you two are ready for work, huh?”

She playfully punched both of us on the shoulder. It probably woke Aliee from her thoughts; she quickly responded,“Uh huh...”

Izeala came closer to Aliee and grabbed her shoulders.“Good that you are here. I need you to help with something behind the scenes. Your coworkers will tell you, alright? Now run your booty and go to work~”

Izeala softly pushed Aliee toward the stage... Aliee seemed to be in deep thought.“Thinking about something, sugar~?” said Izeala, and then addressed me with a tight shoulder grab.“What did the guy do?” I asked, not really interested, but I was pretty sure Aliee would ask me that later.

“This stupid fool? Well, I would say don’t worry about it but~ and I’m pretty sure it will bug you for a long time if I don’t say it~”

She licked her lips, and... we stood in silence for a few seconds.“But?” I responded, hoping to get an answer.She touched my nose softly and whispered to me,“I like to see you wonder for a bit longer~ Well, he was caught using magic without reason. Shame on him~”

She punched my chest playfully and turned around. She said loudly, as if to address the whole room,“You and me aren’t foolish as him~ We know when to do stuff and where to do stuff~”

When I think about it, her words sounded very flirtatious and bold. I blushed slightly, but I knew that she meant it in more than just a naughty way.“Yeah... I guess... So what’s my job here?” I asked, this time more interested. After all, she could make me do anything... even something that could kill me. A favor is a favor, and in this place, to a person of her power, you can’t really refuse favors.“Be around me and find out~” she laughed sweetly and took me away from the scene.

“Do you really think she will be any use to us?” she asked quietly and with harsh judgment. “She seemed pretty scared seeing our worm being beaten. Don’t you think that’s cowardish~? A great leader shouldn’t be scared of harsh reality.”I responded to her automatically,“She is new here. She has a right to feel fear. We both know all of us did at some point in this city.”

Izeala got a bit angry but brushed it off.“Whatever... Thought I should share my opinion. After all, you decide her fate~”

I got surprised. I knew she didn’t care about Aliee or other workers, but to trust me with her fate? It wasn’t something a higher-power person would do.“You want me to decide what she should do? Why?”“Well, since you trust her to help our race, and we both know she might have some issues sooner or later~ I trust you. And I want you to tell her what she should do. But when she dies sooner rather than later, you can’t blame me, boy~ So go to her and rule over her~ You are my second hand since today~”

Then she went into a room called Script Writing. It’s probably her office. I don’t know how to feel about this. I’m glad I don’t have to do something I don’t want to... but... the longer she has the power of my favor over me, the more stress it creates.

I went toward the stage to find Aliee and tell her to do anything she needs to do... But I won’t tell her why I let her do that... I can’t tell her about a fate that hasn’t happened yet.

Back in my old work, it was unusual to see conversations between more than three people. Constant human control and the amount of work you had to do in order to have some food made sure that you didn’t waste time talking. So seeing people talk in groups during work was a rare sight for me.

The biggest group was one with Aliee. I saw four male elves and two female elves listening and asking questions, and two other groups were also keeping an eye on her. Considering the topic, it’s not hard to blame them. Aliee was talking about one of the actions she witnessed during the war. It was about a General Ion — I saw him during my childhood, I believe. He was one of my neighbors, about three to four houses away from my old home.

Aliee told us how Ion sacrificed himself in order to let the rest of the squad evacuate. He distracted the enemy combatants and wasted their time. They chased him up the tower and murdered him in some way. She was telling how he knew about his death and still didn’t give up on himself or other people. She did say something about a rebellion, which was my point to get in.

“Excuse me, Aliee, few minutes alone?”“Yeah yeah yeah, so that was the hero I saw, and I believe some of you might get to his level if you try hard enough~”

She gave some claps to one guy’s shoulder and left with me to more private surroundings. When we were going, I looked back to check some faces... Some people seemed happier than others. The guy she left looked very confused... which only made me more worried.

“Aliee, are you insane?!” I whispered loudly to Aliee. She looked surprised and whispered back,“What do you mean, Liam? Communication is key in order to rebel against the humans. That’s why communication is in community, okay?”

I was inspired by the way she was able to gather people and talk with them, but it wasn’t the best way to survive. Snitching wasn’t unpopular — it seemed to give you more status and respect among humans.“You shouldn’t talk to that many people at once, especially when humans can get in there any second. Word about rebellion or word about the battles you were fighting, and next thing you know you’re being thrown in the mud and kicked by the humans.”She shrugged it off, saying,“Relax, after all, nothing like this has happened to me yet. Anyhow, what’s the job we’re supposed to do?”

I respected how she could gather people quickly and already start plotting against the humans. It excited me, but it worried me even more... I don’t think I can risk her changing... I’ll only tell her about her possible death if she asks me...

“You’re supposed to do anything you want — like try gathering people in groups like before, but keep a small group and make sure no humans hear about it... got it?”“Okay, but what about the job?”

We stared at each other for a few seconds.“Nothing, you don’t work.”“Isn’t food important to earn?”“You’ll still get food, okay? Just keep yourself safe... I need to go.”

After saying that, I started walking away nervously and deep in thought. I didn’t feel good after the talk, but I also wanted to know what I was supposed to do.“Okay, see ya later, Liam, don’t miss me~” Aliee said and went back to the group she talked with earlier... Though I saw her taking them somewhere else — hopefully a safer place to talk...