Chapter 1:

Sewers pt.1

The Arbiter


It was already past midnight and Lobert should have gone to sleep long ago, but instead he decided to watch some more videos on the Internet.

Lobert had broad interests and watched all kinds of videos, from the games he was playing or a series he was watching to dancing girls in revealing clothes or nerds talking about antiquated weapons.

He especially liked rants about politics and the world, like the one he was watching right now. Under such videos he would even write a comment, which he usually wouldn’t do.

But even he was sensible and decided, after he glanced at the time and saw how late it was, that it was time to call it a day.

After taking off his VR headset, he let out a long yawn, rubbed his irritated eyes and realized how tired he actually was. Without the headset, he felt the weight of reality on his shoulders again.

The buzz of his computer echoed through the room and empty cans and Ramen Cups lay around him, and he was too lazy to clean them up. His apartment was cramped and always looked like a mess, but he cared little and his mother had never complained either.

He would have liked a bit of privacy though, but what really bothered him was the stale, stuffy air in his room. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough money to rent an apartment with a window, which would be neat for ventilation. But airing out would not be a good idea anyways.

He turned off his computer, leaned over his mother and pulled the blanket over her, whispering softly "Love you mom" before lying down on the floor next to her and closing his eyes. The day was at an end for him and tomorrow he would have to get up early.

×

His phone vibrated under his pillow - his alarm clock. Usually one would use a ringtone; it would also wake him up more reliably, but he was careful not to wake his mother.

He preferred her to be asleep, because someone who was sleeping was someone who wasn't suffering - assuming that this someone didn't have nightmares.

Before Lobert opened his eyes, he reached for his phone in order to turn the alarm off. If it were up to him the world could end around him and he would still prefer to stay in bed, but duty did not wait.

Outside, the noise of traffic was still fairly mild; soon it would become a constant nuisance.

Carefully, he crept out of bed and went to the bathroom, where he briefly brushed his teeth. Clean his teeth were no longer, but at least he still had the whole set. He then filled a bucket with cold water and poured it over himself, not pleasant or particularly cleansing, but better than nothing.

Now he was clean enough to put on his work clothes - overalls and rubber boots. They were not exactly in the best condition; he would have to buy new ones as soon as he had the money for them.

On his way out, he checked on his mother and made sure he had not woken her.

To his relief, she was still asleep.

Lobert climbed the steps outside his apartment and wrapped a piece of clothing around his nose and mouth.

Every morning when he left his apartment, he was awed by the view that greeted him as he looked up into the distance:

Skyscrapers towering into the heavens, so close together that they almost formed their own city in the sky. Luxurious cars that were capable of flight flew between the narrow open spaces.

On clear days, a lone tower so high in the heavens that it was the only thing where you couldn't find the top of it. The space elevator.

All this, far from the dust and smog that clung to his clothes.

Surely up there one could see all the way to the next city.

Surely up there one would not be bothered by the noise of the city.

Surely up there the air wouldn't be scratchy to the throat.

For him, the skyscrapers had something magical, just thinking about the possibility of being up there - the city under his feet, people small as insects, a clear sky as far as the eye could see - made him feel a sense of wonder.

But someone like him would never be able to stand there, not even in his dreams.

On the ground, he couldn't see past 20 meters.

Lobert stepped up a gear, if he missed the bus the boss had no qualms about cutting his pay even further. When he arrived at the bus stop, the bus was already ready to depart.

Well, you couldn't really call it a bus. Rather a mini truck with a flat loading area on which one could stand, with a tangle of poles where you could hold on.

It was probably pretty dangerous, but he liked it anyway.

While he was concentrating on not falling off the truck, all sorts of rundown apartments, hotels, restaurants and stores passed him by, all of them covered with different colors of neon lights. Lobert found a certain charm in the sights of these lights, but perhaps he was just trying to tell himself that his place of residence wasn't so bad.

×

Marc was already waiting for him, ready to climb into the sewer. He raised his hand to Lobert as a greeting, and Lobert did so in return.

When he started the job at the Central City Water Works, it was Marc who he had been assigned to; a typical rookie-veteran team. Working together, it didn't take Lobert long to call him his friend.

And this colleague he called friend was sturdy and young, a bit broader built and a little older than Lobert. He had short hair and he was easy to spot from a distance; if you stepped a little closer you could also see his chocolate brown eyes, bushy eyebrows and wide mouth, accompanied by pronounced laugh lines. He was always up for a joke.

"Hey Lobert, have you watched the new episode of 'I was a hero and was suddenly reincarnated as the demon lord'?"

"Of course, crazy to think the dolls were alive all this time, right?" Lobert said while tightening his gas detector on himself.

Marc was already descending the ladder into the dark, slowly and carefully - slipping was a serious concern.

The ladder was nothing more than bent steel rods firmly anchored to the wall. Single-use wipes covered these steps, which made them extra slippery. They were not water soluble, which is why they were able to cling to the steps in the first place.

But that didn't stop Marc from chatting.

"Totally, and then this cliffhanger, I can't wait for the next episode."

At the bottom, Marc was lit only by the hole he had just come down from. He turned on the lamp on his hip and the tunnel was illuminated in an instant.

"Can you pass me down the hose?"

Lobert grabbed the hose and carefully lowered it down. The hose was quite heavy for its size, slightly larger than his hand could grip. Marc secured the hose at its end and then it was time for Lobert to climb down as well.

"Careful, the steps are a little more slippery today."

Marc always had a watchful eye on people he cared about, more than himself even. Looking at Marc and Lobert's interactions from the outside - like his other colleagues, one might think he was just still treating Lobert like a newbie, but Lobert knew that was just the way he was.

Marc grabbed his lamp and shined his light onto the ladder.

Once at the bottom, the stench made its way up Lobert's nose, as it did every day.

"Eww, it stinks so shitty again today!" Lobert pulled a sour face and held his nose with his right hand. For him, it had almost become a kind of a ritual, since he always reacted the same way to this smell. It stank like rotten eggs, pickled in feces. Truly not a smell everyone can handle.

"You still can't handle the smell? You've been working here for almost two years!"

"I won't live long enough to get used to this smell."

"It only took me three weeks to get used to it, and now I almost like the smell!" Marc said, putting on a big grin.

He spread his arms and took a deep breath through his nose. But that was a little too much even for him, and he couldn't hold back a "Ueegh!"

"If I ever start loving this smell, it's high time for me to quit." Lobert announced.

Marc laughed heartily.

"So, that's enough of this nonsense, time to get to work." Marc lifted the hose at the front and Lobert grabbed on a little further back.

Working in the sewer systems was no easy task. There were many dangers and no emphasis on work safety. Lobert and Marc were responsible for providing their own work clothes and equipment. Others, who could not afford them, would go down in their plain clothes; but no one could do without a light.

Today, Lobert and Marc were tasked with cleaning the canals of buildups from garbage and excrements - that's what the hose was for. The hose was extra thick and hardened on the inside, so it wouldn't tear when vacuuming sharp objects.

And later that day they would also fix a broken pump; it was apparently clogged and the water wasn't getting through. Lobert was already looking forward to that, because it didn't smell as bad over there.

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The Arbiter Cover

The Arbiter


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