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Soon after their induction into the Deposit 4 mining camp, Shelly and Fahn are led along a winding path of rail tracks that led deep within the mines. Despite the mounting pain and exhaustion from long chain of abuses the two endured during captivity, they were forced to march on regardless—prodded along from behind with whips that lashed past the heavy underground air, ready to strike against the flesh should the new slaves fail to keep pace. Due to their extraneous records, the site warden spared no effort in ensuring total control over the new slaves. Shelly already had multiple incidents of extreme violence and escape attempts during his captivity, and his exceptional strength and endurance were already well-documented during the transfer. Although Fahn held no such remarkable traits, he caused a certain slaver to lose an extremely lucrative capture, and was thus sent with Shelly to languish in the mines. As such, Shelly and Fahn were provided with the harshest restrictions Deposit 4 could offer. They remained shackled at all times with heavy stocks, iron fetters, and gag harness with little to no exceptions, effectively turning them into nothing more than beasts of burden. They were also given punitive labors typically reserved towards slaves with disciplinary issues—immensely grueling work that could be performed while keeping their full restraints. After what seemed like endless trail of tunnels, the two were finally allowed to stop in front of a mine cart filled to the brim with rock chunks. The moment Shelly and Fahn saw the empty harnesses chained to the cart, they knew what kind of misery awaited them. Fahn in particular let out a hushed whimper, who barely had any strength left to even stand still. Shelly could do nothing but let out an angry stare as the handlers locked yet another set of bondage on top of already humiliating appearance. Once the slaves were securely tethered to the mine cart, the whips wasted no time lashing out again, forcing them to pull forward with the new cargo. It did not take long for Shelly to realize that Fahn was never fit for hard labor, but punishment came down swiftly and painfully the moment either of them let up. Although in no better condition himself, Shelly huffed through the gag as he took the brunt of the load, hoping that this would be as worst as it gets. As if someone took his thoughts as a cue, Shelly let out a muffled yowl of frustration as more and more mine carts emerged throughout the journey and formed an increasingly longer freight, creating an enormous weight that even he struggled to pull. Fahn was on verge of falling unconscious, unable to do anything but place strain against his own weary body. But still, they were forced to carry on—if not from intimidation of physical pain, then with threats of even more torture. The slavers took particular delight in dispensing punishment against Shelly for Fahn's own shortcomings, knowing how much anguish it causes him to watch someone else suffer for his own failures. Shelly thought he could hold out for a while longer, but for the first time he wondered if he was truly out of options. With each strained pull against the now-massive cargo, he found his mind drifting away, unable to focus as whips, shocks, or whatever jolts of pain relentlessly shot through his senses whether he faltered or not. Off to the side he saw empty carts being sent back into the mines, to be loaded with even more burden that he and Fahn would no doubt be forced to carry—over and over again. And the sun hadn't even finished rising yet. |
