Rargnes woke up in pain, his vision obstructed. He tried to move his limbs in vain. Something seemed to bind them together. He felt cold at the backside. Sometimes, he heard the sounds of bindings rubbing against the skin, and movement. He sensed - through the gag - a sort of desperate crying.
A few hours later, footsteps came to wake them up. Someone removed the blindfold from his eyes, and he saw two men in medieval attire, without armor but carrying large knives at their waists.
They talked among themselves, and the goblin who followed them two steps behind, fearful of angering them, stepped forward and said, "Listen! You are now the property of the masters. Follow orders or die!"
One of the men made them stand up one by one before leading them away, their hands bound behind their backs.
Rargnes moved forward, pushed roughly by the man's hands. They were separated into different rooms. In his, a dozen people from the group were tied up regardless of their age or gender. The only similarity seemed to be the class they had chosen.
A goblin with a mage's staff entered the room, examined them one by one, then finally said disdainfully, "And you, you chose the lord class?" He spat on the ground before moving closer to the central desk and laying out his belongings.
There were what seemed to be talismans, charms, and other objects he didn't recognize. The goblin prayed. It seemed strange to Rargnes. Why pray in the same language as them? Then a realization hit him. Perhaps they were human sacrifices they wanted to 'purify' before sending them somewhere.
The goblin appeared before them and taped a paper amulet to each person's chest. He went through the ranks silently, very softly. The waiting seemed to kill Rargnes.
Once he was done, the goblin left, and the two men from the beginning - who, now seen, didn't resemble the attackers who had beaten them, even without their helmets - took them one by one.
Rargnes was taken, blindfolded once again, which did not reassure him, and transported on a swaying vehicle, placed with a few people by his side whom he couldn't see.
The journey didn't end until two days later, without them having a single drop of water. At that point, they were made to wait in a dark room.
An hour, and another. The sobs were almost palpable. His were the only ones he could confirm the origin of.
Footsteps approached him and he received a massive blow to the head, causing him to lean backward. Then, with a sharp movement, he was put back into a sitting position.
After a while, when Rargnes thought he couldn't resist anymore, a large number of footsteps approached, and they took a person. They dragged him towards something that seemed - judging by the noise - still in the room.
A horrifying sound was heard. A sound he had never heard before. Like a human scream of agony, but much louder, and for some strange reason, diluted, changed, almost unreal.
He was carried away in turn and lost consciousness. When he opened his eyes for the first time, a goblin was giving him food and drink. He was alone in the room, tied up with him.
"Don't be afraid," said the goblin. "I am following the orders of the masters."
Rargnes swallowed the food, then the goblin cleaned him all over. Only now did he realize his nudity.
"What's going to happen to me?" he asked.
"A lord is of no use in hunting, so you may survive for a while," the goblin told him. "Certainly, someone will buy you to cultivate their lands. Obey, and you will suffer less."
"How come you speak our language?"
"It is the gift and curse of goblins, as with every race. Weak as we are, we are then no threat to others and can serve as managers whom they do not distrust or as messengers."
"And what is the human gift?"
"The classes," he replied. "And especially the body. The classes take time to be useful, they are not worth much, but your bodies, now! Very useful for cultivation."
He learned that he had already left the earth and that he had to abandon all hope, it was better for him. He would be taught the basics of submission and would be sold as a slave within the week.
According to the goblin's words, the earth was the host planet they were invading, and where magic was regaining its rights. Here, magic and superhuman strength existed.
Rargnes was brought naked to the marketplace where a market was organized. He was sold to a man in his forties, and then had to take care of his fields.
After a few months, he learned that the goblin mage had sealed his class. His master only unlocked it once a month, during the payment for the lord class, one of the reasons why humans were valued, and those of the lord class relatively tranquil.
His life became nothing but work until around the third year.
He had returned to the selection of his class.