It took Mira about half an hour of wandering about the badlands, before she could find someone to help point her in the direction of Crossroads Haven. Majority of the residents refused to come out of their homes, and turned her away when she approached them.
She found it strange how no one was willing to show their faces, talk less of striking up a conversation. And more than that, Mira found it odd how she had encountered more graves than she had people during her short time wandering.
'That makes fifty two,' she thought to herself, her eyes trained on the heaps of dirt that formed graveyards. 'And they look freshly dug too.' she noted to herself as she went in the direction that a little girl had pointed her in.
There were too many graves and not enough people, she wondered just what it was that claimed the population of the badlands so rapidly.
She journey for a bit, relying on the footprints on the sand to guide her. The winds blowing were strong and carried a foul stench of corpses in the air, enough to make Mira focus on that, more than the hunger eating at her.
The woman nearly collapsed and lost her will to move on, but when she imagined the beaming smiles on both children's faces when she returned with food and medicine, she sucked up her hunger and continued her trip. And as for how she would pay, Mira figured that she would work in exchange for the items.
"On that note, I should probably get myself a job," Mira thought aloud with her hands crossed behind her head as she trekked down the open path, which had both footprints and carriage tracks printed on the sand. She wanted to run, but decided to save her energy for when she had bought the drugs and then head back home in a sprint.
"If I'm going to survive this game I can't do it on an empty stomach. I wonder what sort of jobs are available here. Maybe I could help a merchant at this crossroads Haven, that way I'd have easy access to food and other necessities for the twins." She figured, deciding on the spot to get herself a job first and foremost.
However, the moment she arrived at Crossroads Haven, Mira's eyes were opened to the harsh reality of the badlands.
"Please my Lord! Take a look at my goods! They're the best, picked fresh from the badlands." A vendor cried out in a loud voice, ringing a bell above his head, making all gestures possible to earn the interest of the pot bellied man walking past the stalls on both sides of the path.
There were tents set up to house the rest of the goods which paled in comparison to the ones on display.
"His only has face value! Mine is authentic and durable! Here, you can examine it for yourself! It's guaranteed to last you for five years." Another vendor from the other side of the path cried out, clapping his hands to gain the buyer's attention.
The buyer in question, was a stout nobleman, with a pot belly that protruded prominently, emphasizing his love for lavish feasts and indulgent pleasures. His grey beard, unkempt and unruly, displayed remnants of leftover food, a clear testament to his gluttonous nature.
He had a snobbish demeanor on his face, which bore a permanent scowl, projecting an air of superiority and entitlement as he glanced pitifully at the stall owners. His chubby fingers were adorned with rings of the finest stones, forcefully pushed onto them, causing his circulation of blood to suffer. Yet he insisted on displaying his wealth without concern for any physical discomfort.
A nobleman of the finest caliber.
He was draped in an extravagant robes of purple and silver. His long flowing cape, embellished with tassels, amplified his imposing presence as he moved through the long line of desperate buyers.
In his left hand, he wielded a well-crafted cane adorned with intricate carvings and topped with a precious gemstone, which he would leisurely use to point at the goods he liked best, taking his pick.
His side-parted bleached blonde hair and light blue eyes present a striking contrast against his otherwise dark and opulent appearance.
Mira stood in horror, as she watched the nobleman's escorts scurry to take his picks and have them loaded to the procession of carriages, and then throw some coins at the hungry sellers.
—"My Lord! Take mine, I'll give you a discount!"
—"These are the best and well behaved my Lord!"
—"A man of your caliber deserves the absolute best, buy mine…"
"They…they're…" Mira couldn't find the courage to voice out the barbaric attrocity happening before her eyes. She lost the strength in her knees and nearly fell face flat.
"Move it!" A stern voice sounded from behind her, shoving her away and making room to walk past. The force of the shove forced Mira onto her knees, gathering a cloud of dust around her.
Through the fog of dirt and sand, her eyes locked with the watery brown orbs of a child whisked away in a similar looking cage like the one she saw earlier meant for Tilly. She watched helplessly as a tall man carried the caged child towards the buying area, where more children were placed in cages and sold off to the nobleman strutting the scene.
At said scene, the nobleman, Lord Reginald Von Grimsby yawned and halted his march, causing his entourage to stop as well.
"My Lord?" His head retainer, Galen frostfall called out, lowering himself into a polite bow. "Is there a problem?"
Lord Reginald replied, "I believe I've done enough picking for the day, I have enough slaves to show off at the conclave. Let's go back, I don't want to be late because of these disgusting corpses."
"Of course, my lord." Galen nodded then gave the order for all of the goods to be rounded up and the carriages be readied for departure.
"My Lord, I have heard word that the revolutionaries have been stirring trouble recently. Some of the other lords have reported that their storehouses were raided and their slaves unlawfully liberated." Galen reported as they made their way back to the carriage.
"My, that's horrible, it must be disheartening to lose an investment, even if it is of this low caliber. Set me a meeting with the affected noblemen, and I'll introduce them to our broker." Lord Reginald remarked contorting his features into a worried expression.
"Yes my Lord."
"And once you've done that, send me the…" The nobleman was saying, only for a young girl dressed in rags to appear in front of him, chasing after her roll of bread, already dirtied by sand and dust.
Yet, she went after it, knowing fully well it would be a while till she got another chance to lay her hands on something edible. She went after it, forgetting the most important rule, that all commoners like her were made to follow.
Never show yourself to a nobleman.
The hungry child completely forgot that and chased after the bread, which landed in front of Lord Reginald's expensive shoes.
"Ah, my bread!" She sighed in relief and sheepishly reached out to pick it up.
Without any reservation, Lord Reginald raised his leg and aimed at both the stale looking bread and the child's hands, intending to crush them both into the ground.
This act didn't go unnoticed, the stall owners and Lord Reginald's men all saw what was about to happen and kept to their silence, not wanting to get involved and risk angering the Lord.
After all, it was the child's fault for not waiting and acting spoiled. Why would she act out in front of Lord Reginald? The guards who had seen their Lord do much worse to the scum from the badlands, considered the child lucky that she would lose only her hands.
And as for the child, she was far too engrossed in wiping off the sand off her bread to notice the raised leg of Lord Reginald.
"Perish!" He raised his voice and brought his foot down with full force, asserting his dominance over the scum who refused to learn.
The startled child dropped the bread at his loud shout and closed her eyes, bracing herself for the punishment for her foolish act.
*Swoosh!*
In an instant, the frigid and tensed air was liberated and turned into stun when all eyes were directed at the child, clutched tightly in the arms of a black haired disheveled woman.
Lord Reginald widened his eyes, when his foot crushed the bread but not the wrist of the child. He raised his gaze from the dirt, only to see a woman had stepped in and carried the child!
Mira let out a relived sigh when she peeked at the shivering child in her arms and saw that she was still intact.
"Insolence! How dare you?! Someone seize her!" He thundered, angrily pointing his cane at Mira.
Just as the guards made a move to apprehend her, an arrow was fired from heaven knows where, and landed straight at Lord Reginald's arm!
The place turned into complete chaos, when a stall owner cried out in recognition, "It's them! The Revolutionaries are here!"