Yeah, I kinda forgot about that PM, Venks. But this story will answer it anyway, as I already said in my asnwer.
But thanks for the comment. Yeah, I'll try to write this in a way to make things easier to imagine.
Here's chapter one!
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Chapter 1 – Raw Recruit
Let’s return to the great spiked serpent which came from the eastern mountains and headed to the south, ending in the grey mountain where the unlucky adventurer’s journey has ended. The serpent was, in fact, a railway, suspended by massive iron supports. Joists and poles ran across the whole structure, thence sprang its spiked feature. The railway was the only sign of civilization in the middle of the desert, a gigantic artificial landmark across the arid lands. It seemed endless, one end hiding between the cliffs to the east, and the other end disappearing in the distance to the south.
A metallic noise came from among the cliffs. A monotonous, self-repeating noise, getting louder and louder. Then came the source of the racket – a train, closing in on the suspended railway, making its way across the mountains. The engine bore facial features: orange glowing eyes, stern frown, no nose, strong jaws. To put it simple, it looked like a Glukkon, the self-styled leader race of Mudos. They were the heads of the Industrial processes and establishments. Ironically, reason and logic thinking was not the strongest side of Glukkons. But they had a lot of Moolah – the standard currency of Mudos – so those who were not as succesful claimed them to be the bosses. And who were they to disappoint anyone by refusing the leading position offered?
So the Glukkons were in the lead. The Industrialists had a lot of companies, factories and other facilities all over the continent. The distance between the different establishments was usually large – maybe to make it harder for one company to spy on another – and to shorten the travelling time between them, FeeCo Depot was founded to house the trains. Glukkons prefered that the engines would resemble them – so nobody would forget who’s supposed to be praised for all the progress – and since then, FeeCo cariages were pulled by Glukkon heads all over Mudos.
Meanwhile, the train descended from the mountains and continued its journey over the desert. Its approach could be heard from miles, especially near the supports. For the animals who lived nearby, the immediate area surrounding the railway was a no-entry zone. Trains travelled too high to hit any of them, should they stand right under the railway when a train passes by. The umbearable sound was the real reason why they avoided the metallic construction.
The train was made up of the engine and several longer cariages. It was a passenger train, since freight was usually delivered in smaller containers. These trains were upheld for laborers and staff, transporting them to the facility they were assigned to. Workers didn’t volunteer for jobs individually. They were sent to different companies by the Magog Cartel, the main association of the Glukkons.
The Cartel decided how much workforce did a company need, not the other way around. If the company couldn’t cope with it, it collapsed over time, leaving its owner unemployed, only to be replaced by another Glukkon the Cartel had confidence in. This was the way how they kept their factories as efficient as possible. Recognised or not, the method worked. And, of course, it allowed the Cartel to gather a high amount of available workforce instead of sending a dozen of laborers to every single company and leaving the reserves empty.
The first and the last cariage contained the security force. The Cartel employed Sligs as guards and armed force. These creatures were generally senseless, greedy and trigger-happy. Glukkons made use of these characteristics by ordering them around, giving them money and equipment. And the Sligs obeyed gladly: they could manhandle the laborers and pursue their favourite pass-time activities: gambling, sleeping and smoking. Of course, they had to be careful not to cross the line, or they would be sent to the Slig Queen. And if that happened, the individual wouldn’t have to worry about buying the return ticket…
The interior of the first cariage was lit by a few lamps. It gave the impression of a prison, yet it was still better than the labor cariages, which were not lit by anything. The security cariages had a bench on both side – the labor cariages didn’t have anything except the floor, the walls and the roof. Sligs had slightly better conditions than Mudokons (the laborers cramped inside the dark cariages).
There were eight Sligs in the first cariage. Each of them had their bags at their mechanical feet. Next to the door, there was a Slig who was trying to have a nap on the bench, but the noise didn’t allow such comfort. So he ended up pretending to be sleeping. On the other side of the door, two Sligs were sitting on their bench quietly. The one sitting next to the door cast a scornful glance at the Slig sleeping on the bench. He leant closer to his neighbour on his right.
„Look who’s having a rough life there.”
The other Slig leant forward to have a better sight on the sleeping Slig. „Slacker. There’s no way he could fall asleep in this racket.”
They fell silent again, but after a few seconds, the second Slig added. „Five bucks if you throw his gear out the train.” They both started sniggering in a Sliggish way.
On the other side of the cariage sat the remaining five Sligs. Two of them were playing cards on the left side of the bench. There were two 2-Moolah-bills lying between them – presumably the bet of the round. The Slig in the corner seemed to be waiting for the other one.
„So, want another one or you’ll stick?” he asked.
„Damnit, Dealer, could you shut up for once?” exclaimed the other Slig. „Don’t try to distract me again!” They seemed to be the only Sligs who have been knowing eachother from earlier.
Next to them, sitting in the middle of the bench was a lone Slig. He watched the other Sligs quietly, occasionaly casting a quick glance at the card players to his right. On his bag was his identification number, and under it was the name „LOGGER”. To his left were the last two Sligs. One of them was apparently telling a joke to the other, laughing himself fit just by telling. The other one didn’t seem to get the point.
„And then a Scrab came in the bar with a Slig, and… now comes the best part…” said the Slig, shaking with laughter. The other Slig was waiting for him to finish, but his hopes were not high – his neighbour was rolling about, laughing his tentacles off.
„Time is ticking, you know.” said Dealer in the other corner. „We don’t have all day just to wait until you decide to draw another card.”
„We still have ’round 15 minutes before we arrive to the place, so… Hey, are you trying to talk me into drawing another one?”
„What?” asked Dealer, trying to sound innocent.
„Yeah, don’t try to give me that stuff. I’ll stick.”
„A’right.” said Dealer, drawing a card from the deck. The other Slig watched him, looking triumphant. Dealer checked the card he just drew and said. „That’s 25. House wins.” And with that, he collected the bet from the bench. „Hard luck, Batty.”
The Slig called Batty made furious Slig noises what Dealer ignored. „Those were my last bills, Dealer!”
„You can say goodbye to them, if you like. I have a rep to keep up.” said Dealer, being pleased with himself.
„…Then the Scrab says to the Slig, he says: Sorry fella, you have to stay outside. No animals allowed.” Said the Slig on the other end of the bench, finally finishing the joke.
„Uh-huh.” said the listening Slig. „Yeah.”
„Nah, you should’ve heard it as I did. The way that guy told these jokes… Simply hilarious, it was.”
The Sligs seemed to settle down after all this. They were sitting quietly, except the one next to the door. He was lying on his back, snoring occasionaly. The other seven listened to the engine as it carried them towards their new home – and workplace. They all wondered what will it be like. Newspapers were containing articles about the amazingly high efficiency and productivity this company was running with. Its products have been delivered to every part of Mudos, seeing that the factory was dealing in everyday products…
Loud screeching came from above. It meant that the train was slowing down – they were about to arrive to their destination. Batty got the attention of the wake Sligs in the cariage by waving an arm around. He pointed at the sleeping Slig in the corner and indicated that they should remain quiet if they don’t want to miss anything. So they were all looking at the Slig, who didn’t notice anything around him.
After a few seconds of waiting, the train finally came to a halt with a sudden jerk, making the sleeping Slig bump his head into the wall. They all laughed as the Slig got up, swearing and rubbing his head. He ignored the laughter and asked. „We there yet?” The door gave the answer: it opened up automatically, revealing a platform. They all grabbed their bags and got out from the cariage. A Slig was waiting for them outside with a sheet in his hand. The eight Sligs lined up in front of the Slig. Dealer was the first, Logger the next and the others behind them. The Slig looked at Dealer and asked. „Identification number?”
„1007-2541.” Said Dealer, raising his bag to show the same number on its side. Meanwhile, Logger had a look around the platform. The Mudokons were emerging from the middle cariages, supervised by the Sligs from the last cariage. The tall, greenish laborers showed signs of numbness and thirst. Nonetheless, they were harshly rounded up by the Sligs and they made their way through a door which lead into the factory.
„Identification number?” asked the Slig in front of Logger. Dealer was already heading towards another door, finished with administration.
„Uh, 1008-0065.” said Logger.
The Slig made a tick on the sheet with a pen then looked at Logger. „Everything’s in order. Welcome to Rupture Farms.” He said in a monotonous voice.
„Thanks.” Said Logger. He set off after Dealer through the door.