When Rus arrived in Flashgold Town with his personal guard, he finally understood what Mosingen meant.
These "redistributed" commoners were the very image of exploited and abused serfs from this era.
Their matted hair was caked with sweat and dust, tangled into greasy clumps. Their faces were sunken and smeared with filth, eyes dull and lifeless, hidden in hollow sockets.
Rags barely clung to their bodies, failing to offer even a shred of modesty. Mud, grime, and blood stained their thin frames—so much so that it was nearly impossible to distinguish between men and women, young or old. Only their heights provided clues as to who were children and who were adults.
Their backs were hunched, but nothing could hide the branded scars on their chests: a circular mark enclosing a square "F"—a symbol of their status as serfs of the Fox family.
To erase that symbol, someone had seared over it with fresh X-shaped brands.
But the most haunting sight was their hands.
