F-Rank Soul Eater-Chapter 51: The Point System In Prison

Chapter 51: The Point System In Prison
As Soren approached the gathering of the other prisoners, he heard his name.
"Soren! Soren... over here."
His eyes scanned the area, only to find a short, purple-skinned girl waving to him from the distance.
Vinegar.
Soren walked over. She was surrounded by three men.
They did not look at him favorably.
One sat cross-legged amid scattered parts.
Soren’s ’’mechanic’-trained eyes recognized the system the moment he saw it.
At least his mind assembled the parts for a final result.
An arm-mounted grappling rig.
For now, it was spread open like a dissected insect.
Such a device was usually used to clamp into stone.
Spring-loaded talons, a coiled cable, and a winch small enough to fit along the forearm.
Yeah, definitely a grappling rig.
The man looking to be in his late 40s had a monocle clinging to one eye, catching the ceiling light, magnifying his unblinking focus.
Beneath it sat a short, neat mustache, while behind his head hung a long rat’s tail, thin and braided, swaying slightly each time he leaned in to tighten a bolt.
Soren immediately knew. The rat’s tail was the man’s curse.
Vinegar introduced him as Ratler.
The man smiled at him, exposing uneven teeth, as he reached out a hand to shake him.
Soren was taught to be polite to strangers, but when he reached in to accept the handshake, he was pulled in.
"Say, kid." Ratler whispered in his ear, "Is it true that you killed a Soulbound Knight?"
Soul Mecha Pilot
Soren corrected in his mind. But didn’t answer immediately. The word "killed" sat wrong in his chest.
He nodded with discomfort.
A pause.
Ratler turned to the other two men.
The one sharpening a crudely made blade nodded in acknowledgment.
Rattler’s eyes brightened up, his monocle falling from his face.
He gave a cheery smile. "Hahaha... I approve. I approve of this one. You can date him." He pulled Soren close, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
While Soren was surprised, Vinegar blushed, then panicked.
"What? What did you say, old man?" She bounced on Ratler, stretching his cheeks as they rolled on the ground.
"I’m going to rip your tail out."
Soren did not know what to think of this.
"Excuse them, please." A charming voice interfered. "They are always like this." The one sharpening the dagger spoke.
He had black faded hair tied in a ponytail behind and a small goatee that pulled his oval look together.
No doubt, he was in charge of the group.
"I’m known simply as the Handler, and that is Slacker." Handler pointed at the third man, with no hair, reading what looked like a map. "You can call us... well, Vinegar’s daddies."
A lot of questions came to Soren’s head with that title, but he swallowed them all.
"I’m Soren." He replied simply.
"We know." Slacker replied, "You won us a lot of points in your battle with Sausage Neck yesterday." He snorted lightly.
"Points?" Soren asked, confused.
"Yes, amigo, points." Handler leaned in, throwing an arm over Soren’s neck.
"Vine, darling, did you not tell your little friend how it works here?"
She rose sharply from Ratler. "Oh, it forgot."
"Of course she did, using all that time in the vent to...
muah muah."
Ratler gave kissing sounds. And Vinegar bounced on him again—choking him.
Soren could not help but see this and smile a bit.
The relationship Vinegar had with Handler, Ratler, and Slacker. It felt... pure.
It kind of reminded him of his old man.
"The prison runs a point system." Handler explained, "Even if it’s from your enemy or someone sells them to you. Enough points, you gain freedom—"
"And gold in the process." Slacker interrupted.
As they spoke, Soren got a better understanding of this place. And all of a sudden, it made sense that these Soulbound warriors—criminals—were kept in this prison.
While Handler pointed out that yesterday’s brawl with Sausage Neck was orchestrated by Vinegar, who was similarly in charge of bribing the guards.
Since the brawl did not have an outcome due to Cynthia’s involvement, Vinegar and her three dads took all the winnings, exchanging most for points.
Points that would guarantee their freedom. Although they were still quite far from it.
~Buzz~
"All prisoners should get ready. T minus 2 minutes till Glass opens." A feminine robotic voice sounded loud and clear for all to hear.
Vinegar paused.
As if on command, everybody had their game face on.
Vinegar rose from Ratler.
Meanwhile, a guard went around. Handing them weird-looking balls.
Soren could have sworn that it was made out of skin.
It was only after the guard reached his turn and he was handed his Glassheart and his Soul-steel dagger that he realized that the ball of skin given to these Soulbound warriors actually had their bound souls in them.
Then again, this was a question lurking at the depths of his mind.
When he touched the Glass during the ceremony, he was given a standard-issue Glassheart to house his Shade.
But that was because he was qualified to become a cadet.
However, what of people that did not have such an opportunity? Since Shades could not survive in this world on their own, where were they stored?
Soren looked at the balls again. Some of them were rough, some hairy, and one looked like it had an ear sticking out of it.
Human flesh.
He realized.
Human flesh housed their Shades.
But this raised more questions.
Also, what kind of mining were they going to do that warranted the guards returning the shades to their prisoners?
Were they not afraid that someone would try to run or attack the guards?
Subconsciously, Soren looked behind.
They were there.
Rolls and rolls of Guards and even Red Sword Inquisitors, weapons pointed at the prisoners, like it was a firing squad.
Their faces were all focused, with some itching to fire.
One wrong move, and the prisoner would become riddled with holes.
Billy walked before the prisoners. "Now, you guys know the drill. But let me say it again for the new guys." His gaze landed on Soren.
"If you die inside the Glass, your corpse will not be recovered, as you will be assumed to have been infected.
Gather as much Soul Steel, aether, and other necessary minerals as fast as possible to earn points for your freedom.
Stay out of the way of the Soul Mecha pilots. They do not care about you prisoners and will crush you like the bugs you are.
Any questions?" His eyes darted around.
Soren had at least ten, but no one was asking.
"Good. Break a leg." Billy turned and left.
The countdown continued.
Meanwhile, Soren suddenly felt someone looking at him. He turned. There he was, Sausage Neck, a hateful look in his eyes as he slowly drew a finger across his neck in a killing motion.