With more than a little trepidation, Felix put in a log. It wasn’t measured in the thousands, but it wasn’t much better. It would be just over 800 logs. That was double the cost of their first wall outside the cave.
Ropes and sails were clearly listed in price as they weren’t simply property traits. Fifty of the former and three of the latter. Sealant was listed as an optional material, which was good because they didn’t have any.
Felix and Koale sat, backs to the wall of the newly formed hut as they pondered how to deliver the news. Everyone had expected this to be an costly project, but this was a order of scale larger than anticipated.
“We could just not tell her?” said Felix.
“And she won’t get suspicious when we mum up whenever she asks the question?”
“That’s amateur hour. We’d change the topic instead, if that was the plan.”
“And by your phrasing, I assume it is not?”
“Not at all. This is what I did. We’ll simply say, ‘We need about two hundred nails for the first phase of construction.’ Rinse and repeat and by the time she grasps the price, she’s in too deep to back out, but gets a lovely ship at the end.”
“I question your professional ethics.”
“That’s fair.”
“One problem with your plan that I can see right now, however.”
“What’s that?”
Koale pointed out to the ship blueprint. It wasn’t where they had left it, but instead slowly drifting with the current out to sea.
Felix watched it float on. “Of course. Why wouldn’t it?” He took a deep breath. “Okay, options?”
“The obvious solution is to stockpile supplies and build it all at once.”
“Okay. Less obvious ones?”
“Dig out a drydock and flood it once the ship is done.”
Felix looked again at the size of the retreating blueprint and imagined the hole it would take to fit it in. “Pass on that. Way too much digging.”
“The only other thing I can think of is to make a dam and raze it when we are ready to sail.”
“That seems like more work than necessary as well. Let’s go with the stockpile option? We can always build one of the others if needed later.”
“I was inclined that way as well. Though, you know this is going to be even harder to sell Renessa on now?”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll admit I’m a bit excited about it. Finally something on this damn planet I am good at.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
“How many nails?!”
Felix smiled at Renessa and waved his hand at the sea behind the base. “Let’s think less about the number and instead, think about the freedom a boat will give us. Instead of being pinned to a static location on a small island, we’ll be able to travel, get what we need wherever it may be and bring it back with us in bulk.”
Renessa smiled right back. Her smile had an edge. She waved her hand over the base. “Instead of thinking about possibilities that may or may not happen, how about we think about all the concrete things we can do for sure right now?”
“I see where you are coming from. It is a big investment, but I’m sure we can work something out.”
“Are you managing me right now?”
“No.”
Renessa stared at him hard.
“Maybe,” said Felix. “Okay, how about this- you and Trent start with supplies and Koale and I will go find another metal deposit? That way we won’t be running short any time soon.”
A short time later Felix and Koale were once more hiking away from base.
“So it went well then?” asked Koale.
“Hush. We’re getting a ship.”
“You must have been a mighty fine salesman.”
“You going to just keep cracking jokes this whole time?”
“Of course.”
Felix walked faster. Koale followed, chuckling.
They made their way quickly through the jungle until they reached the foothills. From there, they slowed and carefully scanned as they went. Given that the metal was meteoric, they were hardly expecting seams of the stuff. Still, if one had fallen, there might be more, or they might find a deposit of something more suitable for weaponry.
The methodical search made for slow going. They stopped to investigate any glint or glitter they found. Most turned out to be nothing more than hopeful wishes.
One investigation was not. Beneath a layer of dirt and grime, they found a vein of shiny, smooth, black rock that looked a lot like obsidian. Research would label it definitively later, but Koale insisted it was likely so.
It was no metal, but they took a sizable amount anyhow. It would, at the least, be a good step up from the stone they were currently using for Felix’s bolts and Renessa’s spear.
Even with their late start and frequent pit stops, they nearly made it to the lake before they had to camp for the night. It was a long night for Felix. He couldn’t help but wonder when the raiders were coming. If they were.
Would they be ready? If it didn’t, would the cache work? Would they have to rebuild from scratch once more?
Felix was tired of waiting. He wanted whatever was going to happen to get on with it. Then they could pick up the pieces and move on best they can. He hated marking time, waiting for someone else.
Eventually his worries faded into an uneasy sleep.
The following morning saw them headed towards the cave by the lake shore once again. It was no less interesting than it had been on their first trip. In addition to exotic materials or guano, they were hoping they might luck into a metal vein.
Once they crested the ridge, both shot furtive glances out to the horizon. Both pretended they weren’t.
“What do you want the guano for anyway? Explosives, I assume, but any more specific plan?” asked Felix.
“I had a few ideas for a remote trigger. I was hoping to give any uninvited guests an unforgettable greeting.”
“Hold up there. Remote? You’ve figured out how to work electronics and didn’t feel the need to spread the word?”
“Unfortunately not. I was thinking more along the lines of long, hidden fuzes or perhaps I can figure out a mechanical pressure trigger.”
Felix sighed. “Of course. Not sure why I got my hopes up there.”
“We’ll figure it out. We’re getting off this planet, remember?”
“Yeah,” said Felix. “We are.”
Felix pulled his shoulders back as he drew closer. He had his new crossbow out, but he was unsure if he should be pointing it at the dark figures swimming within the lake or the unknown within the cave.
Felix hadn’t seen anything besides the glowing jellyfish close to the surface. He decided that any threat was likely to come from the cave, and oriented himself accordingly.
As they got closer to the water, Felix was sure he saw out of the corner of his eye some of the water figures were getting closer. He glanced over and saw nothing suspicious.
He took a deep breath and ordered himself to calm down. He was going to make himself a nervous wreck before they even saw a whiff of danger.
He spared a passing thought for Trent. Felix wouldn’t be able to function well on this world with the same illness. That Trent had survived was impressive, and that he and Renessa had even been able to carve out their own chunk of land and thrive more so.
If only Trent wasn’t such an asshole, Felix might even tell him that.
As they crossed inside the cave, Felix saw right away it was larger than he had expected. He had assumed it would be a short pocket, but the tunnel snaked down and into the dark.
Koale pulled a torch out of his inventory.
"When did you make that?" asked Felix.
"I've had it in my inventory since I made the bombs." Koale lead the way down the tunnel. A few mushrooms grew from the walls.
Felix poked a mushroom with one finger experimentally and turned to his companion. "Right, but when did you light it? We haven't had access to a fire since
we left base."
“Exactly. Since I made the bombs.”
His finger didn’t feel numb, nor any other particularly concerning sensation, so he grabbed a few. He had stood up again when Koale’s meaning sunk in. “Wait, lit?”
Koale nodded. “Lit.”
Felix followed Koale down the tunnel thinking. “Why was it lit the whole time, yet food rots in the inventory?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it? I would love to know how things work.”
The path snaked and curved. Side tunnels and branches split off, and Felix was increasingly concerned about his ability to get back to the surface. He was just about to voice his concern when he saw a glow down the tunnel a short ways.
It was a small patch of glowing, rainbow colored goo.
Felix and Koale backed away carefully.
“And we’re out,” said Felix quietly.
“Wait a moment,” said Koale. “Remember that sealant we need for the ship?”
“It was optional, but yes.”
“Remember that research you found for ‘bioluminescent goo’?” Koale pointed at the glowing patch in the distance.
“No. Last time you messed with that stuff, you got eaten.”
“There’s plenty of ways to run should we need to. We won’t be trapped like I was that time. Besides, Renessa sent us out for exotic materials.”
“She sent us out for metal,” said Felix.
“Aren’t you even a little curious?”
“Absolutely. Just not ‘get eaten by walking teeth’ level of curious.”
“Fine,” said Koale as he started edging towards the goo patch. “Stay there and keep an eye out. Just like you did last time.”
Felix’s face flushed and he moved to keep up with Koale. “That was uncalled for.”
Koale held up a finger to his mouth and moved forward.
As they neared, they could see past a bend in the tunnel. Up the path were two more small patches of iridescent goo.
Koale pulled a leaf out of his inventory and quickly got to work scraping the sticky stuff off the cave wall. While he worked, Felix strained his eyes into the darkness.
If he saw something they were gone. Both of them, this time.
Koale scraped the last of the goo free and it disappeared into this inventory. “Apparently a little goes a long way,” he said. “Just that was a half dozen in the inventory. Let’s grab one more.”
Felix would have objected, but he knew his friend wouldn’t leave without it. Sooner started, sooner finished, and he wanted gone. The longer he stayed, the more the tension rode in his shoulders.
As they approached the next two. Down the way, more and more patches covered the walls. Tunnels split off, and soft glowing emanated from the otherwise darkness.
Felix pointed at the growing amount of goo. “That is not good,” he said with a hiss. “We need to leave now.”
“We need this stuff. If we stick it out a little longer, then we’re done with it and don’t need to come back.”
“We don't know for sure we will come back again if this goes south. We don’t know why it happens and we don’t know we can rely on it. We need to get while the getting is still good.”
Koale instead handed Felix a leaf. “Then help me with this so we can be done faster.”
They worked as quickly as they could, grabbing up the goo as they worked their way down the passageway. Felix worked with a frantic zeal and constantly checked down the hall for any interlopers.
Which is why he saw it first.
A figure shuffled out of a side tunnel behind them. It was a landshark, though smaller than the last one, relatively speaking. It looked to be merely hip-high.
Felix froze in place.
Koale continued to work, clearly having not noticed the new threat. Felix slowly reached over and grabbed his friend’s arm. He never turned away from the beast in front of him.
“What?” said Koale as he continued at his work.
“Shh,” said Felix, “Look.”
Koale turned to look back the way they had came and stopped cold.
The little landshark hadn’t seemed to notice them. It meandered slowly towards them. In the dark of the cave, most of its features were indiscernible, but it’s eyes gleamed in what little light there was. It’s eyes and the rows and rows of teeth.
For a long moment neither Felix nor Koale moved. They stood with absolute stillness, watching the approaching monstrosity.
It was between them and the exit. They would have to go past it or find another way out. Even though this landshark was smaller than the one, it was still wide. It filled a large portion of the corridor.
Felix was not optimistic about their chances of getting past it intact.
The two edged backwards as it neared until their backs hit the wall behind them. Two tunnels branched off and there was no indication as to what lie down either.
Felix was looking back and forth, trying to decide which was better. Koale stood frozen still, his eyes glued to the menace.
Finally Felix shrugged and shoved Koale into the tunnel nearest him. Damned if Koale was going to get eaten again. Even if they did respawn, he'd never hear the end of it.
The shove broke Koale out of his trance and he began to jog in front of Felix. Koale still had his torch out in front of him, but it was becoming less and less necessary.
The rainbow sheen of the goo became prevalent enough to light their path. Felix began to worry about the path they picked. There was no headed back, however. The smaller landshark trundled along behind. The only way left was forward. The tunnel they were following emptied into a moderate sized hollow.
The walls were coated in goo so thoroughly the actual rock could no longer be seen. The omnidirectional light cast strange and faded shadows in all directions save one. In the center of the room was a pile of landsharks lying still and presumably sleeping.
The two skidded to a halt. The little one was far enough behind they could spare the time to creep across the room. The last thing they needed was for the hurried stamp of their feet to attract more trouble than they had already.
They crept into the room. They stuck to the edges of the hollow and as far away from the sleeping monsters as they could. So close to the goo, their shadows stretched and danced well into the room.
It was slow going and stressful. Felix couldn't help but continually check behind himself for the little one. It wasn't without value, however; by the time Felix neared the tunnel at the far end of the hollow, he had caught his breath once more.
As Felix left the room, his shadow fell across a sleeping landshark. The monster opened an eye and pulled itself to its feet.
***
“Isn’t that exciting? I know I’m itching to see how this pans out,” Daviron smiled at the camera. “We’ll be back in the action after Jastin briefs us on major events in the area. Jastin?”
“Thanks Daviron.” Jastin nodded at the host before turning to the camera. “As you know, the Trevor’s Crew raiding party have reached the end of the outbound arm of their journey. With the poor haul from Dalos’ Band and the losses from the storm, they’ll be looking to squeeze every last drop of the last stops on their route home.”
“Insightful as always. Remember viewer, Jastin will be on his regular show breaking it all down in detail and providing expert analysis on what we might see going forward.
Until then, a word from our sponsors. Are you tired of running from the landsharks in your life? Call Bradford and Sons today for a discount on service that will help you win your fight. Bradford and Sons is strictly for legal counsel. If your landshark is anything but metaphorical, this offer is void.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
A roar filled the room behind them. It was a sound more felt than heard and the remnants lingered, reverberating through Felix’s body. In its wake, a profound silence swept through the caverns. The silence was broken by heavy, lumbering footsteps.
Felix and Koale ran.
Koale led the way. His torch proved useful once more as the goo lessened along their path. The corridor meandered and turned, but led them ever downward.
A choice of corridors presented itself and Koale jogged to the left. Not long after, he took a side corridor to the right.
Felix didn’t see any trace of hesitation in his friend’s choices. He was winded, but had to ask. “Know. Way?”
“No,” said Koale with a huff of his own.
“Then how?”
“No time. To. Debate.”
Koale continued to pick turns with no apparent rhyme or reason. Felix dared not argue. The hulking monstrosity barreled behind them. A low growl rumbled out of the open jaw, lest they forget the danger following.
Felix was winded. He was trying to make his peace with getting eaten in the bowels of the mountain. If they did respawn, and he really, really hoped they would, it would certainly take some of the wind out of Koale’s sails. Maybe they could get back to the easy ways before.
It didn’t come to that. They rounded a blind corner and saw a soft light shone from a side tunnel. Koale went right for it. It was either an exit or more landsharks.
Felix was tired, he was just about ready for either. A small part of him, the part that was paying attention to the pounding in his chest and his burning lungs, was disappointed. The rest headed towards the light.
The passage ended abruptly and the two found themselves once again in the jungle. The light was fading into night, but after so long in the cave, Felix found himself shielding his eyes with his hand.
He had a hard time telling where he was going for several minutes and stumbled over vegetation. On the bright side, it sounded like the landshark was having similar problems. The rampage was heard from further and further away.
They slowed to a jog. In truth, they were both so winded, it was more of a shift in intention than speed.
The jungle gave way to a beach and they slowed to a stop.
Felix bent over, his hands on his knees. When he could talk again, he said, “Where are we?”
“Judging by the sun and the coast,” said Koale around panting, “I think the base should be that way.” He waved vaguely to his left.
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