Woah! Random was feeling generous today! I could feel my hands shaking in overexcitement. Unable to keep resisting the fire in my belly, I got to work double time.
- You have acquired Gray Moss.
- Congratulations! You receive:
- Experience essence (5).
- Clay tablet “Herbalism.”
- Clay tablet of Agility.
- Clay tablet “Knife Proficiency.”
I looked at the list of trophies. Five essences and three tablets! And again unexpectedly generous!
Alright, let’s say I’m still getting bonuses. Everyone knows you always get so-called “bonus” loot for the first things you gather, but the Great System and Random “cut” the trophies after that. Father gave me an in depth explanation once. But I just made three moss cuttings and already had three tablets of Agility. In general though, leveling a main branch is quite a drawn-out process. Sure, I agree. Clay only adds one tenth of a point but, if I dream a bit, another seven like this would add up to one silver.
Maybe Random is just in a good mood today? I really hope so. I’ll keep cutting.
- You have acquired Gray Moss.
- Congratulations! You receive:
- Experience essence (5).
- Clay tablet “Herbalism.”
- Clay tablet of Agility.
- Clay tablet “Knife Proficiency.”
A chill ran down my spine. What is happening? I take another cut, my hand shivering...
And again the same result!
And again... And again...
After my tenth cut, I stopped, breathing heavily in excitement. There are thirty tablets and fifty experience essences in my knapsack. How can that be?! So many cuts and I just keep getting bonus loot like it’s my first time!
What if I try like this? I get up a bit higher and reach for the edge of the wall. Now I’m perched like a spider. I can feel my leg muscles cramping. My lower back and shoulders are on fire. I’m pushing my characteristic points for all they’re worth.
- You have acquired Gray Moss.
- Congratulations! You receive:
- Experience essence (10).
- Clay tablet “Herbalism.”
- Clay tablet of Agility.
- Clay tablet “Knife Proficiency.”
- Clay tablet of Strength.
- Clay tablet of Endurance.
- Clay tablet of Acrobatics.
- Clay tablet of Flexibility.
I get down carefully to the ground to refill my flagging energy supply. I grin like an idiot looking over the new tablets. Just like father taught me. Expending more energy, means the loot will be better. But to this degree?! I’ve never heard of something like this. And I probably never will. Dalia said my case is unique. And I am inclined to believe the healer.
I look at my energy numbers. A bit lower than fifty percent. Within normal limits. I toss a gaze up. Okay... As father used to say, you gotta strike while the iron’s hot! Never relax! I have to keep gathering!
Chapter 6
I STOPPED cutting when my energy supply stopped filling back up. I pushed my three Strength points for all they were worth, and they were able to cope with the workload for a time. But unfortunately not all that long. I started tiring quickly.
I was only able to gather seven pounds of moss. I could have kept going but there was no more moss left on the lowest level of the wall. I had to cut up high and that took all my strength.
I’d go up, make a cut and come back to the ground with just one and three quarters ounces to restore my energy points. Thankfully, I got more loot for the additional effort.
Frodi never came back, and no one ever came as he promised. I was nursing a vague hope that one of them would bring me some food, but immediately forbid myself from even thinking about it. I was nobody to Frodi and his people. What possible reason did they have to worry about some outsider kid? I have to make it on my own merits.
I pat myself on the back a few times for saving the bread and prunes for later. They were my lunch. Beyond that, I was saved by the fact I had easy access to water. Thirst, as everyone knows, “dries out” your energy and life supplies much faster than hunger.
Although Frodi advised me to throw all the moss away, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I don’t know why. Maybe because it was the first resource I ever gathered on my own that had ever given me anything for the trouble? One way or another, I couldn’t come up with a clear explanation.
But my knapsack also wasn’t infinite. I decided to set all the moss I gathered on a large flat stone. As it happens, that was where most sun was hitting. Let it sit there, dry out. Maybe it’ll be good for something later.
When I finished off the last clump, I fell to the ground tired. I looked at my first haul, an unsightly gray mass covering a flat stone. Hmm... It was only seven pounds, but I was so tired it was like I’d spent all day swinging a pickaxe in a mine.
Now it was time to tally up my results for the workday. Working with abandon, I estimate the totals. And I open my sack with a degree of excitement.
- Experience essence (400).
- Clay tablet “Herbalism” (64).
- Clay tablet of Agility (64).
- Clay tablet “Knife Proficiency” (64).
- Clay tablet of Strength (16).
- Clay tablet of Endurance (16).
- Clay tablet of Acrobatics (16).
- Clay tablet of Flexibility (16).
I shake my head. I wipe the sweat from my brow and eyes. I reread the whole thing. I feel my heart pounding. It’s about to jump out of my chest. My hands are slightly quivering in excitement. My back is soaked in cold sweat.
One of Bug’s dirty tricks, no two ways about it. They say he’s also quite the jokester. I had to agree with that. My existence was direct evidence.
In the end, cutting just seven pounds of moss landed me clay tablets worth a whole twenty-two points! And of that there was one strength and six agility! If I were level one right now...! I’d...! I’d have...! My heartbeat started racing. I feel tears of rage coursing down my hot cheeks. There they are, my long-awaited tablets and essences right in my hands! But what good are they to me?!
I wanted to cram myself into a dark crack and just bawl in sorrow. Like when I was a child. I had a secret hiding place in our basement. A little cupboard. Every time someone mocked me in school, I would hide out there and sulk in resentment. So no one could see my tears and weakness...
But alas, my parents, our house and that cupboard were all gone now... Instead, I have a gods-forsaken new home where I have to survive no matter what it takes. And I do not intend to sulk.
My fist clenched tight, I angrily wipe away my treacherous tears. If the gods decided I was supposed to be this way, it was meant to be.
I took another quick glance at my trophy list and smiled through the tears. Whoever said it’s all going bad for me?! Look at all that loot! I have to admit, it was so much I was afraid...
I imagine Frodi’s surprised face when I show him my take. Hehe...
As soon as I thought about my new friend, I remembered a lesson from father. I thoughtfully stroke my chin. Father was always saying not to stand out. If you suddenly get a stroke of good luck, and the gods bless you with unexpected riches or fortune, just keep living the way you always have. Don’t rush to show off your wealth to others. Otherwise you’re inviting tragedy. That was what he said every time he came back with a new artifact.
I trust Frodi. He gave me shelter. Fed me both yesterday and today. Brought me to this cave. He is a friend. At the very least he acts like one. But I couldn’t just ignore father’s lessons either.
My unexpected success might draw unwanted attention. I can’t forget where I am and what kind of people are around me. After all, when I get down to it, I am only entitled to twenty percent of what I gather. Well, thirty maximum if I consider that today is my first day.
Noope... Father was right. I couldn’t afford to stand out, and certainly not
go showing off all this loot. No way. Bluster and bravado might come at quite a high price here.
With caution, I look around. I am still alone in the cave. Looks like Frodi really did forget about me. And that’s for the best. It gives me time to make a secret hiding spot. See, I’d decided to leave more than half of the loot behind. I’d bring approximately one fifth to the village. That would be more plausible.
My stomach groaned demandingly. I gave it a pat. Yeah, yeah. I’ll give you a nice big feast tonight. Plus I have to figure out a place to live. They’d hardly be waiting for me with open arms in the prison laborer barrack. Why would they want more roommates or mouths to feed? They helped me out, gave me a warm place to sleep and fed me, and I was wholeheartedly thankful for that. But that was all. Now it was time to get set up on my own. Thankfully, now I’d have money. Most important would be selling it all without drawing attention. And then if everything goes well, I’d be out of peonage in the blink of an eye.
Hmm, dreaming about nice things is a great distraction from all kinds of gloomy thoughts. It felt easier to breathe.
I spent quite long time searching for a secret hiding spot and was fairly particular. First I wanted to bury it all in the sand, but then I thought about rain. The holes in the ceiling were too big a liability. What if a week-long downpour comes through? The lake level would rise and it would spill out onto the sand. All the shell fragments mixed in with the sand were plenty evidence of that.
The best option was climbing up the wall and hiding it all in a crack. Water definitely wouldn’t get in there. But alas, I wasn’t up to the task. I’d have to keep looking for something I could actually do.
Just when I started thinking, “to hell with it,” about to go to another cave, I found an appropriate place. A very narrow and more importantly inconspicuous gap between two sharp stones caught my eye by complete coincidence. I had a hard time fitting my hand inside. And good. The large hand of a grown man wouldn’t be able to fit. Dry inside. Exactly what I need! I take a few steps back. Great! The narrow crack blends in with the wall. I walk a few circles around the cave, looking from various angles. Nope, can’t see it. That settles it! I’ll hide it here.
I got out the tablets and essences from my sack. I counted out one fifth and put them back. Then I kept thinking and decided not to show them the Strength, Endurance, Acrobatics or Flexibility tablets at all. And I also stashed the corresponding number of essences.
In the end, my sack had just fifty experience essences and thirty tablets left. I stuffed the rest in the hole.
As soon as I took two steps back, I saw some text:
- You have created a simple hiding spot.
- Congratulations! You receive:
- Experience essence (15).
- Clay tablet of Mind.
- Clay tablet “Hiding Spot Maker.”
- Clay tablet of Observation.
Would you look at that! A nice little end-of-day bonus! But weird. Why didn’t the Great System ever notice my hiding spots before? I made lots of them when I was a child. Maybe the things I was hiding back then weren’t worth enough? Or I was choosing overly simple locations?
In any case, I checked the levels of the new tablets and essences. As expected, ones all around. I caught myself on the thought that I was no longer reacting so emotionally to the restrictions. Clearly that was because I finally recognized one important thing — being level zero was helping me. After all, I just got done hiding a large amount of loot and I only got so much thanks to that despicable goose egg.
For the record, I also popped those new tablets and essences into the hiding spot. Sure, maybe I could explain the Observation tablets. The Mind ones as well. But the Hiding Spot Maker tablet would blow my cover.
I drank my fill of the lake’s burning cold water before leaving, then headed to leave the cave. My stomach gave a groan of delight, anticipating how soon I’d be eating dinner.
I left the tunnel with mixed feelings. It felt like there was something I was missing, something I hadn’t thought through all the way...
As an aside, I was no longer so afraid of the tunnels. Only the distant “howling” passage back at the crossing made my skin crawl now. As for the rest, I was basically used to it.
There are people waiting for me outside. Frodi and another guy. This must be the guard he promised. Dumpy, short. His narrow gray eyes radiate ambivalence. An old ugly scar on his right cheek. The person who stitched it up for him must not have been a very talented surgeon. The right part of his face came out a bit contorted. It gave him a permanent grin. The combination of his cold gaze and predatory involuntary smile really creeped me out.
“You already done, kid?!” Frodi shouted from the distance, smiling openly. “Me and Happy here were coming to pay you a visit!”
“I figured you forgot about me!” I shouted back.
To be honest, deep inside, I was a bit mad at Frodi even though, logically, I knew he didn’t owe me anything.
My older pal instantly sussed out my mood.
“Hey, hey, kid! What’s with you? You mad?” he asked in a reassuring tone when I’d caught up to them. “I couldn’t come any sooner... See, Happy can corroborate. I’m up to my neck in other work. Isn’t that right Happy?”
His companion just nodded ambivalently.
“Tired?” Frodi asked compassionately, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Uh huh... And hungry as a dog... My supply isn’t filling back up anymore...” I grumbled.
Frodi loudly cursed and slapped his own forehead.
“Y’know, sometimes I think I’ve got holes in my head! I didn’t even bring food!”
I wanted to be sarcastic and ask something like “then why’d you even come?” But I held my tongue. The last thing I needed was to fight with my only friend here. After all, in the end, he didn’t forget about me.
“Let’s go to the barrack now. You can have something to munch on there,” Frodi rushed and added:
“And Happy can carry your bag for now. That’ll make it easier for you to walk.”
I didn’t even have time to make a peep before my sack was deftly shifted into the hands of the big guy.
“Lotta moss left?” Frodi asked, deftly shifting my attention.
“Not much,” I mumbled. “Two days’ work.”
“Not bad,” he nodded and, with a wink, added:
“When you’re done with that cave, I’ll show you a new little spot. There’s plenty of work for you around here.”
“Nice!” I said, sincerely delighted.
To be honest, that had me worried. Funnily enough, zero resources with even meagre value are quite the rare phenomenon. Although I might be wrong about that...
The whole way to the village, Frodi was distracting us with conversation. But his idle chatter was just that. Nothing interesting. Just little stuff... Who gathered what, who gathered more, who said what to who and what he got for it... Empty jibber-jabber.
First I tried to carefully listen to him but gradually my attention thinned. I was mentally far from that gloomy place. I was imagining collecting lots of loot and paying off my debt to Bardan. Getting back to Orchus and buying back my parents’ house. Getting the farm back up and running and trying to get my past life back. I shot a fleeting glance at Frodi who was still chattering away with a smile. I’ll try to help him too. I wonder what sins landed him in this place?
I didn’t much believe he was a dangerous criminal. Probably he got locked away on a false accusation while he was a kid. Then landed in forced labor. The debts piled up. And now he doesn’t know how to get out of the hole.
That settles it! I’ll definitely try and help Frodi! After all, he is my first and only friend! I’ll have to speak with him one on one. I think today after dinner I’ll tell him my plans.
The village seemed deserted. Frodi explained that by the fact that everyone was at work and the women and children tried to keep their heads down while their men were in the mines. They are afraid
of their prisoner neighbors.
At the entrance to the barrack where I spent last night, there is a man perched on the stoop like a throne. A tar-black shock of hair. A thick beard almost up to his eyes. A crooked predatory nose. A powerful torso, also overgrown with black hair. Fists like paving stones. Even sitting, he looked taller than all the prisoners standing around him. There was something animalistic in the gaze of his dark eyes. It was like the look in our cat’s eyes before she pounced onto a flock of sparrows sitting carelessly on the windowsill.
Every step we took toward the barrack under his squinting stare made me feel more and more like one of those sparrows. Even the always carefree Frodi stopped chattering and led me up to the stoop in silence.
Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains Page 7
