Fight for a Living

by Sophia Schmidt

  Lith nodded, and Bromann shook Lith's hand while his wife was weeping with joy.

  Thanks, Lith. That means a lot for my poor Lisa. I will not forget your kindness. I'm sure you'll become a great man, just like your father.

  Lith was completely satisfied with that outcome.

  I didn't know that disowning a son, especially the firstborn, was possible. Everything went even better than I imagined. Orpal's friends can't wait to get some alone time in jail with him, and once his sentence is over, he is doomed. Either someone from the village adopts him, something that I find hard to believe, or he will be deported to the nearest orphanage. I hoped to get rid of Trion too, but maybe that's for the best. I don't think my parents can bear losing two sons at once. And between their happiness and getting even with that idiot, they come first by a landslide.

  The following days were really hard for Raaz, Elina and Trion. The couple needed quite some time before overcoming their grief.

  It was really hard for them to accept that the kind and bright boy that they brought up for almost twelve year was gone forever. Even worse, they started to suspect that the Orpal they knew never really existed.

  Thinking back about all the bad things he did and said over the years, he might as well have been deceiving them all along,

  Trion was the one having the hardest time. He had lost his favourite sibling and his family's trust at the same time. Despite Rizel had cleared his name, the suspicions remain. How could he have been so close to Orpal and yet never noticing anything?

  I can't blame them. In their shoes I too would think of me as either a liar or a complete idiot. Trion didn't know if to laugh or cry.

  Lith, Rena and Tista, instead were having the time of their life, even if they did their best to avoid their parents to notice.

  They would get more and better food, clothes and they did not have to tolerate Orpal's mean words and petty jokes anymore. Plus, there were all the gifts that five families sent them as an apology.

  Both the girls had stopped considering Orpal as a brother from the day he had proposed to get rid of Tista, calling her a cripple.

  Lith was above and beyond them, he never considered him his brother. His only worry was for his parents, so he tried to lessen their burden as much as he could.

  Lith's magic was now strong enough that he could till and plough the fields with earth magic.

  He could also hunt for much bigger preys, his aim set to deer, boars and bear, whose pelt could be sold for a pretty penny.

  The time for the spring festival was nearing, and Lith wanted some extra pocket money to buy something nice for his parents and sisters. Trion was still a stranger to him.

  The spring festival was held midspring, during the equinox, to celebrate the time when the light finally overcame the darkness and cold of winter.

  Lith was happily playing around the Trawn woods, looking for the best opportunity to kill a huge boar.

  Dammit, it's neck and skin are too thick to break with my current level of spirit magic. Fire and thunder could easily put it down, but that would mean damaging either the pelt or the meat. I need to get creative.

  The boar movements were easy to predict, since it would always charge in a straight line By using air fusion, Lith's body was fast enough to dodge the charges with ease, as long as he managed to prevent the beast from coming too close.

  When an ox went mad, my father told me that the best way to put it down is to strike at the legs, instead of the head. Once you take away their mobility, beasts like this one are easy prey.

  At the next charge, Lith conjured a thick layer of ice before dodging. When the boar stepped on it, it lost its footing, spinning on itself like a top.

  The boar crashed against the huge oak Lith had aligned it with, its bones snapping on impact. Lith closed in enough to not miss his next shot, but always keeping a safe distance.

  A cornered prey is the most dangerous one. Always respect the prey, never underestimate it. It only needs one hit to kill you. Lith remembered Selia's teachings.

  Lith made a finger gun, aligning it with his target before shooting an ice arrow that penetrated in the boar's right eye, puncturing its brain.

  The beast collapsed on the ground, but Lith shot another arrow in the left eye too, just to be on the safe side.

  Okay, dead it's dead. Now the problem is how the heck do I carry it out of the woods? My spirit magic may not be enough to carry a several hundred kilograms dead animal all the way until Selia's house. And even if I actually manage to do it, how can I explain it?

  Lith was nervously tapping with a finger on a nearby tree, trying to find a solution before having to fight to defend his game, when the dead animal suddenly disappeared.

  What the f*ck?!? Since when do boars vanish into thin air? Who's there?

  He promptly activated Life Vision, scanning the surroundings in search of his enemy, but the only living beings he could find were small birds and rodents.

  Okay, this is getting creepy, but I need to get my boar back.

  The boar appeared back, very close to Lith, making him jump away in fright.

  Why are you messing with me? Who are you? Lith screamed while checking out the best escape route.

  And invisible enemy could easily kill me. Screw the boar, I need to get out of here fast. He thought.

  There is no need to escape. A gentle feminine voice replied in his mind. "I'm not your enemy, my host."

  Okay, if you want to scare the sh*t out of me, you're doing a great job. What do you mean with host? Where the heck are you? Lith kept looking around, the enemy somehow was untraceable even by his magical senses.

  Stop looking around, host. I'm here were you put me. Around your neck.

  Lith instinctively grabbed the pouch and threw it away. He could finally notice that both the life force and the mana flow of the stone were bigger than ever.

  Lith had always kept it in a blind spot, and since it was useless, he forgot to check it with Life Vision since the day of the ambush.

  Okay, I hate riddles. Tell me who or what you are, or I'll leave. As much as it pains me losing such a game, it's not worth having a creepy, mysterious stone talking in my head 24/7.

  Please, don't! To voice turned desperate. "I'll die without my host."

  Enough with the riddles! Lith screamed out loud. "What the f*ck are you?"

  Our minds are linked, it's easier to show rather than tell.

  Suddenly Lith's mind was filled with images and memories that were not his own. He could have thought of having been teleported away, if the images weren't full of holes, allowing to still see part of the woods through them.

  I'm sorry, but my powers are almost depleted, this is the best I can do.

  Lith could see a gigantic tower, whose vault was so deep to reach the bottom of the ocean, it's top so high to touch the sky. He could perceive that the whole structure was a giant magical artifact, pulsing with mana.

  At some point, the owner of the tower had died, and without his/her mana to nourish its core, the tower began to decline. Centuries passed, while the tower kept looking for its next host, using illusions to send away those it deemed not talented enough or unworthy.

  Over time, the tower spent all his powers, and to avoid death it had been forced to an extreme sacrifice.

  To prolong its existence, it started to consume its own walls, floors, everything within itself, even its memories.

  More centuries had passed, now only the tower core was left, barely the size of a pebble. It had nothing left, except its sense of self. Preferring death rather than becoming a mindless tool, the tower core attempted a desperate gamble.

  It sent a signal that any being with the bare minimum magical powers to sustain its life could perceive. The clock was ticking, every second that passed, the tower core could feel its life slip away.

  When the one answering the call resulted to be a Ry, the tower core had tried to communicate with no results. The beast mind was too different from t
he first host, making the mind link impossible.

  Hope was lost, the tower core could only wait for its end.

  But then a saviour arrived, saving the tower core from the beast's maw, using his own blood to bond himself with the tower core, right before it fell into a deep slumber to recover from its wounds.

  The images disappeared, leaving Lith alone with the pouch and the dead boar.

  Lith's mind was overwhelmed, incapable of any thought outside stupid jokes.

  Does that make us married or what?

  Chapter 22: The Stone’s Real Worth

  Why do you say that?

  Well, back on my world, being bonded for life with someone you would not have any intimacy was the joke definition of marriage.

  That's funny. The voice chuckled. "And also kind of sad."

  Never mind the jokes. Let me get this straight: you once were a mighty artifact, full of treasures and knowledge. But now everything you had and knew is lost, and you are dimished to the size of a marble. Am I missing something?

  No, all your statements are correct.

  Also, you did not pick me because of my talent or virtue, but simply because I possess, and I quote 'the bare minimum magical powers to sustain your life'. That makes me nothing more than an off-brand life support system.

  That is not exact. I am now bonded with you until your death do us part.

  That sounds more and more like marriage. Lith grunted.

  I am no parasite, you can see me as a symbiote. We will both benefit from our relationship.

  How? Are you saying that if you manage to get your strength back, you will also recover your memories and magical artifacts?

  No, those are lost forever. I'm just like you. When you grow up, can you spit back the food you have eaten in the past to pass it on someone else? No. The same applies to me.

  Then what's in for me? The pleasure of your company?

  At the moment all I can offer you is a pocket dimension.

  Say what?

  One moment, I'm looking at your memories to make it easier to understand. It works like a Dungeons & Looting's Bag of Keeping.

  That's interesting. Lith pondered. "An interdimensional space where I can store my stuff without being hindered by its weight. How big is this pocket dimension?"

  Ten cubic metres big. It can store anything that amounts up to such volume, no matter the weight, as long as it's something inanimated.

  A cruel intuition flashed in Lith's eyes.

  Can it also store things like lightnings, fireballs or incoming arrows? If so, it would be an invaluable tool for both offense and defence.

  No. The voice killed Lith's hopes. "The pocket dimension is outside space and time, so it rejects both life and kinetic energy." Feeling its host disappointment, the voice added quickly.

  This also means that whatever you store will not rot, cool down or warm up. A roasted blinker would be kept hot and tasty, frozen in the moment you finished cooking it.

  That barely qualifies as a silver lining. Despite their chat was quite long, it was only happening inside their minds. Barely a second had passed after Lith had accessed to the stone memories.

  Whatever. At least you save me from my current predicament. Now I know how to bring the boar back, I just need a decent excuse to explain how I managed it.

  The stone mind-shrugged.

  Keep it simple. Drop it to the edge of the woods, and tell Selia that you managed to kite it to that spot before killing it. It should be easier to believe that the truth.

  Lith nodded.

  Resourceful and smart. The fact that our minds are linked still creeps me out, but thanks to that I can see you have no malice or hidden agenda towards me. If you really are what you say to be, I'll keep you. True loyalty is a too rare commodity to turn it down when you find it. So, until I am convinced of your good faith, consider yourself on probation.

  Lith put the pouch back at his neck and the boar in the pocket dimension.

  By the way, I can't keep calling 'you' and 'stone'. Don't you have a name?

  No. The voice sounded really sad. "It's lost, like everything else."

  Don't be a pouter. A name is just a name. You can call me Derek, Lith, host, CZ DELTA, whatever. I'll always be the same cynic, misanthropic, lying, cutthroat guy I have always been. Would you like me to name you?

  Yes, please. Lith had it ready since he heard the tower core's story.

  You are supposed to be a great artifact, so I'll name you after the greatest, albeit fictional, magical forgemaster that I always admired when I was a kid. Solus.

  Thank you, Lith. I like how it sounds. And I really appreciate you named me after someone you loved, rather than give me a pet name like Happy or Lucky.

  Lith had the odd feeling Solus was mind-blushing.

  They spent all the time on the way back chatting. Lith was really interested in understanding the limits and use of his new partner skillset.

  After assessing that both Lith and Solus could activate the pocket dimension, he proceeded to pick the right spot. It needed to be close enough to the edge of the woods and covered enough to make spotting the boar from a distance impossible.

  There are countless things that can go wrong leaving a dead animal alone, even for a few minutes. A passerby that then claims it's his kill, a scavenger believing to have lucked out a free meal, take your pick. With my luck, I never trust the odds.

  You trust no one. Solus turned to a flat tone.

  You bet. That's life rule #1. Rule #2 is 'No good deed goes unpunished'.

  Lith then used earth and wind magic to mess up the surroundings, mimicking the signs of struggle left by his previous fight with the boar.

  Bah! All this effort and I get such a sloppy result. If Selia throws a second glance at this scene, she'll expose my lie. I can only hope the prize catches her eyes enough to not make any question.

  He then gently dropped the pouch on the ground.

  As soon as you receive my signal, take the boar out the pocket dimension. I'll be back in a jiffy.

  Without waiting for a reply, Lith started running at full speed towards Selia's house. Once out of their mind link range (10 metres/10.9 yards), Lith could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

  "Dammit, leaving her like that was d*ck move. She surely knows the real reasons why I did it. It's hard to accept someone else in your head, reading every single of your most embarrassing thoughts and memories. Not to mention that in D&L every sentient artifact was usually a bag full of troubles, trying to mind-control the owner or something. I know that it's just fiction, but still…

  What if I just stumbled in this world's Lone Ring, like in Vasyli Bolkien's books?"

  Lith shrugged his head, his body covered in cold sweat.

  I bet that as soon we are back together, she will have access to this inner monologue too. F*ck my life. No pain, no gain. If she really is what she says, she's worth the risk. At least I'll have someone who finally knows the real me.

  A few minutes later, Selia and Lith were approaching the drop spot, riding the two-horse cart she used to move around the heaviest goods.

  Is it really that big to require two horses? She asked sceptically.

  I think one should be enough to move it once it's loaded. The second is necessary to drag it on the cart easily.

  Once Lith and Selia jumped down their ride, he gave Solus the signal. Selia detached the horses, guiding them by the bridle.

  Lith took with him the thick ropes necessary to make a harness for the boar, making it easy for the horses to drag it out of the woods and into the cart.

  When Selia saw the game with her own eyes, she whistled with approval.

  Good gods! This thing must be around 300 kilograms (661 pounds)! You weren't boasting as usual.

  I never boast. Lith used spirit magic to stealthily recover the pouch, while Selia was engrossed sizing the beast.

  Please, all men do. Selia clicked her tongue. "You are not an exception. With all your magic an
d secrets, do you want me to believe you do not enjoy your short, dark and teethless act?" She added laughing out loud.

  It's not my fault I have a lisp now! Lith was pissed off by her non-stop mockery of his new voice. "Will you ever let me hear the end of it?"

  I'm sorry, I really am. It's just that your tough boy attitude is even more hilarious now that you have a lisp. The first time she had heard him call her "Phelia", she had laughed hard enough to fall from her chair, hugging her belly.

  Judging from its size, it was really close to become a magical beast. We could have sold it for a much bigger sum, it's kind of sad. She sighed.

  Yeah, and if it was a magical beast, I would be much deader now. Lith rebuked.

  They kept bickering until the boar was safe and sound on the cart.

  Only once they got back to her house and started bleeding out the game, Selia got her business attitude back.

  The most valuable piece is the head. If we can find a noble willing to stuff it, hang it over his fireplace and take the credit for the kill, we can sell it really well. The pelt and the meat are nothing special, do you have any plans about them?

  Lith nodded. "All this meat will allow me to skip hunting for a while, so I prefer to keep and maturate it. As for the pelt, it should make a nice carpet for my parents' bedroom."

  Always a family boy, huh? Selia ruffled his hair, this time there was no mockery in her voice. "I'm so proud of you being so considerate toward your family that I'll tan it for free. I still get half of the head price, though."

  Perfect.

  Good! Our best shot is with Count Lark himself. He is both loaded and very proud of his hunting skills. I must reach my contacts in his manor to test the waters. Fingers crossed!

  Lith suffered at the idea of losing so much money, but half was better than nothing. He didn't know how to tan pelts or stuff heads, and lacked both time and instruments to do it.

  And even if he did, he had no way to sell the merchandise outside his little village.

  After Lith left Selia, he and Solus started chatting again, feigning ignorance about each other's feelings.