by Noah Layton
‘Pretty damn impressive,’ I said. ‘Take what you need to keep you guys going and I’ll ship the rest back to the land. How long will it take to prepare the others?’
‘The other pigs? As soon as they’re fully grown. A few weeks, perhaps.’
‘And the taurem?’
‘Planning on having a feast are you?’
‘Not exactly,’ I smiled. ‘Just feeding a lot more people come tomorrow if everything goes to plan.’
I gave Alorion the job of shifting the provisions to the cart while I headed to the Building Totem and chose our new construction.
Construct stable – Requires wood x200
Jeremiah already had building rights, so deciding on the spot next to the current stable was the only decision that had to be made. Once that was completed, we worked quickly to place the boards in their magnetised positions as the building system did the rest for us.
Within half an hour we had the stable constructed next to the first – enough room for the taurem to be housed once things became colder.
From there we created the pig pen together, as well as a hutch for the chickens to be housed. The current combination of wooden fencing and metal mesh covers defended them from any lurking predators that might have strayed onto the land, but this would keep the cold out for good once it came around.
With the buildings constructed and our latest round of food prepared, Alorion and I headed back to the land and unloaded the haul into storage, after which I called a meeting in that Map Room.
I was joined by Alorion, Lara, Ariadne, Santana, Elera and Talia, who I traded the new clothes to. I pressed my hand to the slab once we were all present, and the blue grids came to life.
It wasn’t just me who had control over it, though – both Elera and I had updates to make, and after she placed her hand on the slab a large section of the river system illuminated beyond the route that we had taken.
We had a relatively detailed map of the land far to the east and south, but it was the north that I was interested in.
‘This map of yours,’ I said, pulling the parchment from my inventory and holding it up before Talia. ‘You’re definitely sure it’s correct?’
‘Definitely,’ Talia said insistently. ‘I lived right under their noses for a long time. I know the area well.’
I placed the parchment down on the slab.
Accept changes?
I pressed accept, and the map appeared unevenly on the grid. I moved around the table, dragging it north with the tip of my finger then resizing it until-
‘Stop,’ Talia said suddenly. ‘Right there.’
‘So what are we looking at exactly?’ Ariadne asked inquisitively.
‘This is the road north,’ Talia said, pointing to a straight stretch of lines. ‘Beyond the creatures that lurk in the forest, it is safe to travel. There are many traders that use it, and there is a common agreement not to cause trouble. It travels hundreds of miles north into the more remote and colder areas of Agraria.’
‘Please tell me that isn’t where we’re headed,’ Lara said. ‘I don’t like the cold.’
‘No,’ Talia responded, ‘twenty miles north of the trading post there is a hidden path that leads into the wilds for half a mile. There is a small village there – or at least it was once a small village. Its name was Cedarhorn. It is now long-abandoned, but it serves as the hosting place of The Market.’
‘And that’s where we’re headed,’ I said. ‘Is there anything else we need to know about it?’
‘I have never journeyed there myself, so I cannot say. I know that the slavers are surprisingly civil in their ways when dealing with each other, though.’
‘Civil?’ Santana replied with surprise, tying her hair back casually into a ponytail and exposing her pretty, inquisitive face. ‘That seems a little unusual for people who tie up beings and force them into labour, no?’
‘It is still business to them, and business is the one thing they take seriously, because it leads to the most important thing in their world; coin.’
‘Ain’t that the truth,’ I muttered sarcastically, crossing my arms and staring down at the map. ‘Okay, we need to figure out how we’re going to approach this. Elera, Santana, you’re staying here to keep the land running. Ariadne, Lara, you’re with me on this one. You’re all good fighters but I need those with the most experience to have my back in case things go south.’
‘We’re not planning on having a situation like with the wood-elves, are we?’ Lara asked.
‘Not this time,’ I replied. ‘We’re getting out of there the minute things start to look like they’re going awry. Besides, this time I don’t think it’s outsiders that we need to worry about attacking.’
‘Who, then?’
‘The slaves themselves. To them we’re going to look like just another tribe looking to put them to work, but that’s the point – that’s how we blend in. It’s us three, Alorion, and we need some muscle, too – Aden and Oden will do a fine job of that.
‘Once we get there we need to figure out how this whole thing works – deals, auctions, or however else they change hands. We’ll head out a few hours before nightfall and find a safe spot in the forest to set up camp. That’s the only way that we’re going to get there in time. Ariadne, Lara, pack your dresses. I want you looking even more perfect than you already do.’
‘I don’t know if such a thing is possible,’ Ariadne shrugged with a smile, her fox-ears twitching atop her head.
‘Three hours,’ I smiled back, ‘then we head out.’
Our meeting came to an end, and everybody left the Map Room.
Everybody except for Talia.
‘I wanted to thank you,’ she said, ‘for saving me, I mean… And for giving me a place to live. There are not many like you in this world.’
‘I get that a lot,’ I replied. ‘I think it’s just the morals of this world. I thought they were loose in my world, but out here it’s every man for himself. Plus, slavery’s never really been an acceptable thing in my world anyway.’
‘What do you mean by your world?’
‘That’s a story for another time. Listen, I don’t apologise that often, but sorry for stabbing you. I hope it doesn’t hurt too much.’
‘It’s fine. My skin does not tend to scar. Generations of being weathered to the world have made my kind this way. Listen… Are you sure that you would not like me to come with you too on your journey to the slaver’s post?’
‘That sounds like the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.’
‘Why?’
‘Well, let me see,’ I started, drumming my chin sarcastically. I held up my hands before me, palms up, weighing them. ‘Most wanted person to a group of slavers in this whole part of the kingdom staying safe and hidden on my land.’ I bobbed my left hand a little. ‘Taking her to a bunch of slavers in the north where she would be sniffed out in seconds, sold into a life of slavery, and I and my entire group would be cut down.’ I bobbed my hands up and down. ‘Call me crazy but I think I’m going to go with the first one.’
‘There is no need to be sarcastic,’ she replied defensively. ‘I just thought that you could use the extra hand. I remained right under the noses of these people for years, don’t you remember?’
‘Yeah, but this isn’t being under their noses. This is climbing up their nostrils and into their brains and dancing around yelling look at me, I’m the one you’ve been looking for. Even if you did cover your ears up, it’s still too much of a risk.’
‘It was just a suggestion,’ Talia said, holding up her hands and heading out of the Map Room.
I shook my head and smiled in disbelief.
In the three hours prior to our departure I checked up on our defences, first walking the full diameter of the perimeter line.
Just before the northern lookout post I pulled my shovel from my inventory and dug a pilot trench, just to see how long it would take.
‘Thinking of digging the whole thing up on your own, Jack?
’ Alorion called down from the lookout post.
‘Not exactly,’ I grunted, jamming the blade of my shovel into the ground. ‘I just wanted to see how long it would take. A platoon of marines would have this shit completed in no time, but we don’t exactly have those numbers right now.’
‘Maybe we will find some enslaved builders at The Market.’
‘Maybe,’ I smiled, continuing with my task.
Even though the digging still had to be moved by hand rather than just selecting the earth and dragging it to another location like a computer icon, there was a noticeable difference in the nature of digging at this point.
The dirt in the land that I had now claimed was much looser at the touch of a shovel, removing easily. Twenty minutes of flat-out work took me four feet down and twenty feet ahead – I was exhausted and drenched in sweat, sure, but considering how much I had managed to remove in that time I was impressed with myself.
‘Mother of god,’ I panted, climbing out of the trench and collapsing onto my back on the grass. ‘I hope all of the attackers that we kill with this trap appreciate the hard work that went into it when they’re suspended on spikes and bleeding to death.’
‘I’m sure you will be the first person they think of, Jack,’ Alorion called down. ‘Nothing but fond memories as they close their eyes. I am so lucky to die on such a feat of engineering.’
If only the dirt could be moved as fast as the spiked logs could be placed, but it looked like there was no way around this using the tribal interface.
Still, I was grateful for the shovelling hack that removed the earth faster. As long as the right tool was used, the process could be sped up.
I took a trip to the hidden cave and bathed for a short while, then returned to the treehouse and changed into a fresh set of clothes. After recruiting Aden and Oden and meeting up with Lara, Ariadne and Alorion just beyond the totems, Santana brought the horses around and set them up with the carriage.
I wrapped my arms around Elera and Santana and pulled them close to me, kissing them both one after the other and feeling the soft touch of their lips against mine.
It was routine every time I went out on a job now; we never knew what might happen.
‘I hope you don’t mind staying here and holding down the fort,’ I said.
‘Any excuse to take a bath for two straight days,’ Elera smiled.
‘I will keep an eye on things,’ Santana nodded, then raised her lips to my ear and whispered delicately, ‘and after our last outing, I think I would prefer to stay on the land for the time being.’
‘I wouldn’t blame you,’ I replied.
She smiled up at me warmly once more. ‘I hope that this journey of yours is a success. Be safe.’
I bid them goodbye and headed out with Lara, Ariadne, Alorion, Aden and Oden on the road.
We were well-stocked with supplies thanks to Alorion’s watchful eye – several day’s supply of food, clothes to switch into once we reached The Market, blankets for the night, torches and, most importantly, our weapons.
There was a higher quality armorer in the cove, but after seeing Aden and Oden’s ferocious skills with their pickaxes in the mine at the new land, I decided to equip them at the trading post, leaving them properly prepared for any attacks that might come our way beyond there.
‘We do not often use weapons,’ Aden said, as Oden nodded in silent agreement. ‘Hands often do the job.’
I gulped at the thought. Cass had once told me that they had both had a hand in killing their father years ago.
I didn’t want to know how it went down.
‘What about something bigger than your hands?’ I said, looking down at them, ‘although I don’t know if that’s possible…’
I was only being half-sarcastic.
The twins shared a look.
‘Yes,’ Aden said simply.
I looked up at them both and thought for a moment.
‘I’ve got just the thing.’
I crossed to a trading post I occasionally frequented – the Junkers. When I had first arrived in Agraria they were the ones who had bought my firearm off of me for 1000GP. Members of their tribe had been killed by the mother wolf just after I had first arrived, but more had replaced them in no time.
It didn’t seem like a whole lot nowadays, but back then it had kept me alive, buying myself, Alorion and Ariadne enough food, water and safety to save us from harm.
They were small, manic beings that stood three-feet tall and hurried around in hooded cloaks and spoke in fast, high-pitched voices, using a language I couldn’t even begin to understand. The first time I had returned to buy a weapon off of them I wondered whether they would even remember me.
A few of those present, though, had made finger-guns with their small hands and made pew-pew noises, shooting at me before returning to count their gold.
Looked like those present for the gun-purchase hadn’t all been killed during that fateful day months back.
They were weapons dealers, but I could never tell whether or not they were enthusiasts, idiots, or business geniuses based on their behaviour. Maybe a mix of the three.
‘Something big,’ I said, holding my hands up as wide as I could. ‘Something huge.’
I don’t know why I was enunciating the words more clearly – they didn’t speak of a word of English. It wouldn’t make a difference, but I couldn’t help doing it.
Two of the Junkers stood behind the stall looked at each other in confusion for a moment, nattering in their native tongue, before outstretched his arms as I had done and the other muttered ahhhh.
He turned to one of their wagons and began rifling through the inventory before reappearing with empty hands.
He pulled up his inventory once again and pulled out the item in question.
The war axe that landed in his arms stood at least two feet taller than him. It was so heavy that the moment it touched his arms he was dragged down by the weight.
The Junker crashed to the ground, his hands pinned by the handle of the axe behind the counter.
Two nearby Junkers laughed hysterically at him in a high-pitched tone. They clutched their stomachs and held their heads beneath their hoods as their fallen comrade groaned in pain, then waddled over to him and helped lift the war axe up.
It took all three of them to prop up the huge axe. It dropped onto the table with a loud, dull thud.
The one that had retrieved it brushed off his hands and presented the item before me, beckoning his arms like an assistant on a TV gameshow.
I lifted the item up, finding it almost too heavy to lift myself. There was no doubt that it was well-crafted, and the huge blade was well-sharpened and sturdily fixed to the handle.
It would be perfect.
I set it back down on the counter and nodded to them in agreement, then raised my hand and held up two fingers.
The Junker’s face lit up with a huge smile.
After placing it back into his inventory and acquiring another from the wagon behind him, we shook hands.
Iron War Axe x2 – 600GP
‘Not bad,’ I said, frowning in an exaggerated way. ‘But I need scabbards too.’
The Junker looked at me in confusion. I tapped my back, motioning pulling a weapon from its scabbard.
Another look of sudden realisation, and a pair of scabbards landed in the trading window.
Total – 650GP
650GP to equip two of my strongest tribal members with kickass weapons?
I pressed accept and the window closed. The weapons dropped into my inventory.
In addition to the weapons I met with a tailor and picked up a pair of simple black suits for Aden and Oden to don, giving them the same professional look as the rest of us.
A few minutes later we had regrouped and were heading along a road that we had never travelled before.
The northern path stretched ahead through the forest like there might as well have been no path at all. Despite the sunlight guiding our way, th
e mystery it held forced me to keep my eyes and ears open at all times.
But with Aden and Oden weighing their new war axes nearby as we walked the path, I knew that we were pretty well-defended to say the least.
In the late afternoon we covered perhaps six or seven miles. I used the old rotten signposts occasionally dotted along the roadside to estimate the distance we had travelled.
The orange sunlight soon turned to purple as it glimmered through the trees, then to an encroaching darkness.
We set up camp in a hidden grove fifty yards from the roadside, surrounded by a cluster of trees. We used the wagon to block the entrance, then set up a small fire and our bedrolls surrounding it, completing our home for the evening just as darkness fell completely.
‘Not bad for a meal on the road,’ Lara said, digging into a dinner of fish, tomatoes and carrots.
‘Everything the body needs to keep it healthy and moving,’ I replied. ‘Protein from the fish, carbohydrates from the potatoes, and sugar and nutrients from the carrots.’
I took a mouthful of fish and potato, then looked up as I ate it to see all five of my companions, even Alorion, staring back at me in confusion.
‘What is carbohydrate, husband?’ Ariadne asked.
‘Like… Energy. Keeps you moving. I forget you guys don’t know a lot of these things…’
‘Anybody have a decent story that doesn’t involve the composition of food?’ Lara smiled, looking around at us. ‘We have a serious lack of those upon our land. It’s why I suggested getting a bard, if you’ll remember.’
‘Oh, I have one,’ Alorion said. ‘From one of Santana’s books about the old gods.’
‘Is this going to be a morality tale?’ I asked. ‘Because from my time here so far I’ve noticed that all of that stuff hasn’t really been taken to heart by the people of Agraria.’
‘Not particularly, although it does feature a considerable amount of bloodshed and betrayal.’
‘I’m all ears,’ I replied, as Aden and Oden sat up in anticipation.
***
The fire had gone out by the time we awoke in the early morning light. Alorion’s lookout shift continued while we packed up our things and hit the road again, eating up more miles as we approached The Market.
