The Red Lands 1

by ForestRage

  Wrinkled faces, resembling skeletons clad with skin stared out from some of the huts. Tottering with stooping backs they headed out to beg for scraps or dig for edible roots in the nearby countryside.

  The modern man quickly grasped the true existence of the slum—a place where the old and discarded came to die. But it served a hidden purpose, to absolve humanity of the guilt in shedding those deemed not worthy.

  Chu wrinkled his nose, trying to avoid looking at the puddles and lumps of filth surround the shacks and littering the barren lawns. If the winter did not take his life, then certainly some virus or bacteria will.

  He slowed his position to last in the group, and slapped himself.

  He ignored the whispering children, pointing and curious as to his strange behavior, and purple colored bruises.

  Like a rich tourist, he ignored the locals, stepping out from the path into the dirt road linking the village and the forest.

  Seeing is believing.

  Chu searched his memory, a task that now became the norm. This road stretched from the south gate of the village, towards the lumberjack camp located inside the forest. The dusty road served as his lifeline.

  “Hurry, or else the villagers will bundle the drier pieces.”

  Ming shouted, urging the patter of footsteps towards the distance trees.

  The towering trees had seemed close, but it took the group about two hours to pierce the tree-line. The cold autumn weather fingered the trees, causing the myriad of yellows and red leaves to glide towards the decorated forest floor.

  “Stop standing like an idiot and follow us.”

  Chu snapped out from his daze and closed his open mouth. Hustling as fast as his thin legs could carry him, he trod along the dirt road snaking between the trees.

  Gigantic

  He had never seen trees of this size in real life. Some tall and straight, others branching and twisting, but all growing like mammoths. The forest floor remained sparse of undergrowth, with only some clumps of thickets and shrubs begging for sunlight.

  The road opened out into a clearing.

  Here the sounds of axes and shouting filled the air, as villagers scampered around the fallen trees, reaping the bundles of discarded branches and twigs. Chu’s very existence depended on this activity to survive.

  Within a few hours, his thin and weak construct, had gathered a pile of wood from the perimeter where no one dared to go. Securing his bundle with vines and stripped bark, he soon followed the ant-like procession returning to the village.

  This time he had no time to wander his eyes, since his unnatural large head focused on the road. Chu’s back was bent near horizontal, as he only shifted when the wagons rolled past, straining with lumber.

  Stopping here, he knew he would not be able to continue.

  Abandoning work led not only to the high possibility of starvation, but to a probable vicious death. Last week a lone wolf burst out of the forest, pouncing on the girl called Abby.

  Dealing a swift kill to the anemic girl, the huge beast, dragged the meal into the depths of the forest.

  Ambushes like these became prevalent as winter drew near.

  He finally arrived at the Trading Post collection bay, located outside the south entrance. One side of this large log structure had a place for hunters and trappers to place their catch for inspection, while a large shed on the opposite end housed the firewood bundles.

  Chu dropped his bundle and dragged his weary body over to the horse trough, waiting for his turn to drink. Resting for some time to regain his energy, he completed another cycle of this life before sundown.

  Collecting the two coppers, he entered the village and made his way down a side street towards an old house with wooden shingles. Though the house seemed worse for wear, the lot had been tidied and well taken care off.

  Chu hesitated before calling out to the woman harvesting the last of the small vegetables from a wilting garden.

  “Mother! I brought today's earnings.”

  He said.

  The woman turned and stepped towards him with a face full of worry.

  “Why do you insist on doing this. Even though your father cannot labor as he used to, we can still survive. At least return until winter passes, the slum is a frightening place.”

  “Don’t worry mother. I will take care of myself. Just remember to treat my sister well.”

  Chu consoled the woman and left, before her glazed eyes could overflow.

  His old man worked as a woodsman, and provided enough for his family to live in this home. Unfortunately, he met with an accident that nearly crippled him. Although he recuperated, his body could not tolerate the hardship of cutting wood in the forest.

  The result after paying the healers and last year’s taxes—the household could not support the children. Like most villagers when faced with this situation, abandoning the girl child would be the most viable option.

  The original Chu had retaliated on learning this idea, claiming that he would live separate while providing an added income for the family. As a youth with no sense of the world and zero education, he died leaving all his problems in the hands of a newcomer.

  “How can someone be so stupid!”

  Chu bellowed in frustration, while sitting in his shack. Today he acted through the script, feeling like a bumbling spy living on the edge of being caught.

  Unlike his predecessor, Chu had gathered some extra firewood on his last load. He stoked the fire, hoping to create some coals to warm the night. This task alone had him grumbling, since he relied solely on the memories of the former.

  Chu sipped on some boiling water while contemplating.

  If he waited to die, he may or may not return to his former self. The risk involved losing this second chance in life, if he considered it as such. The better option would live in this world, under the same assumption.

  “The goal now changes to survival. Then I can think about the future.”

  He stoked the fire while muttering

  “I cannot risk returning to my family. Last thing I want is to be burned at the stake by fanatics. No, the slums are ideal for me, since any plans will not arouse suspicion.”

  Chu sipped his water as he sought to quell the growls originating in his stomach.

  “Food, clothing and shelter. The age of bartering has ended, so now I need money. The question is how and where?”

  He stared at the piece of wood in his hand.

  The forest... but he needed money quickly to escape the slums before winter. The hunting bay tables of the Trading Post came to mind.

  “Risk my life to hunt a wolf?”

  He dispelled the thought, but it continued to nag.

  The wolves in the forest consisted of those loners discarded from a pack. During winter, the wolf packs hunting deep in the forest would appear, making this plan unachievable.

  But a lone wolf…

  His thoughts jumbled between the forest, mushrooms and the lack of food. Whatever he decided, he needed to place that plan into action quickly.

  Chu removed the wood from the fire, while leaving some coals to help in rekindling it later. Grabbing his cloak, he stepped out into the twilight. To implement his plan, he needed a helper who would not question his ideas, preferably someone in the same situation as himself.

  He stumbled along, passing a resident stooping unashamed near a shack. Soon he arrived at his destination and pounded on the door.

  “Hey Ming, you there? Do you want to earn a few extra coppers?”

  He whispered.

  Chapter 3

  Selling A Plan

  Ming was the eldest youth in the slum area.

  At fifteen he had already experienced a slum winter. He entered the slum late last year and missed out on the forced recruitment drive of the bandits. If lucky to survive the winter, he still had a chance of enlistment come spring.

  In a small village, nearly everyone knew through gossip the history of others. Ming was the only child of his parents. I
n a fit of rage after seeing his father abuse his mother he attacked and crippled one of his arms.

  Consequently, that incident earned him a place in the slums.

  "What did you say?"

  He looked at Chu as if noticing a blabbering drunk.

  "I asked if you wanted to make some money, are you interested."

  Chu's reply came with a calm and serious face.

  "You... you serious?"

  "Yep."

  He gave Chu a stare for a minute and then invited him in. The previous Chu's reputation and self-sacrifice for his family, possibly sparked a kindred spirit. Or maybe it was just the lure of money from a pauper of the same.

  The shack was the same as Chu's, yet much warmer. He chalked it up to the owner having survived a winter. Chu sat down with him in the center, and wasted no time.

  "I want to get out of here."

  "We all do."

  Came the curt reply. Ming stared at the idiot who wasted his time, as if a man noticing the color of the sky had always been blue. The teen made a blank face like a poker player.

  For a person whose previous job had him negotiating with others, Chu looked far from intimidated. He was not the little boy here. Chu commenced by buttering up the teen.

  "I choose you for various reasons. One is that you survived the winter and proved you are tough. Next is that I feel I can trust you. Finally, it is that I cannot execute this plan on my own."

  Speaking with those words along with a sincere voice and face, Chu bombarded him with the wall breakers.

  You are tough, so that means I admire your strength. You are trustworthy, since I am trusting you with my plan and possibly my life. I cannot do this on my own, therefore I need you and depend on you.

  'Was he here to sell a plan or making a move on a girl?'

  "I don't get what you're saying, but can we really make money?"

  Chu nearly smacked the dumb face staring at him. He finally realized he was dealing with a child, and not some shrewd businessman. That poker face from before, actually represented a dumb look. He had to change the presentation to rope in this idiot.

  "We can make money. Will you be willing to risk your life with me?"

  Chu waited for his answer. If the reply was no, he would just need to try another person.

  "Humm... well you seem like somebody who wouldn't stab a guy in the back. Hmm... okay, I am in."

  Chu knew Ming had the marking of a guy who would listen. It was easier to trust a child, than some of these older adults in the slums. People tended to be treacherous when it came to money.

  The experience in his past life had hardened his heart.

  "We are going to hunt some animals in the forest."

  "Eh?"

  Ming shuddered in surprise. His eyes widened, threatening to pop from their sockets.

  "No, no, no..... not a plan! Winter is nearly here, you probably don't know, but now is considered dangerous, and it will get even more frightening. No, no, last year the slums had nearly one hundred people living. After winter there were less than a quarter.

  More than half of those were carried away at night by wild animals in the night. No, no it is gonna be scary not knowing if you will be killed at night, much less for hunting."

  He shook his head while waving his hands, maintaining an expression of fright. It was as if a wolf suddenly stepped into the shack during their conversation. Chu raised his hand, to stop him talking and prevent him from backing out.

  "Hold up a moment. Right now, the main problems will be the lone Grey wolves. We have until the height of winter when the wolf packs in the forest appear. All I need is a friend to help lay a trap and spend the night in the forest."

  "Whaaa? Are you crazy! Not even the seasoned hunters would dare to spend the night in the forest."

  Chu grabbed Ming's tattered cloak as he tried to scoot away. The boy seemed to have lost his wits, since he forgot this was his home.

  He did make a valid point--unless it was a party of adventurers or a team of hunters, the forest at night was taboo. A trapper or hunter would prefer to trek for half a day than remain in the forest at night.

  "Hear me out. Currently the wolves are the main problems. As you said the packs will appear during winter. Tomorrow I just need you to help me gather a firewood bundle while I forage in the forest. I also want you to help me collect about ten stout branches to make into wooden spears."

  Ming gave him a puzzled look. It was not to different from the usual dumb look.

  "That... that is all?"

  "Yep. That is all for our first move. The next day is when things turn interesting. I will be counting on you."

  "You mean staying in the forest?"

  "Yes. I can only count on you. You look like someone who will be willing to risk it all, just to leave this place."

  Chu gave him a glance.

  "Remember, I will not ask you again. Decide for yourself"

  Chu left him with that, and got up and left in the darkness. He stumbled his way back home under the light of a different moon and constellations. Under the dim light he relighted the hot coals by blowing on them.

  The action left him covered in soot, and dripping in fatigue. Chu resigned himself to his fate, since the price of a hot bath lay out of his reach.

  "Wake up!"

  The expected shout and banging came as expected. Fortunately, Chu dressed early, as he sat waiting on the ground tapping his fingers. Having downed the last of the health food, he had to find extra time to gather roots for cooking.

  Ming kept relatively silent during the journey. Chu wondered if this big idiot might decide to withdraw from their plan. When they entered the tree cutting area and the flock began scattering, Ming approached him.

  "I will be waiting here with the bundles for you. I am trusting you on this you know."

  Chu gave him a genuine smile. If a person experiences life in a gutter, only they would understand how important that first helping hand is in their life.

  It should be noted that Chu had zero experience in attempting this plan. Watching television shows in the middle of a big city, provides a stark contrast to a real-life performance.

  This plan of his was based on knowledge from the tube, and some gossip with the old folks in the village, he recently met after the transfer by the company.

  'Probably...'

  The hunters in this world, trap and snare small game like hares. Groups usually hunt wild boars and deer. Rarely do they hunt the dangerous ones like wolves.

  With the forest close by containing a near endless supply of game, why were there so many sufferings from near starvation?

  The first reason lay in that strolling in the forest, for a little game was dangerous. The probability of meeting up a deer turned much lower than encountering a wolf or other predator. The average humans still valued their lives, so nobody would be willing to act as bait.

  The second reason related in that the meat of the predators contained poison and thus considered inedible.

  The carcasses of those deemed poisonous were not wasted however. They were cured and preserved, to be sold in the cities as ingredients for certain guilds.

  According to his new memories, the dangerous animals around were the wolves. Large like a calf, they dominated the fringes with a body, built for speed and endurance. Wolves however, maintained their character--they couldn't climb trees.

  Around the villages near the forest, the lone wolves prowled. Most of the wolf packs moved about deep within the forest.

  Winter time told a different story however, as the packs migrated outwards, seeking easy game among the villages and outlying farms.

  Chu searched around until he found a suitable place for his plan. He then foraged for the best-looking mushrooms he could find. Once he collected enough, he made his way back.

  Ming waited for him at the clearing, as together they delivered their load to the Trading Post.

  The Trading Post had two buildings. One constructed inside the vi
llage, and sold finished items from axes to flour. The other located on the outside of the village not far from the south entrance.

  This one served as the collection and rough processing point for furs and firewood.

  The person in charge at the collection post featured a large bear-like man. Despite his fierce demeanor, he did not act like a total beast.

  Chu noted how he allowed the slum residents access to the well, for drawing water.

  Older folks, also earned pieces of firewood for tending the horses and various odd jobs.

  Ming waited for a while, until Chu finally came out holding a bowl at arm's length. From the bearer’s contorted face, he realized it contained something disgusting even before the stench hit him.

  "What are you doing with that?"

  "Heh, part of the plan."

  Chu returned to his shack and began his work. Ming followed the instruction to return to the forest for gathering the branches, to function as spears. They would use the heat from the fire to fashion a sharp end.

  In a small pot on the fire, Chu stirred in the pieces of fat he strained out from the bowl. Under the slow heat he melted it until the water had boiled off, and it looked consistent. He then poured it into a small cup to cool and solidify.

  He then boiled down the mushrooms. Those foraged looked the best, all bright red and yellow, so that even a blind man would avoid eating.