The Red Lands 1

by ForestRage

  "Hey, do you have books here?"

  "Yes, but not much here. Why?"

  Griz replied surprised by a question that came out of the blue.

  "Can't read, need one to learn."

  Yep, this little guy was definitely from the slums.

  Chu and Ming returned to the slums loaded with items. Avoiding contact with the few who remained during the day, they dumped everything in Chu's shack which was the closest to the outskirts.

  Getting a fire going in the center to warm up the shed, he took out a purchased pot and boiled some water. He then made some dumplings from coarse flour for breakfast.

  Ming returned with some bowls of his own, and after the meal they sprawled out sleeping on the rags.

  His body had long passed its limit.

  Chu woke up late in the evening. He regulated his eating since his body had survived on a near liquid diet. It would take some time for them to return to solid food. Waking Ming from his slumber, he sent the boy out on some errands.

  With Ming happily out running errands, Chu found an old rag and made it into a tight belt that could be worn under his clothes. Using the needle and thread, along with countless curses from pricking his finger, he completed the task.

  The coppers that remained were separated into two small money bags that could be kept in the sleeves or hidden in the clothes. In one morning, he had spent more money than most villagers would save in a year.

  Ming returned with an old pot filled with the same kind of smelly liquid like yesterday. Teaching him the basics, Chu then left and went home to drop of the two coppers.

  When he returned he found Ming humming, concocting by the fire.

  Chu continued slicing up the remainder of the mushrooms with a small broken knife. This time he used all of them since he wanted a faster acting poison.

  Chu believed he did satisfactorily for someone who spent the latter part of his life in a city. It was also fortunate, that the mushrooms followed the rules where brighter colors screamed danger.

  What he didn't understand at the time was that some poisonous mushrooms here, were ten times more potent than the ones on earth.

  "Hey Ming."

  Ming grunted in reply as he stirred the pot.

  "I want another helper, someone who can preferably climb. "

  Chu didn't know he opened a sore spot until it was too late.

  "What do you mean another person who can climb. Are you trying to get rid of meee! Chu I can climb, next time I won't need to step on your back. I wouldn't try to grab at you, when I fall. It wasn't out of spite, I really wasn't thinking that I was going to take you with me!"

  Chu pushed the snot covered face away, but then the arms latched onto his scrawny legs tighter than a barnacle.

  "So, you admit it you bastard! I know you wanted to drag me down, when you nearly fell!"

  It should be noted that both were narrow-minded individuals.

  After they settled down, Chu laid out a new plan.

  "Selling firewood will only gain us so much. We have to risk it again to make money. The plan remains the same, but we need another person as added security. Setting up a trap in the forest will work better, if we can defend from climbing beast. Only then can we make enough money to leave this place."

  "So, we can get a place in the village?"

  Ming inquired.

  "No. So, we can eventually leave this village."

  Chu answered, as his eyes reflected the faint light from the fire.

  Ming finally realized he was mistaken. Chu didn't want to just leave the slums. He wanted to be able to walk out from the village into the world.

  Chapter 6

  A New Helper

  When they finished the crude process, the total number of pellets crossed over twenty. The new ones were supposed to be more potent than the first batch. Chu kept some of the mushroom paste to re-coat their makeshift spears, left hidden in the forest. Only the issue of a helper remained outstanding.

  Ming made a trip to his shack and returned to bunk with Chu. It was not that he didn't trust Chu with the money. He had already gotten a pouch filled with half of the copper coins to spend as he liked. Chu warned him about lavish spending that might attract unwanted attention.

  He also showed him the belt he made, containing the silver coins. In the event something happened to him, the money should at least go to Ming. Although he couldn't care less after death, the profits should belong to either of them.

  The main reason Ming remained adamant not to leave, was that this was the first time he encountered someone like Chu. This scrawny boy, younger than him had catapulted them from extreme poverty to riches.

  It did not take a genius to understand the benefits in associating with this figure.

  Most impressive, was that he could stand up and actually negotiate with the bear like Griz. The Trading Post rotated their managers every couple of years and Griz had the reputation of being one of the fiercest and scariest.

  Chu made himself comfortable on one side of the coals, while Ming slept on the other. He made a wry grin, as Ming mumbled while sleeping--begging him not leave him. This night of rest turned out to be one of the best he ever had.

  When Chu woke up in the morning he found himself alone. His hands reflexively moved towards his waist. The belt was still there and so were the pouches hanging near the fireside. Having experienced the cut throat world of society, Chu knew he had finally found an honest guy.

  He rekindled the fire and began cooking some dumplings for breakfast. In the middle of this preparation came a banging on the shack side.

  "Hey Chu, wake up, I have someone with me!"

  "Wait you idiot! I'm coming outside."

  The guy was honest, but man was he a slow thinker.

  Chu scrambled to hide the items and supplies he purchased under the rags and covered the breakfast he was preparing. Grabbing his cloak, he stepped outside under the chilly morning sun.

  "Hey Chu, I got somebody for you."

  Saying that Ming pushed forward the person at his side.

  "Morning, Ming say you need some help with something?"

  Chu looked at the thin person, wrapped and cloaked. Only the blue eyes were visible. He looked at Ming wondering if the teen just picked up the first person he spotted.

  Didn't he tell this idiot he needed someone they could trust?

  What if they were robbed?

  Or even killed?

  Such things have happened in the slums before. One hundred coppers alone, would mean no begging in the village during winter for scraps.

  "Lucy is very dependable Chu. I had to plead for her to come over and not head out for firewood collection."

  Chu switched over from the smug face, to the newcomer. She was just one of the many of them in the slums. Unlike Ming who was known because of being a resident for over two years, Lucy was a new addition like him. Her story was probably the same as most of the young girls left here.

  Chu decided to be as straightforward as possible, because the last thing he needed was for unwanted bickering. He certainly did not need tales of his escapades reaching the ruffians in the slums.

  "I will be honest with you. What we are going to do is dangerous. We are going to be spending the night, in the forest hunting beast. Either we make money, or we die. You need to listen to everything I say, if not then let's part ways here."

  He looked into the eyes of the girl in front of him as he spoke.

  Without batting an eyelid her response came quicker than expected.

  "Agreed, but I have a request. If anything happens to me I need to make sure my two friends get some help to last through the winter."

  "EH?"

  Chu gave Ming a glare to melt steel.

  'This fool actually brought me someone with baggage!'

  His mind raced thinking how to respond, last thing he wanted was to be palmed off with some elderly person. If something happened to Lucy, would he become ruthless so as to abandon that person?


  Seeing his hesitation, Lucy piped up once more.

  "My friends are younger than us and are really weak now. If you take care of them, then come next year they will be able to earn you money by transporting firewood. "

  From her beseeching, it seemed that her friends belonged to the children group and not the elderly. This fell in line with Chu's plans to build up a solid base, if he wanted to succeed.

  He wanted to avoid befriending younger, or even experienced men, since they were set in their ways, and had a high chance to back-stab him in the future. Children his age should be easy to mold, into trusting and dependable companions.

  "Deal. Follow me."

  Chu returned into his shack followed by the others. While continuing to prepare the food, he told Lucy a summary of their plan. Lucy left them, after begging for two extra dumplings for her friends. Chu gathered the supplies they needed, in the two sacks he purchased. He then hid the remainder of their items.

  'Security in the slums was not something to boast about. His front door could testify to that.'

  He sent Ming to deliver the two coppers for his mother, and to make a purchase at the inn. The village inn baked and sold fresh rock bread. This bread was a favorite of mercenaries and hunters.

  It had a long shelf life, the only problem being that it got harder as the days passed by hence its name.

  Ming returned to find Chu and Lucy waiting for him. He gave Lucy the loaf, to leave with her friends for the night. With glazed eyes, she bowed repeatedly before clutching the precious load while leaving.

  It should be noted that one rock bread, cost eight coppers. One bread could feed a grown man for two days. In the slums, that was the meal for nearly two weeks when turned into gruel!

  They trotted down the path to the road, with energy bursting from their bodies. Lucy joined them soon after, her eyes beaming.

  "Are we going to the same spot Chu?"

  His loyal henchman questioned.

  "No, this time we are going further into the forest. We need to be very careful this time, since we don't know if there may be beast stalking us. I think the safest thing would be to get everything we need and make one push to set up quickly."

  "Ok, usually hunters out trapping would be on the outskirts of the forest, so the dangerous animals keep a distance or are asleep during the day."

  Chu agreed with Ming especially, since it was still before noon. He wanted to use this time to rush his plans, before nightfall.

  "We have to be low key. Showing this equipment as slum children, would attract unwanted people."

  Lucy voiced her opinion. Chu agreed, since it would be awkward explaining the stuff in their bags. None of them wanted to be victims, for holding a position as owner.

  They gathered their crude spears on entering the forest. Ming showed Lucy how to coat the spears with the poison while explaining. Even though they didn't know if it would have the same effect as ingesting, it served as an added comfort.

  "Let’s go in while exploring at the same time. If attacked, use the spears to defend until we get a tree to climb."

  Chu took out a small machete he bought, and started to make marking on the trees as they walked. In the late fall all the trees looked the same. No wonder it was easy to get lost in a forest. Finding a little stream, they followed it keeping their eyes out while always remaining on high ground.

  "This is a good spot. I can still hear the woodsmen. If we need we can always find our way back by listening to them."

  Chu found a tall tree, that had some long branches spreading out. It was also some distance from the others. Lucy was a good climber, so Chu let her do the work he wanted, cutting the tree branches he pointed out. He sent Ming on another tree, so as to keep watch and work on another project. With hardly any leaves on the trees, it was an easy task.

  "Lucy, I need you on that other tree to tie the rope. When you climb up, throw the end for me. Ming scatter the blood and leave three pellets."

  "Chu is that branch really safe for us?"

  "Yes, that’s why I made you stand while I finished it off. It can more that support you and Ming together."

  "Chu I am finished. How many times do we need to swing this log. Do you have any idea how heavy this is to pull back?"

  "What do you mean how heavy? Don't I always have to help you reset it. Your job is to remain there and aim for the spot. Remember what you need to do."

  Like that they finished before sunset. With their clothes drenched they enjoyed a meal of dry bread and water. Readying themselves on the tree, they prepared for nightfall.

  Chapter 7

  Working Together

  It was late in the night when the shadow of a wolf approached the tree. Chu sat on a branch, while Lucy was standing on another, stretching her legs from cramp. Ming was on the other tree sitting and holding the log.

  The wolf made a quick search like last time and from the way it moved it seems to have eaten the pellets. Chu realized that during the night they had no way of actually knowing if the animal ate the pellet or just simply sniffed and left it.

  He climbed down to the lower branch making some noise in the process. This action caused the wolf to become startled but then it gave the usual snarl and tried to climb the tree. As it growled and snarled Chu steadied himself and reached for the makeshift spear that Lucy handed him.

  "Get ready Ming!"

  Chu shouted and constantly baited the wolf with his spear.

  After a few minutes the wolf seems like it was ready to leave. Chu baited it again and even dangled his feet down from the branch. Although the wolf responded to his actions at first, after a few failed attempts, it became disinterested.

  He pretended to fall, as a last resort, which interested the beast. An hour after the wolf arrived the effect of the drug began to kick in. The wolf started foaming and stumbled on the ground a few times.

  At first, he had doubts fearing the animal was simply trying to use his own tactic against him. If that was the case and he fell for it, the shame even in death would be unbearable. After seeing the wolf swaying like a drunkard, he was convinced otherwise. It deserved an award for such a stellar performance if it was simply acting.

  "Lucy keep an eye out for us. Ming, we are going down."

  Chu took a good look around the area before jumping down. Before winter, the majority of wolves who acted as loners remained the same. Only after the snow covers the ground would the wolf packs arrive.

  Unlucky travelers, farmers and villagers were high up on the pack’s menu. These wolf packs operated much more cunning and as well-oiled teams, turning them into dangerous adversaries on the open plains.

  The wolf rushed him but stumbled halfway. Chu moved as a seasoned veteran of watching countless nature documentaries. This along with the recent heroic kill, had him envisioning himself as a hunter.

  Unfortunately, the scene showed a different story. A scrawny figure of a boy, body trembling with a crooked tree branch, while both of them, shaking in oscillation. Like a person undergoing bouts of convulsions, he jumped unevenly around the wolf, like a small child playing hopscotch.

  Seeing the wolf stumble, gave him confidence. Chu used this time to stab the wolf in the chest. He missed, and instead pierced the neck. Ming was down from the other tree, and using his spear he stabbed at the back legs.

  He missed completely, and the force sent him sprawling. Luckily for him, the wolf senses were so dulled, that it was having trouble keeping up with the hunter in front.

  Ming jumped up, spitted out some soil and leaves, and gave Lucy a wave before continuing his deadly attack. Chu was busy at this time fending of the wolf. Even under hallucination and poison, the large beast could place him on the defensive, with a sudden burst of aggression.

  Ming finally launched a successful strike, that pierced its belly. This hunter was actually aiming at the butt. With a howl the wolf switched enemies, allowing Chu to cast a lunging attack.

  With blood boiling and flowing, it
looked like an epic battle, between stoned adversaries.

  Under this combined attack, the wolf finally ended up receiving a fatal wound and died. Chu and Ming climbed up the trees to their previous positions. Only when they were safe, did they breathe easily. Tired and drenched with sweat, their faces beamed with smiles.

  Lucy was shocked how the two boys could take down a grown wolf. It was even more impressive, since they obviously had no idea how to fight. She had mixed feeling when Ming tested the dead wolf, by stabbing it where the sun didn't shine.

  In her mind, the thrill of success eventually won over the mask of shame.

  Like their first kill, the morning came quickly especially since this fight started late into the night. On the sounds of the woodsmen starting their activities, they took time to investigate the surroundings before jumping down.

  Chu and Ming quickly organized a ladder-like looking sled, composed of branches and tied with stripped bark. Once they were ready, Lucy joined them from keeping watch.

  The three stumbled, and hastily made their way to the forest edge. Hiding the spears, they once again sneakily headed to the Trading post. Only when they hid the carcass in the same spot near the post, did they sigh in relief and unison.

  "Holy crap Chu, did you see that! I was better this time. We actually are getting better."

  "I know right! Did you see my first attack, I struck the neck with that blow."

  Either without shame, or completely ignorant of how they looked from a third person's view the two began to boast.

  "Better my foot, you guys are lucky to be alive. Any soberer, and that wolf could have killed you"

  The one to douse the cold water was Lucy. She had a good view of the epic battle.

  "We need to figure out how to deal with that weak point. I was impressed, that it didn't take so long for the wolf to be poisoned. Three of the new pellets are strong."

  Chu was contemplating making some more of these mushroom poisons.

  "Huh? what do you mean three. Didn't you say seven?"

  "EH?"

  "You said seven, so I put seven. when I checked this morning seems like the wolf ate it all. Must have been hungry"