The Red Lands 1

by ForestRage

  They used the machete to dismantle some wood from the broken house for firewood. Chu partially covered the well, and also cut some fresh grass to scatter around the barn floor. When dried it would be better than the moldy hay.

  He got some stone slabs and made a rough platform and steps under the trapdoor entrance, so they wouldn't have to use a rope to climb out. Lastly he knocked out the ladder, so it could be pulled up after ascending the platform.

  Done with the ladder he returned to the cellar.

  "Hey! what the heck do you think you're doing?"

  "What do you mean? Didn't you tell me to take a bath daily?"

  "So, take a bucket of water and get up outside."

  "Why? We don't need to go through all that trouble Chu, we can just take a dip right here. Didn't you say it's not deep?"

  An echoing sound drifted out from underground.

  Slap!

  "Take a bucket of water and go bathe on the outside."

  Slap, slap!

  "Don't you ever let me catch you pulling that stunt again."

  Slap, slap, slap!

  "Nobody here wants to drink water, flavored with your nasty, stinky sweat."

  slap, slap, slap, slap!

  "What was that for now!"

  "That's for just dousing yourself with water. Pluck some grass and scrub yourself down properly."

  Chu lit a torch near the well to see how the smoke flowed. With the trap door closed the smoke drifted up the well. Only when he moved the torch to around halfway in the passage, did the smoke start accumulating in the cellar.

  He figured that they would light the fire near the well to cook, and see if it would gradually heat up the cellar in time.

  "Lucy scatter some fine sand near the barn entrance. Ming do the same around the well and the stone entrance near the broken house later."

  Chu grabbed some fine sand they scrapped up and climbed to the platform to sprinkle it there. When they completed, they entered and closed the trapdoor wedging it to keep a small crack open. Standing on the stones, they could view through it and see the open barn entrance.

  The cellar remained dark with the only light coming from the passageway, where the fire burned. They ate rock bread, and then covered in some sheets. At first it felt cold, but then the room gradually grew warmer during the night. The person on watch handled the fire. They switched when the wood needed to be changed.

  "Ahhh man I'm tired!"

  Waking up, Ming saw light streaming out from the trapdoor. The others had already gone outside and closed it partially to keep out the cold. He stretched and headed out to meet them. Chu and Lucy bent down, checking the scattered sand for any signs of footprints.

  During the night it remained quiet, without any unfamiliar noises. From the sand that they scattered earlier, it indicated no animals or humans, had investigated or come near the barn. All around, the sand remained untouched with no prints or disturbance.

  Satisfied with this progress, they organized the supplies to be secured in the cellar. Afterwards they made simple traps, like the sprinkling of sand or tying of a vine between small shrubs around the hillside of the barn. This would help in finding the presence of trespassers.

  When they finished, they returned to the village.

  The day passed quickly. On reaching the village the group scoured for firewood. They hid the bundles in an abandoned farm, ready for travelling. Tired, Chu decided to spend the night in the slums.

  Ming set out to complete some errands. Lucy had left also to visit a friend. Chu rested in the shack, helping Sakura to make some torches.

  The young girls seemed to have worked all night. While doing their stitching they had the fire going, processing the oil from the waste liquid.

  That process was simple, heat the liquid over a slow and low heat then scoop the oily liquid from the top. This was placed in a small bowl to cool. Then fatty oil turned solid and removed by scooping it out. This was kept under a low heat to remove remaining water.

  Rinse and repeat, human distillation at work.

  Chu could only imagine the amount of work they did to achieve so much animal fat from that waste liquid.

  "Sakura, Dyna you guys did well."

  Chu praised them accordingly. They had even completed a batch of quilts, large enough to cover one of them comfortably. Under near five layers of cloth stitched together it turned warm and served its function. With the issue of freezing not being an issue, the next main one was food supply.

  Chu had already purchased medicine for treating small injuries and pills to also boost health. That had cost him a whopping five silvers. Those bottles of salves cost one silver each. The lone pill alone cost two silvers.

  The only reason he bought it, was because Griz was adamant he had one. The effects were supposed to be good, seeing as lots of adventurer's purchased them.

  Because of the high cost of the medicine, Chu decided to remain in the slums for the night. His money had been sucked down to just only over a few hundred copper coins. For people of the slums that was enough to buy flour so as to rally out the entire winter.

  Turning that flour into a watery gruel could certainly ensure survival for the coming four months. It was not ideal but it warded of death by starvation. For Chu that was a far cry for what he needed. He was definitely not going back on a liquid diet.

  "Chu I'm back!"

  Ming handed a bag to Chu before closing the makeshift door behind him. Chu emptied the bag by taking several empty wine bottles out.

  "I had to beg the servant boy at the garrison for those you know. He even extorted ten coppers from me for those. Hmph! I have no idea why you wanted those."

  Ming pouted on the side. He took parting with the ten coppers very hard indeed.

  Chu diced the mushrooms in large enough pieces to fit through the bottle. He then carefully poured the oil the girls had made to fill up the bottle. He then stoppered the mouth tightly with a cloth rag.

  "Did you see what I did?"

  "Yea, what is it for?"

  "Someday I will show you how to use it."

  Chu let Ming continue the work he was doing. They had foraged for mushrooms before in the forest. These were dried near the fireside until they were crinkled. Chu sat and scribbled some calculations on the hard ground with a piece of coal.

  The results made him frown. They had no option, but to hunt in the forest before moving. If he didn't have to spend his money for simple items like buckets, knives and the machetes etc. all the money could certainly have been sunk into stockpiling food.

  Although the Trading Post still opened in winter, prices of food would near double when the roads became impassable. Hunting, would become the only option to barter for food. Without an income, they would have to resort to begging for scraps. He had no choice but to risk another night in the forest.

  He was about to break the news to Ming when the 'door' opened, and Lucy entered. Fear, mingled with anticipation reflected in her eyes.

  The words were simple, but her voice betrayed the feelings contained.

  "It's snowing."

  Chapter 11

  Winter

  The morning greeted Chu with cold air, hovering over a white landscape. The snow blanketed the ground in large patches, that dotted the grassland. Chu decided to alter his plans. With the sight of snow, the village started to boil.

  Winter was on them.

  Villagers headed en-mass to the forest, hastening in stocking up on firewood. The woodsmen would cease their work, when the road became impassable. That meant a shortage of branches for firewood. Heading into the forest after that, would mean gambling on your life.

  Merchants began to collect their loads of lumber, pelts and firewood to leave the village. They would return in spring, when the roads between the villages reopened. During winter only the garrison and mercenaries would be on the roads, and that was a rarity.

  The thought of traveling with the merchants, to a bigger town had always crossed Chu's mind. The
problems however outweighed the gains. He was an illiterate twelve-year-old, with hardly any money and connections. Chu also had no training in fighting, so he would be seeking death in a scuffle.

  He wasn't an inventor, since he had no inside knowledge of building things. He didn't really pay much attention on the principles behind tools and machinery. Only by trial and error, could he accomplish what he remembered.

  Revolutionizing this world with his limited knowledge was going to be a pipe dream.

  In all, he summed it up to being played a bad hand in this so-called incarnation.

  "Ming how long do we have, until the slum begins to riot for supplies?"

  The boy standing at the side scratched his head.

  They were all currently bunched together, standing near the path to the forest. The sight of snow became like an ill omen.

  "Ahh, I think it was about two weeks into winter. Yea... because a couple of times when I was gathering firewood, my blankets and the firewood I stocked up was stolen. In the end I was forced to shack up with others. "

  Chu scratched his chin in silence. Stealing in the slums would reach a peak, when the residents began to band together. Chu reached this conclusion, since individuals would find it hard to hoard their ill-gotten gains.

  "Who did you team up with last year?"

  "How did you know? I suffered under the torment of some men who left with the bandits. I ended up with old man Roy. He passed away at the end of spring."

  Chu nodded. If they were not careful, they could lose everything. In the chaos for survival, even Lucy and the girls would be at risk of being stolen and sold. They could be listed as luxury items in the slums.

  "New plan. We head out to gather as much firewood in the mornings, and stash it like usual. Get as much mushrooms as we can, in that one trip."

  He stopped to think for a minute, and continued.

  "Sakura and Dyna will remain here working. In the evening, we will rest and manufacture pellets and oil. We need to venture in the forest for a final hunt. Without additional funds, we will be forced to eat gruel.”

  He had to risk another night in the forest. They needed some funds desperately for supplies.

  "But what if we can't catch anything, all the hunters and trappers are out trying to make last-minute sales before the merchants leave. Once that happens the price of pelts will fall since only the Trading Post will remain."

  Lucy frowned, as she replied. She was all in favor of them leaving now. Who knows when ruffians would begin to take advantage of the situation. Stories that dealt with the fate of girls in the slums, had begun to spread.

  "Can't go. I know what you want but we need money. When we leave, we leave self-sufficient. If by the end of the week we do not catch anything, only then I might change my mind.”

  He looked over to the bustling forest path.

  "One week, we need silvers in one week."

  They followed the plan. In mornings the group hunted for firewood and stashed it in the ruined house. Then they would collect mushrooms, and return to the slums. They hid the bundles of firewood they carried into the slums, to avoid envious eyes.

  Ming would make the Trading Post run for the waste materials, and strain out as much fat as possible before returning to the shack. He would only bring a little of the blood that was used as lure in the forest.

  Chu made the girls move into the shack. They continued their work, assisting in the activities to lessen the burden, while Chu and the others rested. In the evening, the trio headed out into the forest, gathering firewood with the villagers.

  They hid their precious bundles in the forest, before heading out to the familiar hunting grounds. Chu had Lucy make some more modifications to the tree,

  Four cold, unsuccessful nights passed. The howls of the wolves echoed within the forest, but none ventured near. One night a wolf approached the tree, gobbled the pellets and left them cursing on the tree as it sauntered into the shadows.

  Chu never thought to face a wolf, head on without any tricks. Such actions, even with the three of them would be tantamount to suicide. On rush from a wolf, would bowl him over, leaving him at the creature’s mercy. A wolf was not a dog that could be warded off with a stick.

  "Looks like it would be hard to lure any beast with the number of hunters in the forest. I swear I heard people walking around last night."

  Ming was grumbling, as they carried their bundles in the morning. Hunters stalked the wild animals, and vice versa. This became the cycle of risk in the forest.

  Resting for the evening, did little to alleviate their grumpy mood.

  "Let’s take tonight off. Tomorrow we will try our luck again.”

  Since they formed a team, they had been eating solid food. The bloated bodies and thin hands, slowly gave way to healthy bodies. The constant night excursions took its toll, filling the bodies with fatigue. After nearly slipping while climbing, Chu decided he had crossed the limit of his endurance.

  The shack was now filled with the five children. With the fire blazing and warm covers, it was easy to fall asleep. The two little girls continued their work in silence.

  The slums had started to already change. Groups were starting to form, and the unoccupied shacks quickly broken down by their owners to serve as stockpiles. Ming and Lucy demolished their shacks, and shared out the firewood to the other children.

  Chu made a trip to the Trading Post, and got a bale of clothes to share out among the children. That was the best he could do for now. As it was, he tried to survive himself. He knew that these same recipients, would have no problems taking advantage of him, knowing what he owned.

  "We have five bottles of this mushroom and oil. There are also five bottles made the same way filled with oil."

  Chu nodded his head towards Dyna who was talking. He had tested a bottle with oil alone, lighting the rag to see how it burned. Other than giving of more smoke than normal it proved to be a good substitute for an oil lamp.

  "The sheets are complete, and we made some quilts from them already. We still have to finish more of the clothes like how you wanted."

  "Good work, with your help we should not freeze from the cold."

  They were nearly ready to move out. The only thing absent was food. It was not going to be feasible, wandering back and forth begging for scraps. They might freeze to death on the long trek.

  "We are going to have to make a trip soon. We have too much things here that don't belong in a slum child's home."

  "I agree, if someone checks our shack we might be accused of stealing. Of course, that would just be the excuse to confiscate our supplies."

  "We are still short of some items besides food. I don't want us to have to be making extra runs back to the village."

  The conversations struck back and forth, as Chu cut some cloth, instructing Sakura.

  "What are you making."

  "Socks."

  "Socks?"

  "Yes, you can wear it on the feet and its held up by a cloth strap. It keeps the feet warm and dry in the shoes."

  "Wow! is there something like that?"

  Chu was sure that the towns and cities probably had stocking or something like it. He didn't recall using socks. Maybe he could strike a deal with Griz over it. When he settled down and gained a little knowledge, then he would decide on such things.

  Chu dropped off ten coppers at home, using the excuse he would be busy in the week. Although she begged him to return, they both knew the strain it would cause on the family’s resources.

  He left after promising to keep visiting in between winter, to comfort her that he was alive. He used the excuse that he had to help his friends whom he borrowed some money from. Refreshed, the party set out into the forest.

  "Last night it snowed, so we are going to have to be very careful on the branches."

  "The ropes should be helpful in this time."

  Only by risking his life, would he be able to fly out from the slums. Since he arrived in this crappy world he endur
ed a life of suffering. Thank god that he was so far beneath people eyes, that nobody wanted to dirty their hands with him.

  Chapter 12

  The Deer and the Bear

  The sun had nearly disappeared under the trees, when they arrived at the hunting ground. Patches of white snow, decorated and crowned the hedges and skeleton-like undergrowth.

  "Lucy, climb and check on the rope and branch. Make sure it isn't too rotted. Dust off the snow on the branches, so we don't slip in the night."

  "Ming check your log trap on the other tree. We need to give it a test."

  The two children scampered, while Chu started to bait the area with the pellets and the blood. The snow had covered and masked the scent, from their previous activity. This time Chu hoped he would be confident in keeping a wolf here.

  He had wrapped a stick with fat and rags, dipped in blood. Waving this on the tree, would certainly entice a wolf to stay.

  Strange enough, Chu realized he had a greater success in hunting carnivores in the forest, rather than deer and boar. The scent of blood attracted them from a distance, and they did not turn cowards to flee.

  He could not for the love of god, remember any of the ways to set traps for attracting and catch hares and small animals. The only trap he knew consisted of a cage, that still needed the hunter to activate it manually.

  He had never had the time and patience, to track those animals to discover their feeding grounds. He resolved to himself, that once he made it through winter, he would have Griz recommend him as an apprentice to a hunter for a couple of months. That way he could learn some skills, to at least protect himself.

  "Chu, I want to test the log before it gets too dark. I will need your help to pull it back up."

  Hearing Ming calling, he scattered some of the blood on the white snow, dyeing it red.

  "Chu! Something... something is coming!"

  Chu jumped up from what he was doing. After Lucy shouted, he heard the underbrush being trampled as a huge shadow tore through it. By the time he registered the direction of the sound and turned, it was already upon him.