by A O Storm
“That’ll cover it,” Thanks said. "I'm not going to ask where you got those ducats," he said, smiling, “since I know you just got here today. But I am happy that you've done right by those women." He gave a wider grin. "Did I mention that Bob was also behind in his taxes?"
Kano gave him a look, and then started counting out more money, pausing after he piled the coins on the counter. Occasionally, Kano looked to see if the mayor would say something more specific, until finally, he ran out of coins. There were silver, copper and even a gold coin in a pile on the counter, everything he’d picked up from earlier that day, including Bob’s storeroom.
"Well, Kano, I have some bad news," Thomas said with a heavy sigh. "It seems like you don't have enough to pay the whole bill." He gave Kano a stern look, scooping up the coins as he did. "You'll need to work off the remaining debt by doing the town a favor." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Drop by tomorrow, I’m across the street, down the road, large house on the right. Can’t miss the place, when you come over, we'll talk again."
"You're not going to tell me what I owe?"
"Kano, I'll be honest. You seem like a decent guy. Are you?"
Kano nodded, not sure where this was going.
"Then no worries. If you like the village, hey, what we need, what you need, it's all the same. If not, well," Thomas trailed off, glancing around the room. "I'm pretty sure somebody else wouldn't mind owning this place."
Grabbing a random cloth from the counter, Kano started to swab at a nonexistent spot, trying to process the situation. After the level ups earlier and increase in stats, he thought he might be able to take Thomas in a fight, but then what? If he didn't have the mayor on his side, he might as well leave for the next town or village without so much as a by your leave.
"Say, Thomas," Kano had an idea and wanted to shift the tone of the conversation, "has the food at the inn usually been this" he struggled and glanced around to make sure Bertha wasn't able to hear, "common? It was a bit bland, even if filling enough. I came from a land that had a lot more seasoning in the food." Thomas stared back blankly.
"Salt, pepper, spices, herbs, that kind of thing," Kano said. "I mean, the turkey and chicken were okay, but why not soak the bird with a bit of salt?"
"Kano," Thomas said, horrified, "we don’t abide by that practice anymore. Women have their own rights just like we men do. Don’t be thinking you can kill yer spouse and not face the law around here.”
Ah, he thought I meant women, not fowl, Kano realized, smirking inwardly at the interpretation from Thomas. “No, just, no. I’m talking about uh, brine? Do you have brine in this region? You know, like the flavor of the ocean?” Kano could see that his words weren’t getting across.
“I’ve never tasted the ocean, Kano. I couldn’t tell ya what it tastes like. What was your profession before you came to Three Rivers?”
"I taught," he paused, fairly certain snowboarding did not have a local equivalent, "Well, I trained people to slide down snowy mountains.” Thomas blinked, “For fun," he finally said, satisfied with his description.
Shaking his head, Thomas drained his glass then gave him a firm handshake. "It's late, I'm tired, and your stories, well. Teaching people to slide down a snowy mountain? And you got paid for this?" He grinned. "Feel free to convince me it’s not a load of crap, if you like, next winter when it snows."
"Sounds like a good plan for the future, Thomas." Kano shook the man's hand in return. "I'll see you tomorrow after I take care of a more proper burial for Bob and the others."
Thomas departed and Kano, exhausted from the long day, finished polishing and cleaning the glasses, as well as the leftover plates, before heading to sleep.
Fifteen - Settling in at the White Rabbit
Kano woke the next morning from an unpleasant dream. He'd been boarding again, only this time, he wasn't teaching a lesson. He was competing in the X Games, something he had considered but never attempted. The event was a downhill race and he knew, based on the other competitors no longer ahead of him, he was in the lead.
Wind in his face, he crouched down and flexed his legs, feeling the freshly packed powder underneath his board. And his heart started racing in fear for no apparent reason.
"Roaaawwwwr," came a sudden, loud sound from behind. He looked up and to the sides, but could not find the source, until he risked a glance uphill, momentarily slowing his momentum.
"Oh, shiiiii--" was all he said before turning back, resuming his crouch and aiming for the slope that would give him faster speed. The velocity was dangerous, he knew. If he hit a rock or a patch of ice, a concussion would be the least of his troubles. However, what he'd seen uphill frightened him like nothing he'd ever imagined.
A dragon was flying down the mountain, chasing the snowboarders, blasting flames and roasting a few competitors, as well as trees, on its way over the course. Eventually, the dragon flew overhead and he could feel the heat, blasting from above, the snow melting underneath his board. He hit a bare rock. Flying, falling toward the icy slope, he knew it would be a terrible landing. He tried to scream just as he was about to hit the ice patch, but nothing would come out of his throat.
Kano woke from his bed breathing heavily, safe in his room in the White Rabbit. He was disoriented for a moment before he understood where he was. The experience was jarring, real, for all that he knew it wasn't. Dreaming isn’t very pleasant in this world. Why the hell would the developers give people nightmares? It troubled him when he thought about it more deeply.
Stretching and yawning, he found a chamber pot in the room and eventually finished his business. "Romans had plumbing, right?" The topic had never interested him, but standing there with a pan full of his own excrement, he suddenly felt a keen desire to learn and improve the bathroom situation.
"In the meantime, where do I put this shit?" he asked aloud, standing there in his nightshirt and nothing else, holding the pan.
"Sir Kano, you put your shit where any civilized person would, in the dung heap. Bob called it the drop spot," Bertha called from the doorway. Her voice startled him and then she continued. "The walls are thin, my lord. I heard you hollering in your sleep."
A few minutes later, he had disposed of the mess and cleaned the chamber pot to the best of his ability, swearing to himself that he would prioritize some modern amenities for the inn and maybe even the village. He could see how if they developed the right kind of systems, he could get more travelers into the inn, if for nothing else than simply as a tourist attraction. A basic sewer and septic system, with running water, would thrill people who had not experienced such conveniences. Only one day into the game and he was already tired of cleaning the chamber pot.
Dealing with the dung heap was far from his only unfortunate task that day. Kano knew he'd need to deal with the bodies soon. Do zombies exist in this game? He wondered for a brief moment, and then shook his head. Nah, that skeleton I tripped over showed that, if they had undead, bodies and skeletons don’t transform by themselves. He thought about Abnoba and how she would be waiting for a decision, but he pushed it from his mind while he got dressed and went in search of breakfast. He wore another of Bob's old outfits, ill-fitting as it was.
Descending the stairs, he wandered around the kitchen until he found the cold storage. There were meats stored inside, smoked and nearly ready to serve. Next to that, in the back of the kitchen was a nook filled with aged cheeses, fresh vegetables and breads. He grabbed a platter and piled it with more food than he would have eaten normally. His stomach felt like it was going to eat a hole through his middle.
"This bread is a bit bland," he said, swallowing another bite of impromptu sandwich made from the ingredients he'd pilfered from the kitchen. "I wonder if it was Bertha or Bob who was responsible for ordering the food," he mused, appreciating the tangy taste of the cheese. He alternated shoveling food into his mouth and drinking a glass of water. He was standing while eating, considering what he planned to do for the day. Still a bit bland t
hough, I wonder if they have salt in this world, especially since Thomas seemed to not know how brining worked, I thought that would be common knowledge.
First and foremost was the burial. After that, he would get cleaned up and then have a meeting with Thomas. Beyond that, he knew that he owed Abnoba an answer about the druid class, but was hoping to explore more of the game options before deciding. At this point, given the level ups, he was a level higher than required to join a class, though still one lower than he needed, five, to be officially part of the class. He didn’t know what the distinction meant and added it to his growing list of questions to ask Abnoba, or another player, when he could.
Kano realized he'd trade near anything to get the White Rabbit to work as well as a modern hotel in the real world. The plumbing, first and foremost, a modern kitchen second and third, improved beds.
These thoughts continued to swirl around his mind as he ate, finishing off his plate before too long. He washed it down with the last of the water glass and was cleaning the plates in the kitchen when Bertha approached.
"Good morning, sir," she said, giving him a polite nod. Her outfit was the same as the day prior, a drab dress of faded green. She looked at the dishes in Kano's hands. "If you would like, I can take care of those."
"No, that's okay." Kano paused, not sure how to start. He'd seen some inspirational management stuff, but since he personal appreciation for it was low, he had no idea what to say first.
"Today, I'm going to be busy dealing with Bob’s remains, then I need to meet with Thomas and see what he needs," Kano said. "After that, Bertha, I'd like to talk about the inn, the business, how much work you do, how we can increase revenue and, most importantly, what kind of raise you think makes sense to start."
The stout woman blushed, and then nodded, giving Kano a rare smile. "That would be wonderful, my lord," she said, nodding after the honorific. "I don't need a raise, but," she paused, looking uncomfortable, “It's been a while since the White Rabbit has been profitable, so, maybe we start there and set a goal?"
Kano was impressed, he appreciated Bertha wanted the business to work, first, instead of asking how much of a raise she could get. The coins left in his bag were worth something, only he did not know how much, especially after Thomas had taken everything Kano piled on the counter the previous night. I should have held more back, Kano thought glumly.
"Profitable sounds like a good start," Kano said. "I need to tackle a few things, but let's chat in a few hours, say a little after midday?"
She nodded then left him to finish cleaning up in the kitchen after his repast. As he did, Kano considered the mayor situation. On the one hand, the man had literally taken his money, and on the other, when Kano could have paid a bit more, Thomas stopped him and insisted on a favor.
"What kind of favor?" Kano turned this over a few times before he set out for the sacred oak. Along the way, he stopped and borrowed a few tools from Paul, the smith. How do I know it's the last one Thomas will insistent I do for him?
Abnoba, Bertha, and now Thomas had all asked him for something. He was feeling like being in business for himself might mean solving other people's problems and then getting randomly compensated through purchases of food, drink or lodging. When he thought about it further, many of the necessary things to do for the inn didn’t sound fun at all.
“Well, great power comes great responsibility, I guess,” Kano said, musing to himself as he walked. “I never realized being an innkeeper was a great responsibility though,” he chuckled, finally reaching the tree. The bodies were less than half buried and smelled bad. Looking around, he knew he could not bury them completely right next to the tree, else he might destroy the massive oak’s roots. He pondered this and then muttered, “Okay, so if I was burying a half dozen or so corpses, where would I do it?”
"There," Abnoba's voice said, like a whisper carried on the wind.
Kano whirled around, looking for her avatar, expecting to see her. However, after two circles, he decided he had been hearing things.
"Over there, northwest of your position about fifty paces," Abnoba's voice called again, and Kano jumped this time, dropping the shovel he carried.
"Why?"
There was no response and after a moment, he grabbed the shovel and walked off to the spot the voice called out. The paces he took from the sacred tree were evenly spaced and he then looked around the grassy, slopped meadow curiously. The altitude had peaked on the side with the sacred tree, and beyond, it descended, making the tree the highest point for as far as Kano could see in the immediate area. Sure, miles away there were hills, even mountains, but in the valley where Abnoba's tree stood, it occupied the high ground.
No voice spoke and Kano started to dig graves in the area the whisper on the wind had suggested.
"This is the spot, right?"
He stood there for a almost a minute, glancing to the sides and expecting an answer. None came, so he started randomly shoveling off a few handfuls of dirt to get the hole started. The not quite buried dead near the tree stood out clearly to anybody who looked and Kano knew in the real world, animal carcasses could bring disease or worse. In a game, he was near certain the developers would not include every crudity or insane detail. However, he also knew this game had been built years after he'd died. Shuddering, he pushed gloomy thoughts out of the way and started digging in earnest.
While digging, Kano realized something and gave a wry smile. With Abnoba's sacred tree having so many corpses or skeletons easily seen, who would ever believe her faith to be anything other than one of violence?
"Not to mention the impact on tourism," he muttered, thinking about a possible slogan. "Come to the valley, see the sacrificial graves." He chuckled to himself, and realized that other than the Three Rivers, he didn't know if the valley had a proper name. Shrugging and promising to himself he would learn the local geography, he continued to shovel dirt and clear enough space, one at a time, for each of the fallen men.
Blisters formed on his hands from all the hard work, the rough, wooden shovel handle scraping his skin raw. Cursing, he thought about how nice it would be to heal away the injury and then figured, if the druid offer came with that power, he might just accept. The pain also reminded him that even in this game world, he might endure even worse than he had so far and resolved to grow stronger.
Hours later, one grave dug per man, Kano finished laying their bodies to rest. Lips dry, he wished he had thought to bring some water or another beverage with him. Despite the early start, the task took a lot of time.
Feeling dehydrated, Kano staggered off back to the inn. The shovel weighed heavily in his hands and he kept mulling over his debt to Thomas and how, given his physical situation, he'd be able to help. The blinking energy meter in his display showed more than eighty percent was gone, and he could feel the lethargy down to his core.
When he reached the White Rabbit, he immediately strode quickly to the bar, poured himself a large glass of water and pounded it. Then he refilled twice more without pause, taking a deep breath, satisfied the energy meter was quickly moving towards full.
"Heat stroke," he muttered, pulling up his character sheet. There was a new box of information that showed current effects, in this case, a combination of dehydration and exhaustion from physical labor and no food. He frowned, I need to remember, this isn’t a game, it’s as real as life.
"I need sausage," he said, seeing Bertha walking out from the kitchen.
"Excuse me?" she said, irate and raising her voice.
"Sorry, uh-protein? You know, uh- any type of fried meat. Bacon! You know what bacon is, right? It’s to regain the energy I lost working outside in the sun for too long, and the sodium will help with my dehydration," Kano said.
"Sodium? I don’t know what that is,” Bertha said, “Bacon we can purchase, I suppose." Bertha raised an eyebrow and looked over his condition, worried. "Did you hurt yourself, Kano?"
Sigh, Kano thought, no bacon at least, not yet. I’m
glad they didn’t leave bacon out of New Lands Online. "No, I’m not injured. I just overworked myself in the field. Anything we have handy to eat would be wonderful," Kano said, giving her a small smile.
Bertha disappeared into the kitchen and then returned, empty-handed. She folded her arms across her apron and cocked her head to one side. "Kano," she said, "what are my wages this week?"
He blinked, having absolutely no clue what to say.
"Exactly," she said, returning to what she had been doing when Kano arrived. "Find something in the kitchen, and later, we need to have a talk," she said, grabbing a rag and polishing down the bar.
"Sure," Kano said, walking back to the kitchen and ignoring the ominous feeling he got from her demand. Managing people sucks, he thought glumly.
Minutes later, Kano returned from the kitchen with a small platter of sliced meats, fresh uncooked vegetables and a plain white cheese wedge. He ate in silence while Bertha continued to clean, noticing how efficiently the woman worked.
Gloomy thoughts, as if doom was on the immediate horizon, filled his mind as he put away the dishes. He thanked Bertha and then exited, thinking of Thomas's request to get his help. He had no idea what the man would need, but, it was clear as long as Kano wanted the White Rabbit, he needed to submit to the mayor’s request.
"Kano," the words floated on the breeze in the early afternoon as Kano exited the White Rabbit.
"Have you decided? It's almost time," the voice continued. Abnoba needed an answer, and Kano was still considering his options. Then he realized that most of his worries were related to the sacrificial nature of Bob's faith.
"What if she does what she says she can do?" Kano said aloud, continuing to walk toward the mayor's house.
"Excuse me?" The goddess's voice responded to his question.
"Cards on the table, Abnoba. Where I come from, the water, air and even the earth are polluted, barely capable of supporting human, or animal, life.” Kano took a deep breath, walking across the road toward where Thomas had pointed. "I heard you yesterday with your focus, and I am in full agreement. It's just," he paused, not sure how to say, your human sacrifice situation was a public relations nightmare if you expected to recruit newly faithful.