Tribe Master

by Noah Layton

  Finally the manipulated shrubbery gave onto a large cage covered in a ragged, dirty sheet. I examined it for a moment, determining that there were no traps rigged, and pulled it away.

  ‘Christ…’ I muttered. ‘I’d say this is a new low, but it’s the second time I’ve seen it since I got here.’

  A middle-aged humanoid couple were crouched within the cage. There skin was blue and white, dotted and patched majestically with the colors which almost seemed to be glowing in the shade.

  ‘Please… Please do not hurt us.’

  ‘We’re not going to hurt you,’ I said firmly. ‘Are you both all right?’

  ‘Yes, only filled with thirst.’

  ‘Where’s the lock?’

  The man pointed it out to me on the opposite side of the cage. I rounded to it, and with a few sharp and calculated overhead strikes with my sword it broke.

  ‘What happened to you?’ I asked as we led the two out and into the bandits’ clearing.

  ‘Our home was raided weeks ago by those bastards that you just killed. My wife and I lived a secluded life, but apparently not secluded enough.’

  ‘Didn’t your tribe protect you?’

  ‘We are not part of any tribe. We…’

  They shot each other an unsubtle look of conference.

  ‘You can tell me.’

  ‘We were exiled from our race’s tribe for seeking to be married. It is against our culture.’

  ‘That’s it?’ I exclaimed. ‘What a bunch of assholes…’

  Then, the obvious thought struck me.

  ‘Do you want to join a tribe?’

  ‘I do not think so. I and my wife are endlessly grateful to you for saving us, but the ways of tribes are dangerous. We were almost killed out here.’

  ‘Because of these idiots,’ I said pointing over my shoulder with my thumb, ‘who you don’t have to worry about anymore. Listen, my tribe isn’t like that. You can have a place to live, a real home, and a sense of safety, as long as you contribute and help with day to day activities.’

  The couple shared another look before the man turned back to me and held out a hand.

  I took it, and the window I had seen with Ariadne appeared before us. They accepted the invitation.

  Chapter Six

  On the way back to my tribal lands we made a detour to the trading post to pick up some medicine. A few hours had passed, and while I still had enough Potion of Haste to get back to our land by Ariadne’s side, there was no sense in leaving behind our new members.

  Their names were Tormus and Eri, and beyond what they had already told us there wasn’t much else to say. They were farmers back at their tribe, and were friendly enough. Simple people trying to live a simple life.

  But that was how it was out here. There was no internet, no mass communication, no instant access to knowledge in this world. Despite the game-like digital interfaces that appeared before me during interactions, Agraria was like heading to a tropical society 600 years ago in terms of technological advancements.

  After trading off the junk from the bandits’ settlement, I picked up the medicine and let Ariadne heal some small wounds I had from the fight in an out-of-the-way spot.

  Searching my surroundings to distract myself from the occasional pain, I heard a familiar voice.

  ‘Jack! Master Jack!... Move, you turd!’

  Alorion appeared through the crowd atop the horse and cart, with Coron trailing alongside, bound by his wrists.

  ‘Alorion? You got finished quickly.’

  ‘Our new captive… Uhh… Friend… Works quickly when the prospect of being blown up is at hand.’

  ‘Well that’s great for us.’

  ‘Yes and no. Prices for corn have dropped considerably.’

  ‘To what?’

  ‘0.2GP per stack.’

  ‘0.2? How the hell is that possible?’

  ‘Corn is in abundance in this area. We took advantage of a brief shortage for a few days, but there are now considerable stores. There is little demand for it at present.’

  That was an 80% drop. What would have previously brought us 300GP would now bring us 60.

  That would pay for medicine in the event that there was an attack during shipping. It wasn’t even worth the risk of taking the trip to the trading post.

  ‘Make the sale anyway,’ I said. ‘Keep a stack for dinner, though. We’ve got some new members to feed.’

  With Ariadne’s guidance I picked up some more meat for dinner, and the six of us headed back to our land.

  As we headed back I couldn’t help but look around at the people who I now called my companions. We were like a group from some post-apocalyptic TV show.

  A military pilot from another dimension. A green, naked imp. A foxgirl who was a kickass fighter and a complete freak in bed. Two displaced humanoids who I had just met. And Coron, a captive bandit; even if he wasn’t a member of my tribe, I still had a responsibility towards him.

  Back at the land we cooked up some dinner and feasted beneath the shade of the tree. Despite the deliciousness of the food, I couldn’t help but dwell on the drop in the price of corn.

  It was our main source of income. We had a decent amount saved up and we wouldn’t starve to death, but corn, even when seasoned, got old quickly, and I had new tribal members to feed – and house.

  Alorion went to the trouble of feeding Coron while he was tied up, which was both strange and hilarious to watch.

  After we finished up Ariadne climbed the stairs to our room while Alorion bound Coron to the trunk.

  ‘You can’t seriously expect me to sleep like this, can you?’ He complained.

  ‘Uhh… Master Jack?’ Eri said, heading up to me meekly. ‘I don’t wish to be rude, but why is this young man tied up?’

  ‘He tried to kill us,’ I said, turning to look Coron in the eye. ‘Twice. He was a member of the bandits that raided your home.’

  ‘And yet you feed him?’

  ‘I’ve executed somebody once today already,’ I said. ‘Once was enough. I’m not doing it again. But I promise that he won’t hurt you.’

  Eri nodded apprehensively at me. Tormus didn’t say a word or make a motion, apart from one; his fist clenched hard, so hard that I wondered whether his nails would slice his palms open.

  ‘Anyway,’ I continued, ‘let’s build you two a home.’

  Alorion had scuttled off into his hideaway, leaving me to figure it out for myself.

  I headed to the Building Totem and selected the option to build basic shack.

  The totem had a small inventory built in to it, just as the stable and harvesting shed did, and within was enough wood to building the starting structure. After taking the necessary resources, a square patch of blue light appeared, nine by nine feet, with the build button floating in the air right before me.

  ‘So where would you like your home to be?’ I said, turning to Tormus and Eri.

  ‘You are giving us the choice, master?’ Eri asked.

  ‘It’s only temporary,’ I said. ‘We’ll build you something sturdier in the future, but all the same.’

  We headed into the field amongst the corn and decided on a spot together, slightly north-eastern towards the forest but only around fifty yards from my own home.

  I pressed build, and a series of nine grids appeared on the ground. I held my breath, wondering how complicated this was going to be, but at the edge of the closest square a transparent wooden panel began to flash.

  I entered my inventory and retrieved a panel of wood, watching it land in my hands suddenly.

  There’s no way it’s this easy…

  I lined the wood panel up with the transparent panel and released my rip. Just like a magnet, it fell into place and sank into the ground.

  ‘No way,’ I laughed.

  ‘What is it, master?’ Tormus asked.

  ‘I just... Didn’t think it would be that easy.’

  ‘Tribal lands benefit from different rules to the rest of the land. They
function in different ways.’

  ‘You’re telling me…’

  I wasn’t even going to try and begin to understand it. All that was left to do was build.

  Tormus and I got started while Eri began to examine the crops, already plotting out her system of farming.

  ‘My wife’s speciality is taming the earth. Mine is firmly divided between labouring and farming. I am reasonable at both, but admittedly exceptional at neither.’

  ‘That’s… Pretty honest of you.’

  ‘What good is there in this world if a man cannot be honest?’

  ‘True.’ I paused the conversation as we continued quickly with our work. That lasted for a few minutes before I had to broach the topic. ‘Would you be honest in responding to any question I asked you?’

  ‘Of course, Master Jack.’

  ‘Are you planning on killing me or any of my friends while we sleep tonight?’

  ‘… Master?’

  ‘You said you would be honest. Answer the question, Tormus.’

  ‘Of course not, master. I and Eri have sworn ourselves as citizens of your tribe.’

  ‘Good. I seriously didn’t think that you would answer any other way.’

  ‘Indeed.’

  ‘Are you planning on murdering Coron after night falls?’

  Tormus halted in his positioning of another panel of wood. He looked up at me slowly.

  I had faced death more than a few times over the last few days, but this moment was more intense than any other that I had experienced.

  And Tormus wasn’t responding.

  ‘Are you?’

  He gulped.

  ‘He… He destroyed my home. Took my things. Put my wife in a cage like some kind of feral animal.’

  ‘I know, and I’m sorry all of that happened. I’ve seen to it that every single one of them has been killed. Hell, four of their bodies are buried just past our border.’

  ‘Every single one of them… Except for him.’

  ‘Not 12 hours ago I killed one of them in cold blood. He was on the floor begging for mercy and I gutted him like a fish. They tried to kill us, too. But not Coron. He’s just… Misguided. Or stupid. He’s in with the wrong crowd. He’s made a few stupid decisions, but for somebody in his position I don’t really blame him.’

  ‘You intend for him to become a member of this tribe?’

  ‘No. Tomorrow he’ll be gone from these lands forever. That I can promise you – as long as you promise me that he’ll still be alive in the morning when I wake.’

  Tormus stared me ambiguously in the eyes before looking over his shoulder to where Eri was whistling among the crops, examining the area.

  Then, he looked past me to where Coron resided beneath the tree.

  After a long, protracted silence between us, a moment so quiet that I could hear the corn leaves nearby rustling against each other as a light breeze swept by us, Tormus nodded.

  We continued in the construction of their temporary home in silence until it was completed. It was rudimentary and small, but stable enough to suitably house two people, or three at a push.

  ‘Goodnight.’

  ‘Goodnight, master.’

  Tormus called for Eri, and as the sky became dashed with purple I crossed through the field of corn and back to the treehouse.

  Coron was tied up tightly, sleeping against the trunk where Alorion had left him. I ascended the stairs and entered my home, comforted by the sight of Ariadne sleeping in our bed.

  So this was a permanent thing – she wanted me, and I definitely wanted her.

  In the interest of a little more space, I dragged our second bed across the room to create a makeshift double-bed.

  I undressed and laid above the sheets in my underwear.

  I was done worrying about Tormus and Coron. This was an exercise of trust. It was beyond my control now. This would be Tormus’s vetting to see if he would remain a member of the tribe.

  Ariadne turned in her sleep and wrapped her arms around me, nuzzling into my broad chest as the fur on her ears tickled my skin.

  She was a fierce fighter, but like almost everybody she sought out comfort. I had been humbled by her generosity, surprised by her abilities and finally enthralled with the affection she had given me – if fucking like animals could be called affection.

  This was, though. Having her by my side while we slept was a comforting relief to the obstacles that confronted me during the day.

  I could handle the violence and the fighting, but being a leader too? It came with its own bag of problems and issues to work through. I had to know when to step in and when to let things play out.

  I had to exert dominance, but know when to let my citizens go about their daily activities. I wasn’t going to micromanage. Everybody had different specialities and skills, and it was important to put them to good use.

  But my mind wouldn’t be able to broach any of that stuff if it was exhausted.

  I indulged in the comfort of Ariadne’s body, pulling her closer to me and closing my eyes.

  I hoped that I wouldn’t hear the sounds of screaming in the night.

  ***

  A hand reached out through the darkness of my dreams. It hovered in the air brushing against my cheek briefly, softly.

  Suddenly its fingers clenched hard around my throat, pressing down on me, squeezing the life from my lungs.

  I yelled out, shuddering awake and sitting up sharply. Despite being naked and atop the covers, my body was streaked with sweat and my fringe matted to my forehead.

  ‘Master Jack?’ Ariadne said, running one of her soft hands down my arm and sitting up. ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘Yeah,’ I gulped. ‘I’m fine.’ I took a few deep breaths and looked around the dimly lit room.

  ‘Was it a gloomhunter?’

  ‘A what?’

  ‘It is the name we give to the monsters that haunt our minds when we sleep.’

  I managed to smile and laid back down on the bed.

  ‘We call them nightmares in my world. Same thing.’

  ‘Many say that the forest brings them, that tiny creatures we cannot see fly into our ears and deliver them to our minds. If your mind is sound and free of guilt then you will be free of them, but if you are plagued by guilt they will have no trouble invading your thoughts.’

  ‘Guess that means I’m in trouble.’

  ‘You are plagued by dark thoughts, master?’

  ‘No…’ I said, raising my hand to the silver locket around my neck and rolling it into my palm. ‘Only some of the time.’

  ‘As a tribe master everything else comes second. Your duty is protect your lands and your people, to build a home for yourself and others.’

  ‘That sounds like the noblest pastime a man could ask for. You know, back before I arrived here, I had this idea that I would save enough money to get away from the rest of civilisation, to… live in the wilds. I could be self-sufficient. I could live off the land in peace, away from the craziness of the world. I guess that kind of came true.’

  ‘Being in the wilderness on your own sounds lonely.’

  ‘Maybe,’ I smiled.

  The sun was starting to slip through the canopy overhead. I pulled away from the bed, got dressed and headed for the door.

  I had no idea what would await me at the base of the tree. But what I did find would tell me what kind of a person Tormus was; one that I could trust, or one that I would need to…

  Truth be told, I had no idea what I would do if Coron was dead. I would cross that bridge when I came to it, but it was approaching mighty fast.

  I exited into Agraria’s early morning sunlight and set my eyes on Coron as I descended the steps.

  He was on his side and facing away from me. His wrists and ankles were still bound and he wasn’t moving.

  That six-yard walk was one of the longest that I had ever faced. I rounded to Coron’s side and saw his face. His eyes were clasped shut.

  Fearing the worst, I took a deep bre
ath and dug the tip of my boot into his stomach lightly.

  With a solid nudge, he stuttered awake.

  ‘Mm…’ He muttered groggily. ‘What is it?’

  I mentally thanked whichever deity was listening and nodded to myself.

  ‘We’re making a trip today,’ I said. ‘Prepare yourself.’

  ‘That would be much easier if I wasn’t tied up, master.’

  I called for Alorion a few minutes later, while Ariadne joined us shortly after.

  ‘Here’s the plan,’ I said. ‘We’re going to make a trip to Ichabod’s Cove. There are more than a few things that I need to resolve, and this place seems the best in which to do it.’

  ‘What do we need to complete?’ Alorion asked.

  ‘I need a necromancer to help me with this spell scroll that we found. I also need some construction materials and anything else there could provide us with income opportunities. With the depression in the corn prices we need to get things back on track.’

  ‘Wise,’ Alorion said. ‘We have plenty of land to make use of.’

  ‘Exactly. The bandits may be gone, too, but we need to look at further defensive strategies. We’ve started to make some noise, and I don’t know how long we can keep quiet. Either way, we do what we can to keep our heads down. And speaking of the bandits…’ I looked over at Coron. ‘We’re taking him with us.’

  ‘Why is that, master?’ Ariadne asked inquisitively.

  ‘I can’t keep him here. I won’t make a slave out of him, but he can’t be a member of this tribe. We’ll figure out what to do with him when we get to the cove.’

  I looked out at the rows of corn that surrounded us. Just like a videogame, the crops grew in jolts, replenishing in days. It was a dream to those starving, but this much abundance had been its own downfall. I had to replace it with something else, something that was more desired by traders – I just didn’t know what.

  But I knew who would know.

  ‘I’ll be right back. Prep the horse and cart, and prep our canteens and some corn for the journey. We set off as soon as we’re ready.’

  I crossed through the corn to Tormus and Eri’s shack. To my surprise they were already awake – Tormus was removing weeds from the patch surrounding the house while Eri was preparing the nearby ground for a small row of plants and crops.