by Noah Layton
‘It’s a long story. I’ll tell you it sometime.’
‘Indeed? Well, it will be pleasant to have some company.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. Now that we’ve got four taurems we can look to selling one to market, right?’
‘Once the new taurems have matured, which should be a week or so.’
‘That’s the main thing I wanted to ask you about – how much meat can we acquire from one taurem?’
‘Roughly?’ Jeremiah tapped his chin and thought for a moment. ‘250 pounds or so. That includes all cuts – steaks, ribs, briskets, all the way down to ground beef. The piglets will take some time before they mature into boars.’
‘That’s good. Hold off on it for the time being. Meat prices are still pretty cheap because of the animal influx. We’ll leave it a little while. That said, I might use a large portion to keep the tribe going. Do you have any extra milk?’
‘Plenty. Take what you need and sell the rest at market.’
I took a stack of milk x20 from the trading window.
‘How is Santana?’
‘She’s doing great. Everything’s great, actually. Quiet, like you said.’
‘A blessing to hear.’
We shook hands, and I made my way back to the horse and cart. Lola appeared around the side of the farmhouse just as I was about to set off.
‘I’ll be heading on my way now. Do you think you can settle here?’
‘I think that it is wonderful.’
‘Seriously? I was worried that this would be too much of a change for you.’
‘I have seen my lands tarnished, been used as a labourer by an expedition group, and now I have the opportunity to live on a peaceful land, tend to animals and sleep in a comfortable bed. I could not have hoped for better fortune. Now go, young man. You have a kingdom to build.’
We said goodbye and I headed back to the tribe with a stupid grin on my face. Dynasties and kingdoms were the talk of the day thanks to Alorion and Lola, but I wasn’t arrogant – not yet, anyway. Heading back to your land with an inventory filled with milk and an empty horse and cart will do that to you.
***
It was just after midday when I returned to the land. Santana had completed her work in the stables and was helping Lara and Ariadne with plotting out the new crops with Tormus and Eri.
Eri was using the four of them as placeholders to represent sections and areas, and all five of them greeted me as I passed by.
I made a round of my totems, checking that everything was in order. Water was at a sustainable level, and the stables were large enough to house both horses.
I checked my inventory for objects while in the Storage room and unloaded the various junk in my inventory. In the process I remembered the copper ore sat alongside the pickaxe, and made a mental note to return to it in a short while.
I moved to the Map room and updated my knowledge of the surrounding land. The route to the waterfall where Elera resided was highlighted, and wasn’t as far away as it had seemed – it was only the denseness of the forest that made the journey precarious, but it was something that also comforted me. I could rest easy knowing that there was little chance that somebody would discover her.
By the end of the day I was back in bed with my wives, relaxing as they snuggled up to me.
‘Do any of you know what lies west of here?’
‘My father and I used to hear word that there was something out there,’ Santana said. ‘A settlement of some kind, maybe. I am not sure that they are a tribe of sorts, though. We never heard from them, nor did we have any problems.’
‘Thinking of setting up a trading line?’ Ariadne asked. ‘It could be a profitable move for the tribe if we can establish that they are not hostile.’
‘Maybe,’ I replied. ‘I’m going to start checking out the herbs that are available in the forest, as well as any rock structures in the area that might offer up ores. And there’s something else… It’s just something that I heard at the trading post today. There’s something that I need, and I think that I can find it in this western community.’
‘What’s that?’ Lara asked.
‘A potion recipe. I think it will help Elera stay alive out of water.’
‘You want to bring her back here?’
‘I want to make her my wife. If you all approve of sharing a bed with a nymph, that is.’
‘I was convinced the moment I saw her,’ Lara smiled. ‘Just the thought of having her in this bed with us…’
‘Oh, my,’ Santana laughed, her cheeks almost turning as red as her hair.
‘Don’t be so shy,’ Lara said. ‘We lie with each other every night.’
‘I know, but… Talking about it feels different.’
‘Humans,’ Ariadne said, from the side, shaking her head. ‘Words hurt you all more than your actions do. You are such strange beings.’
‘But we know how to fuck,’ Lara remarked. ‘And so does our master.’
‘Always nice to hear,’ I smiled, trying to sound sarcastic but indulging in the compliment. ‘Anyway, I’m heading out west tomorrow. I’m going to take this one on my own. I don’t want you to worry about me – I’m just going to investigate what’s out there.’
‘Are you sure?’ Santana said, turning over and resting on her arm. ‘I told you, I know how to identify herbs. I have spent years doing it.’
‘It’s just a little exploration,’ I said. ‘I’ll only be gone a few hours.’
‘If you say so.’
Chapter Nine
The next morning I dressed early and prepped my saddle atop Arabelle.
Before I even had a chance to mount my horse, Santana appeared in the pasture fully dressed with her own saddle over her shoulder.
‘No,’ I said. ‘I told you, you’re not coming with me.’
‘And I told you, master, that you need me to help you with this. You can identify ores on your own, maybe, because they’re impossible to miss against rocks. But plants are different. You need to examine the undergrowth carefully for them. I can help.’
‘It’s still dangerous out there.’
‘And I still have my crossbow. Don’t underestimate me. Besides, I’m going out of my mind stuck on this land. It’s starting to feel how our homestead felt during the wolf attacks.’
I exhaled through my nose deeply and gritted my teeth.
‘Fine. There are a few bolts in storage. But if we run into anything that poses a threat let me do the fighting.’
Ten minutes later we were saddled up and heading through the forest. No more than fifty yards in and Santana brought us to a halt. She hopped down from Myranthia deftly and landed in the undergrowth.
She whipped out a simple knife that she had brought with and ushered me over with it.
‘This is sunleaf,’ she said, running her fingers lightly up the stems of some twining orange-brown stalks crowded together in a small patch. ‘You don’t need to take out the root – just the stalk from where the dirt begins is fine.’
Santana’s delicate hand commanded the blade to cut through the stem, which she eventually deposited into her inventory.
‘And then…’ She continued, standing and pointing to a patch of flowers nearby. ‘This is aquaria. It’s used for potions of haste primarily, but it can be used for many others if you were to acquire the recipes’
‘You really know what you’re talking about, don’t you?’
‘Of course,’ she smiled, brushing her hair back behind her ear and smiling cutely at me. ‘Did you think that I was lying, master?’
‘No. I just want to look after you. Lara and Ariadne have grown up as fighters, so I guess I’m less worried about their safety.’
‘I understand, but you can trust me. I’m a grown woman.’
‘I trust your judgement. You’ve grown up with the land. That counts for something important. But you’re the youngest of my wives. It’s my job to protect you. You understand that, right?’
We continued throug
h the forest on horseback at a slow pace, both scanning the ground for further herbs to extract. Santana’s eyes did a better job than my own, but every so often I got the edge and scoured something that she didn’t see first.
They were small victories, but I was steadily getting the hang of it.
‘How come you and your father never crafted potions back at your land?’
‘We could not. Potions tables are incredibly expensive.’
‘It was only 100GP for me to create one back at the land.’
‘That is because you are a tribe master.’
‘What does that have to do with it?’
‘The tribal lands of Agraria abide by different rules to other pieces of land. They allow for easier construction. That is what they are designed for. The mechanics of the land offer it up, to bring people into communities and to allow people to work together.’
‘How do you know all of this?’
‘It is a gift given by the Agrarian gods. They teach it in my holy book, The Passages. The first tribes left a magical essence within this world that created the system we use today.’
We emerged onto Ark Point a short while later and moved along the edge of the pit, giving ourselves a little distance to avoid the possibility of a landslide into the depths below.
As the pit tapered off and we reached the other side, we continued west into forestry that was sparsely populated with trees and rockier in its landscape.
We moved the horses steadily through it, the sounds of their metal shoes clapping against stone becoming more and more frequent.
Only a minute later we found a patch of tin ore, the name of which appeared in my inventory as I tapped its image after mining a small section.
‘Four hits…’ I said. ‘That’s less than the amount back at the waterfall. I’m guessing that I have to hit different ores a different number of times depending on how tough they are?’
‘I think that is the case. We never mined ores, but I have seen them on more than a few occasions.’
I carried on with the mining, continuing to strike at the pockets of ore that we discovered in the area. I broke into a hell of a sweat and pulled off my overshirt, stripping down to my vest.
By the time I was finished Santana was clapping and smiling.
‘What?’ I said, swinging the pickaxe over my shoulder and pushing my dark hair out of my face.
‘Nothing, I just… Really like your muscles, especially when you sweat. You look… Manly.’
‘Good, I guess,’ I smiled back.
‘But a lot of manly men become old and worn and fat too quickly. You can lead and use your physical strength, and not just in a way to intimidate. I like that. No… I love that.’
‘I appreciate it,’ I breathed, returning to Arabelle and storing the tin ore in her inventory bags. I was about to hop up onto my horse once again for the next leg of our journey into the rocky territory when something caught my eye. ‘What’s that?’
Santana and I crossed to a darker section in a nearby patch of rocks that was shrouded in shadow. I thought that it had just been blackened by mould in the heat and dampness of the forest, but the closer we got, the more its true nature became apparent.
It was a tunnel, one that descended into the ground sharply. I lit a torch and pointed it into the darkness. It sloped deep into the ground but seemed to taper off further down, based on what the limited light could tell me.
Santana and I exchanged a look.
‘What do you think?’ I asked.
‘I think it could hold much of value.’
‘Stay behind me. If you hear anything, run.’
She nodded in agreement.
I started into the darkness with my torch in one hand and my longsword in the other. My strength could wield it decently in one hand, but optimally I needed to do it properly, and I never liked the idea of fighting in the dark. No matter how skilled you were, if it was pitch-black a single lucky swing from your opponent could take you out.
The tunnel descended for fifty feet before levelling out, although the ground was still uneven. It had only been manipulated and carved by the hand of man where its original makings didn’t allow.
Whoever had formed this place was long gone. The holders for torches in the walls had begun to rust long ago and every so often my feet knocked against a rotten bucket or a decaying plank of wood, and occasionally an animal bone.
‘You think there’s anything in these caves that could pose a threat?’ I said quietly.
‘I do not think so,’ Santana replied.
‘You don’t?’
‘No. Not here. We would need to travel much deeper to find such things.’
‘Comforting.’
‘It is. The mother wolf allowed her children to kill on her behalf. She only came out of hiding when one of her own was killed. There may be others lurking in farther reaches of the forests, but they are likely slumbering and far away from us.’
‘What about the ones in the caves?’
‘The tales I read and heard when I was young spoke of dungeons in the deep reaches of the world, where ancients and ancestors had locked away their treasures. They used monsters to guard their treasures, and that is where many of them are locked, waiting for adventurers to try their hand at claiming the riches.’
‘That’s a hell of a story.’
‘I do not think it is a story. Agraria is huge. You have seen for yourself in the Map room. Who knows what lurks in the land that we cannot see?’
Santana had prodded at a thought that had been playing in the back of my mind for some time. Back home I could bring up a 3D map of the entire world and zoom into a single house on my phone, but out here I had nothing but my wits and my feet to build my knowledge of the land.
I had no idea how far the lands went… And I had no idea what tribes lurked out there, either.
I had yet to run into forces from another tribe. There were none in the area that I had accidentally crossed paths with since my arrival other than those trading at the post and at the cove.
It could only be a matter of time before somebody found us at our land.
We continued along the rock-walled passage until it began to widen sharply, and suddenly we emerged onto a much larger section.
‘Wow…’
The cavern stretched up at least thirty feet over our heads. The light from my torch bounced and danced over the walls all around us. It stretched perhaps fifty yards ahead, leading to another larger tunnel that continued into the darkness.
Our voices, our footsteps – everything echoed through in the large, dark space, but I was more steadfast than ever about unwelcome friends that might be waiting in the unseen corners of the cavern.
With Santana at my side I scoured the area, our weapons raised. In our search we found several abandoned carts loaded with old crates, rusty tools, and more rotting wood.
‘This must have been here since the war,’ I said. ‘Looks like they got out of here in a hurry.’
‘My father told me of it,’ Santana said. ‘He said that when the fighting broke out, all forces were called into action. Miners, gatherers, farmers – everyone. Everything was abandoned for the sake of fighting, and this looks no different.’
During our search I saw the unmistakable shining of ores in the walls. They weren’t just at eye-level, but running all the way up the walls to the dark ceiling overhead. Twenty or thirty feet above where it began, the forest floor would likely reside.
I had never been claustrophobic, but either way I tried not to think about all that land above crashing down on my head. There was some comfort to be taken, though – if it had remained strong and undisturbed for this long, there was little chance that it would come down now.
After completing our search of the area for any potential threats and coming up empty, I checked the passage at the opposite end of the cavern. It stretched far into the distance and was silent.
‘We can check up there in a little while,’ I said, setting m
y torch up in one of the holsters on the wall and retrieving my pickaxe. ‘Can you keep a lookout for me?’
‘So now you want me to use my crossbow?’ Santana said slyly, swinging it over her shoulder and placing a hand on her hip in a sexy-warrior stance. ‘What happened to me not fighting?’
‘I never said anything about doing any fighting,’ I laughed. ‘Just keep your eyes open for anything coming our way.’
I turned to the closest pocket of ore with my pickaxe at the ready and got to work.
From there I worked away. Harvesting crops in the fields had been tiresome work, but at least the harvesting tools hadn’t been too heavy. The pickaxe was so large that it made my longsword feel like a dagger.
Despite my strength I had to focus my swings and movements, but over time the rewards steadily stacked up. Santana moved back and forth between the entrances to both passages in routine motions, taking occasional breaks to move the torch to another spot when I needed it.
I didn’t stop and didn’t falter. Sweat glazed over my skin and dripped from my forehead and arms, and I was in the zone. Copper, iron and bronze pockets were scattered about the walls, and when they were emptied I moved wordlessly like a man possessed to fetch a crate, standing atop it to reach the higher deposits.
Time was a game of best guesses in Agraria seeing as I had no clock or watch, but I didn’t know if ten minutes or an hour had passed by the time I finally had to take a break for water. I had left it longer than I should have, but I wanted to clear out everything at a reachable height, and the repetitive nature of it kept me focused.
By the time I had finished, my inventory was looking impressive.
20x Iron Ore
32x Copper Ore
5x Silver Ore
10x Bronze Ore
42x Tin Ore
‘This is a great haul,’ I said, checking it all in the firelight and dividing it up between myself and Santana. ‘I’ll have to decide what to sell and what to keep when we get back.’
I chugged down water from my canteen and wiped away the sweat from my face with the back of my hand.
‘I’ll bet this looks really attractive,’ I panted.
‘Very.’