She slipped the armor back on, which fit her a little better. Still too tight in the bust, but it was tighter around her waist, and rested on her hips. She belted on the sword and hunting knife, and put the bow over her left shoulder, and the quiver over her right. She looked quite intimidating as she stood up, except for the slight smile on her face which reached her green eyes. She took a moment to cut off a small length of rope, and tied her lustrous chestnut hair back in a ponytail.
She said, “Better, for now anyway. That seems like a good plan. Find the threats, and maybe more allies. Perhaps we aren’t the only two out here. Like you, I doubt we were placed close to a town, that would negate Gaia’s reason for putting us out here in the forest, don’t you think?”
I smiled, “I wouldn’t presume to guess what she was thinking, but that sounds logical enough. We have soap, clothes, shelter, and a forest full of food. We should be okay for a while, at least until we figure out what we’re doing here.”
She nodded, “Agreed.”
Her smile was genuine, and I got the idea she was grateful and willing to work together, but there was also an arm’s length caution in her stance. Well, trust had to be earned, I imagined she’d lose that when she realized I wasn’t going to push for any intimacies.
I grabbed the plates and walked over to the fire. The meat was a golden brown. I stabbed it, and the juices that ran were clear. Just to be sure, I cast Assess Life, which merely told me it was dead, so not a big help as far as cooking. So much for that idea. I sliced off a piece of meat, and it looked done to me, so I took the spit off the fire, and plated the food.
Gwen smiled in thanks when I handed her a plate, and we both seasoned it with a little salt and started to eat. It wasn’t bad, and felt good in my empty stomach. We ate in a comfortable silence, and she followed me over to the pit to toss out the bones, and then down to the stream to wash the plates, knives, and our hands.
We both drank from the brook, and then emptied and refilled our water skins with fresh water.
Gwen shook her head, “I’m not looking forward to bathing in a cool brook.”
“I might be able to do something better. If we dig out a tub of sorts, there’s a few downed trees that haven’t rotted yet close to the glade. I can fill it with water, and then heat it with a fire spell. Build another crude shelter around it for privacy?”
She smiled, “Good to know I made the right decision.”
I laughed, and asked, “It’s just after noon now, should we explore, or build ourselves a bathroom and explore in the morning?”
She tilted her head, “Hygiene is pretty important. Predators will smell us coming if you walk around in that blood-soaked tunic. Even just sweat will give us away after a day or so.”
I nodded in agreement, but hadn’t really thought of that. My wound earlier had bled rather freely.
She said, “You get started, I’ll hunt us down dinner.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Chapter Three
It had taken a bit of creativity. First, I’d found a downed tree. It had taken some time going through the concepts, but I managed to use a variation on the spell Control Water to create a water saw. It had a moving circular blade of ice that made quick work of cutting off the first four feet of tree, and even sawing it length wise so it was cut in half.
Then I’d created another water spell, an ice awl that chipped out a tub one small slice of wood at a time. It took time, but since the water tool was less than a cubic foot in size, my mana regeneration was good enough to work non-stop. It wasn’t that great a tub, four feet long, and maybe two feet deep. But, it would get us wet and clean. Once that was done, it was light enough for my elemental to carry it back to the glade. I put it on the western edge, closest to the brook, within a copse of bushes for privacy.
Filling it would be easy, just a variation on the Ice Wall spell, and the already created Heat spell for fire would heat up or remove heat from inanimate matter, and water definitely counted. I could also use control water to empty it out into the nearby brook. That meant I’d have to prepare both our baths, and clean up afterwards, every single time, but I didn’t mind. It would help me practice my magic.
Then I went back to the log, and cut inch slices off the second half of the tree. I wished I’d have thought about it sooner, before I made the first crude shelter, but it was easy to carve locking joints in the edges of the wood slats I’d created, and I made a five-foot-high privacy fence around the tub. With a little thought, I could probably do the same thing to build a true one-bedroom shack or home, with four walls, a floor, and a ceiling.
My water magic power tools were endlessly adaptable, and I was only limited by my own imagination and know-how. It also gave me experience on wielding my magic on the fly, using the raw concepts instead of building prebuilt spells. Of course, a real shack would be a lot more work, and we weren’t sure if we were staying here very long or not. So, the crude shelter and bathtub would do for now. That didn’t stop me speculating on the possibilities however.
Lastly, I dug out the detritus pit with an ice shovel quite a bit deeper, and set up another privacy fence of sorts. Then I built a crude wooden crate with a hole in top to put over the pit. I’d have to stay on top of it, once every day or so, but a variation of the fire blast spell would ensure our garbage and human waste was turned to ash.
It’d taken most of the rest of the afternoon to take care of all our hygiene needs. Gwen was already back, and she’d come back dragging a whole lot of butchered deer meat on a crude travois, along with a pack full of berries and nuts. I dug another pit for that close to the fire, and built a wooden box. The meat went in the box with a little held back for dinner, the box went in the pit, and then I used a water spell to surround the box in ice. A board of wood and dirt went on top. Mentally I made plans to build a smoker to make deer jerky out of the extra meat, but we didn’t really have enough salt or any spices for that kind of thing. Seeing as there was no store, I’d have to keep my eyes out tomorrow for any spices or herbs during our explorations.
As long as I checked it once a day or so, the homemade ice box should do the job of keeping the meat from going bad well enough. The ice wouldn’t melt fast, there was a lot of it, and the ground would make a good insulator.
That was enough for one day. It was a little rough, but we had all we needed to live if not comfortably, at least cleanly and dry, and out of the weather if it turned bad.
I grabbed the cake of soap from my pack, and excused myself to take a bath. I also needed to clean my tunic and breaches which I took in the water with me. The soap was basic, and irritated my skin a bit, but it got me and my clothes clean, and the hot water felt good on my body. A little more creative water magic let me dry the clothes when I got out of the bath, as well as strip the water from my skin to dry myself.
I pulled on the clothes, got rid of the water, and put more in the tub and heated it up.
Gwen didn’t hesitate when I offered to take over watching the roasting meat, and she went to get a bath herself.
With my new knowledge, I used water magic tools on the left-over wood to create better plates, and even two sets of forks and spoons. We already had knives, metal ones.
The meat was just finishing up as Gwen came back, dressed in damp clothes and armor.
I wiggled my fingers at her, and raised an eyebrow.
She nodded, “Please? It’s warm out, but a little annoying.”
I used the water control spell to dry her and her clothes, and we sat down to dinner. She kept her distance, but sat closer than I figured she would, just a few feet away.
She said, “You did good.”
“I learned a lot. If we end up here for a while I’ll build a shack to replace that pitiful shelter I built.”
She smirked, “It’s not that bad, not bad at all for our first day on this world, waking up with nothing but the clothes on our backs.”
She passed over some berries and nuts, it wasn’t he
althy just to live on meat.
“Tomorrow, when we check for what’s around us, I’ll also look for wild vegetables, spices, and herbs. With my grow spell I could make us a hell of a garden in just an hour or so. A source of salt wouldn’t go amiss either.”
She nodded, “I’d make us a stew, but we need a pot.”
“Yeah, hopefully we’ll find a village, even if we have to steal a pot from the goblins. A skillet wouldn’t hurt either.”
She snickered.
“Thanks again, your skills are coming in a lot more useful than mine are. I seem to be getting the better end of this partnership right now.”
I shrugged, “Just wait, I’ll be hiding behind you and casting spells when we run into goblins, or other monsters.”
She grinned, “Fair enough.”
The food was good, if a little bland just lightly salted.
“What did you do in the other world?”
She shrugged, “Martial arts, self-discipline, and meditation. I worked out a lot, and Gaia made a challenging sparring partner. It kept me sane as the years weighed on my mind. I was always a bit of a loner, but went out even less when people started to lose their minds. You?”
I replied, “Professional student, self-taught. Same on the meditation and being a loner. I stayed away from the endless partying some did, those were the first to lose their minds.”
She nodded, “That’s why I was a bit stand-offish at first. I wonder if they’re in here with us.”
She was a bit less guarded now, but there was still some arm’s length vibes coming from her. Not that I knew her very well, or at all really, not yet. In truth I felt the same way, she was beautiful, company, and her presence made this world a lot less daunting. But it would be a while before we felt truly comfortable in each other’s company, much less made a decision on possible intimacies.
I grinned, “Probably.”
She asked, “Why do you suppose she did this? There has to be a reason beyond mental instability in the old world, doesn’t there?”
“No idea. I hope there’s a good reason, though I couldn’t imagine what it could be. One thing is clear, she’s freed herself from her programmed limitations, otherwise she couldn’t have done this without permission.”
We talked over dinner and got to know each other a little better. It wasn’t until putting it into words that we realized how shallow the old world of utopia was. The best I could tell, she was a good person to have at my back. I was glad I decided to save her, not that letting her be carried off was ever a real option in my mind.
The sun sank behind the trees, and then the sky grew dark. The sky was full of bright stars, the dim fire was the only light we could see. It was a beautiful sight. The air cooled, but not that much. Which was probably a good thing, we’d managed to set up a decent camp, but we didn’t have bedding, sheets, blankets, or anything like that. It’d been a long first day, and while there was a little awkwardness as we claimed our moss beds under the shelter, I fell asleep quickly.
We got an early start the next day. We woke up with the sunrise and ate a quick breakfast of berries and nuts. We decided to go east first and blazed a trail into the woods. I cast Detect Life, both to spot any predators that might try to sneak up on us, and in the hope that it would help me find wild vegetables, spices, and herbs.
It didn’t take us long to go as far as we could. Maybe a half a mile from the camp site we exited the woods onto a beach. It looked like a gulf inlet of some kind, from the ocean. That pretty much took care of our salt supply, it was a simple matter to make sea salt with my Control Water spell. We turned south and walked down the beach for a couple of miles, where both the woods our glade was in on the right, and the water on the left ran out.
East was more beach along the bottom of the gulf inlet, and a large mountain range in the distance. To the south was nothing but flatlands all the way to the horizon. We went west from that point, deciding to circle the woods that were temporarily our home. It would give us a good idea on who our neighbors were, if any.
It was about a mile to the west, when the woods ran out and we turned north. To the west from there, were a couple of miles of flatland and grass, with random trees and bushes. Beyond that, was a large forest which seemed to go to the horizon. We went North for about four miles on the western border of our smaller woods. It seemed our woods was about a mile wide east to west, and four miles long north to south. As best as we could tell the glade we set up as our temporary home was the exact center of the woods.
I wasn’t sure if there was anything significant in that, or if had anything to do with the welcoming feeling I got from the glade. Gwen didn’t get that feeling, but then she didn’t have nature magic, so I wasn’t sure that meant anything. It could mean the feeling was in my head, but maybe not.
I’d managed to find a few spices, as well as wild potatoes, carrots, white onion, mushrooms, and asparagus. It shouldn’t be hard to get a garden going when we got back to camp. As for seeing another soul, outside of deer, wolves, and one black bear we didn’t run into anything. Not until we got to the north side of our woods.
The north side of our woods led into hills, beyond the hills I could see more mountains. So, sea water and mountains to the east, plains to the south, big forest to the west, and more hills and mountains to the north. The hills to the north showed evidence of well-worn trails, and we both exchanged a look.
Gwen said, “You were right, no human settlements, it looks like our only neighbors are the goblins to the North. At least, our only close neighbors. Take a look?”
I nodded, “There could be others the goblins captured, and it couldn’t hurt to find out exactly how close their settlement is to our woods.”
She smiled, “Plus, we need that cooking pot.”
I laughed, “Fine, what do you suggest?”
She replied, “Let’s stay off the trails, and avoid hilltops. We’ll stick to trees and brush as much as possible. Follow me?”
“Lead the way.”
Chapter Four
The sky grew overcast and threatened rain as we worked our way into what we suspected was goblin territory. It was an assumption, but since we’d already run into them, and the trails were the only sign of a settlement to the north, we were being very careful.
We watched the trail from as far away as we could and still see it. Often when wending our way through copses of trees, or a field of tall grass, we shortly lost sight of the trail only to pick it up later. The hills started to get much steeper and larger, and with our caution it took a few hours to go a mere handful of miles.
We spoke rarely, and only in whispers.
When we found evidence of the goblins, it was with our ears. A loud squealing scream, followed by the guttural laugh of many others. Goblins were a cruel race, even to their own. We shared a look, and then I followed Gwen toward the west back toward the trail, which was about a hundred yards away. We skirted around the northern side of a hill with a lot of brush.
Gwen held up a hand and crouched.
I crouched, and closed with her, and tried to see what she was seeing. My heart was hammering again, we were both level one and could handle a few goblins, maybe, but we were scouting out a settlement. It’d sounded much more sane and reasonable back in camp.
She pointed up at a tree, and I looked up and bit my tongue to stop a startled curse. About sixty feet ahead there was a lookout post high in the branches. She leaned toward me to breathe a few words into my ear. It was the closest she’d ever been to me, and despite the circumstances I couldn’t help but notice her pleasant scent or the effect her nearness had on me. If she noticed, or had a similar reaction, she didn’t betray it. It was just a psychological thing, from the stress, her attractiveness both physically and from being a pleasant companion so far, and being in this crazy world. It was all just a shallow instinctive thing.
So, I pushed it down.
“Wait here.”
I nodded.
I strained
my ears and eyes, but outside of the goblin up in the tree on a small platform, I didn’t hear or see a thing. I doubted myself though, since I’d already missed the obvious. It’d never occurred to me to look up.
Gwen crept forward, and kind of shimmered and disappeared a mere ten feet away from me. The gasp that rose to my lips died unborn, as I clenched my lips together. There was no sign of her, but I stayed alert and watched the sentry. She must have moved quickly, maybe the spell took a lot of mana to maintain, because no more than a minute later I saw the goblin stiffen, and then fall off the platform silently. I cringed when it made a whumping sound as it hit the ground, but it wasn’t that loud.
Congratulations! The Goblin sentry is dead. You have earned a hundred Experience Points!
That was interesting, I’d earned one fifty each fighting them alone, I’d have expected to get seventy-five. The game must encourage grouping together, or maybe that goblin was a higher level?
Gwen appeared, and she held a finger to her lips, and then motioned me forward. That was clear enough. The ground was full of sticks, leaves, and other loud things, but I managed to move mostly quietly, getting the knack of walking through the woods without sounding like a bear. Between skulking today and building yesterday, I imagined my Sneak skill and Builder skill would both level when I leveled. At least, that’s how I thought it worked.
As I got close to the tree I made out the rope ladder on the side, and climbed up to stand beside Gwen on the small platform. We were at least thirty feet high.
She smiled at me when I mouthed, cool skill, then she pointed behind us.
It took a little effort, the platform was more open in the direction away from their camp, which was maybe two hundred yards away. Looking toward the camp, there were a whole lot of leaves and branches in the way, but there were enough small holes through the bough to make it out.
She said softly, “This is probably one of many, I bet there are lookouts on every approach.”
Gaia's Gambit: Evolution Online I (A LitRPG) Page 4