8.
Carrying a mana heart under each arm, I walked back into the courtyard of the fort. The mass of bodies had been removed, and now a trio of spearmen watched the door with tired eyes. Their shoulders were drooping, jumpsuits spattered with gore, hair a mess of drying fluids. They only paid me the barest amount of scrutiny as I passed by them and through the open gates leading toward the heart of the fort. I made a note of the lack of security; if there had been an attack and the three guards fell before they could raise the alarm, enemies would be able to run rampant before anyone knew it.
The ramp down was even worse, each of the chokepoint gates were wide open and lacking guards. Anger flicked through me at this disappointing result. Dan in the infirmary and all of the guards had deserted their post already. They weren’t soldiers but adults should have some basic intelligence, guard the door after a fight or get killed in your sleep. Coming to the central hall, the wounded had been taken out. There was a subdued air in the nearly empty hall, just a score of people scattered about. I took a glance at the doors to the dormitory and saw the filled beds. It had been a long day, the crash was understandable, but leaving us unguarded was inexcusable.
Deciding I’d deal with that after I dropped off the hearts, I walked down to the fort's core. My arms were on fire and starting to cramp after holding the mana hearts for so long. My back was aching and my eyelids were heavy, I was sure if I closed them I would fall asleep. Only my desire to see this fulfilled kept me on my feet. This would be the only time when the social structures would be so in flux. If I had to push myself into the dirt to establish myself, then so be it. That said, I would be finding my team and recruiting them to help me bring in the remaining sixteen hearts.
The small room had pale red blood smeared across the flat stone in an unholy glaze.The heat of the core was blowing up and causing me to start sweating again. I was an unholy mess, I couldn’t wait to use the showers and find a new set of clothes. First though, I kneeled down above the hole. The simple slope of the room, with the weight I was holding and my own fatigue was enough that I feared for a second of falling in, the gaping circular chasm beckoning to me as I swayed. I teetered there, my eyes glued to the hole before I threw myself backwards to land on my ass. I was too tired to stay scared, just sitting there for a moment, eyes locked on the ceiling above me.
The hearts weren’t perfectly spherical, so I had to shove them with my foot down toward the hole since they wouldn’t roll. The muddy brown crystal teetered on the edge of the entrance, then it tipped and fell. The second crystal was only a moment behind it, leaving me sitting there with my booted feet outstretched towards the hole.
North Sea Fort
Energy Reserves: 10%
I groaned and lay down on the warm stone. It took a few minutes for me to be able to rally, struggling to my feet and climbing back up the stairs. There was no way I would be able to make eight more trips like that. I had to find my team and get their help.
Finding them was, thankfully, not much of a challenge. All three of them had appeared at one of the long tables, tearing apart steaming loaves of bread. Where they had found that, I had no idea. I thought we had emptied out the larder when everyone arrived, apparently I had been misled. That or the fort was making more food. Could a magically fueled fort make food? Why not? I pushed the matter aside as I trudged up to them.
All three of them wrinkled their noses at me, but after explaining what I was doing all three of them followed me back up to the courtyard. Two of the three guards had retreated to the first chokepoint of the ramp and were slumped against the wall sleeping. I ignored it. Later, I told myself. The third guard was still standing at her post, though she was leaning against her spear and her eyes were drooping. We marched out and to the beach.
“It smells like ass.” Miguel complained while pinching his nose closed. I was so drenched in guts and blood, I had apparently grown numb to the smell. I just nodded along while Agatha agreed and Bobby scrunched her nose in disgust. All sixteen of the mana hearts were still heaped in a pile off to the side, I was glad that Luke had been content with his single acquisition. I would have had to fight him if he wanted more, and I didn’t know who would have come out victorious.
They were only able to carry one each, while I picked two more up. Stray thoughts were circulating through my mind as we started running our trips back to the core room. Why don’t I lay down? I had been working hard enough. A shower and a few hours of sleep and then back at it. My own tired mind working against my goals, gnawing at my discipline like a dog with a bone. A very strong dog with a weak chicken bone. I gave in.
Endurance +1
That was hypocritical. I had told my team not to assign points, but the pure drudgery of this had broken my own self-discipline. Ignoring myself, I took stock of how I felt after assigning the stat point. My fatigue hadn’t disappeared, the sore muscles and burning eyes were still there, but it was more distant now. Something that could be ignored, rather than overwhelming me.
We kept working, trip after trip. On the third, and final, time walking down the stairs Agatha gave a small cry of delight. Her bent back straightened and she walked with a more confident stride.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Get an extra stat point in endurance?” Bobby asked before I could. She was right behind me, burdened with her own mana heart.
“Yes. It was nice, not as nice as the vitality was, but still pleasant.” Agatha answered as she continued down. She must have taken our advice of increasing her vitality, but how high?
“What’s your vitality at now?” I blurt out.
“Five. I also got a point in strength after the first trip.” Agatha said as she dropped her burden down the shaft. Miguel was already finished and once Bobby and I dropped ours I got the welcome news.
North Sea Fort
Energy Reserves: 60%
“That should be enough for the core for now. I got an update that the energy reserves are at sixty percent. We’ll take three to the infirmary and give the last four to Agatha and Bobby.” I told them.
“Why us?” Bobby immediately asked. Agatha looked surprised, her eyebrows raising slightly. Now that I looked at Agatha I could see that some of the wrinkles were gone, the crows eyes reduced, and her skin looked healthier. She was looking nearly twenty years younger if I had to guess, still elderly but not ready for a retirement home yet.
“Agatha has the lowest constitution stat, it just makes sense to give it to her. I’m guessing Miguel will go with a dexterity build or something close like that. While constitution isn’t bad for that, it’s not critical. I have a higher constitution than all of you.” I lied my ass off. I was giving them the first set of hearts to build trust, not for any other logical reason.
“How’d you know I was going to try a dex build?” Miguel asked. While Bobby’s questions were posed as if she was an interrogator for the Spanish Inquisition, Miguel just seemed curious.
“High natural dexterity and your skill. Doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. If you aren’t going for that, well I’ll help you to the best of my abilities to accomplish that.” I explained.
“Why are you being so helpful?” Bobby cut in. A flicker of annoyance ran through me. I wasn’t at my best right now, I was tired, dehydrated, and sore. I had a headache and my stomach was rumbling, and not the least I was covered in drying blood and guts. I did not want to deal with her suspicions right now.
“Survival. If I can get a trustworthy team, a strong team, it increases my chance of survival. Of getting back home. I’m willing to wait to get my gains, if in the long run, we can build a team that can tackle anything this tutorial throws at us. That’s what I want.” I mixed truth and lies together in a convincing enough tapestry that Bobby just nodded. She was still suspicious of me, I could see it in her eyes and guarded body language. Maybe when we found more factions, I would be able to find more gullible tools to use. For now I would treat them like a team though.
We were able to bring the last six hearts back to the fort in one trip when Miguel decided to carry two. His happy declaration of his strength increasing right as we reached the gates was a bonus. He had fairly well rounded stats with only strength lagging, now he was even and still had all his points from his leveling.
Making the draughts was easy enough. The infirmary was filled with moaning and crying people, but there was a station in the back corner of the rectangular room. A large cauldron with a spout on the edge was held up by thick chains over a low burning green fire. It looked positively magical. I had them set two of the mana hearts down and then we had to search around looking for a hammer, finally finding one in the armory. I brought the hammer down in two or three smacks, the crystal splintering and then cracking open like a coconut, to reveal a chamber full of murky brown fluid at its heart. Trying my hardest not to spill any of the precious liquid on the ground, I dumped it in the cauldron with Agatha watching carefully.
Rinse and repeat, the small table next to the cauldron was covered in crystal splinters and splatter. The cabinets on the walls gave us the last few ingredients we needed. Everything was precisely labeled, my tired mind crying in pain as I forced it to translate. Two different types of plants and then two large shells, crushed to powder with mortar and pestle. I had Agatha mix it all since she was so interested. She used mortar and pestle with ease, and her measurement skills were far superior to my own.
“Miguel, watch the cauldron. When the steam rising turns tan, come and get Agatha. There are cups in the cupboards, each is one serving. Fill them three quarters full and give them to the wounded, the least wounded first. It should get them back to their feet and at least stabilize those severely wounded.” I gave Miguel his instructions and then Agatha and Bobby followed me back to the core room with the last four mana hearts. I had put the hammer in my pocket, there were only a few people paying attention in the infirmary, and none of them had been attached to Dan and his soldiers.
We tossed the broken mana hearts down the core and quickly broke open the remaining hearts. Agatha was the first to drink, lifting one half a split heart and drinking deeply. She coughed and then spluttered as she drank, but she still tilted the heart back and finished it.
“What does it taste like?” Bobby asked as she held her own heart, staring at the liquid with curiosity.
“Dirt. But more. I don’t know, it doesn’t taste good, but there’s a feeling of being more solid, I guess. More firm.” Agatha explained. Her face was flushed, eyes dilated and she was eyeing her second heart with a look that wouldn’t have been amiss on an addicts face. Both of the women finished their hearts quickly and threw the remnants down the core, hiding the evidence of their gluttony.
“Did your constitution go up?”
“I’m at a four now.”
“Mine did. It’s hard to describe, but I would say that it felt like I barely managed to get the point.”
“There’s a feeling before you get a stat increase?” I asked, seeing as I was the only one who hadn’t increased their stats through effort or eating hearts, I was curious. My own increase to endurance had been instantaneous, no feelings attached at all.
“It’s hard to explain. When you have your own, you’ll understand.” Bobby said while Agatha nodded along. Frustrating, but I was too tired to push for further detail. With a thought I brought up the fortress menu.
North Sea Fort
Energy Reserve 60%
Main Gate Status: Damaged 80%
Golem Production: N/A
Weapon Production: 100%
Food Production: 40 %
With a thought I focused on the main gate and got a second menu.
Main Gate Status: Damaged 80%
Full Repair: 15% of Energy Reserve
Partial Repair: 10% Energy Reserve
That was a no brainer. I chose the full repair option and watched as the energy reserves dropped to forty-five percent. Hours of labor and fighting gone in an instant. It would reduce casualties though. As we trudged up the steps I promised myself to increase food production, but that was for later. Now I needed a shower and bed before I fell asleep as I walked.