I was startled awake and looked around in confusion until I realized I was in my room. I remembered falling before I woke up. It must have been a bad dream. I sat up in my bed not really thinking about anything until I hear my mother in the kitchen. I got up to do the chores. I need to feed the few animals we keep and then make sure the barn is handling the weather ok. Finally, I need to bring another sack of Traken fur to my parents.
I had carded extra fur yesterday so I could spend time with Sara. I needed to do the same today, so I could escort her home. After taking the sack of fur into the work room I began the mind-numbing task of carding the fur to straighten the fibers and place them on the spindle for my parents to weave. It felt relaxing for a change. I was not the same person I was yesterday. After finishing twenty spindles I put everything up and tell my parents I am going to the village to escort Sara back to her parents and then will be back to card more fur.
My mom makes me sit and eat before leaving. I didn’t even feel hungry until the plate sat in front of me and then I realized I was starving after missing dinner and breakfast. Feeling a little better after eating I gave my mom a hug before leaving. While walking to the village I see Thomas, a wood and stone carver, with an axe slung over his shoulder leaving the village. He was no doubt on his way to cut some more wood for his carvings. He spent most of the winter carving wood to trade with the summer caravans. I knocked on the healer’s cottage door and called out that it was me.
Jessica answered the door with a frown. “I thought you were too busy to come.”
“What do you mean. I promised to come escort Sara home so here I am. How is she?”
“Her parents came last night, got her, and said you told them you were to busy to meet her.”
“You know her parents suck.”
Jessica laughed. “I agree with you. They didn’t even offer any payment for helping their daughter, not that I would have accepted any for helping Sara, but still. I don’t know how such a nice person could come from parents like that.”
“Well thanks Jessica. My mom gave me some more of her stew for you.” I said as I took a pot from my inventory.
“I can’t accept that Frank.” Even though her eyes told a different story.
Putting on a sad face as I started to put the pot back in my inventory saying. “My mom will feel so sad when I tell her you didn’t want any of the stew. I guess my Dad and I will have to sacrifice and eat the stew so she is not disappointed.”
“Wait. I couldn’t put you and your Dad through that.”
Grinning I put the pot back in my inventory.
“Hey, give that pot to me.”
“Just kidding.” I said as I gave the pot to Jessica.
Jessica gave me back the bowls and spoons saying. “I will be stopping by tonight to checkup on Sara and I will tell her that her parents lied.”
“Thanks Jessica.” I said as I put the bowls and spoons in my inventory and took my leave.
As I walked back to my parents I thought about what to do about Sara. Here in the Northern villages it was tradition to join your wife’s parent’s household until you could afford your own place. As I thought on that I became faintly ill. There is no way I could ever stand living with her parents no matter how much I cared for Sara. I realized I was just ignoring the problem before now, just assuming it would resolve itself, which was stupid. I either needed to come up with a plan to get my own place with Sara right away or stop seeing her. Right now, I couldn’t think of what to do. I made it back to my parents and chatted with them while they weaved. They would run some of the spindles through a dye bath to add color and then weave the threads together into blankets, cloaks, and bolts of cloth. A few of the cloaks they soaked in an herbal mixture that was my mother’s family recipe which partially melted the fibers together making it water proof. She did that to some gloves as well.
I spent the whole afternoon with them carding and spinning fur for them. I did about a weeks’ worth in one day, which I could tell both my parents were torn about asking why I was doing so much, but they bit their tongues. We had a great dinner my mom fixed and them I went up to my room where I experimented with my ability. I could climb the wall boards with ease and walked upside down on the ceiling rafters. It was strange, but the blood did not rush to my head and while I had contact with a surface it was just like I was standing on the ground. I tried to be more darning when I just tried walking up the wall and it was just like walking along the floor. I didn’t feel anything pulling me to the floor as I stood out straight from the wall. It was strange, everyone knew that the Gods pulled you to the ground. The further away from it the harder they pulled, which is why you hit the ground harder the higher you fell. When I climbed using my ability it was like I was pulled toward any surface I touched. I practiced until my mana until it was just above 50% and then jumped into bed and touched the head board using my ability. I passed out for about 30 minutes before my mana replenished. This would allow me to level my Endurance as well as my skill. I practiced for about fours hours before going to sleep.
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After waking the next morning, I felt excited. I had thought of a great use for my ability last night while experimenting. Getting dressed I did my chores and had some breakfast. Then I said I was going out for the rest of the day. I am sure they thought I was going to see Sara, but instead I was going to the river. We just called it the river. I think Justin’s dad called it the Salavan River. This far north the river cut through the cliffs and was a mix of white water and calm pools of water. The calm pools host several delicious fish that the Tavern in town would pay silver for. They would then put out the word and people would come in to have a gathering and listen to the bard wintering here in the village. It is hard to get down the cliffs as the river spray coated the rocks with ice. Special spikes shoes and gloves were needed and then it was still hard and dangerous work.
When I reached the top of the cliff, which went straight down to the water below I thought this would be perfect. No one fished here as there was just a small rock two feet across by one foot to stand on. I activated my ability and swiftly walked down to the waters edge. I could see fish lazily swimming below the surface of the water as I pulled out a spear from my inventory and stabbed into the water pulling out a heavy fish that continued to wiggle on the end of my spear as I shoved it into my inventory killing it. It was a trick I learned from the bard. Any non-sentient creature could be stored in inventory if it would fit and could not resist, which would kill and preserve it. Also, since items were automatically stored separately, by placing the fish and spear in my inventory I could pull the spear back out leaving the fish. I spent the rest of the day spear fishing and putting the fish in my inventory until it was nearly full. I then climbed the cliff and pulled a sack from my inventory filling it with the fish. After that I went back down to fishing until my inventory was full again.
I climbed back to the top of the cliff picking up the heavy sack throwing it over my shoulder and I made my way to the Tavern. As I walked I checked out my notification and saw I leveled up gaining +3 intelligence, +2 wisdom, +1 constitution, and +1 strength, which was my best level yet. As I entered the Tavern, I surprised the owner Jack who was chatting with the visiting Bard who I had not met yet.
“Hi Frank, what do you have there.” Jack asked with a curious look in his eyes.
“I have some fish for you if you are buying.” I said as I placed the sack on the counter.
Jack opened the sack and gave a low whistle. “Great job, this is a good catch, but why not store it in your inventory?”
“My inventory is full of fish.” I say simply and I grin ear to ear.
Jack counted out the twenty fish in the sack and twenty more from my inventory. They were all large fish, so he offered one silver per fish, which I accepted earning me forty silver, which was more than I have ever had in my life.
The bard spoken up after out transaction. “Mine telling us how you caught all of those fish?”
“Sorry there is a quest involved.” I say, which is what everyone said if they either did want to discuss something or there really was a quest involved. I placed the sack back in my inventory and told them to have a good day while I walked to the Shrine to Barabos. No one took the Shrine very serious here in the village, but it was the source of several quests. As I approached the Shrine I looked at the simple stone slab in front of the seven-foot-tall pillar that served as a quest stone. The stone slab served as an altar and I saw someone had left a small one-foot fish, which was the cousin to the larger ones I caught today.
I knelt in front of the slab saying. “Barabos I give thanks for your watching over us and the luck I have experienced over the last few days. Please help me keep those I love safe.”
I take a silver coin from my inventory and place it on the slab and bow. When I look up both the fish and coin are gone. I sit back shocked having never seen the offerings just disappear like that. I bow once more and then rise to walk over and touch the quest stone. Most villages have a quest stone or were built around one. The stone grants repeatable quests of different types and I was interested in the Ice Thorn Harvest quest. The Ice Thorn Harvest quest required you to harvest five Ice Thorn fruit and return them to the stone for a reward of one gold or a soul bound weapon. Very few people took the quest because the Ice Thorn plants only grew on the slick sides of the cliff next to the large waterfall to the East of the village. Also, the plants are surrounded by vines covered with very poisonous thorns. If you touched any part of the plant other than the fruit they would move like whips to hit you. Finally, if you damaged any plants you get nothing for the quest. Hanging from a rope on the windy side of a cliff, while icy spray from the waterfall drenched you, and you must delicately reach into the plant’s center to pluck a fruit is extremely difficult. With my ability, it should be possible. After getting the quest, I was getting ready to head for the cliff when a voice behind me said. “That was a very generous donation to Barbaros. Why would you give that much to a minor god like him?”
I turned a saw an older man dressed in furs leaning on a long oak walking stick. “My family has always worshipped Barbaros and when we are prosperous we celebrate that prosperity with him.”
The man merely nodded. “Can you direct me to the Frost Caves?”
“I can, but that is a very dangerous area, there is an ice elemental that inhabits the caves and it has killed several adventures who have fought it.”
“I think I can handle it, but I would pay you a silver to guide me to the chamber within the caves.”
“I can do that, but I will not enter the chamber with you.”
“Don’t worry I don’t expect you to enter the chamber with me.” He said handing me a silver coin.