Alcydes groaned in pain as he curled up into a ball. Every time his belly pushed out, he felt his guts were bloated. It wasn’t parasites, but he could feel his belly churn in labored motions. So why… why did his appetite betray him like this?!
“Awww, did baby eat too much mudcrab?” Troy teased, patting Alcydes on the shoulder. Seeing the elfkin glare at him, Troy chuckled before he sat down on the bed. “You know, I tried to warn ya about not having that second leg,” he told the kid, ruffling his hair before he added, “However, just because we couldn’t fit it in the fridge doesn’t mean you have to eat it all. It’s not like the food expires in my tag’s Storage.”
Alcydes groaned at the comment, then rolled over to glare at him. “And how do you keep it clean?” he asked, before a low belch ripped past his lips, “It’s not like they’ll stay clean with the other silt slugs.”
Troy opened his mouth to respond, only to frown as he thought it over. “Wait, why would they get dirty?” he responded, looking at him in concern, “Do you not separate your items in Storage?
Alcydes shook his head, and flopped over on his back. “Why would I, when it’s one big bag?” the boy stated, his eyes narrowed in pained frustration.
“A big bag? It’s been a whole bunch of pockets for me, so blood and guts don’t spill over,” Troy stated, tilting his head in confusion. As he thought it over though, he rubbed his chin and mused, “Maybe that’s just one of the differences between users.”
As Alcydes grumbled some more, Troy sat up and loomed over the boy. “In that case, there’s only one thing to do,” he said, and shoved his arms under Alcydes. Alcydes tensed as he was lifted up, but didn’t move while he was carried downstairs. When he was finally dropped on the couch though, Troy wrapped a blanket over him.
“If your stomach’s still giving you problems, there’s not going to be any adventuring today,” Troy declared, then walked over to the kitchen, “Instead, you’ll be on the modern home recovery plan for stomach ache: Orange juice, oatmeal, and old movies, all on the couch.” Alcydes looked on in confusion, but could only lay on the couch.
As Troy slowly boiled water for the oatmeal though, he paused when he realized a small problem. While he had packed most of the goods, he didn’t recall if all of it had been brought over. Did he even bring it up to the cabin? It was hard to fully remember, with all that was going on. As the pot simmered, Troy pulled out his phone and called a frequent number.
The phone rang once, twice, three times before the other side finally answered. “Hey, cuz, how’s it going?” Carter called out, his voice carrying over clearly, “It’s been a while since I’ve heard from your ugly mug.”
“Why, planning my conquest of the world, of course,” Troy joked, and poured the oatmeal into the pot, “Anyways, I was just calling because I think I left my DVDs with you while I was moving. Do you still have them?”
“Oh, your old films? Yeah, I still got them in my garage,” Carter stated. The sound of chewing filled the speaker for a few seconds, then Carter asked, “Why, were you thinking of doing a movie night?”
“Nah, I’m not that lucky,” Troy lamented, glancing over to the other room, “However, Al kinda ate too much last night and he got an upset stomach. And since he’s not going anywhere, I figured I’d show him some of the classics.”
“Wait, he hasn’t seen any of them?” Carter sputtered, “If that’s the case, I’ll pop over with them shortly! You can’t go around without seeing Lucas’s original Indy trilogy! Hell, I’ll even bring my VHS player, so he can watch the original masterpieces before he edited them!”
“I mean, you don’t have to rush out the station to grab them,” Troy joked, “However, if you want to bring them over after work, that’d be great. I’ll probably just put on Episode 4 or some Aardman stuff until then.”
“Cool, have fun with that,” Carter stated, and crinkled some paper up before he said, “In that case, I’ll see you later! I’ll be sure to bring some popcorn over, too!” The call quickly hung up after that, and Troy looked at the phone in amusement before he shook his head.
Soon, the oatmeal had finished cooking, and Troy scooped a steaming serving into the bowl. With two healthy dollops of brown sugar on top, Troy stirred it together before he brought it over to Alcydes. “Well, here’s the food for ya,” Troy said, setting the bowl on the nearby table, “It’s not the most flavorful, but it’s better for you than making ya throw it up again.”
Alcydes looked over, gave the oatmeal a short sniff, then took a bit of it. After a few bites, he eventually set the spoon down. “I think I’m good,” he groaned.
“Hey, you don’t have to eat it all at once,” Troy placated, and set a glass of orange juice down. “I just wanna make sure you have something steady while you recover. Once you feel better, then we’ll go back to regular meals.”
Alcydes nodded along to Troy’s words, partially pouting, and took a sip from the glass. As he looked at the TV though, he frowned at a rather worrying thought. “What about the silt slugs?” he asked, sitting up slightly, “If they dry out in Storage, then we’ll have to go hunt more of them.”
Troy hummed at the prospect, only to shudder at the thought of hunting silt slugs ever more. “A fair point,” Troy said, then glanced over at the rug with disgust, “If you give me a minute to grab a tarp, I suppose we can do a quick transfer right here, though it won’t be fun if the smell stains the floor.”
“No, I can do it easily,” Alcydes said, and held out a hand, “Could you give me your tag?” Curious where this was going, Troy handed the emblem over, and Alcydes pressed it to his own tag. After a couple seconds, a screen soon popped up in front of Troy’s eyes:
38 [Silt Slug Bodies] to your Storage.
[Accept] | [Refuse]
Troy whistled at the simplicity, and immediately tapped the Accept button. When the button vanished, he opened his Storage to find that it was added to his own 13 silt slugs for 51 in total. “Well, it’s a lot easier than having stuff spill out,” he commented, then vanished the movies away. With Alcydes now comfy, Troy rustled the kid’s hair, then stood up.
“I’ll just pop over to the guild to turn this all in,” he told Alcydes as he slid the bracelet on, “I’ll be back real quick, though!” Alcydes gave a thumbs-up in response, his mouth occupied sipping down orange juice. With Alcydes occupied, Troy grabbed the door’s handle before he stepped through.
As the scent of a salty coastline hit Troy’s nose, he glanced around before he closed the door behind him. Thankfully, the weather was relatively calm outside of the cloudy cloak overhead, so his t-shirt and khaki shorts were perfect for the seaside temps. With the door being five buildings away from the guild, Troy only had to sidestep one band of adventurers before he reached the gateway.
As Troy stepped through the tavern door, a small cheer greeted him. “Troy! Good to see ya again!” Telephax called out, greeting the man with open arms. As he glanced behind Troy, the gnome couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s the kiddo at? Out hunting early?”
“Unfortunately, he’s stuck on bed rest today,” Troy sighed, then chuckled faintly as he explained, “He pushed it with that extra leg last night, so he ended up getting a stomachache afterwards. So, he’s going to be resting for the day until he feels better. I’m just turning in the silt slugs before they go bad.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Telephax winced at the statement. “Yeah, he was probably pushing it with that extra serving,” the gnome agreed, before he cheerfully told Troy, “Well, let me know when you’re back to business! I’m sure we’ll be hunting well soon!”
Troy nodded along, and soon stepped up to the empty counter. “Hey, I’d like to turn in some silt slugs to claim the quest,” he said, holding his tag up for the guild worker to see.
The worker, a tawny-haired human gal, nodded at that before she held up a crystal block. “Could you please place your tag on this for confirming the amount?” she asked. Troy put the tag on top of it, and the worker rummaged through the quest lists before she put the sheet up against the crystal. After a few drawn-out seconds, the crystal turned a vibrant green, and the top of it showed two numbers on top of it.
“That definitely fits the needed amount, plus eleven extra,” the attendant said, swapping the quest form out for a crystal, “Would you like to transfer the full amount over for processing?”
“Sure thing,” Troy agreed, then shuddered at the memory, “It’s not like I wanna build a collection of silt slugs in a psychotic plan to take over the world with some nutty plan.” While the attendant chuckled, he pressed the guild tag up to the crystal and opened his menu. As he looked at the options though, he soon frowned in confusion. “...Hey, how do I transfer it over again?” Troy eventually asked, idly tapping on [Storage] as if it would help, “This is still new to me, so I’m not the most familiar with the options.”
The attendant sighed at the question, then began to count off directions on her fingers, “Just tap on the item, sir, then select the [Trade] option,” she rattled off, “Once you do, select [Gift] to prevent it from needing any item in response, then select the amount you’re giving.”
Troy nodded along to the description, then eventually tapped on the [Silt Slug Bodies]. “Alright, [Trade], then [Gift]...” he repeated, his fingers traveling over the menu. When he clicked on the button, he was surprised to find the menu quickly showing up over the rest:
You have chosen to transfer
[Silt Slug Bodies] from your Storage.
How many do you wish to send?
<{ < - 0 + > }>
[Send] | [Cancel]
Troy eagerly tapped on the addition button. However, as he held the finger in place, he was soon disappointed at how it failed to rise automatically. “I can see it working, but it could definitely use some improvements,” he stated, but soon had the full amount transferred over with the next button over. Once he hit send, the menus all vanished from sight, and the clerk’s own crystal soon glowed.
“Alright, that should cover it all,” the attendant stated as she slid the crystal into a lock, “For payment, the base price for silt slugs is 4 krams per body. So, it’ll be 16 jhodes for the base amount, plus five jhodes and five krams for the extra bodies.” She tapped on the crystal block again, and while it glowed blue, she asked Troy, “Would you like the payment in direct deposit or physical coins?”
“Direct deposit works for me,” Troy confirmed. The block flashed blue, and when the glow transferred to the tag, he slid it back over his neck. “Thanks for the help… Lita,” he stated after glancing at her nametag. While Lita returned to her paperwork, Troy began to walk away from the bar to get back to Alcydes.
As he neared the door though, another greeting made him stop mid-step. “Troy! I was just lookin’ for ya!” Efficere called out, waving an arm in the air, “Got a moment to chat?”
Troy winced at the sudden call out, but turned to look at the dwarf. “Hey, Efficere,” he responded, half-heartedly waving a hand in the air, “I would chat, but I’m admittedly a bit short on time. Gotta get back to Alcydes, since he’s not feeling the best, and I don’t wanna leave him recovering by himself.”
“Really? Jeez, that sucks,” Efficere hissed, shaking her head. As she stepped over next to Troy though, the dwarf looked up expectantly and asked, “However, do you think you could explain some thin’s for me regardin’ your fancy cart? I’ve just been noticin’ that gramps is more active, since he doesn’t have to take breathers after climbin’ over the next hilltop. So if I can make one, it’d help a lot.”
Troy paused as he thought it over. It wasn’t like it was the most complex explanation, and if it kept Alonz from falling behind, it would make things easier. “I suppose if it’ll help make things easier, I can help give some rough ideas,” he decided, stepping out of the public path. As he sat down at a nearby table, he glanced over at Efficere before he asked, “To start things off, I wanna ask, but how familiar are you with propulsion engines?”
“Engines?” Efficere repeated, and rubbed her head in thought, “I mean, I’ve read about them, but it’s been a while since I’ve done any mechanical work. Only machines that really have engines are airships and steamboats, and those are only owned by nobles or cities.”
“Eh, I can get you a few diagrams tomorrow, if you want,” Troy dismissed, and began to draw a few basic shapes on the dusty tabletop, “To simplify things though, while the engine is built to give the drive of a full team of horses, it needs the cushioning to help prevent you from being thrown off. For an ‘older’ model, you’ll mainly want leaf springs and hollow tires. The leaf springs absorb most of the shock going over rocks and hard bumps, but having a hollow ‘casing’ of a rubber tire for the wheels helps ensure they don’t break down every five miles.”
“Wait, your wheels are hollow?” Efficere commented in shock, then leaned forward in eager interest, “I honestly didn’t know that. I thought they were just lumpy coatin’s, to keep it from crackin’ easily.”
“I mean, they are kept pressurized to avoid giving leeway to a sharp rock or scattered points,” Troy stated, then glanced outside in thought, “Then again, the roads aren’t as developed out here, so maybe it’d be better to stick with treads over a four-wheel gig on a new project.”
“Treads? Four-wheel gig? Slow down, ye’re losin’ me in technical details,” Efficere cut in, slapping the table to get Troy’s attention, “Give me the low-down, so I can put it all together!”
Troy winced at the correction, and rubbed his neck in frustration, “Yeah, sorry about that,” Troy said, and looked around for any reference he could use, “To give a short summary then, treads don’t cover a single axle, like wheels. Instead, it’s… more like a belt. It wraps around all the axles, and then gets spun along on all four to give traction. It won’t be as fast, but it makes up for it with better traction and easier repairs.”
“Really? That might be something I should explore more,” Efficere mused, glancing around while she thought it over. As she glanced out the window though, she froze before she spun Troy to face away from the street. “Quick, look occupied,” she hissed, pulling a box out of her pocket and looking it over.
Troy glanced at her in concern, but as the door swung open, the guild fell silent around him at the new arrival. “Hmph, what a quaint little guild hovel,” a posh voice dismissed, and the sound of jingling chains passed behind him. As Efficere passed him an empty mug, Troy faked a swig before he looked in the mug’s reflection. While the image was distorted, Troy could spot a royal-looking elf flaunt up to the counter. Despite being inside, his armor was visibly gleaming like polished silverware, the shine contrasting the elf’s vivid blonde hair. Silver chains trailed behind him like a slithering train of metal threads, which almost moved like live snakes, despite trailing behind.
“You there, dwarf!” the elf proclaimed, pointing at a nearby attendant, “Give me the Metal-rank quests you have in stock!” As Troy indirectly watched, the clerk nervously handed the elf a pile of papers, which was instantly snatched up. The guild waited in bated silence as the elf flipped through the options, his expression hidden from all. Eventually, the elf pulled three sheets from the pile, and slapped them down on the counter. “I’ll take these quests,” the blonde elf proclaimed, and turned away as he added, “They should at least give me some entertainment in this backwater area.”
The dwarven worker muttered a quick agreement, and marked the sheets off before vanishing. With his decision made, the elf spun around and walked back out the door, passing through his trail of chains like they were made of mist. Once the elf had vanished, a silent five-count passed before people started talking again.
“Who was that douchebag on rye?” Troy asked, finally looking up in the direction the elf was walking away, “I swear, I haven’t seen anyone that arrogant since-”
“Shu-hup-hup!” Efficere hissed, pulling Troy down like he was a gawking child, “Don’t you have any sense of self-preservation? That was a Blonheim noble! He could’ve slaughtered both of us if he thought we were looking at him the wrong way!”
Troy gulped at the warning, and glanced back out of his eyes. “Seriously? He looked more like a pampered prince playing hero than a veteran,” he muttered, trying to think things over.
Efficere rolled her eyes at his response, and pointed a sharp finger towards the departing noble. “I know you are still adjusting, but you can’t just act so braindead,” she stated, then twirled a string around to get his attention, “Each chain he had? Blonheim nobles use those to ‘claim’ adventurers for their boosts and skills.” As the string wrapped around her finger, Efficere frowned before she hesitantly noted, “Y’know, I’ve never seen a Blonheim with that many chains. He has to be a general, or a duke, or somethin’ like that.”
Troy gulped at that revelation, and rubbed his wrist in worry. “Alright, good to know,” he murmured, then finally stood up. “Well, I need to get back to Alcydes, so have a good day,” he told the dwarven inventor, “I’ll be back with some diagrams for you, though!” Efficere gave a short nod in agreement, and Troy worked his way back to the door.
As Troy stepped back through the door back to Earth, he let out a sigh before he spotted Alcydes waiting with an empty pitcher. “Sorry about the delay, Al. There were some troubles at the guild that held me back,” he stated, then took the pitcher over to the kitchen. With the glass jug soaking in the sink, Troy finally sat down next to the elfkin and held up the remote. “Now, how about we start watching that old classic I mentioned?” he stated, and pressed play. Soon, Troy smiled in amusement as Alcydes watched the scrolling text with wide eyes, the iconic trumpets blaring over the speakers.