A Cabin in the Forest – Year 1344, Month 1, Morning of the 10th. Spring

Olea Munroe

So, I woke up. Good sign, that. I cannot believe I survived being gored by a bull and smashed into a tree only to fall victim to an errant tree branch.

“Argh.” I moaned to myself, unsure if I had an audience. I was unsure of even where I was now. Looking around I could see four simple wooden walls with no windows and only one door on the opposite wall. I was currently upright on a bed, more a bench for sleeping really. The roof was a crisscross of beams covered with rough, dark planks while the floor was smoothed with age and wear. A small broom rested in an open closet near the door along the far wall. There were obvious pegs at the top of the closet for hanging clothing or bags maybe… I did not know. Motes of dust were drifting in the warm air near the door, visible by the light sliding through the opening in the door.

“Any idea what happened, Help-chan?” I quizzed my faithful mind-pet.

‘I do not believe I need to answer that question, Miss Munroe. You were obviously struck dumb by a tree, no challenging task for the tree but you did survive. As to what happened next; you were unconscious and so I had an extremely limited ability to sense your surroundings.’

“Okay, barely hidden insult aside… where am I?” My thoughts were still coming a little slow thanks in no small part to my probable concussion. Or was I just lethargic because of the gnawing hunger that I could feel eating at my backbone, I had not been this hungry since I was a child. Meh, stories for another time.

Injuries, yes, I was injured. I felt along my stomach and back, up both arms, down the legs. Afterward I began feeling through my short hair and checking other places. It would seem that I still have a horrible hole in my back currently bandaged over, several small cuts along the extremities and lots of varying choices for bruise coloration. And I needed a BATH!

“Eww.” I had also not been this gross since my second rat clearing operation.

I began to channel Cure Wounds through my hands as I stretched side to side in an effort to hug myself, reaching for the wiggly tears along my back. The itching became quite severe as I felt my flesh ripple and slowly grow together, though at the same time I could feel myself growing sleepier. And hungrier. Dammit, I had forgotten what Master Doogan had said.

“Excessive use of low tier healing magic will result in fatigue and hunger as your body facilitates the healing by expending nutrients and stamina.” I think I quoted that almost close to accurately enough. Probably.

“And here I had thought you would sleep forever.” Came a gruff voice from behind the door, I had not even heard the man approaching the cabin, shack, wherever I was. “Mind if I enter, I happened to sense the ambient magic moving and figured you must be awake.”

“Umm…”

“Simple question child.” Came the voice from the other side of the door, a door not thin but surely not enough to stop the man if he had ill intention. And he bandaged me up, even if poorly done those spells surely saved my life. “I’ve got food.”

“Come in!” Food is good. Even bad food is typically good enough.

At that the man pushed open the door while I sat up a little straighter on the rough bench. The door creaked just a small amount, well-oiled or well-made. The timber beneath the mans feet squeaked in protest as he walked across to sit beside me on a bench on the adjacent wall. He carried a small wooden platter of steaming tubers and fish, sans heads.

I tore my eyes from the delicious sight before me to study the man a little more, last nights lighting was in no way conducive to a clear view. He still wore that immaculate plaid shirt tucked into those ridiculous leather pants. His jaw was chiseled and firm under a lumberjack’s beard with a neat moustache shaking under his nose as his face shifted between several expressions as he studied me in turn. He had that dark brown-almost-black hair, rugged and possibly cut with a knife.

“Help yourself, you look hungry.” He said as he leaned forward and rested the platter beside me on the bench, I noticed his face had decided to set into a firm scowl as he leaned onto his own bench. “While you eat you could share a little bit about yourself. Mostly the reasoning for being out in the forest, alone, near midnight, and at such a low level that a fox could finish your life if it were feeling anxious.”

I let the frown show a little on my face before I smiled and started not so daintily munching on something that looked like a carrot-potato.

“I was just exploring a bit, it got darker and so I was headed back to the merchant camp to sleep. I did not expect to be visited by the walking cow-level.” Honestly, I had planned to return, and I may have lost sense of time for a little while but who could really fault me for not knowing that a horde of deadly bovines were stalking the countryside.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Cow level?”

“The herd of bovine monster things, of course.”

“Ahh, them.” His face took on a contemplative look as he closed his eyes, in thought perhaps. I continued eating, even lacking spices, the food was good and warm. It was also doing wonders for my energy levels as I did not feel quite so dead inside after the first few bites.

A few moments passed with me eating and John patiently sitting there. He was likely just giving me time to eat so he did not have to watch me wolfing down the food while he tried talking to me. He should have brought less food.

A few more moments passed before John opened his eyes again, looking thoughtful. “You could likely not have helped with the monster encounter; no. I believe they would have found you even had you stayed in the camp your merchant camp.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, they were sent for you specifically, or at least sent for someone of your like.”

“Again, what do you mean?” I was now a little curious as to the sanity of my savior, though being in a world with magic and monsters has been doing wonders for expanding on what my mind has deemed sane behavior.

Would you lock someone up in this world for seeing visions and imagining monsters where there were none visible to others on the off chance that he was crazy or would investigate the source of his rambling to ascertain the level of threat that was possible. I was leaning more toward the grab a sword and get ready scenario than my old view of step away and contact the authorities these days.

“I was also sent. Guided would be more apt in this case.” Said the man as his gaze focused on me, good solid eye contact. “You see, I know some of what has transpired to bring you and a few others to this world.”

To which I could only mutter, “Oh.” I should have guessed that there would eventually be someone knowledgeable that would approach me. Even Help-chan had insisted that my arrival was something of a work on the side of greater gods and intelligent design.

“Yes, let’s go back a little. In an age not long past there came a small war. A small war that led to several other small wars. It is the way of things that conflict will arise anywhere and everywhere.” He paused a moment to sip at a flagon of something from his hip. “War is like a contagious infection; it spreads and then spreads some more. You can cut away the rot that occurs afterward and try to limit the damage during, but it is never quite the same. This war was different though, it was a war not of mortal making.”

“Not of mortal making, what does that mean?” I asked quite confused, did the gods go to war or sent champions out to spread chaos, was there an evil Hercules?

“For that you will need some knowledge of the Pantheon on our world.” He said as he took another drink from his flask.

“Ok, hit me.” I said, fully prepared for a long lecture.

“I cannot see where my striking you would help you listen better to what I say, especially as you are so weak.” said the mass of plaid before me. “Do you know of the One God? The one God created this world we live in long ago, as it took shape and began to grow the One created three others below him. The Three that are worshipped most today as servants to the one.”

I nodded along as he spoke, I had seen some of the writings near the temple near the adventurer’s guild. The one created the tree and then the three had created four servants each to aid them by serving more directly on the world. Or something.

“The three were embodiments of certain aspects. You see, each of these beings were to assist in the care of the world. The mother of time was first among the three and then came the gods of life and death. All three are gods, though of lesser power than their creator. What most people do not know, or what they have forgotten was that during the darker times of the worlds creation the One God created yet another god. I do not know the hearts of the greater beings but from what I have been told and have myself inferred from conversations I have overhead our god was frustrated with the lack of progress on Kalydren. And in his frustrations while he was engrossed in his thoughts and feeling disappointed, a lesser god was created.”

“So, he just popped out a spare god on accident, which seems a bit odd.”

He smiled just a little, it was hard to tell through the mass of hair on his face, but his whiskers twitched just a bit as he spoke. “I try not to speak badly of things I lack understanding in, but yes it does seem odd to me as well. Nevertheless though, this god, the god Apathy, was born that day. Since then, this god has sewn discontent and turmoil in the land of mortals. This is where you come in, again I must be vague, but you were brought here to help fight the lethargy and sloth that is beginning to spread in some parts of the world. “

“Fight lethargy? That does sound vague…” I did not even know where one would start in doing such a thing. Exercise and a hobby?

“Once the world was more alive than it is today, there was innovation and purpose. Over the past centuries people have explored less, accomplished less, and improved less.” A wistful look filled the man’s dark eyes then, an almost sparkle. “People back then would strive to grow strong and reach their full potential, the fires of that passion have waned over time though. People are content to accept mediocrity as success. Again, I know not how you can fix this, or what powers the gods have granted you to help along the way but be warned. Apathy has sent their minions against you. Today I was here, but I must be going as I will be needed elsewhere soon.”

That was a lot to take in, hunted by a god and tasked with saving the world from a mid-life crisis. Ugh, and I just wanted to have fun. Of course, being restless nearly got me killed last night, I would need to get stronger. And I would also need to catch up with Alex and the caravan.

“Do you know where the merchants camp is?” I asked now that my mind was seeming to wake up, I also wanted to shelf the god-level talking for a time.

“You will not be catching up to them, they left yesterday morning. I may have neglected to inform you that you have been asleep for thirty hours.”

I could just barely feel my eye twitching as I stared with a slack jaw. How injured was I that I needed more than a day to recover. “And my friend?”

I am told that a mister Ambrose was frustrated that he could not locate his charge, but he has been made aware of the situation and sent on his way, not easily mind you. That boy seems a bit stiff regarding how things should be managed.”

“That would be Alex, yes. But what do I do now?”

“Now young lady you head home. I suggest you finish that plate while I go outside and pack a few things.” He got up and made to leave but stopped at the doorway, “Also, you might like to know that your bonded companion is safe.”

Bonded companion?