CHAPTER 10
“Excellent!” Oh-jin shouted, clasping his hands together loudly. “The flower can be found by rivers, mostly in dammed areas where trees have fallen. They have white petals, yellow centers, hard thorny stems, and grow in bunches of five.” Oh-jin paused to hand over the small pouch with a drawstring to Kopius. “Use this to gather at least a full flower, five petals.”
“Simple enough,” Kopius replied, “but I didn’t see any rivers out there.” He motioned beyond the door he had first run through.
“You will not be going out there,” Oh-jin chuckled. ”You will need to go up there.” Pointing to the ceiling.
“Up where?” Kopius said with dread, “I already climbed out of one hole today, there’s no way I can climb out of here. Have you seen those cliffs?!”
“No, you will not need to climb anymore today,” Oh-jin replied. “There is a lift to the surface in the back. It will take you up to another tunnel that exits just below the crest of the valley. Are you understanding so far?”
Kopius nodded.
“From there,” Oh-jin continued, ”once you are out of the valley, head a short distance north to the trees. Along the tree line, you will come to a river. That is where you will find the eyebright.”
“The flower with white petals, yellow center, grows by downed trees,” Kopius stated.
Oh-jin nodded.
“And what is this going to do for me?” Kopius asked.
“Well,” Oh-jin paused to scratch at his chin, ”Eyebright by itself would poison you if eaten. Now, if you dry the petals and grind them into powder, it becomes a useful ingredient for vision ailments.”
“So, what, it’s like a potion?” Kopius replied.
“Many plants and herbs can be used to make potions or stronger elixirs,” Oh-jin said with a practiced tone. ”Depending on the ingredient, it would give you any variation of enhancement to your Skills, Abilities, or magic. With some, you could see in the dark or swim without the need for air for short periods of time, say, to the count of one hundred. Potions can restore health or cure poison, among many other things. I will not bore you with the details, but stronger potions give greater enhancements for longer periods of time. To answer your question, no, I am not making a potion. I am making a remedy. A remedy to see your profile.”
“I take it that everyone has their own profile they can look at?” Kopius asked.
“Of course,” Oh-jin said with a bit of curiosity. “Is this not the same where you come from?”
The question caught Kopius a bit off guard. Not that it was profound, but that Oh-jin understood that Kopius had come from somewhere else. Besides the absence of his friend Lexsore, Oh-jin acted as though it was just another day at the job. An NPC would be totally cool with random strangers showing up at their front door. Kopius thought. Hell, he’s expecting them to show up! Where did he send off the others… ? Who cares where the others went! Where are we going?! For all the internal arguments of his existence, this was a short one. Kopius was starting to feel the familiar pangs of anxiety creep into his chest, his breathing coming in shallow gasps. How the fuck did they simulate an anxiety attack?!
“NO!” Kopius yelled, to rid him of both his thoughts and building anxiety. He took a deep breath or two before continuing. “Sorry, I, ah, I didn't mean to yell. No, we do not have anything like that.” Now more collected, Kopius needed to get something off his chest.
“I would like to back up a little further– before I woke up in the cave. It may sound a little crazy,” Kopius laughed, “but I just told you a crazy story.” He looked about Oh-jin’s shop before continuing. “I don’t think any of this is real.” He swept his hands around. “This is either the most lucid psychotic breakdown ever or I am stuck in a…” Kopius paused, searching for a description that wasn’t ‘virtual reality simulation’. It was clear that they shared a common language, yet when he used words like electrolyte and fuck, Oh-jin had obviously never heard them before.
“My real body, my physical body,” Kopius said, gesturing to his current body, “is inside a chamber. That chamber sends my mind images of different places. Those places look and feel very real. It feels like you are very much in there, moving around and everything. Now, I should be able to shut down the chamber and end the images whenever I want, but right now, I can’t.”
“Like you are dreaming?” Oh-jin interjected.
“Yes!” Kopius exclaimed, snapping his fingers. “Like a dream you can control.”
“But you are unable to control the, ah, dream, now?” Oh-jin asked.
“Exactly.” Kopius said with some satisfaction, feeling that the two of them were finally starting to find common ground. “Where I come from, we don’t have magic. We have science. We read stories about people using magic. It’s like I am stuck in a story written by a guy fresh off a mid-life crisis, trying too hard to live out his childhood dream of being an author.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Kopius,” Oh-jin said kindly. “When the others arrived, Lexsore had put almost all doubt to rest. There are always some with lingering doubts, but they all understood.”
“Understood what?” Kopius asked, the bile building in his belly already knowing the answer.
“That they, and you, are here,” Oh-jin answered softly. “I will know more once I address Lexsore’s notes, but you are here.”
Kopius could feel genuine empathy in the words, but his logical brain was blaring a different tune. All he could manage to do was shake his head in disbelief. “I don’t even know where here is,” Kopius whispered.
“Metem,” Oh-jin offered. “Where we lay within the stars I do not know, but this world is known as Metem.”
“Metem.” Kopius breathed the word in as he said it, filling his lungs and exhaling for a long while. His logical brain was telling him that this was all a game, while another voice had just crept in and asked him ‘what if?’. What if this is real? What if I am really here? His head spun as his logic and skepticism duked it out in his skull. A firm hand grasped his shoulder, partially relieving some of his dizziness.
“You look like you need some fresh air. Let us get you outside,” Oh-jin said, his voice sounding as if it was coming down a corridor. Like a drunk being led through a crowded bar, Kopius let Oh-jin guide him through the maze of shelves, trinkets, and cauldrons until they were through the back door of the lab.
Kopius came out of his mental funk to something tugging at his waist. Oh-jin was muttering under his breath while trying to untie the sloppily put together sword sheath Kopius had wrapped as a belt. Looking down the long corridor he hadn’t noticed while walking, Kopius could see he had not traveled far from the lab. He could still see the mixture of lights dancing faintly through a doorway at the other end. Wiping his face as if to remove the cobwebs in his mind, he saw that they had come to a small enclave with an even smaller recess carved out of one side. He took in the scene in a moment while the smaller man tugged at his belt.
“What’s the problem?” Kopius complained, shooing away the fiddling hands.
“You are not wearing that correctly,” Oh-jin replied.
“Really? What gave you that impression?” Kopius spat back, knowing full well it was a jumbled mess and he was lucky to have not lost either sword in his flight. This guy acts like I’m just supposed to know all this shit, Kopius moaned. “Do you know how it goes on?”
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“No,” Oh-jin said plainly, ”But not like that.” Looking Kopius over, he gestured to the sheathed swords. “Do you even know how to use those things?”
“These bad boys?” Kopius asked, lifting the pair of swords. “Not really. Not a real sword anyways. I was able to fight off that thing in the cave though.”
“Is there a weapon you do know how to use?” Oh-jin asked.
“I can shoot a bow! I won first place in the 6th grade Indian Guides Annual Shootout.” Kopius said with some pride, before remembering that was the last time he had shot an actual bow.
“I do not have any archery supplies,” Oh-jin said sadly. “It is a finicky weapon unless made from the wood of a petrified bamboosa tree, and they only grow on the peaks of the Stoneclaw Mountains! Terrible journey. No, no bows and arrows for you. Any other weapons?”
“I know how to swing a bat,” Kopius offered.
“Swing a bat!” Oh-jin laughed, spraying spit from his mouth. “Why would one capture a bat to swing at an enemy? Oh, oh,” Oh-jin straightened in all seriousness, ”Do you have familiars in your world too?”
“Wha–no, not the flying animal bat. A baseball bat,” Kopius took a step back and swung like he hit a homerun, ”Baseball. It's a sport we play back home. You probably never heard of it.”
“Base-ball?” Oh-jin replied, ”Like a dance at a military outpost–for sport?”
Kopius smiled at first, then chuckled, “Nothing like that, I won’t bore you with details–yet–but part of the game is using a bat, basically a metal or wooden club, to hit a small round object.”
“And then what?” Oh-jin asked curiously.
“Annnd then a lot of stuff happens, and I very much like to talk baseball. BUT for now, my point is that I can swing a bat, er, club.” Kopius said, wanting to keep things on track.
“I suppose a club is useful,” Oh-jin began, ”but you should hold on to the swords. They are basically clubs with sharp edges.”
Kopius took a few steps forward to get a better look at the phone booth-sized recess. Poking his head in the cut-out space and looking up, Kopius saw a vertical shaft that led up into darkness. Twice in the same day, Kopius thought.
He also saw two sets of rope dangling from the darkness that led down to a pulley wheel attached to a wooden square. The rope was looped through the wheel and ended in a knot, with roughly four feet of slack. To each side of the pulley were spring-loaded metal rods that punctured into the side walls. Another smaller bar connected the two rods to a single piece of metal that stood upright like a crude lever.
“Looks safe,” Kopius said uneasily, removing his head from the recess.
“This has been used many times. It is the safest way out of the valley–and the fastest!” Oh-jin replied. “It takes some time to get to the top, but coming back down can be quite exhilarating.” Removing a pair of old worn gloves from a pouch, Oh-jin gave a large smile and handed it to Kopius. “It will not be as fun without these.”
Kopius accepted the gloves and a blank window popped into his field of vision. He mentally closed the window and internally fumed at the lack of information. He tried the gloves on. They were on the larger side, even though his hands were pretty big to begin with. It was like putting on your old man’s working gloves when you’re a teenager. They were more frumpy than snug. After a moment, the gloves adjusted, shrinking down to fit his hand perfectly.
“Very cool,” Kopius marveled.
“Warm, actually,” Oh-jin said. Kopius raised his eyebrows in response. “The gloves are fire resistant, not ice or cold. While wearing them, your hands are protected from fire or heat damage for a count of twenty. You will need them mostly for the way back. Besides that, they are just gloves.”
I wonder if that is what the popup window was telling me, Kopius guessed.
“Do all items change size to fit the wearer?” Kopius asked, ”Like the rings, they didn’t fit when I first put them on but changed after a few moments.”
“Yes and no,” Oh-jin began, ”Many items that are enchanted will adjust to the wearer unless otherwise bound to another’s soul. There are limitations, of course. You could not take the ring off a mountain giant–the size of a large crown mind you–and have it resize to fit your finger. Some items will be race bound, others alignment. It can get quite complicated.”
“What then?” Kopius asked, ”Just try it on and find out?”
“Better to learn a Skill that will show you the item's properties,” Oh-jin answered.
“Like your Peep?”
Oh-jin nodded.
“Fair enough,” Kopius conceded. Gesturing to the so-called lift, he continued, ”You want to tell me how this death trap works, or should I just try this on too?”
Oh-jin snorted a laugh. “Like you said, it’s safe enough. Simple to operate as well,” Oh-jin said as he approached the recessed area. “You stand in the center of the board like so.” The older man positioned his feet to straddle the pulley. He then picked up the knotted end of the thick rope and made a pulling motion. “Heave the rope until you are drained of stamina, and then pull this lever for a respite.” Oh-jin pulled the lever, showing the rods embedding in rocky sides. “When you are rested, hold the rope taut, release the lever, and begin heaving again.”
After that simple lesson, Kopius understood the purpose of the gloves. If he was going to have to pull himself up the shaft, then coming back down would mean some serious rope burns for unprotected hands. Thinking about the description Oh-jin gave him, he asked, ”If the gloves protect me for twenty seconds, or, like you put it, the count of twenty, how long will it take me to come back down from the top?”
Oh-jin considered this question a moment before answering. “If you are in a hurry, a five to seven count. If you want to make it down alive, around fifteen… seconds,” he finished with a smirk.
“Ok, anything else I need to know?” Kopius said, ready to leave the claustrophobia that was Oh-jin’s home behind.
“Just be quick about your business. The sooner you return, the sooner we can start to answer questions. Also,” Oh-jin said, as though remembering something, ”for all the dangers you will find in Metem, the valley we are in is said to be the home of a being that is called the Shadow. More formally, the Shadow of the Valley. Possibly a tale to keep children obedient, possibly a powerful creature that remained after the Waning.” Oh-jin shook like he’d got the chills before continuing, ”I am not certain either way, BUT something calls this valley their home and people do not venture here.”
“Don’t waste time, flowers by the river to the north, be wary of shadows–got it,” Kopius stated.
Kopius changed places with Oh-jin, pulled the rope until it was taut, and looked up into the darkness. He could feel the tingle of repressed excitement building in his chest. Like a kid who had been grounded for two weeks in the summer, Kopius felt like part of him was ready to break free. He turned to say goodbye to Oh-jin, who was holding a lit candle, ready to give it to Kopius.
“For the trip up,” Oh-jin said.
“I’m going to need both hands,” Kopius said before chuckling to himself. That's what she said.
Focus Kopius! he thought. “Besides,” Kopius continued,”I can see in the dark.”
With that last proclamation, Kopius gave the rope a mighty heave.
Nothing happened.
Wrapping the length of rope once around his wrist, he gave it another strong pull. The veins in his arm had started to protrude when Oh-jin said, ”Kopius.”
“No worries,” Kopius replied, strain in his voice as he placed a foot atop the pulley for more leverage. “I got this,” he wheezed, pulling with all his strength. Sweat driblets formed and slid their way along Kopius’s forehead. The rope about his wrist dug into his skin as he strained to move the small platform.
“What the hell!” Kopius growled, throwing the rope to the floor in frustration.
“Kopius.” Oh-jin repeated.
‘What?” Kopius shouted.
“The lever,” Oh-jin said, trying to suppress a smirk from forming on his face.
Looking at the locking mechanism and then the metal rods holding the platform firmly in place, Kopius sighed. He reached down and pulled the lever, freeing the platform. With a shrug and a sheepish smile, Kopius said, ”Let’s give this another shot.”
“Yes,” Oh-jin nodded, ”To the top.”
Grabbing the rope with both hands, Kopius returned to the straddle position above the pulley. He nodded to Oh-jin and began to pull like a pirate hoisting an anchor to set sail. One hand pulled, the other reached down to grab, and then they reversed. The platform moved easily, though the pulley wheel was squeaking. Kopius figured each pull raised the platform just under three feet, so he rounded up and started counting to keep track.
At the count of twenty, and reprimanding himself for not doing it sooner. He stopped his ascent and kicked the lever into the locking position. Still holding the rope with one hand, he reached down to make sure the lock was set. Tentatively, he let go, leaving his fate in the hands of two metal rods and a dingy lever. Happy with the results, he organized the excess rope to one side of the small space so as not to get his feet tangled. Grabbing the rope firmly again, Kopius released the lever and started to pull.
Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three…