Monday, April 29th, 2069

“You managed it?” My Father asked, as soon as he saw me walk through the doorway into the Smithy turned kitchen. The heat in the room was sweltering—both dry, and stifling.

My father didn’t wait for an answer and wrapped me in a very sweaty hug. The warmth and wetness contrasted each other making the sensation both uncomfortable and comforting.

I got over the wetness and tried to lean into the hug, happy to have made it back—but he was gone again before I even managed to squeeze him back. I watched him hurriedly flip fish in the Huge Frying Pan, and then saw the stack of more Mirage Fish Steaks building on the floor beside the pedestal contraption.

Smegma must have taken in everything going on faster because he asked. “What’s the count up to?”

“Caught or cooked?” My dad asked.

I scratched my head. Realizing that at least five fish worth of Fish Steaks were piled on the floor. It would appear that with two people catching fish, and only one cooking—we had created a bottleneck. Smegma must have responded because my dad finished answering the original question. “Fourteen caught, and five cooked.”

My brain attempted to calculate the time passed since I left, and failed. An hour certainly—two was possible, but no more than three, surely. Still, with that Math, we would not catch enough Fish—let alone cook them.

“We need another Frying Pan,” Smegma said. I instantly nodded but motioned at the pedestal that wouldn’t be able to hold another of the things. Smegma got my meaning. “There’s a few other Smithy rooms. We’ll get Jarred to work in one of them. Still, you can purchase smaller cooking Pans, to fill up the space around the Large ones…”

“With what mana coins?” I asked, opening my screen to confirm what I already knew. I was running very low.

“All those Crystals you found in the Leader’s Hut—and the ones given by the Snake for this very task…”

A strange guttural growl sounded, and the room shook. My dad blinked at the doorway to the Animal Pens, even as his eyes went wide and he brushed a forearm over his face to remove some sweat. I of course couldn’t see sweat on his forehead, probably because he was standing so close to the Frying Pan…

“That’s the second time that Snake did that!” My dad said, his voice nervous. “I can’t cook any faster!”

“I don’t think it was in regards to your cooking,” Smegma said, and pointed through the doorway. “I think it wants to talk to Brodie, and me.”

“What for?” My dad said anxiously. “You did what it asked, right?”

“We did,” I answered placatingly while simultaneously moving to hand my dad a full water bottle, and taking his empty one. Maybe it had been more than three hours already?

He took the bottle, and a big swig, before speaking. “Can you take that rock we’re using as a serving plate back with you?”

He was clearly in rough shape, seeing how fast he was jumping from concern to concern and being unable to hold two thoughts in his head for long. Was it dehydration only, or also nutrition? Perhaps it was simply raw stress. Potential death by Snake belly was enough to stress anyone out.

The answer didn’t really matter. He couldn’t continue like this. Not for long at least. My worried stare and thoughts got through to Smegma and he came to my side. “The only way you can help him is getting more cooking instruments. Maybe enough Coins to purchase a Mana Apple too since it will magically give him nutrients as he needs them.”

With his words he attempted to usher me through the door that led to the pens and Lake behind it. My feet felt stuck to the floor, but I lifted the piece of rock with stacked cooked fish on it and hurriedly trudged out.

When the consequences were death, how could I not? Once we were in the pens, Smegma whispered, “The trick is going to be finding a way to complete the task and keep everyone alive. I’m thinking, rotating shifts. Standing near the heat shouldn’t be done in too large of shifts. See how cool it is as we get away?”

Since I had just shivered from the temperature change, I did know what he was talking about. I felt it as soon as I exited the Smithy. The problem was that my father couldn’t use his Mana Pool and so couldn’t Fish…

Another problem stared me in the face when I got to the lakeshore. Each individual looked haggard. It was a different type of exhaustion than my father’s, but no one looked good. Dave and Willa were soaking wet and shivering, which admittedly lent itself to confirming the importance of the earlier mentioned position switching. Jarred was covered in Mirror Fish guts, and moving in a way that spoke of true exhaustion.

Then there was the Snake, towering over them all. It was just on the edge of the lights given off from the Yellow Metallic Crystal lights in the ceiling.

Originally I thought I had the harder task. But I could tell now that wasn’t even close to the case…

“Ssso, you’ve sssuccsseeded,” the Snake growled menacingly. “Now not only have you destroyed a Mana Battery but you’d like to use more of my Crystalsss and Coresss.” The jaw clicked loudly echoing over the water, off the walls and then back, in an eerie punctuation. “Thisss wasss not in the bargain!”

The Snake which had been just visible on the edge of the light, suddenly snapped its jaws again above me, casting a shadow over the entire group. Everyone shivered as it echoed around the much smaller space, including me.

It was a stark reminder that this massive creature could eat us before we could even blink. I assumed it also was contributing to the exhaustion on everyone’s faces. That threat was hanging over them, and it wasn't exactly energizing.

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“We simply wish to accomplish the task you’ve set before us, oh Great One,” Smegma said deferentially. “It was in using the Mana Battery that it broke, Great One. These things commonly break, I’m told. Still, with the right tools, and a schedule we’ll have the hundred Fish cooked for you in the time allotted.”

Desperately I tried to school my face and not give away Smegma’s plausible lie for the Mana Battery. In the end I just looked at the floor, in hopes that the Snake wouldn’t notice.

The Snake pulled back, and the shadow receded—seeming to allude to a stay of execution. As it slowly returned to its spot deeper in the Lake it hissed, “I get nothing by granting this requessst.”

“Except for the cooked Mirror Fish, Great One.” I realized that all the cooked Fish on my slate carrying board were gone, only at Smegma’s words. How had it taken them?

Jarred motioned for me to put the plate down near him, and I did so even as Smegma and the Snake continued to talk. “I’ve already had sssome cooked Fisssh. Perhapsss I am already sssated.”

“Surely not, Great One. Someone as magnificent as you would need thousands of Fish to truly be sated.”

“Are you offering me thousandsss of Fisssh?”

“Your magnanimity in the previous request of a hundred, is the best we can do, in such a short period of time. We each are only mere mortals whose weakness only serves to highlight your strength, Great One.”

As soon as I dropped the platter nearby Jarred had begun stacking more Fish Steaks atop it. I noticed he, too, had an empty water bottle. I was happy Smegma was talking, since I didn’t think I could remain deferential to the tyrant of a Snake. Not with my family and friends suffering like this.

Taking the bottle, I hurried to the water, passing by the shivering Willa and Dave. They thankfully had full water bottles, but their lips were a dark color in the shadows of the light—likely blue.

[Smegma we need to be able to get my dad out of that room, and these two into it. That, and breaks!] I mentally sent the Demon.

“Asss I’ve sssaid you ssstill will not meet my gracssiousss quota.”

“It is true that at the previous pace, it is obvious that we would be found wanting. However, as you clearly would be aware from your history commanding an entire civilization, organization can achieve what mere intentions cannot. We can fulfill your desires now that everyone is here. As long as you give us the chance to rotate workers, eat, sleep and hydrate as needed.”

“Sssurely thessse fragile apesss can work for twenty-four hoursss?”

“Perhaps if their entire civilization weren’t so backward, that would be true. In fact, this moron,” the Demon gestured to me in clear disgust, “possessed only a Mana Pool and no capacity to use it, until I came along. Most of his ignorant race are similar. They have no understanding of the truth, nor of how to leverage Portals into strength. Thus, as you noticed, theirs are the most fragile of species. They have only the single Skill. Though…” Smegma paused, meaningfully as though he’d just come up with a clever solution. “We could change that, Great One,” Smegma suggested, and I felt my heart skip a beat. Was he suggesting what I thought he was?

“They are truly that pathssetic?” The Snake asked, while turning its eyes to each of the group in turn. I saw Jarred visibly shiver even though his back was to the creature. “I will grant you the Goblin Coresss, and allow you to do asss you asssk. But if you fail—you and that child will be coming withsss me—willingly!”

I had begun to nod my head, not caring what we had to agree to if we could grant everyone one or two Skills. Of course, that’s when the System got involved.

System Contract

[Redacted], the Great Snake of Nagsind, has offered a deal.

Catch and cook 100 Fish in the next 19 hours, forty-two minutes and twelve seconds.

Succeed, and keep your life and the life of Willa, Gary, Dave, and Jarred. As usual you and the group will be transferred from the Portal upon its closing.

Fail and you will be entered into a Slave Contract under [Redacted], the Great Snake of Nagsind and only you will not exit the Portal upon its closing..

Sign?

| No

The ‘Slave Contract’ was even a sort of mentally clickable link with a terrifyingly long document in a legalese that I couldn’t hope to translate. Even with the System’s involvement I didn’t have a choice, I was about to hit ‘yes’ when Smegma hurriedly shouted, “If we are going to become the Great One’s slaves, then I would like the time limit to be until the Portal closes.”

“Asss you wisssh my future Slave!”

A line on the Contract flickered and changed.

Catch and cook 100 Fish before the Portal Closes, in 22 hours, fifty-eight minutes and thirty-three seconds.

“And our Fish we’ve already fed you count, Great One?” I asked, realizing that it was a negotiation only because Smegma had interjected.

“Of courssse. You are at five and a quarter Mirror Fisssh, my soon to be pet! Now, empty out that tiny Space Pocket, and give me what’sss mine,” The Great Snake of Nagsind crooned, before snapping its jaws echoeingly.

I did so, and blinked. Even before the Cores landed upon the stony lakeshore, they were gone. It was eerily similar to when I placed things into my Necklace of Holding. Did the Snake have a similar item? Wait—was that what happened to the Fish?

A tinkling clatter from nearby made me scan the shore and find a new and truly massive pile of Mana Crystals. A glass clank from in front of me drew my attention back. One blue Core and many green ones were piled in front of me, right where I dumped my Necklace.

How could the Snake tell these Cores from each other without the help of the system Altar? Smegma gave me a warning look, telling me not to ask, or maybe that he’d explain later, once—or rather, if we made it out of here.

“Jarred, go get my father,” I said, even as I made a rough count of the White Goblin Cores. Fifty-eight. That included the blue core and the larger green one that I’d taken from the Altar space, the Space Core had previously occupied. I realized that it was likely the Portal Core.

I could give out six Skills…

Or two Skills to two people and one to the others. It would probably be for the best if I excluded myself from this round, because I already had Skills and Stats that would help me get through the next twenty-two hours. Looking at the haunted eyes of Willa, and Dave, I knew they needed something. I just hoped what they’d get from the Altar would help.

[Get everyone one Skill, then give an additional to the people who might need it the most?] I suggested. Smegma nodded slightly but kept his half-bow to the Snake going.

Still, with his agreement to my plan, it was time to give out some Skills!

“Dave, and Willa come here,” I ordered, realizing that time was very much a commodity we didn’t have. Plus, the Skill bestowal could knock them out, like it had me…