Saturday, May 4th, 2069
I made the purchase in the bathrooms, which were a permanent trailer installation—just in case. I held my breath as the Bags fell out of the coalescing Mana in the air, just like the Fishing Rods, Picks and other purchases always had.
I caught them and waited.
Nothing happened, making me sigh in relief. Losing Smegma today of all days wouldn’t have been good.
My eyes moved to the Bags I’d just caught and I couldn’t help but marvel at the sleek look of them.
It reminded me of the time I’d held a friend's designer purse. The leather was practically glowing, and the stitching was done in some sort of golden accent. There wasn’t an obvious mark on the Bags, like there would be on a designer purse, but they just screamed money.
“This could be a problem,” I grumbled.
Smegma looked at me and then the Bags, before scoffing. “It should just make it look like Abyss: Portal Services and Consumables has a lot of money to invest. Isn’t that the image you’re cultivating, moron?”
I raised my eyebrows and nodded in acknowledgment of his point. Still, my guess was that they also had a self-repair or cleaning Enchant on them—so, they wouldn’t even get scuffed up over time. Which was going to be mighty suspicious in a few months.
I shrugged. By then, we would have either succeeded with the company or have failed. I exited the bathroom, holding the three Bags and literally almost ran into a cart of equipment. I blinked at the items inside the cart, trying to figure out what the cameras, booms, stabilizers, iPads and other expensive computers were needed for.
That was when Kristen and Geneva, pushing the cart from behind came into view. The two women were so short that they couldn’t see ahead of themselves—thus how I had almost become a ‘casualty’ of their efforts.
“Ladies, what are you doing here?” I called, getting a start from them both before their eyes found me. They must have realized that they’d nearly run me over with the cart, from my position pressed back up against the trailer.
“Oh, shoot! Sorry Brodie,” Geneva began. “This is a bit too heavy for one of us, but with both of us pushing, we can’t see…”
I moved forward and shoo’d the women off the hands of the cart, making it clear I would push the thing even as I said, “That didn’t answer my question.”
“Well, I would think why we’d be here was pretty obvious!” Kristen exclaimed. I gave her a canted head, and a raised eyebrow, which conveyed my exasperation with that response. She laughed and said, “Mrs. Stovall called us. She thought it would be good for us to start working with Abyss: Portal Services and Consumables—you know, managing your new company page!”
“We don’t have a company page,” I said, even as I began pushing the loaded cart under their direction.
“Oh yes, you do!” Geneva answered, brandishing her phone, which was open to a SwiftGram page. She quickly flipped tabs on the device and I saw that the women had somehow set up a page on every social media platform—and a website in the time it had taken us to drive here and fend off Jagger.
“Wow,” Smegma said. “Do these two women have a Skill for Internet Management?”
I repeated his words for the women and they smiled widely even as a slight blush crossed their faces. Personally, I watched the two women, realizing that they may benefit from a Skill from the Altar. If they could accomplish the things they had without System assistance, what could they do with it? Would it be better to gift them one, or a second to my father and Dave?
That decision didn’t need to be made now. Right this moment, we needed to get on the ATV before it left. I’d steered the cart to a place near the Ford Escort and then pretended to rummage through the back, even as I transferred Skinning Knives, Gardening Kits, and Mining Picks from my Necklace to the Bags.
Seeing the items again made me acutely aware of just how lackluster what I was about to present the Abyss workers appeared to be. The Gardening Kits were leather work-belts that looked like they were one stitch away from snapping and disgorging the Tools they carried onto the ground.
Worse, those fruit pruners, hand trowels, shears, multi-tools and hand rakes all looked like they’d break if they were dropped even the three-foot distance from a worker's hand to the ground. I knew that they’d look better as the day progressed but damn was handing them over going to be embarrassing.
The Skinning Knives might have been the worst. The metal edges were certainly sharper than the Filleting Knives had been, but the metal felt both pliable and brittle. I hadn’t held a Skinning Knife before, and wasn’t sure if the flexibility was intended or not. Then of course, there was the ‘handle’ or lack thereof. It was impossible to tell if the tang of the blade was wrapped in wood, leather or twine, because whatever it was looked rotten and mostly decomposed.
A lump began climbing my throat—
“Stop it, dumb-dumb,” Smegma said, interrupting me. “First, you’re going to tell them about your ‘Repair Mark’ in the ATV so no one can escape. Second, you have the newly bought, rough-looking Mining Picks and the repaired ones to show them.”
I nodded to myself and then moved back to the women and the cart. Motioning at the gear, I asked, “Would you two be okay if I put this gear in a Bag of Holding?”
I probably could have done so earlier and avoided having to push the cart, but I’d just had the thought.
They of course nodded in relief, and I put the entire cart and equipment inside. The Bag did get noticeably heavier, and I’d have estimated it had increased by about a hundred pounds. I was impressed that it worked, and even made sure I could summon it out as an entire unit. Just to be sure. It worked.
I considered giving the Bag with the equipment to one of the ladies, but I needed all three for the Professions entering. I motioned to the Bag and said, “I’ll get you one of these later if you’re going to be coming into Portals with us more often.”
They nodded, and we made our way to the ATV.
Thankfully, most of the workers had their own equipment and Jagger had left behind the armor and loaner equipment as well. Whether he left the stuff by accident or because it was in the contract, I wasn’t sure, but I was glad in either case. All thirty Miners, twenty-two Gardeners and eight Cleaners loaded into the ATV.
My father was already talking to a member of the Lynx Guild while indicating the other two ATVs intended for P-cubed’s use that Abyss no longer needed. The Lynx member didn’t look happy and quickly rushed off afterward.
“Arms up,” Willa said, as she helped Geneva into a set of spare Miner’s armor. Kristen watched and attempted to climb into her own set, but Dave seeing the issues rushed up to help.
As the two women got ready, I looked at the Bags of Holding. As soon as the doors closed, I’d reveal—
“That was a squad leader for Lynx, and he says there’s no way a team of eight Cleaners is going to be enough. Especially as ‘Equipment Specialists’…” My dad said, as he climbed the loading ramp.
I was thankfully looking at Dave as he said that. Dave’s Cut skill was certainly more useful as a Cleaner than in the Mines. Plus, I could join that group as well, considering I’d likely get a Skill for it at some point, and hopefully, another unlocked Stat…
“We’ll move Dave and myself to that group,” I answered, looking around at each of the core group in turn.
My father grimaced, making it clear that he, too, thought that was just a stop gap. I nodded in acknowledgment to his point. But there wasn’t a lot we could do, so I shrugged and began planning what I would say to the workers.
Just as our ATV’s doors began to close I saw the Squad Leader that had been speaking with my father returning.
Beside him was Jagger Vance—in a suit of armor that looked out of place even beside the Hunter that stood right beside him. It was like looking at a child playing dress up. Or like the Bags of Holding—
The gear Jagger wore was red leather with black accents. I swore I could hear the squeaking it made even over the motors of the loading ramp.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“Well that can’t be good,” Jarred said as he stepped up beside me to watch the P-squared team return. Jagger had a smile on his face that seemed to suggest he’d already beaten us upstarts, which aggravated me—and from the clenched fists of my father, Willa, and Jarred—them too.
The door snicked shut, removing the infuriating piece of shit from my sight and I spun—the aggravation of the man’s smug smile motivating me in a way I hoped would transfer positively to the others that stayed with us too.
“Look,” I declared, while pointing back over my shoulder. My tone and volume caused a great deal of people to start, but I definitely also got their attention. “That piece of shit Jagger Vance is going to also be inside the Portal with his ‘new’ company. I don’t think I need to go into detail about all the ways he’s likely screwed you out of money over the years—do I?”
Almost every head in the ATV bobbed in acknowledgment of that point. I smiled. “Well today, we get the chance to do something about it. We may have fewer workers, but less can be more. Today, we will focus on quality over quantity!”
A few blinks and one muted cheer was the only answer I received to my call to arms. I didn’t let it dissuade me, and exclaimed, “Miners! Today, you’ll focus on Mining whole Crystals. At the end of the day, each of you will pick one soft metal to extract as well. Understood?”
Thirty confused looks were my only answer, and again I forced myself to move on. Thankfully, Smegma helped me with the rather large gap in my knowledge in the next two groups. ‘Living Specimens’ and ‘Full Hides’.
“Gardeners!” I announced, turning to our second-largest group. “You’ll work on cultivating full specimens when possible. I’ll be starting with your group and show you some tricks to maintaining freshness of fruits, herbs and plants. Afterward, Dave and I will be with the Cleaners.” My cheeks were bright red saying I knew something they didn’t about their jobs, but Smegma assured me that he had a few helpful tidbits of information that weren’t being used.
The Gardeners looked at each other with skepticism written clearly across their faces. [Whelp this is going wonderfully.]
“Shut up and keep going!” Smegma countered, sounding proud.
“Cleaners!” I croaked, trying to get over my embarrassment. “We will have the hardest disadvantage to overcome. With only ten of us, we’ll need to work three to four times as hard. I know that’s asking a lot but if we focus on full hides, we’ll stand out. Plus, I’ll get started on Cooking bite-sized meals that will keep you energized as you work.”
Again, Smegma added that idea to my speech and again, I flushed deeply with embarrassment. Sure, I could Cook some meals for them, but how that was going to help left me just as lost as their looks were.
“Don’t worry—stupid man-child! if you're starting with the Gardener’s I have a plan,” Smegma announced confidently.
The silence after my speech only made it worse. Not to mention when I got a punch in the arm from Geneva. “You could have given us back our recording equipment before you did that!”
“Maybe we can have him do it again, and all of you can even cheer after each pronouncement?” Kristen suggested.
Was it possible to die from mortification?
“How are we supposed to do that without Enchanted Gear?” One of the people in the seats of the ATV asked.
I closed my eyes, at an utter loss for why things had gone so wrong. Sure, I hadn’t expected my speech to be met with cheering as Kristen implied, but I hadn’t expected the silence and that question to immediately follow it.
I took a deep breath, opened my eyes, and looked at Dave, Willa, Jarred and my father pleadingly. They were all smiling and holding back laughter. I could tell they were enjoying the moment—enjoying my awkwardness. I silently cursed at them, which Smegma of course heard.
“It isn’t their fault that you’re a totally useless public speaker,” Smegma said, between chuckles.
It seemed everyone was going to just let me hang myself. Husking perfect!
“Okay…” I began trying to build up my courage for what came next. “So, about the equipment—“
“What, you don’t have any?” Someone called.
“He has it,” my father shouted, his voice a bit high pitched due to his clear mirth.
“Yeah just let him speak,” Willa shouted, openly laughing.
My fingers massaged the bridge of my nose, as I let my chin touch my chest. I looked up after collecting myself and actually found a good deal of smiles greeting me. Clearly, ‘my’ group’s mirth was contagious, because now the sixty odd people were excited to be let in on the joke.
I personally didn’t think this would end well—
The ATV lurched into motion causing me to take a step forward to brace myself. Now I had a timer, too. I needed to finish my explanation before we were through the Gate...
“Okay!” I exclaimed, this time aiming the words at myself. “The equipment I’m about to give you doesn't look like much—“ I raised my volume to keep people's attention. “—It’s very second hand, and that’s because I possess a Skill called Repair Mark.” I glanced at the Lynx Hunters that were stationed in our ATV, and saw them look at each other with raised eyebrows. “It only works on non-combat gear,” I hedged, not wanting them to think I could somehow begin repairing their stuff. “So, what I’ve purchased is the best quality Enchanted Gear—in some of the worst states!”
Murmuring broke out, even as I pulled out my own Pickaxe. “This is a piece I purchased about three weeks ago. As you can see, it looks nearly brand new, and will continue to repair itself. This—“ I began pulling out a ‘new’ worn and beaten pickaxe. “—is what it looked like when I started.”
“Bullshit!” Someone called.
“It’s truth!” Someone else called, and I was surprised when it wasn’t one of my immediate group members. I scanned the crowd for the voice, along with everyone else on the ATV. The person I found made me smile. Miguel was pointing at the pickaxe that looked like it was a step above driftwood. “Saw kid bring that into Portal. I thought he stupid, but each day, it look better. Then we fight Golem, and that what three of Picks look like after.”
Dave’s words seemed to do more to move the people in the ATV than mine would have alone. I was unsure if Willa, Jarred or my father would have had the same effect—but I nodded to the usually reserved Miguel in thanks all the same, before coughing and getting ready to continue.
“He’s right.” I said as calmly as I could. “My Pick was in just as bad condition as the ones you’ll be getting today, and this is what it looks like now.”
Mentally reaching into my Necklace, I pulled out my Miner’s Pick. As it fell from thin air, my fist wrapped around the smooth, glossy handle that resembled a dark Walnut in appearance. Three feet of pristine, textured wood ended at a gleaming crescent of elegantly blackened steel. The metal of the Pickaxe flowed and arched gracefully into a deadly blade on one end, and an exquisitely crafted Pick on the other.
I wasn’t being completely genuine due to the fact that the Pick had been Upgraded somehow after my fight with the Golem, but I didn’t think anyone would begrudge me a little embellishment here. These people needed to know that their equipment was going to be significantly better and more reliable as time went on, and that was the truth I cared about.
Eyes widened at the sight of my personal Pickaxe, and the crew finally seemed to be getting excited for the first time.
I also didn’t fail to notice that one of the Lynx members' eyebrows seemed to be trying to crawl up into his scalp.
“So, when I hand you the equipment you’ll be using today—don’t get down on yourself. At first, it might not work the greatest—but it will only get better throughout the day. That’s a promise!”
I picked up the first Bag of Holding from near my feet where I’d put them all and looked inside. Mining Picks.
“Jarred,” I called—picking the only one of my group not still chuckling at my expense. “Could you hand out a Pick to each Miner onboard?”
Jarred took the Bag and began moving to distribute them.
As he did so, I raised a hand to get everyone’s attention again. “Keep in mind that these need to come back to me at the end of the day so I can reapply the Marks. Otherwise, they will act like any other piece of Enchanted Gear—wearing down and breaking.”
The next Bag had the ten Skinning Knives and the media cart. I picked it up and then called, “Dave, can you hand the Knives out to the Cleaners, please?”
Dave came forward and accepted the Bag. As I let go, he squealed, overbalanced and promptly collapsed to the ground with a loud crash. I looked at him in shock, even as he groaned in pain. I asked, “What the hell was that?” Then after a moment’s thought added, “are you okay?”
“What do you mean? What the hell was that? This Bag probably weighs three-hundred pounds, jackass!” Dave grumbled as he rubbed his back with one hand and his face with the other. Thankfully, it looked like his head had hit the Bag—so other than some reddening from the impact, he was okay.
“Oh,” I said, recalling the Bag gaining in weight from putting the video equipment inside earlier. I’d thought it had increased maybe a hundred pounds at most, but even if it did weigh that much, I probably should have warned my friend.
Seeing everyone chuckling at Dave’s faceplant, and recalling his earlier giggles at my expense, I changed my thoughts on the matter. I reached down and pulled out the media cart while chuckling.
“Don’t laugh, jerk-face. That could have really hurt me.”
That only startled more laughs out of the attentive audience. Geneva and Kristen rushed to their cart and quickly began loading themselves up with cameras and iPads.
Standing back up, I looked to the final group of people. “Gardeners?” I said addressing them with a question. “Do you have someone who can act as a leader among you?”
Everyone turned to look at a skinny brown-haired woman wearing glasses. She hadn’t immediately raised a hand, and even sighed when she realized everyone’s looks. Reluctantly, she answered, “I guess I can do it.”
“Perfect. Do you mind handing out the Gardening Kits to everyone?” I asked.
She nodded, and I handed her the final Bag of Holding. The muttering changed once everyone got a look at their ‘equipment,’ and I could tell that it wasn’t in a good way.
I raised my hands once more and said, “I assure you all that they will look better after each task you perform. Look forward to it.”
My words may have changed a few muttering conversations for a time, but I couldn’t truly tell. Shrugging, I took a seat, even as Geneva and Kristen began capturing the moment.
Kristen in particular was recording, but constantly looking back to me. Finally, she said, “Can you give the speech one more time?”
I began to roll my eyes, as my cheeks grew hot. Then to my utter horror someone called, “Speech!”
My head spun on Dave so fast, that I felt it twinge. My father joined the traitor. “Speech!”
Willa guffawed but caught the next call, “Speech!”
“Speech!” Others began picking up the chant, and I truly considered crying.