Chapter 12 — Orientation
“BEFORE YOU IS THE JOB BOARD. YOU WILL FIND TASKS AND BOUNTIES THAT EARN YOU CREDITS POSTED HERE. FAILURE TO EARN THE NUMBER OF CREDITS MARKED ON YOUR SEAL OF INDENTURE EACH TENDAY WILL RESULT IN DESIGNATION AS A DEBT-SLAVE, AND UNLESS YOU HAVE A VALUABLE SKILL, YOU WILL BE ASSIGNED TO PHYSICAL LABOR.”
Captain Ferdor made an inclusive gesture indicating the construction work going on all around them, giving everyone time to observe what labor he meant.
With nervous shifting of feet, the gazes of most of the enlistees turned to the rough-clothed people chained behind the wagons with construction supplies and to the workers using ropes to raise heavy stone and timber to the top of the governance hall’s scaffolding. The pause allowed the incessant clatter of hammering and mauls breaking stone to form cobble to again become the dominant sound echoing around them.
“DO NOTE THAT IS THE MINIMUM EXPECTED OF YOU. DOING MORE TO SUPPORT THE COLONIZATION EFFORT IS REWARDED. CREDITS EARNED IN EXCESS OF YOUR TENDAY OBLIGATION CAN BE EXCHANGED FOR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES OR EQUIVALENT SILVER.”
That got some grins. If the [Crier] back in Greenvale was to be believed, some of the ‘special opportunities’ were noble titles.
And if by ‘equivalent silver’ he meant one-for-one exchange, that didn’t sound too bad either. Twenty silver chits—one silver rod—was effectively a good day’s wages worth, and if one credit was equivalent to one rod rather than one chit, then credits could quickly become serious money. Toren doubted they were so lucky.
The captain pointed to a notice near where he was standing and, after refilling his lungs, continued, “NOTE THAT THERE IS A STANDING ORDER FOR THE CULLING OF ALL ZOOTS. THE LIZARDS HAVE A CAMOUFLAGE ABILITY THAT MAKES THEM PRACTICALLY INVISIBLE, HEAT VISION, AND HUNT IN PACKS. THEY ARE A MENACE. EACH CREST YOU BRING BACK WILL EARN YOU ONE CREDIT. ALPHA CRESTS WILL EARN 2 CREDITS.”
That was quite a step down from the 100,000 credit reward of the most prominent bounty. Toren’s seal showed a 100. He needed 10 credits a day to avoid debt-slavery, which with his [Mana Sensing] Skill sounded readily doable through hunting zoots alone if they were as much of an ever-present nuisance as the captain was suggesting. It was good to know, especially if he couldn’t find other higher-credit work, but for making good on his debt to Gazam, he would need an additional 100 per day, a much more troublesome number.
Captain Ferdor made a point of looking directly at the [Monster Hunter]-looking guy who had gotten excited about the 100,000 credit bounty.
“BEFORE ANY OF YOU MORONS GETS IDEAS ABOUT THE VORG`KORATH BOUNTY LISTED FOR 100,000 CREDITS. THE OVERGROWN LIZARD HAS BEEN ESTIMATED AS TIER 3, AND WITH HOW THE LIZARDMEN WORSHIP IT AS THE SPIRIT BEAST OF THE CORVAST JUNGLE, I WOULDN’T BE SURPRISED IF IT HAS A MITHRIL PROFESSION. IF YOU SEE IT, RUN. PREFERABLY, IN A DIRECTION NOT TOWARD FARHARBOR.”
Tier 3! Toren gulped. Like the other desperate idiots, he too had been lured into dreaming of the 100,000 credits. Hunting a tier 3 spirit beast was beyond stupid. It was suicide!
The captain’s black humor was met by dark chuckles from a group of well-equipped individuals with strong auras that were loitering nearby, observing the orientation. Having noticed the group of chucklers, Toren spotted others like them scattered around the square watching or maybe evaluating the newcomers. It left him with a growing sense of unease. Judging from the subtle changes in posture and mana flow of some of the others in Toren’s group of new enlistees, he wasn’t the only one who noticed.
Ferdor gave everyone present a challenging grin. “IF YOU’RE HUNTING FOR BIG GAME, THE ICE WYVERNS THAT RANGE DOWN FROM THE SPIRE TO ENJOY A SPOT OF STRIDER MEAT WITH A SIDE OF UNLUCKY STEADER SHOULD BE A SAFER BET AT TIER 2 AND ARE WORTH 1000 CREDITS EACH—AND THAT’S BEFORE YOU SELL THEIR MATERIALS TO A [MONSTER BUTCHER].”
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Wyverns!
The captain motioned over a pauldroned shoulder, past the buildings behind him. Toren’s eyes followed up a not-distant-enough jungle-encroached black mountain and its towering white-capped crag piercing into the lazily drifting and billowy clouds.
Tier 2 was still a long way off, but if he became strong enough to hunt monsters like that, paying off his debt wasn’t an impossible dream. With a viridium-rarity Profession, he was beginning to see the possibility of a realistic path for his future, as long as he survived the short term. No doubt, the choice of monsters to highlight was intended to give them exactly that hope.
“NOW THAT I’VE GOT THE BIG GAME [MONSTER HUNTERS] AMONG YOU FIRED UP, SOME WORDS OF ADVICE TO YOU HUNTER TYPES NEW TO COASTAL LIVING AND SEEKING LESSER PREY IN THE JUNGLE. DON’T GET CAUGHT OUT IN THE JUNGLE DURING HIGH TIDE. IT WILL FLOOD. THERE WILL BE NO RESCUES. CONSULT WITH A [TIDESEER] BEFORE YOUR EXPEDITION.”
Ugh. It was as he suspected. Maybe worse.
Toren glanced at the likely high water line on a nearby tree. He had read that the effect of the moons on the Great Seas made for complicated tides that required specialized Professions to predict with accuracy. High tides when the moons aligned were supposed to be particularly dangerous for lowlands even far inland from the coasts. Living in Greenvale which was in a valley deep within the interior of Yveras, flooding from high tide wasn’t a problem, but there were many places where it was. The Corvast Jungle was apparently one of them.
“OTHER DANGERS YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF ARE FLESH TUNNELERS AND DRAIN WORMS. THE HERBALISTS WILL HAVE MORE INFORMATION. REMEMBER, LAST THING WE WANT IS FOR DRAIN WORMS TO EVOLVE TO ASTRAL WORMS, SO SEEK HELP IF YOU NOTICE CHANGES IN YOUR MANA RECOVERY RATE.”
“Flesh Tunnelers? Drain worms? Which level of the hells have you brought us too?!” a man that Toren recognized as one of the down-on-his-luck fathers yelled out.
Whatever those were, they didn’t sound pleasant. At least, Captain Ferdor hadn’t mentioned-
Toren stopped the thought just in time—stopped it before he brought bad luck onto himself and the whole expedition. There was no need to even risk inviting the attention of such dark gods.
The mailed captain just stoically half-smirked at the grumbling enlistees, unphased. “WITH THE FUN STUFF OUT OF THE WAY, LET’S MOVE ON TO THE MORE MUNDANE:
“WALL DUTY IS A GUARANTEED 10 CREDITS PER SHIFT PLUS BONUSES FOR MONSTERS KILLED. DAILY SLOTS ARE LIMITED. MISSED SHIFTS INCUR A 5 CREDIT PENALTY.
“WOMEN WILL RECEIVE A 1000 CREDIT BONUS FOR EACH CHILD BORN. PARENTS WILL RECEIVE ANOTHER 1000 CREDITS ON A CHILD’S SKILL DAY AND PROFESSION DAY.
“STEADINGS REGISTERED WITH THE GOVERNOR WILL RECEIVE A STIPEND OF 50 CREDITS PER TENDAY FOR 5 YEARS. AN ADDITIONAL 25 CREDITS WILL BE ADDED FOR EACH RESIDENT AND HOUSED WORKER.”
Each item was quickly belted out as if memorized from a list, but upon completing the last one, the captain’s demeanor hardened and the man’s aura flared out to fill the square with pressure from his power. Toren had to activate [Burning Blood] just to stay standing. A few others weren’t so lucky.
“NOW FOR MATTERS OF CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, SURVIVING IN THESE LANDS IS DIFFICULT ENOUGH WITHOUT THE TROUBLE OF DEALING WITH STUPID EGO-DRIVEN SQUABBLES AND PETTY POWER STRUGGLES. I WILL ONLY GIVE THIS WARNING ONCE.
“WE ARE HERE TO COLONIZE THIS LAND. SEVERE PENALTIES WILL BE ASSESSED FOR ANY WHO KILL STEADERS OR DAMAGE THEIR PROPERTY.
“ALSO, DO NOT GET ANY STUPID IDEAS ABOUT ABDUCTING PEOPLE AND HIDING THEM IN YOUR STEADING THINKING YOU WILL BE PROTECTED. FOLLOWERS OF ESHEM`ZEL HAVE A SANCTIONED SHRINE IN FARHARBOR AND REPORTS OF ABDUCTIONS WILL BE REFERRED TO THE PRIEST THERE.”
Captain Ferdor paused to let the threat hang over the crowd. Followers of the dark god Eshem`Zel, Avenger of the Forgotten, weren’t known for their restraint. Their tendency to spill the blood of nobles and governing officials made it a risk for any governing noble to allow their presence. For a shrine and priest to be not only present but sanctioned…
“LASTLY, IF ANY OF YOU HAVE SERVICES TO OFFER OR WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST A TASK BE PERFORMED, THE SERVICES DESK IN THE GOVERNANCE HALL WILL EXPLAIN THE REQUIREMENTS TO HAVE YOUR NOTICE POSTED.
“TODAY COUNTS TOWARD THE FIRST TENDAY OF YOUR OBLIGATION. YOU EACH ALREADY KNOW YOUR SKILLS. GET TO IT.”
Toren glanced at the sky and blinked at Horevi's unexpected position in the sky. Wait… it wasn’t midday as it should have been. How hadn’t he noticed the lengthening shadows? The time was already well past midday headed toward late afternoon! Where had the hours gone?!
Bastards! Making them start the first tenday with most of a day already lost!