16

“That’s not how you use a sword,” Azios said, his eyes wide and shocked by what San was doing.

San looked up from where he was working, the broadsword in his hand. He looked down at the log laying before him, a forty foot tree that Azios and he had fell. The one handed sword was being used to denude the tree of branches.

“It’s enchanted,” San said. “Self sharpens and will never rust, so the durability is probably pretty high.” San turned the silver bladed weapon in his hands. The blade gleamed as if it had just been polished and hadn’t been used to de-limb the fallen trunk.

Azios shook his head. “Lunch is ready,” he said.

San grunted as he cracked his back. He looked at his morning’s handiwork. A half-dozen trees had been felled, with help from Azios but mostly from the enchanted strength and stamina he possessed. In a normal world he would have been exhausted by the exertion and the speed he had accomplished the task.

Instead he felt warmed by the work and ready to continue doing more. With some experimentation San had discovered he could move a twenty foot log with some difficulty. There were leather harnesses and gear for the woollys that were easily adapted for him to drag the logs. The two woollys Pavano had left behind were untrained and a bit of a handful, otherwise he would have preferred to have the animals drag them back.

San picked up a ratty cloak that was lying on a stump and the crossbow sitting beside it. He carried his revolver and a dagger along with the broadsword, and would have carried more if it hadn’t gotten in the way of work.

Azios also carried a crossbow. The threat of monsters was San’s main concern. Although the woods close to the farmhouse had seemed like your normal snowy woodlands, there could be an entire army of monsters out there ready to descend upon the tiny komai.

He contemplated pulling the log back closer to the farmhouse, but his stomach growled at the thought of food. Azios was no cook, but everyone learned how to do what they could around a house. He was a fair hand at most things, but physically weak to fully be able to do them himself. San was impressed, at Azios’ age, San was playing video games and talking non-stop about the latest movies and gossip.

Azios headed back as he gathered up his supplies, making sure to bring the axes back with him. As he stood there, San had a sudden prickling feeling that he was being watched. He stood up straight and scanned the woods, trying to see if there was anything out there.

Wolfram had recovered from her poisoning and after consuming the animals that the battos had caught, she had vanished back into the woods. He still didn’t understand why she was following him, appearing randomly and disappearing just as quickly.

The woods were thick with snow and the conifers plunged much of it into a half twilight the further one went. San did not assume that only animals lurked with in the woods. This ws a Grimm’s fairy tale land, with monsters lurking everywhere and strange beings trying to lure you ito the dark woods. It was human fears personified, made real, and multiplied beyond even what ancient storytellers spoke of.

The feeling of being watched followed him as he headed back to the barn. He stopped multiple times, taking quick glances back into the woods, but saw nothing.

San dusted the snow off his boots and trousers as they entered the barn. A small bright eyed face peered at him from the flap of the tent. The eyes were wide and staring at him as if he were some kind of monster in their midst.

“Cassatana,” Azios said, gesturing her to come to him. The small girl exited the tent, dragging San’s sleeping bag behind her. She stared at San as Azios picked her up and they settled down before the fire and the small meal he had readied.

San smiled at the little girl. She stared at him and buried her head into Azios’ shoulder. Cassa, as Azios called her, had awakened the night before. Scared, crying, and somewhat still under the effects of the batto poison, it had been Azios that had managed to calm her down.

It was evident she didn’t know what to make of San. His features, size, and strangeness were more than the small girl could handle. She stayed near Azios as much as possible, clinging to her uncle as he watched over the animals and two.

“Good afternoon, Cassatana,” San said, smiling at the girl.

Cassa began crying into Azios’ shoulder. Azios gave him an apologetic smile and comforted his niece. San shrugged and sat back, eating his rabbit meat, roti, and kimchi. Azios had a cauldron boiling water and was in the process of making pottage, which appeared to be the main food they all ate. The meat was something special and not a common thing, unless they butchered one of the grazers and those animals were worth more for the wool they made than the meat they provided.

The entire farmstead seemed off to San. There were grazers and they had a half full silo of imbar and other foods they had preserved. Yet there were no other animals, no dogs, no cats, no chickens, no goats, no woollys, horses, or even a wagon to move the goods if they could have sold the imbar.

He didn’t want to pry into their business, they had already been suffering from a bad harvest and the absence of Azios’ brother had compounded the issue. Yet the lack of other animals was starting to cause questions he didn’t know if he wanted to ask.

They had woolly harnesses and a plow, but there were no signs of woollys. The animals that Pavano and he had brought were occupying a large pen that could hold all four and from the aged droppings within, it had been a woolly pen before.

So what happened to their animals? San pondered the question as he finished his meal.

“Is the house ready yet?” Azios asked, hand feeding Cassa minced rabbit meat and kimchi.

“Almost, just need a little more Sanitizing and scrubbing. I don’t think some of those stains will get out,” San said. With Cassa now awakened, much of Azios’ time was taking care of the little girl. San wanted to move them all back into the house as soon as possible, especially with the potential of an oncoming storm.

The clouds had only thickened since Pavano had left, but they hadn’t yet dropped their loads. San was thankful for that. If he could bring back a few logs, then they would be set for firewood for a week or more. Perhaps by then Pavano would have returned or be on his way.

The thought of more battos weighed on his mind also. He wondered if this was the constant feeling these people had everyday? The constant worry that a monster would come storming out of the woods or that some raiding party or bandit would attack them.

There was safety in numbers, but the Exonaris Komai had contracted to only three living members. Azios had said there were three cousins and their families that had lived in the Komai, but after Azios’ father died of Black Ring and his ranger uncle had died in a Tribal attack, the other cousins had succumb to disease and accidents.

One cousin and his entire family had died of Black Ring that took Azios’ father. Another cousin had gotten drunk and been tramped by his woollys. His wife and child had left to return to her parents and Azios didn’t know what happened to them. The last cousin had committed suicide after she had lost a child in childbirth. Her husband drowned himself in the Drink before harvest time.

It was a series of calamities that San didn’t know how they all survived it. Death was a constant thing in this world and it seemed that blind luck or perhaps having the blessing of one of their gods kept them alive.

It didn’t explain why they didn’t have any other animals except for the grazers.

“I’ll bring in a couple of logs,” San said. “Then I’ll get the house cleaned as best as I can. We’ll move back into there hopefully before nightfall.”

Azios nodded, offering Cassa cup of tea. She grimaced at the taste and shoved it away.

“Don’t be picky,” Azios said, offering her more rabbit meat. She ate that happily. “You have woodland savage in their your blood, you should like their tea.”

San grunted and got to his feet. He stretched his back again and hefted the axe over his shoulder and picked up the crossbow.

“Keep the doors closed and the kid close,” San said.

“I know how to take care of my niece,” Azios said with some annoyance.

“I know, but it makes me feel better to repeat it,” San replied crouching before Azios. “You are doing a great job, Azios. You are stepping up as an adult and doing what is required to see you family survive. I respect that and I see the work you are doing and appreciate it.”

Azios stared at him as if he had just struck him. Cassa also stared, but for different reasons.

“Thank you…” Azios said.

***

The wind began howling as San dragged a bucked log back to the farmhouse. It bit through his rain jacket and shirts, but he kept going. The exertion kept him somewhat warmed and he knew if he stopped, it would be far harder to start again.

A large pile of logs was beginning to form as San brought them before the farmhouse. He pulled the log amongst the others and looked to the sky. The sky had darkened more and he shivered as flakes began to fall from the sky.

It seemed his wood gathering time was over. San detached the harness and carried them into the farmhouse. The building still had the reek of death within it, but with the resin removed, it was airing out fine. San would be glad once the place aired out, the barn was well built, but it was a drafty place. The animals would do well in it because of their thick fur and Cassa and Endaha were somewhat protected in the tent, but it was no long term solution.

He exited the house, hunched against the wind and headed back to the wood pile. He had left the axe and the crossbow there. The flakes began to fall heavier, obscuring some of his vision as he walked into the wind.

The feeling of being watched struck him again and San stopped in his tracks. He ducked down behind a stump as the snow cleared for a moment. A hundred feet from him stood a human shaped being; it was tall, maybe seven feet, and wore ragged clothing that had been stitched together from various sets. It wasn’t human, San realized, as it raised an arm that was covered in white curly fur, almost like the mohair on a goat.

The creature cupped its hands around its mouth and let out an odd noise. San flinched from it, but something within him loosened. He felt the stress and burden, the hyper vigilance he didn’t even know he was experiencing begin to dissipate. He could relax, this creature brought only peace. He could let go of his problems, release his burdens, just sit down and relax.

The howling wind caressed him and the snow was comfortable. San sat down, leaning against the trunk and smiled as he looked at the dark skies. He could stay here, not worry about anything anymore.

No need to think about Pavano. About Sagaris, about the gold ore, about the battos, about Endaha or the children. He could just sit and relax, let the snow embrace and comfort him. There was warmth in the cold, one the people didn’t realize as they tried hard to keep it at bay.

Pain blossomed across San’s face and he gasped, staring up at the hooded face of Azios. The boy looked terrified, snot and tears frozen on his sharp face.

“San!” he cried, more tears flowing. “She’s gone!”

“What?” San asked. His mind felt fuzzy and he was terribly cold. He shudders, suddenly feeling the cold bitting through his trousers and jacket. He wrapped his arms around himself. “What’s happening?”

“Cassa. She’s gone. I-I don’t know what happened. I was feeding the grazers and… I don’t know. I just sat down and felt like it was the right thing to do. I felt happy and that nothing mattered anymore.” He was crying again. “She’s gone. I don’t know where she went.”

San heaved himself to his feet and immediately checked that his sword, dagger, and revolver were still on him. The cold still bit at him, but his heart thundered at the memory of the white furred creature. Its strange lulling song had effected them all, but why was Cassa missing?

He remembered his thoughts on Grimm’s fairy tales, wasn’t there one that lured children away? Weren’t there som creepypasta tales about creatures int eh woods that took children?

“Back to the barn!” San shouted. “I’ll find her.”

Azios looked at him with relief and terror. “Please.”

San only nodded and pulled out his revolver, rushing to the site of where he had been bucking the logs. He found the crossbow there and picked it up.

How long had he been sitting there? San didn’t know, but his skin felt tight and aching, the bandana wrapped around the lower part of his face was thick with frost and his woolen beanie was nearly soaked through.

However long it had been since he was lulled into feeling happy, San immediately saw the footprints of Cassa as she had left the barn and walked toward the singing figure. Her steps vanished and were replaced by a pair of massive feet, human in shape, but with claws at the end.

San peered at the footsteps and saw they vanished deeper into the forest. He took one more glance back at the barn and cursed his own stupidity. Nothing that came out of the woods was good, he should have fired at the creature first instead of ducking out of sight and watching it.

He rushed after the woods, running flat out as the wind howled around him. He would find this beast and get Cassa back. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

Levels and its associated boosts in his physical abilities pushed San through the woods. He might have been working all day cutting wood and hauling them, but as adrenaline and fear coursed through his veins, every ache, pain, and bit of exhaustion burned away. He was moving at Olympian speeds, dodging branches, fallen logs, and thick brush; the wide spaced footprints always in view.

He knew he was gaining on the creature as the rage and anger he felt began to dissipate. Why was he so angry? Why did he hold so much rage? He should just give it up, allow it to vanish. There was no need for rage, only happiness. Embrace it and sit down to rest. He deserved it.

San shook his head, gritting his teeth. Happiness? Happiness was not in the cards for him. Happiness was an idea that had died when his family did. Happiness was never going to come into his life again. He did not deserve it.

The great creature halted in its run, pausing within a clearing of woods as it felt the heat of rage coming after it. The creature raised its voice, the song changing, deepening, finding the cracks in San’s emotions.

The fire of rage burned in San’s veins, it snuffed out the probing tendrils of the monster. It singed the creature and caused it to flinch as San burst into the clearing.

The seven foot tall creature turned to San and let out an ear splitting roar. It snarled, it’s humanlike face twisting into a terrifying visage of a wide gaping mouth filled with needle sharp teeth. In its massive hands it held an unconscious Cassa, the small child neatly carried.

San snapped up the crossbow and fired at the monster’s head. It saw the bolt and dodged to the side, the distance between them over a hundred feet. San dropped the crossbow and charged the beast.

If the monster could laugh, it would have. How many had challenged it? How many had died to its hands? The monster roared in challenge and stomped forward, still holding Cassa.

San pulled his sword out and his entire world condensed around the monster holding Cassa. The snow crunched under his boots and the wind seemed to be holding its breath, watching the battle in the clearing.

A thirty feet, the monster threw Cassa at San. For a moment the man gaped as he saw the flying child. He dropped his sword and lurched forward, following the arc of her body and then throwing himself to catch her as she fell. He landed heavily on his back, loose stone, brush, and hard snow causing the breath to explode from his lungs. Cassa moaned in his arms, shivering in the cold.

“I got you,” San said.

Then a great figure towered over him. San rolled away as a giant fist slammed down toward him. He rolled his knees and then to his feet, backing away with Cassa still in his arms. The white furred creature grinned at him, its bright blue eyes reflecting some kind of intelligence. The mocking smile told him that it was playing with him; that it knew it would win this fight and that San was already dead.

San eased Cassa to the ground, she cried out softly but he kept his eyes focused on the monster. His left hand pulled out his dagger and the right pulled out the revolver.

The monster moved fast, but not fast enough for San to pull the trigger. The .357 round punched it in the center of mass, but beyond a simple stagger and a roar of pain the creature didn’t stop. San fired again and again, the second shot punching into its shoulder and the third grazing an arm as it dodged out of the way.

A second later San was heaved off the ground, a massive hand clamping down on his right hand and the other wrapping around his ribs and pulling him upward; the grip was like iron and compressed his bones. He cried out and stabbed down with the dagger, the blade slide through fur and flesh, causing the monster to roar again. Its hand loosened on San’s own and he pulled the revolver free, shoving it agains the monster’s snarling face. He pulled the trigger and the side of the monster’s head exploded into a spray of blood and bone.

Immediately he dropped to the ground, the monster still stood, but it swayed back and forth. Blood poured from its wound, drenching the patchwork clothing it wore. The monster looked at San, the bright blue eyes dulling and then it fell to the ground in a loud thump.

San groaned and rolled to his feet. He staggered to the limp form on the ground, snatching her up and wrapping his arms around her.

“I’m here, Jules! I’m here! I got you,” he cried holding her tight.

Cassa began crying, a long wial of fear and terror.

“Azi!” she cried out.

San blinked and looked down at the bronze face, high cheekbones, and dark hair. It wasn’t Julia, it was Cassa. He rubbed at his eyes and rose to his feet. Cassa squirmed in his arms, but she was too scared to do much. Her large eyes landing upon the monster behind them.

“It’s okay, Cassa,” San said. “It’s okay. You’re safe. Azios sent me to find you.”

At the mention of her uncle’s name, she quieted. The wails turning to hiccuping sobs as she clung to him for warmth.

With some difficulty, San picked up the dropped weapons. The dagger, revolver, sword, and crossbow. The bolt was lost somewhere in the clearing and San wasn’t going to look for it. He took one last look at the creature. What was it? Some kind of piped piper?

Whatever the monster had been, it seemed to like children. San had no idea what that meant, but he imagined that it was nothing good. How many fairy tales told of monsters eating children? San looked down at Cassa’s dark head and took a breath.

She had almost been one of those cautionary tales. San shuddered and headed back to the barn. The wind and snow had returned once the fight ended. The show was over and there was business to do.

San rushed back to the farmstead, the path back was disappearing fast, but he knew the direction to travel. The mountains were behind them and all he would need is to find the creek if they got lost.

It wasn’t long before they exited the forest and the darkened shapes of the farmhouse and barn were visible. Cassa was shaking violently in his arms and she had stopped crying. He rushed toward the barn, the biting cold wind causing him to misstep a few times.

Azios had the door barred shut and he pounded on it.

“Open up, Azios. It’s San!”

The door creaked open and the head of a crossbow eased out, with Azios’ face behind it. He looked relieved and threw open the door. The relative warmth of the barn was excruciating on San’s exposed skin. Cassa gave a moan and clung tighter to him. They made it to the fire just as a stumbling figure climbed out of the tent.

Endaha was plastered with sweat and deathly pale. Her gaze was unfocused and drool and tears ran down her face.

“Let her go, monster!” she cried out.

“Endaha! No!” Azios yelled as she raised a matchlock pistol at him.

San twisted and covered Cassa as Endaha pulled the trigger lever. The boom of the weapon was thunderously loud in the barn, the grazers let out a terrified scream and began rushing around their pen. The woollys brayed in terror and slammed against the wooden pens, a loud crack filling the air.

He didn’t feel any pain. San looked down to see that the shot hadn’t hit him. Cassa was crying again.

“Let go!” Azios cried, struggling with Endaha. The woman was trying to pull the crossbow out of Azios’ hands, but the young man held a firm grip. San rushed over and pulled the weapon out of both of there hands.

Endaha looked at him with redden eyes, blinking rapidly. She swayed on her feet and then charged at him with the pistol reversed and held like a club. Even with Cassa in his arms, San dodged the attack and tripped her. She fell heavily and San kicked away the pistol.

“My baby,” she wept. Curling into a fetal position and clutching her stomach. San felt an immediate sense of fear and guilt.

“Oh, god. I’m sorry,” he said, crouching down before her. She knocked aside his helping hand.

“Monster,” Endaha muttered. Her gaze was becoming more unfocused and she tried clawing at him. She was weak and a moment later her eyes rolled back.

San checked her pulse and the heat coming off of was like a fire. Azios took Cassa as San picked the woman up and took her back to the tent.

“Monster…” she said again.

***

The storm raged outside of the barn, but with enough firewood and care, everyone was warm and fed. San pulled out a sack of imbar, the furry fruit, and began pulling the skin off. The events of the day kept replaying in his mind, the monster, the music, the horrid visage of the creature. He needed to clear his mind.

Azios sat with Cassa, who was sleeping, and watched him.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’ve got some time on my hands,” San said. “I’m going to see what I can do with this Fermentation Power.”

“Power?’ Azios asked amazed. “Leveled people have Powers. What does Ferment do?”

“I suppose it ferments stuff,” San said, chuckling slightly.

“And?”

“That’s it.”

Azios looked at San for a moment and down at Cassa. “Thank you,” he said, there were tears in his eyes.

“No problem,” San replied.

They sat in silence as San peeled the imbar and then began slicing them up. There was a wooden board he used and soon he filled up a cauldron of the chopped imbar.

Creating alcohol was just adding yeast to sugar and letting it consume all it could. The byproduct was alchohol and carbon dioxide, but yeast was a lover not a fighter, therefore all the equipment had to be sanitized so that foreign bacteria would not infect the brew.

If the fermentation power worked like actual fermentation, then that would be an incredible thing. Alcohol wasn’t the only thing that could be fermented, there was the kimchi like food Azios’ family stored, meat could be fermented, milk, beans, pretty much anything.

Before the invention of refrigerators, fermentation was one of the methods of preserving foods. If all the dangerous bacteria were killed off, foods would last a fair amount of time.

He had already sanitized the cauldron and his tools, so San dumped the imbar into the pot and began adding a bit of water. Soon it would begin boiling.

Beer making and the realization that with enough effort anything that had sugar in it could be turned into beer had led San and a lot of his brewing friends into experimenting. One friend had even turned toilet paper into moonshine.

Although he had never made a beet beer before, San had talked with friends about it. Imbar was as close to this world had to beets, although straining the black seeds and getting all the stringy sugary mass into the cauldron was a chore. The simple method would be to boil it, add water, and pitch some yeast into it.

San dug around in his pack. He had a small package of stuff that the wanted on himself when he died. He opened the plastic bag and dug through the contents. Within it lay several packets of yeast and a picture, the first yeast he had used when making whiskey had been bread yeast. Low alcohol tolerance, but a flavor would remain after distilling. The other was an ale yeast that he loved making beer with. The last packet was a distiller’s yeast, designed to be very high alcohol tolerant and fast in fermenting.

The distillers yeast was the most economical and most used yeast he had found. Distilling wasn’t just about making the best booze, it was also making it as cheap as possible and with as little downtime as possible. Every minute something was still fermenting out, was money loss.

He looked at the picture of his family. His grandfather, grandmother, father and mom, along with this two brother and one sister. They were all looking at the camera and smiling, the normal scowl on grandfather’s face.

San smiled at the picture and tucked it back into the plastic bag. In that same bag a small gold necklace fell out. San looked at it, the fine chain in his hands. That had been Mary’s necklace, one she loved for the simplicity of it. San felt along his chest and the lump of Mary’s wedding band pressed against his fingers. He looked down at his own hand and saw the simple gold wedding band on it.

How many days had he been in this world and he hadn’t even realized he was still wearing it. If it had been seen by others, he was sure they would have tried taking it from him. It was a good thing then, that he had been wearing his gloves the entire time.

San shook his head and picked up the distillers yeast.