《The Red Lands》Chapter 3 -Selling a Plan
Advertisement
Selling A Plan
Ming was the eldest youth in the slum area. At fifteen he had already experienced a slum winter. He entered the slum late last year and missed the forced recruitment drive of the bandits. If lucky he might be able to gain a spot with them or survive till seventeen to enter the garrison.
In a small village, nearly everyone knew through gossip some history of others. Ming was the only child of his parents. In a fit of rage after seeing his father abuse his mother he attacked and crippled one of his arms. That incident earned him a place in the slums.
"What the heck did you say?"
He was looking at Chu as if he was popping pills.
"I asked if you wanted to make some money, are you interested."
Chu's reply came with a calm and serious face.
"You... you serious?"
"Yep"
He gave Chu a stare for a minute and then invited him in. The previous Chu's reputation and self-sacrifice for his family, possibly sparked a kindred spirit. Or maybe it was just the lure of money from a pauper of the same.
The shack was the same as Chu, just warmer. He would chalk it up to the owner having experienced and survived a winter. Chu sat down with him in the center and wasted no time.
"I want to get out of here."
"We all do."
Was his reply. Through the flickering light of the fire, his poker face looked back.
For a person whose previous job had him negotiating with others, Chu was far from intimidated. He was not the little boy here.
"I choose you for various reasons. One is that you survived the winter and proved you are tough. Two is that I feel I can trust you. Lastly, number three is that I cannot do this plan on my own."
In that little statement along with a sincere voice and face, Chu bombarded him with the wall breakers.
You are tough, that means I admire your strength. You are trustworthy, I am trusting you with my plan and possibly my life. I cannot do this on my own, I need you and depend on you.
'Was he here to sell a plan or making a move on a girl?'
"I don't get what your saying but can we really make money?"
Chu nearly smacked his dumb face. He finally realized he was dealing with a child and not some shrewed businessman. The poker face from before was just his usual dumb look. A change of presentation seems to be needed.
"We can make money. Will you be willing to risk your life with me?"
Chu waited for his answer. If the reply was no, he would just need to try another person.
"Hummm...well you seem like somebody who wouldn't stab a guy in the back. Hmmm... okay, I am in."
Advertisement
Chu knew he had the marking of a guy who would listen. It was easier to trust a child than some of these old adults in the slums. People tended to be treacherous when it came to money.
"We are going to hunt some animals in the forest."
"Eh?"
He shuddered in surprise.
"No, no, no..... not a plan! Winter is nearly here, you probably don't know but now is considered dangerous, and it will get even more frightening. No, no last year the slums had nearly one hundred people living. After winter there were less than fifty.
More than half of those were carried away at night by wild animals in the night. No, no it is gonna be scary not knowing if you will be killed at night, much less for hunting."
He shook his head while waving his hands maintaining an expression of fright. It was as if a wolf suddenly stepped into the shack during their conversation. Chu raised his hand to stop him talking and prevent him from backing out.
"Hold up a moment. Right now the main problems will be the lone Grey wolves. Until the height of winter comes, they will continue to act in isolation. Only then will they move as a pack. All I need is a friend to help lay a trap and spend the night in the forest."
"Whaaaaa? Are you crazy! Not even the seasoned hunters would dare to spend the night in the forest."
Chu grabbed Ming's tattered cloak as he tried to scooting away. The boy seemed to have lost his wits, he forgot this was his own shack. He did make a valid point, unless it was a party of adventurers or a team of hunters, the forest at night was taboo. A trapper or hunter would prefer to trek for half a day than remain in the forest at night.
"Hear me out. Right now the wolves are the main problems. As you said they would rarely move in packs until middle winter. Tomorrow I just need you to help me gather a firewood bundle while I collect some items in the forest. For the second load, I need you to help me find about ten stout branches to make into wooden spears."
Ming gave him a puzzled look. It was not to different from the usual dumb look.
"That...that is all?"
"Yep. That is all for the first day. The next day is when it get exciting. I will be counting on you."
"You mean staying in the forest?"
"Yes. I can only count on you. You look like someone who will be willing to risk it all, just to leave this place."
Chu gave him a glance.
"Remember, I will not ask you again. Decide for yourself"
Chu left him with that and got up and left in the darkness. He stumbled my way back home under the light of the moon. Under the dim light he relighted the hot coals by blowing on them and got a fire going. He then shut the door to the hut. With a little help he should be able to start his plan tomorrow.
Advertisement
"Wake up!"
The shout and banging on the shack was loud. Fortunately Chu was already dressed and ready. Having downed the last of the health food, He had to spend some extra time to gather some roots for cooking. He got out and walked out with the rest of the crew to the forest.
Ming was relatively silent. Chu was thinking that this big idiot was going to back out from just this simple task. When they entered the tree cutting area and everyone started scattering, Ming held back with him.
"I will be waiting here with the bundles for you. I am trusting you on this you know."
Chu gave him a genuine smile. If a person experiences life in a gutter, only they would understand how important that first helping hand is in their life.
It should be noted at this point in time that Chu has NO fricking experience in what he was attempting. Watching TV shows in the middle of a big city is definitely different from real life.
This plan of his was based on knowledge from the 'tube' and some gossip with the old folks in the village he worked on earth.
The hunters in the village trap and snare small game like hares. Groups usually hunt wild boars and deer. Rarely do they hunt the dangerous ones like wolves.
With the forest close by containing a near endless supply of game, why were so many suffering from near starvation?
The first reason for this was that strolling in the forest for a little game was dangerous. The probability of meeting up a deer was much lower than encountering a wolf or other predator. The average humans still valued their lives, nobody would be willing to act as bait.
The second reason was that some animal meat was considered poison. The carcasses of those that were deemed poisonous were not wasted however. They were cured and preserved to be sold in the cities as ingredients for certain guilds.
According to his 'new' memories, the dangerous animals around were the Grey wolves. Large like a small calf, they were built for speed and endurance. The best thing about wolves were that they couldn't climb.
Around the villages near the forest, it was the lone wolves that hunted. Most of the wolf packs moved about deep in the forest. Winter time was a different story, the packs moved outwards seeking easy game among the villages and outlying farms.
The most dangerous of these were the packs formed from the lone wolves that banded together. It was these beast that had the experience and cunning to bravely attack human settlements.
Chu searched around until he found a suitable place for his plan. He then foraged for the best looking mushrooms he could find. Once he had collected enough, he made his way back. Ming was already waiting for him. Together they made their way to the Trading Post with their loads.
The Trading Post had two buildings. One was inside the village and sold finished items from axes to flour. The other was located on the outside of the village not far from the south entrance. This one served as the collection and rough processing point for furs and firewood.
The clerk in charge at the collection post was a large bear like man. Despite his fierce demeanor, he was not a total beast. This could be seen from how he allowed the slum residents access to the well for drawing water. Older folks were paid in pieces of firewood for tending the horses and other odd jobs.
Ming waited for a while until Chu finally came out holding a bowl at arms length. From the owner's contorted face he realized it was something disgusting even before the stench hit him.
"What are you doing with that?"
"Heh, part of the plan."
Chu returned to his shack to start his work. Ming was ordered to head back into the forest and gather about ten branches that could be used as rough spears. He was to return as quickly as possible.
In a small pot on the fire, Chu stirred in the pieces of fat he strained out from the bowl. Under the slow heat he melted it until the water had boiled off and it looked consistent. He then poured it into a small cup to cool and solidify.
The next thing he boiled down were the mushrooms. These were the best he found, all bright red and yellow that even a blind man would avoid eating. If this world followed the same rules as earth, there was no way in hell these mushrooms were edible.
Finished. he placed it to cool on the side. Taking the fat that had begun to solidify he molded it into a pellet. Making a hole he stuffed the mushroom gruel inside and sealed it. During this time Ming returned dragging eight branches that were around six feet. Chu set him to work showing him how to burn and scrape the ends with the small knife to make it pointed.
Just before sunset they were completed and ready with seven pellets and eight sharpened rough spears. The remaining poison was smeared onto the spear points. Chu looked at Ming who was still in doubt.
"Hey, go get ready! Don't even think of backing out now."
Advertisement
I'm on TDY from Hell
Temporary Duty (TDY): refers to a soldier’s assignment to a location that is not their permanent duty station. This type of duty is often looked upon favorably by soldiers due to various perks: per diem pay, lodging, meals and incidental pay. Do you ever think about what comes next? What happens after you draw your last breath? Gerald never did. It didn’t even cross his mind on the day he died for his country. But now he’s there. Now he’s living it. Death wasn’t the end, it was only the beginning. I’m on TDY from Hell is a Dark Supernatural Fantasy from the mind of BeamMeUpScotty who brought you the superhero fanfiction, A Change of Pace. The original military sci-fi space opera, Two Worlds; and the realistic superhuman science fiction novel The Harbinger Tales. Currently, it will post one 2000 – 3000 word chapter a week on Friday evenings EST. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
8 124From My Enemy to My Love (bxb)
* I thought it might be time for me to pull away now that he was calm, but Vincent surprised me. His long arms, slowly wrapped around me. I hadn't expected this. I hadn't expected to get warmth for warmth. I couldn't pull away now. I held him tighter. "I can't believe you," he said quietly next to my ear. "But I want to believe you. Maybe you are different." He lifted his head off my shoulder, but instead of pulling back his face got closer to mine. "Maybe you and you alone are different." He kissed me.* Vincent has always had a desire to protect his best friend from those who would take advantage of his wealth. So when his best friend starts dating someone that Vincent is convinced is only out for his money, Vincent is determined to do all he can to break them up. Chet has never seen his best friend date anyone, so when he starts dating someone and is genuinely happy, Chet wants to support him anyway he can. Especially when he finds out someone is trying to break them up. This book is intended for a mature audience. The main characters are adults. This is a male/male romance story. There will be sexual content. Names, characters, events and incidents are a product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. Copyright 2019: All Rights Reserved
8 199A Space Odd-yssey?
A 90 years old veteran of Galactic Star Federation retires after 70 years of service as a legendary hero. After long years of service, Commander Calb Colbert felt tired and old. He decided that he would breathe his last breath on his home planet Earth, and thus he embarks on a journey back home. However, fate does not let him retire nor die. He gets caught up in a mysterious meteor storm and is flung across the galaxy, through a mysterious window to become a 20 years old man in a world of magic! He's given a second chance at life! He brings into this world of magic something only he can. Will he become a legend in this world of magic as well?This is a story of a man given second chance at life, with new hope, and perhaps, new love!
8 149Mated to Twin Princes
"Miss Alexia, you look ravishing and beautiful" Luke began and Hayden finished off. We shook hands and shivers went down my back, the wind rose and water began to slowly rise from a small glass cup. "She's the one" Luke whispered. He called his mother, to get their father, the king "Attention to the people of White Heart, Prince Hayden and Luke have found their mate. Please rise as to introduce her, here is Miss Alexia Rose Blake. Your soon tou be new Queen and Luna of LockHart." King Devin announced. (The cover isn't their actual fur) highest rank #482 werewolf - 6/3/17#25 ELEMENTAL - 11/14/18#21 ELEMENTAL - 11/19/18
8 423Words I Left Unsaid
"Like a treasure map in a bottle, We were slowly drifting apart, Mother Nature sailing our purpose out to sea, The more I got to know you, I realised how much of a hoax your devotion was, Almost as fake as the smile I paint across my shattered face."This collection of poetry releases trauma in the form of expression - mainly the words I could never build up the courage to say. Most of these poems present conflict of the mind and allude to mental health struggles, which may be relatable to a certain community of people.Ranks -#3 in poem#3 in poembook#8 in poetry collection #7 in sadpoems#6 in poemcollection #7 in wisdom #15 in poetic
8 52Release Me
Highest ranked- #10 in action 2/16/2017 A promotion. That's all I wanted. I didn't want to run for my life. I didn't want to be kidnapped. I didn't want to face death. I didn't want to find out my whole life was a lie. I just wanted a bloody promotion. Guess fate had other plans? **** The cold air fanned over my face as I opened the door. The exit door lead to the back of the building so it was pitch black. I leaned against the wall trying to control myself. Blood was running down my arm and head. My hair was stuck to my face from all the sweat and blood. Everything was spinning around me and the ground seemed like it was shaking. Groaning I sat down and put my head on my knees. He knows who I am. He knows how I look like. He knows where I work so possible knows where I live. I am not safe anymore... no where. While I was in my own world I heard faint sounds behind me but I didn't bother to look or run away. The footsteps got closer and I was pretty sure it was Walker's men. I should run. I should try to fight. But what's the point in trying to run away? He would eventually find me and if he has his way he would most likely kill me. If this is my fate then why am I trying to fight it? I felt someone harshly grab my waist and pull me up and I complied. They dragged me down the alley and into the busy street. I heard the opening of a car and the next thing I knew I was being thrown into a car. My head hit the hard leather seat and the door shut behind me. Maybe this is how my life will end. Maybe I should just let it happen. Maybe I was destined to die alone as a no one. With that I let the darkness consume me.
8 107