El and Kib both sleep their injuries off as long as they can. El takes the day to stay at the farmhouse with Arkin’s wife Helen. She sews his clothes back up and tends to his injuries much to El’s complaints. The teen figured he’d be working in the house to take it easy today, not being coddled by an old farmer woman.

The front door of the farmhouse opened and Erin stepped in with a wicker basket. She had on a white blouse with a green vest. The basket was filled with bread, cheese, berries, and even a jar of honey.

“I brought a few things from the market for you.” Erin closes the door and then turns to see El laid back on a chair covered in furs. El was uncovered with nothing but underwear on. He didn’t so much think about it around Helen and Arkin since they were his adoptive parents. Yet here was Erin.

El quickly pulls a fur blanket over himself before composing his thoughts.

“You look like shit.” Erin smiles.

“Oh, well, yeah I got into a fight.” El looks down.

“I heard you upset the Fodgemeister. Didn’t know you got that bad of a beating.” She looks down at his leg. The thigh is wrapped tightly with a poultice underneath the bandages.

“Those goods for Helen?” El nods wanting to change the subject.

“Yeah, is she around?” Erin asks.

“She’s sewing up my clothes in the back.” El shrugs.

“Sewing?” Erin digests the information given from just that clue. “They didn’t just brawl with you. They went at you with weapons. With swords and axes. Didn’t they?” Erin’s eyes burn with an anger El had never seen.

“It’s fine. I technically won the fight. And Arkin broke it up before I could do any more damage to them.” El downplays the truth of the actual fight he had.

The halflings, Top especially, knew he was fighting goblins. If they hadn’t said anything to the others in town that means they know what El is now. A Rat-Catcher who would be killed for hunting monsters.

“Alright, I have a shift at the tavern, so I’ll leave this food with you.” Erin sets the basket on the dining table in the next room. She breaks off a bit of bread, walks across the room, and leans down to hand it to El. “You need to get your strength back up.”

“I’m trying.” El smiles.

Erin gives him a wink before leaving. El really wanted to tell her the truth, but it felt wrong to let her of all people know how much danger he actually puts himself in.

Passive Income

Laborers

12 Silver

Kib takes the day off too. Having heard about the fight from El some of the halflings brought Kib a waterskin full of Rye Whiskey. The kobold smelled it, gagged, but quickly came to the realization that it could clean his wounds. And thus he used it for medical purposes.

Days Rest

El

12/25

Heal 2 x Level

Kib

12/15

El dreams of fields of white flowers, fireflies, and a rat. A rat guiding him through the fields. He follows it to a single willow tree atop a hill, but the rat climbs the tree leaving El on the ground. He waits, but his friend never comes down. When he looks back to leave he sees the hill is now an island in a sea of blood. Blood that is slowly rising. El turns back to the tree to see it covered in nails. Nails he had willingly given away.

He looks up the tree, spotting the rat, waving to him. He looks to his left to see Bandlor, Arkin, Helen, and Drigs hung from the branches. He looks to his right to see Kib, Erin, and Top hung from the branches. Top is full of arrows, Kib is missing his tail and an arm, while Erin is missing anything past her waist.

El turns back to the tree as blood rises up to his calves, surging around him, threatening to drown him. He has to climb. El slams a hand down on the nails, they pierce through his flesh, as he pulls himself up to slam his other hand into the nails. He rips his left hand off the nails and reaches higher to pull himself up. His bare feet find purchase on the nails as they cut into his skin.

El grits his teeth, he looks up to see a hand held out towards him, and he reaches for it with his blood-soaked hand.