Death Cap - Twenty-Nine - Success Begets its Own Unique Form of Reward

I planned to show up at the new Union headquarters the next morning, but I wasn’t going to be stupid about it.

First, I dressed entirely differently from the day before. Or as different I could afford on my budget of nothing. I knit a cover for my satchel to make it look different, this one with little flowers on it and all, and I knit myself a shirt with a long hem that looked a little bit like a dress.

Tying my hair back in a long braid and forgoing any hats left me looking like a proper young slum girl from one of the nicer parts of the slums.

The next time, I’d dress like more of a boy, to obfuscate things even more. Maybe I could set up multiple recurring disguises that I could switch between? One for business, one for murder?

I liked the idea.

Sir Nibbles did not like having me place a bonnet on his head, but he endured that because otherwise he’d have to hide in my satchel the entire time.

I also, of course, carried enough lethal mushrooms to wipe out a city block. [Dead Man’s Cough]’s under my clothes and different poisonous mushrooms tucked away wherever I could stuff them.

If someone smacked me around, I’d release entire clouds of lethal spores with every fall. Hopefully that would be enough to dissuade anyone from doing anything stupid.

My big problem was... well, I was worried that I’d done too good of a job the day before with the bullies. They probably weren’t happy with me, understandably so, and it was possible there was something akin to a bounty out for my head.

I was putting a lot of trust in the animosity between the Union and the bullies.

Once I was all geared up, I made sure to give my mom a quick kiss on the cheek before heading out. She was busy preparing for her own day at the factory, though she did pause to say that I looked nice.

I ran over the gains I’d gotten the day before as I crossed the slums. They weren’t too numerous, but they counted for something to me.

[Sprint]

You conserve stamina better while pushing yourself to move faster. As you practice you will gain speed and endurance and become a better runner.

That was just useful. It wasn’t incredible, it wasn’t Earth-shattering, but it did something simple that I needed help with and made it easier. When I tried to move fast I found it easier and less tiring. Less didn’t mean not at all, of course, I couldn’t go too far without running out of breath still. The skill didn’t make up for bad lungs.

A few other skills had jumped up a level or two faster than they should have otherwise, but even that accelerated growth wasn’t that noticeable in the grand scheme of things.

Or maybe it was.

I’d done a week or two’s hard work in one afternoon. Maybe it was using skills in new ways, or maybe it was just the challenge I faced and risk I took that helped me get ahead. Either way, I would take the growth I got and be happy about it.

Name: N/A

Race: Human {Common}

Age: 7 Years

Mana: 33/39

Primary Class: [Feronie’s Crusader {Epic}]

Afflictions

- Black Lung {Common}

- Child of Poverty {Common}

Blessings

- Blessing of Feronie {Unique}

Feronie’s Crusader Class Skills - Level One Hundred Forty-Three

- Aura of Growth {Rare} - Level Fifty-Seven

> [Shaped Aura]

> [Careful Casting]

- Blight {Epic} - Level Twenty-Six

> [Persistent Death]

- Ritual of Sporemageddon {Legendary} - Level One

- Druid Sight {Uncommon} - Level Thirty

> [Druid’s Sense]

- Mushroom Magic {Rare} - Level Twenty-Nine

> [Super Shroom Zoom]

General Skills - Level One Hundred Fifty-Three

- Running {Common} - Level Forty

> [Surefooted]

> [Sprint]

- Knitting {Common} - Level Sixty-One

> [Patterner]

> [Clicky Clacker]

> [Resizer]

- Basic Poison Resistance {Common} - Level Twenty-Four

> [Mana Bleed]

- Social Manipulation {Uncommon} - Level Thirteen

- Poison Handling Expertise {Rare} - Level Twenty-Five

> [Iron Lunged]

Progress was progress. I liked it when the numbers went up.

The new Union Headquarters had to be some sort of factory once. It was a much taller building, sandwiched between a cannery and a place that stank of burnt rubber. The front had a normal entrance on one side, and a loading dock on the other with a rickety ramp leading up to it and stagnant water collecting at the bottom.

It was all tin and red brick, with the word ‘WEDMOND’S’ in faded paint on one side.

A few carts were still parked out front, with some union guys unloading a few smaller items one at a time with a distinct lack of urgency.

I was spotted on my way over. One boy tapped another, pointed at me, and his friend jogged into the union building. By the time I was nearing it, Gary was walking out to greet me. “You made a mess of things,” he said.

“Usually we start with ‘hello’ or maybe ‘good day,’” I said. “Maybe even a compliment? I dressed up to come here, you know?”

“Uh-huh,” he said, his arms crossing. “You know, when I told you to distract the bullies, I had something less explosive in mind.”

“The union put a cost per head and set out some clear rules. I didn’t break any of them while maximising the amount of money I could make. I don’t see what’s wrong,” I said.

He rubbed at his face, which only spread the bits stains on his dirty cheeks around. “Fine. Come on, Markham wants to chat.”

I worked to hide my nervousness as I followed him into the old factory. It had a decently open floor space which was already being subdivided into different areas. Sleeping quarters, kitchens, a place to eat. The usual set up. The offices were on a floor above, with a wide window that could overlook the factory’s main floor.

“What was this place before?” I asked.

“Machine shop. They made parts. All the equipment for that’s been sold off though. We’re renting it for the next six months, if we even stay that long,” Gary said.

“Are the bullies likely to oust you?”

He sniffed. “They’d love to try. But no, you might have kicked the hornet’s nest, but they’re not after the union about it. I think Markham’s actually pretty pleased with the entire thing.”

“Then why the greeting?” I asked.

He glanced my way. “Because you put yourself into way too much risk just to play a prank on some assholes who aren’t worth the time.”

I blinked. Until then I hadn’t considered Gary much of a person at all. He was a contact at the union who was occasionally helpful. But he actually seemed to care for my well-being. That was a little heartwarming, actually. “Thanks,” I said before stepping past him. We’d reached Markham’s office, or his secretary’s in any case.

Janet smiled at me. “Mister Markham’s expecting you, go on in.”

I nodded and slid into the office. It was more spacious than his last one, with that window into the main factory really helping to make it feel bigger. But it lacked a few of the amenities he had. No carpet, for one thing, just a wooden floor that wasn’t varnished and which probably collected dust like nothing else.

Markham was behind his desk, looking at me with his hands linked over his mouth. He waited until the door was closed before addressing me. “How much did Gary promise you?” he asked.

So it was straight to business. “One shilling per bully taken out,” I said.

He nodded, then opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out a purse. I watched with my gut churning as he pulled out shilling after shilling and stacked them on his desk. “Here’s thirty,” he said. “We don’t have an exact number, but I think this is a fair amount.”

That was over seven hundred mushroom skewers worth.

But it was given too easily, which meant I could ask for more. “What are the impacts of this going to be? The bullies, I mean.”

“They aren’t happy about it, obviously. Seven of them shat themselves in public. A couple had to be hospitalised. And one of them ran into a horse-drawn carriage and punched the horse’s lights out.”

I blinked. He said that without a hint of humour, but his eyes gave him away. He thought the bullies looking like idiots was great fun. “I’m happy things worked out, then,” I said. “You know, embarrassing the force so thoroughly should come with a greater reward than just this.”

He sniffed, then tossed his purse back into his drawer. A moment later he pulled out a single coin and placed it next to the others. It was bigger. “Those mushrooms you used, can you produce more, and can anyone use them?”

I felt a shiver run down my spine. That was a very dangerous line of questioning.

I would have to tread the rest of the conversation very carefully.

***