//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Survival Measures // Story: The Survival Of The Species // by Borderline Valley //------------------------------// Rodin Everblaze In my mind’s eye the runes blaze with the energy I fed them. Finally, enough power has gathered and they vanish from my mind as if they had never been there. In my very real eyes, I behold the flash of light that accompanies the appearance of several dozen loafs of freshly baked bread. The woman carrying the once-empty basket bows to me, murmuring her thanks as she left. Out the door, I can see the line of others holding similarly empty baskets stretch and stretch… It’s nearly enough to make a man cry. I already have a pounding headache from casting the same spell, over and over, but I am nowhere near tapped. Meanwhile Sophia continued pleading, dangling on the end of my arm. “Please, daddy, let me try! I’m ready, I promise!” “You are not. The spell requires runes you will not learn for another four years.” I respond, again, my voice a dry monotone after a whole hour of denying her. I can hear her eyes pleading at me. “Isn't there another spell we can use then?” The question actually provokes thought from me. I suspect my mind to be desperately grasping at straws to satiate the little demon, but at this point I no longer care if I’m being manipulated. Anything to rest this headache. I go over the runes I know she knows, trying to piece together a solution I may have overlooked. The main problem was the ‘Creation’ rune. It was not taught to children for a reason, it was dangerous, and not because of its potential applications. Rather than create the food, what can she do? Transmuting requires forbidden runes as well… What if she just… summoned it? Where would it come from, there’s no civilization here yet. Or is there? “Alright, Sophia, I have an idea, though it may not work.” The resulting sound that came from her is at once joyous and subdued. I found myself smiling through my headache. “The runes are as follows. The center is Calling, tempered by Food, chained with the pair Edible and Human. Use a Limiter, but don’t set it too low. Got that?” As soon as I started naming the runes, her eyes both focused and unfocused in a manner I knew well. “Yes daddy. Anything else?” She sounds distracted, and she should. This is one of the most difficult spells I've assigned her. Almost without thinking, I pictured the runes for Sight and Magic. In a heartbeat I was watching as my daughter shown with a bright aura. That aura then bent, near her hand, twisting into strange geometries before shining with a bright light. She’s doing better than I had hoped. Not very efficient, but that’s to be expected. A soft ‘pop’ struck my ears and I drop my magical sight to behold her results. A wooden barrel rests before her, filled with some unknown liquid. On top of it sits what appears to be a freshly baked apple pie. “It worked” she exclaims, “I made a pie!” I feel the corners of my mouth twitch into a smile. “Not quite. You summoned a pie. And a barrel of… ” I worked the tap and scooped a handful of amber liquid to my nose and mouth. “Apple cider?” “Isn't that the same thing?” “Nope. Summoning works by taking something that already exists somewhere in the world, and bringing it to the caster.” It feels good to give a lesson, here where I don’t have to worry about keeping the guild secrets anymore. The guild no longer exists. Who cares if commoners overhear and learn a few things about magic they can never use anyway? Sophia frowned. “Isn't that like stealing though?” I wince. It is. Exactly like stealing. “Well… Yes. It was only cast it once. My spell actually creates the food out of nothing, so I’m not bothering anyone by doing it.”Except perhaps any gods of creation on this plane I add silently. “However, even if it was, the alternative is to let the whole village starve. It’s only a temporary measure anyway.” “I suppose.” Suddenly she looked a lot less eager to help. I was glad for the reprieve, but the line is getting antsy. Sighing, I picture the runes in my mind again, calling upon my reserves to fuel the spell. I could do this all day if I was only summoning it. We really need to find a proper source of food soon. The lake was fished dry after the second day, which I was almost glad for. I never liked the taste of fish. Of course, that left me as the only source of food left on this little Island. That cursed ravine apparently extends around the whole place, and we have yet to bridge it. Now, I pride myself on being a powerful mage, but conjuring enough raw food to feed the whole village has driven me quickly to my limit. I am hungry! This type of magic is fueled by my body after all! I swear I've lost weight. Not that I had much to lose in the first place, but that’s neither here nor there. The point is that this cannot continue. We need food, and that food is not on this side of that ravine. After the lunch crowd is over, I swear I’m going to go find Captain Weathers and get this problem solved! Samuel Weathers “I am not a tree, made so that others might come gather fruit at their whim! This arrangement is unacceptable!” I spare a glance at Rodin as he walks beside me. He looks gaunt, as if he hasn't slept or eaten in days, though I've seen him do plenty of both. His words rasp like sandpaper on a rough stone. Eh. I've seen him worse. “Indeed it is.” “And Sophia! Gods help me, she knows she’s reached the limit she’s allowed, but she keeps asking!” We left the doors to the gatehouse behind us and are approaching the ravine. I see two of my guards, scanning the forest beyond for threats. “Report, soldier.” To their credit they didn't flinch, nor take their eyes off the forest. Of course, they had warning in the form of an exhausted and ranting mage accompanying my normally silent approach. “Nothing of note, sir. We hear birds but that’s it.” That’s another thing I wanted Rodin out here for. It seems there is no wildlife this side of the ravine; save for the fish, not even the birds crossed the ravine. It makes me wonder if we were not camping on a deathtrap the wildlife knew to avoid. Either that or they knew we’d eat them if they so much as gave us half a chance. Food had been short, as Rodin knew well by now. Of course, there was a solution. Beyond the ravine was a lush forest, undoubtedly filled with all sorts of food, just waiting to be harvested. Of course, it was also filled with the animals that ate that food, and the animals that ate those animals and... who knows what else. As I looked at it, I could feel the fear encroaching on my consciousness and tried to squash it. Those shadows should not fill me with such foreboding. I suspected magic at play and had therefore brought along the magic expert. “Good. Rodin?” The mage ceases mid rant. Suddenly his eyes are boring into mine with tired curiosity. “Yeeeess?” “What can you tell me about that forest?” He turns, squinting at the trees as his eyes take on his reddish glow. He scrutinizes it, mumbling to himself. “There’s something odd… unless I can get closer…” He’s silent for a full minute. I follow his gaze as best I can, as the red glow of his eyes make his pupils hard to track. I’m pretty sure he’s looking at the trees, but I think he looked down at the ravine a couple of times. Eventually I just shrug and scan the forest for threats. I’m not a mage. Let mages do their thing. “Hey Sam,” he says after a while. “What?” I ask. “We need a bridge, right?” “Yes, but-” Without so much as waiting for me to finish, he sweeps his staff out in front of him in an arc. I can’t see the compressed air of his slash, but I know from training with him that it’s there. “but, we…” The wind launched from his staff reaches the other side of the ravine, colliding into the trees, and slicing through them like so much butter. “Ha.” his tired voice utters what was probably supposed to be a laugh. I look over to see Rodin tip backwards, and catch him before he hits the ground. He’s out cold. Oh look, the trees are falling. Towards us. And only one of my brilliant guards is running. “Back the fuck up soldier!” I shout, having to literally drag the other guard away from the cascading branches. I doubt he heard me through the cacophony that a dozen ancient trees make when they fall across a ravine. We got out of the way in time, thankfully. I sent the guards back to the Healers with Rodin carried between them, and got to work inspecting my new, very sub-par, bridge. Terry Forge I stand at our end of the bridge they lashed together, bored out of my skull. With literally, the entire guard out hunting and gathering, a few of us citizen-soldiers get to spend a few hours manning the gates, as it were. I suppose when you’re the last humans alive you gotta pitch in right? I swear to the gods, Nick better wait for me like he promised. We were transported here, right? None of our hammers are with us, not even a single piece of scrap metal to our name. Our forge? The anvils dad passed down to us? Our lives work? That’s all back home. Can’t complain too much. If we were home we’d be dead. Still. What’s a Forge to do without a forge, right? So. Imagine our surprise when the biggest smithy we've ever laid eyes on is handed to us on a silver platter. Even better! There’s this whole supply of old rusty arms and barding just waiting to be cleaned up or melted down. We finally organized the first room, but I got Nick to promise me he wouldn't start the actual smithy work till my shift is up. The kids were even harder to keep at bay than Nick, though I think I had an easier time of it than I would have if they weren't so hungry. I sigh. Guard duty. Nothing exciting ever happens around here. I think the worst part about Guard Duty is that you have to wait for something to happen, while fervently hoping nothing ever does. I mean, what makes Guard Duty exciting? Trouble. But trouble gets you killed. I hefted my hammer, and look over at my partner on duty. It’s one of the tailors, name escapes me, but he does good work. Did. He did good work. Doesn't exactly have the right tools for that anymore, now does he. I suppose my family’s lucky like that. Now that I think about it, almost nobody can do the same work that they used to. Damn, that sucks. ... I’d give my left foot for some action. … A sniffing noise comes from the other end of the ravine, followed by the biggest damn cat you’ve ever seen. But this one has wings. And a scorpion tail. I break out in a cold sweat, “I didn't mean it, I swear!” “ROAAAR!” The cat-thing made to cross the bridge and devour me messily. But then it stops, acting like it was stung by a particularly nasty wasp or something. It snorts in agitation, and shuffles backwards into the forest cover. I can’t even hear its footsteps anymore. Tailor-man just fainted. I kinda envy him. Now I get to be the one who reports this. Alexander Birchwood The good Captain and his guard returned successful from the hunt. He brought us deer, among other things. Wild berries and fruit are going to take some getting used to, I’d imagine. I’m not complaining, though. It’s barely enough to satiate the hunger of so many, but it is enough. The Captain tells me that we’re lucky it’s Springtime here; were it winter we would be starving. What this tells me, is that we’re going to need a more permanent food-source eventually, but so long as we can hunt and gather in the forest, we will survive for the moment. What we really need are farms. Too many families were nothing but simple farmers a week ago. I rest my head on the desk I’m sitting at. Everything is too small; small and oddly shaped. Rodin can’t tell me what used to live here, but it certainly wasn't human. At least the Forges and Woodworking families have had enough to keep busy. This desk is somewhere on their list of things to modify for human use, but in the meantime I have to make do. Construction proceeds as well as could be expected. We've got a nice series of hovels underway, made from stone blocks and mud, and furnished with ferns or something from the nearby forest. Soon we might actually have enough shelter for everyone to sleep with a roof over their head. Imagine that. The Captain had the castle's old walls torn down, he said they were “as liable to help an invader by toppling onto us while we slept as keep anyone out.” And then he ordered the construction of a new wall, hugging the edge of the ravine. I think he’s just a little paranoid of the forest, but it gives the people something to do. I don’t even want to think about what would happen if so many were bored out of their skulls at the same time. It would likely end us. I stand from my too-small desk and stretch. I’d better go make rounds again. As nice as it would be, I can’t be seen to just sit around all day. Rodin Everblaze I finally awake to the lovely smell of disinfectant. I’m not even going to ask the Healers where they got a hold of it, but it serves to instantly tell me where I am. “Welcome back Mr. Everblaze. We've got to stop meeting like this you know.” I groan at his horrific attempt at humor. “Stow it, James. How long was I out?” “Only a day, this time. Sophia brought you flowers.” With an effort, I manage to achieve a sitting position. It aggravates my headache, but it’s worth it. The flowers are pretty. Reds and yellows, their fragrance reminds me of a rare spice I once sampled when I visited Noxin that one time. “hmmm. Remind me to thank her.” “Of course I will. Here, drink this.” He hands me a cup of something. Like an idiot, I put it to my lips and take a swig without thinking. It tastes like the underside of a pig in the midday sun. I choke on it as the bastard laughs. “Not very pleasant, is it? Well, we don’t exactly have much to work with here, let me tell you.” His eyes are mischievous, but I can tell he’s anxious. I would be too. “How are they doing?” I ask. Swivels on his makeshift stool and looks at the other patients in the room. There are four of them. All of them are strangers in this town, soldiers of some kind from the war, sent to us so that they could heal. “We've been able to keep them stable, but recovery will be slow.” He meets my gaze. “We need sacrifices if that man’s arm will ever be restored. We both know that.” I nod. “I’ll ask the Captain to try capturing a few animals. But we need the food. If all else fails, I’ll summon something.” He frowns. We both know the implications of summoning live creatures. “You’ll do nothing until you've recovered. Healer’s orders.” Fair enough. That gives the Captain time to snag a few live rabbits or something. I roll my eyes and lean back onto my makeshift bed.“Fiiine.” "Good. Now, food then rest." Mender brings me something to eat, a wild pear and some venison. It’s better than the bread I made, that’s for sure. One quick breathing exercise later and I’m out like a candle.