System Break

I sniffed at the meat. "You sure you got this right?"

Ailen's forehead creased and he took a big wiff. He frowned. "Sakaala, want to try some meat?"

She ran over to us. "Why? I thought we didn't eat that stuff in these bodies."

We both glared at her.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"You're trading with the mountain-folk, you need to know its value," Ailen said and I was impressed with his cunning.

She took a bite and her face screwed up. She coughed. Then she fell to all fours and vomited.

I took the bag off her and glanced at Ailen. "You need more practice. Ask the cook to help you next time." I began to dig. "Let's bury this." Ailen nodded and helped me.

Sakaala stood and her eyes were watering. "I think it's okay. Like I said, we're not built to eat that."

"You want to trade it?"

She nodded. "If the mountain-folk hurl its free," she said before giggling.

We were strong; Ailen, Sakaala, Talila and me, but carrying a log on our shoulders was a workout and after six, we were worn out.

"We need an Ox," I said.

Talila giggled, "Don't let Gisael hear you say that. It's bad enough we're trading wood."

"Elred was happy, he was delighted to get rid of the some of the new growth. Something about it being out of balance and he said regrowth is a good thing."

Talila chuckled and shook her head. "I would never had predicted you and Elred would see eye to eye."

"We don't he's much shorter."

She laughed dutifully at my terrible joke. That's when you know a woman likes you.

Our pile was ready, and I stood guard with everyone except Gisael who was scouting other parts of the forest.

Sakaala was our trader and I was moral support. Ailen and Talila were up in the trees with bows and hundreds of arrows.

The artisans were not with us today, they wanted to see if we survived unscathed before even contemplating meeting with hairy mountain men.

A dozen came down the hill and they had oxen. I jabbed with my finger pointing at the oxen four times and looked back to Talila.

"Well met," Ulfgrim said and directed his lackeys to unload their goods and inspect ours. "You have a new trader?"

I looked at Sakaala. "She doesn't look like much, but you better tell your man to be on his toes."

His laughter was deep and rolling. With his weathered face, beard and furs it suited him. "I'm impressed you brought fine trees for us. I expected only fallen, rotting timber."

I shrugged and quoted Elred. "Regrowth is natural to a forest."

His eyebrow arched. "Hmm. I guess so. But when you mine a precious rock it is gone forever. Maybe a forest is wiser than a mountain."

I chuckled. "Don't get too deep on me old man. I'm paper thin."

He shook his head. "I know your folk are carefree, but you are strange indeed." His daughter joined us, and my eyes were drawn to her like they were on a string. The way she walked reminded me of a cat like grace. Her hips swayed and her eyes smouldered.

"We'll have more to trade in future once our artisans get on top of things."

"Like what sorts of things?"

"The best bows you can imagine. Oh, and we're starting to collect meats and skins for you."

The girl scoffed. "I saw them, they're awful. Father give him a good skinning knife, so they're not butchered next time."

He glanced at her and then back to me. "We have tools, fine metal ones and knives are our specialty."

"Make sure you get two good knives at least," I called to Sakaala.

He smiled but then a cloud crossed his expression. "I think this goes well and I'd like to talk more about your offer of friendship." He began walking away from his folk and we followed.

"We have a mine we visit now and then for ore and we search for precious metals. But lately thieves from The Reach have been sniffing around it."

"The Reach?"

His hand reached out and grabbed my elbow. "You've not run into them? They're always invading our mountains. And now we share the hills, they are trespassing on our joint lands."

"Hang on. I only said we'd share the hills; I didn't agree to defend them from the city to the east."

"It's barely a city. It's a fort with a bunch of shanties. They're from the south and they think to settle here in the wildlands."

"How long have you been here?"

He looked at his daughter. "Since she was small. A shaman brought us here more than a score of years ago. The wildlands have always been dangerous but with the purple storms it has become more so."

I looked up to the sky. "So, these portal storms are new?"

He nodded.

"Are you protected by a land core?"

He paused and looked at me. I held his gaze. "You have a land core and so do we. Perhaps there is nothing to hide from each other."

I nodded. "It mostly protects our forest from the portal storm spawns. So far."

"Mostly?"

"Well, we have a few unwelcome visitors."

He chuckled. "As do we. It is the same for us. But the mountains and hills are vast, and our domain is small."

"You should feed the cores you find to your land core."

She glared at me and huffed, but he wasn't offended. "You sound like our shaman. He says the same."

I stretched. "If he agrees with me, he must be a wise man."

The chieftain laughed and his daughter glowered.

"How many wives do you have?"

"Father," she said, and it sounded like a protest.

"Shush. It's a question one leader asks another."

"We're not like that. Apparently, I can sleep with anyone I like."

He laughed and slapped his thigh. "You are so carefree I fear you may corrupt us with your carnal ways."

She peered at me. "So, you sleep with all of your women?"

I met her fiery gaze with my own. "No. Only the ones I like."

She looked down at my groin and then back to my eyes. A short, high pitched scoff escaped her lips.

"Reyas, just because he doesn't wear trousers doesn't mean you should stare at his manhood."

"I wasn't," she almost shouted.

I smiled. "It's okay. I've been admiring her figure since I first laid eyes on her."

The chieftain chuckled. "Take care lad, you walk on dangerous ground."

I laughed. "That's the only place I walk."

He peered back at the trade negotiations. "It looks like they're striking a bargain. What do you think about my request?"

I looked to the east. There was a threat there, a fort filled with hungry, greedy men and who knows how many players who would be worse than the natives.

Then I looked at Reyas his beautiful, ferocious daughter. "I would like to explore the east and deepen our friendship. But I would come with you and leave the others behind."

"Leave your lethal archers behind?"

"Maybe I will bring one. But it would have to be a combined operation. Some from your clan and the best from mine."

He nodded. "Understood, you want to scout and see what you're up against before committing. You are wise. How old are you? I know your kind can live for centuries."

I laughed because the thought just struck me, he knew more about my kind than I did. "Not much older than your daughter."

"Really? Hmm."

She pulled one of her axes from her back sheath and flipped it in her hand casually. "Father, he has no armour, not even a sheath for his weapon. They have advantage in the forest because of the trees. This is too dangerous."

I held my spear in front of me. "You see this spear here. I killed a troll with this spear, and I was naked then too."

Ulfgrim stared at the spear. It was a piece of wood with no metal. It was a beautiful weapon and it looked sharp, but it didn't look deadly. He whistled. "That's some story you can tell me one day."

"How far to the east is the mine?"

He turned and followed my gaze to the east. "Dozens of miles. See that mountain with the white peak." He pointed and they all looked to have white peaks to me. "The peak with the black spot."

"Oh, yeah. I see."

"It's further than that. Probably three days run from here. More than a day from our fort."

"You have a fort? I'm impressed."

"You can visit on your way. Do you need to provision and tell the others?"

"Yes, let's meet back here in two days. That will give me time to prepare."

He held out his arm for me to clasp and we did without trying to break each other's arms this time.