31st Fall 522 AV – The Maw
With his kukri he carefully hacked at the end of the fallen branch that Indigo had given him, splitting it by about six inches and them jamming a piece of debris he picked up by his foot into it, fingers keeping it open until it was set in place. It forms a kind of rudimentary fork, but the ends close enough that when he started to ‘sweep’ it across the ground before him it caught the leaves, twigs and various other pieces strewn across the jungle floor well enough. With a few sweeps back and forth he had already created two small piles, the solid but muddy ground beneath their feet exposed for them to see.
“Interesting, what can be created out of simple things” he commented as they both worked on clearing everything between the trees of their chosen campsite, forming a kind of detritus bump around the edge of the exposed area as they went.
“You’d be surprised what you can make with just the jungle as your resource. Tools, weapons, semi-permanent shelter, cups, baskets...everything really. What do you think Syka used before it became what you see it as today?”
“I’d guessed they had brought things with them. Riverfall is close” he started, but Indigo’s almost hissing chuckle stopped him short.
“Can’t go on a five day journey for everything green one. No, they lived of the land in a very real way, far more real than you have experienced...until now”
“And you taught them?”
“I did. Took time too”
“So you were here then?”
“Enough questions” she said, cutting it short in a harsher way than she had been speaking before.
“Just one more than...what would you accept in trade to learn these things you say? The ones that perhaps not everyone might know as well as you?”
“Live through the next few days, without annoying me and being too nosy, and we might be able to come up with some sort of...arrangement. Now...clear this out quick, we still have to set everything else up”
The rest of the next ten chimes or so was spent in silence, the ground cleared by its ending and both of them still alive and without incident when it came to poisonous creatures lurking in the undergrowth. They propped their cleaning tools against the tree and them Indigo started to order him to pull out the tarpaulins, hammocks and lengths of rope. Once they were out she walked him through what they were going to do, as well as showing him the knots they were going to use for the job of securing the tarpaulins, then the hammocks - a figure eight knot after wrapping around the trunk a few times for both. Then they got to work and for once he felt useful, asking Indigo to pause after she told him where they would have to climb to for the fixings.
“What are you doing?” she asked him.
“Just...wait” he said, pulling upon his Res and letting it flow forth out of his pals, pulling at it and letting it fall to the floor next to the first tree, shaping it and forming it into a rough oblong block, and then a second one slightly smaller - steps up to where he needed to stand.
His control had improved since he had first started using his Reimancy, but even so it took much of his mental focus to shape and form the rippling liquid, extending it and then fillnig in the thinned portions for thickness and sturdiness. It felt more like a part of him these days, though he used it sparingly. Still he was satisfied with the fact his ability to extrude larger constructs was improving, if far from perfect. It took a number of chimes but once it was in place he converted its core into stone, chaining te conversion from the inside to the outside. It was a rough thing, largely of a kind of simple basalt he had purchased fromt he Outpost and studied. It served a simplistic purpose and evne so it was slightly draining, sweat beading his tempels towards the end a little.
It was quick enough work after that, threading the ropes through the tarp’s toggles and larks head knots that they tied – she had to show him that also – and then he pulled at his Res, letting it flow from his well to form another small set of stone constructs for climbing. Within perhaps half of a bell both tarpaulin’s were in place, the hammocks swinging gently beneath them, and he had the chance to admire and puzzle out why they had been tied the way that she had chosen. There were at least three different angles to the tarpaulins, both overlapping each other partially. He scratched his chin as he wondered at their purpose – to keep rain off of them he assumed – and then realised what she had done with the angles.
“You’ve rigged it so that the water, if any, will run in different ways. None of them will soak us...but what? It...evens out the weight and stops any pooling from happening?” he asked her,
“Also means that it won’t collapse in the middle of the night under weight...at least most weight. Not just about the water though, there’s leaves and branches...some of them big ones. You want them to bounce where possible – hence the tight but not too taut rigging – and to not land on you. Or collapse it all on top of you. Though a whole tree falls...well Ovek’s luck ran out” she said with a certain grimness toward the end.
“Clever...very clever” he said, his tone genuinely admiring.
“Yes...well be thankful you didn’t have to learn it by yourself. Now, we’ll be sleeping close so I hope you don’t snore or I’ll be prodding you if you get too annoying. Nights can get cold here so there is an Isuas blanket if you need it, but mostly just use it as a pillow myself. I’d rig the packs up with other rope, keep them above ground, but we can just keep them in our hammocks for now, will show you that tomorrow maybe. For now...fire is the next task.
“You were clever too...by the way. Mage work. Made it easier. Well done” she told him, her words slightly awkward, as if this kind of praise wasn’t something she was used to giving.
“Thanks”
Words - 1073
.
With his kukri he carefully hacked at the end of the fallen branch that Indigo had given him, splitting it by about six inches and them jamming a piece of debris he picked up by his foot into it, fingers keeping it open until it was set in place. It forms a kind of rudimentary fork, but the ends close enough that when he started to ‘sweep’ it across the ground before him it caught the leaves, twigs and various other pieces strewn across the jungle floor well enough. With a few sweeps back and forth he had already created two small piles, the solid but muddy ground beneath their feet exposed for them to see.
“Interesting, what can be created out of simple things” he commented as they both worked on clearing everything between the trees of their chosen campsite, forming a kind of detritus bump around the edge of the exposed area as they went.
“You’d be surprised what you can make with just the jungle as your resource. Tools, weapons, semi-permanent shelter, cups, baskets...everything really. What do you think Syka used before it became what you see it as today?”
“I’d guessed they had brought things with them. Riverfall is close” he started, but Indigo’s almost hissing chuckle stopped him short.
“Can’t go on a five day journey for everything green one. No, they lived of the land in a very real way, far more real than you have experienced...until now”
“And you taught them?”
“I did. Took time too”
“So you were here then?”
“Enough questions” she said, cutting it short in a harsher way than she had been speaking before.
“Just one more than...what would you accept in trade to learn these things you say? The ones that perhaps not everyone might know as well as you?”
“Live through the next few days, without annoying me and being too nosy, and we might be able to come up with some sort of...arrangement. Now...clear this out quick, we still have to set everything else up”
The rest of the next ten chimes or so was spent in silence, the ground cleared by its ending and both of them still alive and without incident when it came to poisonous creatures lurking in the undergrowth. They propped their cleaning tools against the tree and them Indigo started to order him to pull out the tarpaulins, hammocks and lengths of rope. Once they were out she walked him through what they were going to do, as well as showing him the knots they were going to use for the job of securing the tarpaulins, then the hammocks - a figure eight knot after wrapping around the trunk a few times for both. Then they got to work and for once he felt useful, asking Indigo to pause after she told him where they would have to climb to for the fixings.
“What are you doing?” she asked him.
“Just...wait” he said, pulling upon his Res and letting it flow forth out of his pals, pulling at it and letting it fall to the floor next to the first tree, shaping it and forming it into a rough oblong block, and then a second one slightly smaller - steps up to where he needed to stand.
His control had improved since he had first started using his Reimancy, but even so it took much of his mental focus to shape and form the rippling liquid, extending it and then fillnig in the thinned portions for thickness and sturdiness. It felt more like a part of him these days, though he used it sparingly. Still he was satisfied with the fact his ability to extrude larger constructs was improving, if far from perfect. It took a number of chimes but once it was in place he converted its core into stone, chaining te conversion from the inside to the outside. It was a rough thing, largely of a kind of simple basalt he had purchased fromt he Outpost and studied. It served a simplistic purpose and evne so it was slightly draining, sweat beading his tempels towards the end a little.
It was quick enough work after that, threading the ropes through the tarp’s toggles and larks head knots that they tied – she had to show him that also – and then he pulled at his Res, letting it flow from his well to form another small set of stone constructs for climbing. Within perhaps half of a bell both tarpaulin’s were in place, the hammocks swinging gently beneath them, and he had the chance to admire and puzzle out why they had been tied the way that she had chosen. There were at least three different angles to the tarpaulins, both overlapping each other partially. He scratched his chin as he wondered at their purpose – to keep rain off of them he assumed – and then realised what she had done with the angles.
“You’ve rigged it so that the water, if any, will run in different ways. None of them will soak us...but what? It...evens out the weight and stops any pooling from happening?” he asked her,
“Also means that it won’t collapse in the middle of the night under weight...at least most weight. Not just about the water though, there’s leaves and branches...some of them big ones. You want them to bounce where possible – hence the tight but not too taut rigging – and to not land on you. Or collapse it all on top of you. Though a whole tree falls...well Ovek’s luck ran out” she said with a certain grimness toward the end.
“Clever...very clever” he said, his tone genuinely admiring.
“Yes...well be thankful you didn’t have to learn it by yourself. Now, we’ll be sleeping close so I hope you don’t snore or I’ll be prodding you if you get too annoying. Nights can get cold here so there is an Isuas blanket if you need it, but mostly just use it as a pillow myself. I’d rig the packs up with other rope, keep them above ground, but we can just keep them in our hammocks for now, will show you that tomorrow maybe. For now...fire is the next task.
“You were clever too...by the way. Mage work. Made it easier. Well done” she told him, her words slightly awkward, as if this kind of praise wasn’t something she was used to giving.
“Thanks”
Words - 1073
.
