--------------------5th day in Elth------------------
"Pull!" Floyd commands. Now we're back to the company's sawmill, today's job is to cut some boards. But first we had to unload the logs from the boat.
"God I miss that crane." Phill complains. Apparently that construction that would have made the job easier broke down two weeks ago, leaving the workers to haul the wood off the boat by hand.
"No problem! With Nyx's winning from yesterday, we can fix it!" declared Floyd, who was pushing the wood from the other end with Finn. "But what can we do, guys... we have to do this wood too... we have an order. And that means money."
Me and some other men I hadn't yet acquainted with, were pulling the logs up under the roof. In the corner of the building was placed the saw, a bunch of old galvanized gears. With a mule tied to a pole that turned a blade.
"Oh...pfff I'm exhausted..." spat Finn, clearly fed up with today's work. Clearly a result of last night's heavy drinking. "Well...let's cut these and be done for the day."
"True." Floyd cocked an eyebrow, somewhat taken aback that Finn gave instructions, but with not a hint of annoyance. He knew he was just stating the obvious. The job had to be done.
" Rookie! You push with the donkey!" Floyd declared to me. "You clearly can."
Me? Ohhh fuck...
My displeasure was clear. But Floyd didn't care. The animal was strapped to a wooden beam leveled with the floor and made to pull the machine in circles. I grab the same beam and start pushing.
"Eeh..Nyx... that's not the way..." Phil is about to call out, but a hand cuts in.
"Wait a second. Let's see if she can do it alone."
Within seconds, the noise of the spinning blades was audible, the bearings already a bit old and ungreased, but certainly moving at high speed.
"Floyd..?"
"What?"
"This girl's a jackpot."
-----------------6th day in Elth----------------
Apparently Sundays were free. Floyd, the tyrant of men, had at least the decency to spare one day of work per week.
And so I went out on the town. Yes, conserving my energy was essential, but staying cooped up in that room all day was not a good idea...Plus it could be fun.
It would have been a good idea if I hadn't ended up here. This part of town was poorly maintained. The tracts were muddy and the buildings were dilapidated, not to mention a lot of people underdressed or wearing no shirt at all or rags.
Definitely one of the lower neighborhoods.
One or more men were giving me a look. Few of them had any nerve for something, perhaps due to my appearance. I swear if it was night, I'd scare them off just by looking at them.
"Miss! Miss!" A little boy appeared on my right. He was dressed in red pants, blue blouse and a red little hat. "I need help! My friend is hurt! Please!"
Surprised by the boy's pleading, I froze for a second. A boy crying for help to a stranger was not something to do, normally should be looking for someone they know. Something urgent?
I nod yes. He takes me by the hand and guides me back in the direction he came from. His little legs hurrying to keep him in front of me. How cute.
He drags me into an alley. A dead end. "There! He's there behind the boxes!" Approaching to check, but I find nothing. No body, no blood. Turning to the boy, I see him running away. But out from around both corners come four men, some already with batons out. Obviously by the way they were dressed, they were locals.
"Right girl, give us what you got!" commands one of the men. He smiles nastily at me, a few teeth missing.
I close the distance between me and my current enemies."HA! Look at this woman! She thinks she's tough."
"Let's see what she thinks when her hands are not in one piece anymore!" one thief claims ready to hit me over my head.
He swings the cane hard and hits me over the shoulder, but all he managed to do was feel the blow in his hand. "KYYA!" he yells in pain.
Now everyone was alarmed. This woman took a blow on the bare shoulder and nothing! thought the man who had ordered the theft.
The man that hit me was still beside me. With a sudden jerk, I punch in his shoulder as well. But unlike me, he cries and falls to the ground. "AAAH! It hurts!" he says, clutching his wound. Most likely a broken bone.
I just walk away with no resistance. They got the message. Not even drawing my daggers, they knew they would die or be maimed.
-------------------7th day in Elth---------------
"Aaaah good morning." says George. Like every morning, he was in the parlor, preparing something to eat.
Now I could see him frying some sausages, eggs and bread on the stove. I knew I liked what I saw, but I didn't have the smell or the taste to enjoy it. Probably not the bowels to digest it.
"Back to work?" as ever, George was trying to make small talk before I leave. I nod yes. "Great, great. Well, I'll see you later."
He takes the food out of the frying pan, but I can see he sets it in two different bowls and walks through the back kitchen door. Not a bachelor? Married maybe? I didn't see anyone else. Big man always were looking for a girl. Thought George may hit on me by now like many tried with Kara before. At leas not till now.
Speaking of no one else, the inn was still as empty today, just as a week early.
---------------------9th day in Elth--------------------
"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Phill?" Floyd comments to his employee, worried about breaking the crane again.
"You said you didn't want to pay anyone!" rebukes Phill, already exasperated by his boss's toxic attention. The problem was simple from my view. The boys tried to lift something too heavy and the stand broke, bending a few pieces and tearing through the wood. At least the lifting wheel was still attached. Now Phill was replacing some of the wooden pieces with metal. The crucial part was a worm gear. Whatever the hell that meant.
Phill showed me this and that as I was holding parts and tools and keys or propping up the work.
--------------------10th day in Elth---------------------
Today sucked.
Last night's rain sure made the job messy. A few people slipped, including me, who took a log over my legs. Floyd cried so loud with heartache about losing his best employee. Only for Finn to pick him up and see that I was okay.
The mud ruined my clothes. Right after everyone left, standing naked in the river , I had to scrub them clean, it was kind of embarrassing. And then waiting to dry by the fire. Naked again. Meaning I needed more clothes. At least one more pair of pants and a shirt.
Over the corner by the wall of the inn I see George, with two bags on his shoulders, unloading something from a cart waiting near what I assume is his back yard.
Curiosity killed the cat, I suppose.
"Ah hey kid." greets George me as I got closer. I nod back and then at the cart trying to communicate with him. Screw you, you fucking dialog problems. "Just a few things like eggs, flour, cornmeal and cheese."
"You ordered some milk this time Geoge. Still in the back." reminds him the vendor.
"Yes, yes right now."
As George was negotiating with the salesman and discussing prices and what he'd like next week, I took a look around his yard. The same old stuff, firewood, a couple of barrels and a toilet. But in the corner was a wide target. Something to throw or shoot stuff at.
"Darling! Are you still outside? You left the door open!"
A woman appeared at the door. She was pretty. Blond hair tied up in a bun but her frame was small, thin. Unfortunately I couldn't hide the surprise on my face when I saw she was rolling around in a wheelchair.
"Oh! Eehhhh...hello!" greeted the woman. "Who are you?" she asked somewhat startled. Like her husband, I tower over her.
"This is Nyx. She's the one renting the room upstairs." George introduces the two of us. "She's mute."
Great fucking introduction George...
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"Nyx, this is my lovely wife, Silvia."
"I can speak for myself George, thank you very much." reminds the woman of her husband. She looks at me somewhat embarrassed." Nice to meet you, Nyx." she says it somehow with interest.
I place my hand on chest and give her a small bow. I'll never bow to anyone, ever again, but maybe once won't hirt.
She giggles at the unexpected display of good manners.
"Alas, alas! I like you already!" she declares, grinning at me briskly. "How about we all eat together in the parlor tonight. Eh?" Silvia asks with a hopeful smile.
I was lost for a second till I remembered I never met her before. But George comes to my rescue. "Eh... she doesn't like my food.." he says indignantly ,not looking at me.
Now the whole conversation was becoming awkward.
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My luck was getting better. Thanks to Silvia, I now know where to look for something nice to wear. Even if the clothes don't feel right on me, I still don't want them to tear when I move.
The store type was kind of lame. Everything was too girly for me. HA!!! Kara would have said the same thing. I was thinking as I walked down the street back to the inn.
The salesman directed me to another store. Said they sold clothes for hooligans like myself. Dick.
I finally ended up finding something interesting. I picked up a nice leather vest that came with two black T shirts. The gentleman even suggested white pants. I was a little skeptical, trying to find something else. I explained that we worked mostly in the woods. At that, mo calmly assured me that pants are tough and won't get dirty easy. And some gloves for outfit texture. Everything for just a silver coin and five coppers.
------------------11th day in Elth----------------
"You look hot Nyx!" remarks Phil. I was wearing my new clothes. Phill...seemed the type to never let anything out of sight. So did Finn and the others noticed my new clothes.
"Ok you wankers. It's pay time. Come here." Grumpy says Floyd. "Today I pay you in silver. "I don't want to hear you lose your money while on the job again!" Floyd seemed more tired today. We were again back in the woods, again cutting trees. When it's my turn, he tosses me two silver and 10 copper coins. "Last order paid well, so everybody gets a bonus."
People were nudging each other, happy and planning what to do with their new money. Some said they needed to fix a few things at home, others just happy to be able to buy food or a drink.
I turn to Phil, just as he's putting the money in his pocket. I didn't see how much he got, but I wasn't curious. "What?" he asks puzzled about my current focus on him.
"Okay everyone, back to work! We still need floorboards!"
Now the buzz died. More floorboards means more logs to carry and cut. Last time it took all day, past sundown, to finish the job. Guess I'll run that wheel again.
"Pair up as usual."
"Nyx, do you mind if I come with you again?" Phil asks perky.
I nod at him I agree. Phil was a nice guy. When he goes talking on and on, I just listen. Sometimes he rambles something interesting about what's going on in the city, feigning surprise on most stories. Other times just about how his day was or what he had for lunch.
"And then he said yes! Can you believe it?" Phil apparently happily retelling a story I wasn't paying attention to. "We meet tomorrow night. You know...because it's the night off."
Aaaah....a girl. Nice...
He was talking about what to do and if anything was going on. Just now I found myself distracted, enough to hit the axe the wrong way and break the handle in half. The splintered head flew off with the blade, leaving me with only the stump.
"Damn, Floyd's gonna be a firestorm. Better get Finn to make you another one. I'll finish this myself." I nod at his idea. Grabbing the blade, I walk away.
-------------------------------
Of course, my luck to have met Floyd first.
"That's coming out of your next paycheck!!!" commented Floyd annoyed.
"The fuck Floyd? Don't mess with the girl. We'll just make her another handle." responds in my defense one of my colleagues, giving a thumbs up.
"Well yeah...but..." Floyd was cut short before he can make another argument to justify the pay cut.
"GYYYYYYAAAAHHHHH!!!" someone yells at the top of their lungs. "HELP!!!" That someone was Phil. Across a slope dividing the bank from the woods, we see him running like hell.
"GRIFFON!" he yells.
Flying and leaping through the trees after Phill was something I've heard and seen in few books. The griffon was majestic. The lion's mane was black. The skin on his chest and legs was grayish, and the feathers on his wings and the tips of his tail were black with traces of red.
Luckily, Phill fled the monster and succeeded in hiding with the others behind a few logs, creating a line of defense.
"In the name of the gods! What are you doing?! Move! Nyx! MOVE!!!" yelled Finn. Looking confused at him, I see I'm the only one left in the open.
The beast crash-landed on the shore, roaring in full force at us. As if on cue, I'm chosen as its first target. I raise my hands gently at him, hoping to keep him from attacking.
It circles me, trying to look for a moment to attack. The growl was a clear sign of an attempt to intimidate me. In one smooth movement, it launches itself at me in a leap. Up close, the griffon was much bigger, like a cat stalking a mouse. Narrowing the gap to hand's length, it lunged with one of its wing claws. It hit me horizontally across the stopmac, propelling me off the bank into the river. I sank down for about two seconds before I managed to pull myself out. I was still in the shallows, but the blow knocked me flat on my back.
I see now the monster has lost its interest in me. It felt the blow as much as it threw me. Now he was concentrating back on the workers. In hopes to survive, everyone was spinning their axe and I could see Finn lit a torch trying to scare it away.
Shaking myself out of the water, I pick up momentum and tackle the griffon from the side. Everyone was freaked as the beast was thrown aside. Both of us falling down, it got up first.
"KWAAAAAAAAAH" shrieks the eagle-billed monster. In a flap of wings, it was airborne. In two seconds it lands on top of me, claws now on my chest, trying to bite with its beak through my head and neck and anywhere else it can reach.
The constant attack proved futile, leaving mere scratches from the sharp beak.
I smack it on the beak and kick it in the ankle, attempting to shake it off me. In one small movement, it grabs my arm with both back claws, flapping his wings and lifting us both in the air.
I try to swing at him to escape, but the erratic motion was getting in my way.
"Nyx!" Finn yelled in fright.
"Girl! Get out of there!" yelled Floyd.
Everyone scared and furious, cheering me to get away. But they were getting farther away and growing smaller. The griffon was gaining altitude, now flying over the trees.
This thing won't eat me. But damn sure I won't be landing wherever we go. Pulling the dagger out from my back, I slice across the limb.
"KWAAAH!!!" screams the monster upon realizing I've sliced through its flesh. Instinctly responding to the pain, it lets me go. Falling was just as nerve-wracking as flying, as much as it would be for a boulder crashing out of the air. The speed coupled with my weight tore through the trunk of one tree and plunged me into another.
AAAAH.... I somehow felt that..
I grasp the broken long splinters and pull myself out under the fallen tree. That thing did a number on me. The leather was hard and so only the talons tore holes through my new vest, but my pants were almost unaffected, finding few small or big splinters through the fiber. Damn, that man was truth to his words.
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