Sporemageddon

Black Mould - Thirty-Three - Like a Predator Smelling Blood

Black Mould - Thirty-Three - Like a Predator Smelling Blood

Youll pay me? Eight-Three-Eleven asked.

Thats what I said, I replied as I puttered around my farm. I was setting everything up. I had a tin box in which I was storing all of my [Mana-Infused Brown Horse Head] mushrooms. I was hoping that having the mushrooms in an enclosed case (I had one with a little rubber seal along the rim) would keep the mushrooms fresh for longer, and maybe it would prevent their magical nature from leaking away.

You know, I have a job already, Eight-Three-Eleven said.

I nodded dismissively. Yes, yes, you run around and help poor people with stuff. How much do you make a day from that?

My room and board are paid for, she said.

So nothing? I asked. Ill give you five shilling a day for half a days work. Thats twice what someone like my dad makes at his factory job.

Id tried to convince my dad to find work elsewhere. They werent giving him an increase at the end of the year, which clearly annoyed him, but for some reason he was really loyal to the company, saying that the owner was a good person.

Placing the last of the mushrooms I was collecting into the box with a bit of a squish, I closed it up carefully. I didnt want to crush my mushrooms on this trip. Id take Stew with me, but hes busy today. I think hes looking for a place to stay now that hes saved a few pounds. Besides, the place is dangerous, I dont know if Stew would be enough to keep me safe.

Eight-Three-Eleven frowned. And you think Id be enough?

No, I said. I think your clothes would be enough. Galens people are easily recognised, and theyre generally considered off-limits when it comes to things like extortion and whatever. Youre some of the good guys, with a reputation for being helpful. Anyone that smacks you around would be shunned afterwards.

She shook her head. You just want me for that?

Well, you could help me carry things, I said. And you seem halfway charismatic, so you could flag down anyone that looks hungry and who also happens to look like they have money.

I checked on my table next. The winter had been short this year, spring coming early. Id spent the weeks locked up indoors working on a covering for my table. It was made of blue and red yarn, set in horizontal stripes. It gave the table a bit of colour, and I was wearing a red sweater I made over clean blue denim overalls, so I matched a bit.

Branding was important, especially if I wanted to make a proper business out of this.

A thin wooden board hung on the front of my table with the details of what I was selling on it.

Amazing Magical Mushrooms!

10 Pence each!

Skewers can be returned for a halfpenny!

Each mushroom contains a portion of revitalising magic!

I gave it fifty-fifty odds that Id sell out in a matter of minutes or Id end up standing there and the entire day and all the preparations I did leading up to it would be a waste. My other concern was my own mana. I had not been growing much in the last year or so.

That was, admittedly, my own fault. Things had calmed down. There werent any signs of that gang attack I was worried about, and Id started making good money over the course of the last year. I was kind of focused on that instead of anything else.

I could see myself living a pretty happy life, growing my little business, expanding to another, bigger farm, maybe even hiring a few people to sell for me. If I made enough, maybe by the time I was a teen I could move my family out of the hovel we lived in and to a spot on the nicer end of the city where the homes were bigger and warmer.

Maybe I could even save up to afford an education of some sort? That would be nice.

Im all packed up, I said as I placed a full bottle of oil into the base of my burner. So, do you want to come or not?

Eight-Three-Eleven hesitated, then she rolled her eyes. Fine, she said.

I grinned. She was a teen, easy to read and somewhat predictable. In that case, want to carry the table? Its the heaviest part. Its not too bad, but its kind of big for me. I grabbed the box of mushrooms Id be bringing and stuffed them into my satchel (another thing I made myself; it was decorated in the same red-blue pattern as my other things).

We headed out, saying goodbye to Debra as we passed then pushing out across the city.

It was strange, travelling with Eight-Three-Eleven. A lot of folk recognised her, or at least her uniform, and when they did, theyd wave or nod to it.

The acolytes of Galen spent a lot of time helping people. Eight-Three-Eleven didnt just pay lip service, or at least, the other acolytes didnt. They mostly did small chores and helped in little ways. Like someone forced to do community service, but all day, everyday.

So, the way I hear it, youre turning into a real entrepreneur, Eight-Three-Eleven said.

Something like that, I said. I am not content with my lot in life, lets say.

She hummed. Youre pretty smart.

Thank you, I said.

At least, for someone your age.

I frowned. I wasnt smart for someone my age well, I hoped I wasnt just smart for my age. That would suck once I got older. What I lacked at the moment was a good education. I think that there were lots of things that I wasnt learning that others who lived in nicer places would learn by osmosis.

So, hows Galen doing these days? I asked.

Eight-Three-Eleven blinked, then barked out a laugh. What kind of question is that?

An honest one? If I could, Id cross my arms. Hes your god, isnt he? At least, the one you worship. Shouldnt you know how hes feeling or whatever?

I guess, Eight-Three-Eleven said past a fit of chuckles. But no one just chats with their god like that. Its not how its done. Besides, Im a lowly acolyte, basically a nobody. I have no business meddling in Galens affairs. I just help the community as my form of worship to him and hope that one day I might get noticed if I work hard enough.

Uh-huh, I said. Are there any gods that are a bit more proactive?

Thinking of joining a church? Eight-Three-Eleven asked.

I dont think so, I said. From what I gathered, there were literally dozens of churches across the city, and that didnt encompass every deity. Some were more regional, others didnt do the whole church thing. I probably should have been a bit more interested in that kind of thing, but I couldnt be bothered.

Feronie had done good by me so far, despite the initial circumstances I found myself in.

We crossed a road at an intersection, Eight-Three-Eleven earning a nod from the Bully working the intersection, then we crossed over towards the Ditz Dungeon.

I felt it as we arrived in the area where the mana was being sapped. It wasnt as strong as the last time Id been there. On the other hand Hey, is the area around the dungeon bigger? I asked.

You mean the space where mana is used up by the dungeon? Eight-Three-Eleven asked. Probably. Not by much, though. Itll only grow a few paces a year.

The buildings around us were rustier than I remembered, and some of the factories nearest the dungeon looked like they were closed down.

It was still so early in the morning that when we arrived at the dungeon, we found the area around it occupied by hundreds of people just milling around, setting things up, and generally going through the motions of getting ready to work. The dungeon itself was still the same: a tiny mountain with an opening on its side. The Ditz logo above it had been replaced at some point.

Where do you want to set up? Eight-Three-Eleven asked.

I eyed the space and all the traffic moving around it in a way that looked chaotic to me, but which likely had some sort of reasoning behind it. Who has money around here? I asked.

Eight-Three-Eleven laughed. One-track mind. I guess the delvers are the ones who earn the most here, other than maybe the foremen.

I nodded along, that made sense. They were people with particular and uncommon skills who learned how to kill things. Youd want to pay them well. Well then, lets find them, then we can empty their wallets while were here. I reached into one of the pockets of my overalls and slipped out a sliver of mushroom which I plopped into my mouth.

My mana would drain the entire time I was here, I had to work to keep it up.

Selling here would be tricky, but by that same token, it might well be worth it too.

***

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