The Red Lands

First Experience

Outside, the chill wind blew as the morning sun peeked out from the horizon. The slum was located on the western side of the village, just outside the wooden walls. The village allowed it because it served as fodder and early warning for a bandit raid or wild animal attacks from the forest.

Hence, the unspoken strategic location between the village and the forest.

The slum was around fifty or so huts like Chu's that were clumped around that area. Don't get it wrong as being neighborly under the 'we are all in the same boat' kind of mentality. It was really 'if beasts or bandits attack, if I go down, so will you'

The population of these houses was kept steady, never increasing. Old people here would die out from the cold winters, strong youths would be taken back by villagers or recruited by bandits, and young girls who survived the winter would be likely to be sold as slaves. Discarded people were used as the normal people saw fit.

In a world where the strong survive and the weak die, this was an undisputed law. And then there was also the wonderful choice of slavery.

Blame the gods for not allowing you to be born with a silver spoon in this world. The mindset of the villagers were close to those from the middle ages. There technology not to far from that sort of age either.

It would be no problem for a family to send their elderly off with a smile once they became a burden with a 'hey thanks for your services until now, take this piece of hard bread and we wish you well in future endeavors'.

Of course, future endeavors meant 'hope you rally through or freeze to death during winter'.

Chu's first view of this world was ...

He came out and took a deep breath.

Big, big mistake.

Although his shack was one of the later ones built and located near the outskirts of 'slum central', it was still in the slums. Since toilets were free for all, the stench was high. In places like these, no one ventured too far from their houses to conduct business.

He may have been used to the smell but that act of trying to suck in the air of the new world sent him gagging.

The hut was among those closest to the forest. They were clumped haphazardly about fifty feet apart on relatively flat land. The forest was to the west, not too far but not near.

Maybe around five miles give or take a few?

Made sense since it gave some time to prepare if raids came from it. It was wearing a multi colored coat of oranges, yellows, and green with lots of brown showing. Much like your typical temperate forest on Earth.

The grasslands that bordered it stretched around with small, gentle hills popping up every now and again. To the east, the wooden walls of the village, made of tree trunks, rose up about six feet from the ground. The spaces between them were just enough to stab a spear through them. Seems it was really built to defend against animal attacks.

His first impression after this sight was as if he had ventured back in time to the Middle Ages. A memory of drawing water from a well using a bucket and rope entered his mind.

It was not a good feeling.

Use the backing of family to start developing?

The reason he left was to prevent all of them from sharing this magnificent scene.

Go to the Guild and get an easy herb picking quest?

This place deals with wild animals' fur and meat. Sight, sound, touch, and smell informed him; this was no game?

Chop firewood?

How?

With my teeth?

An axe is a tool used by those with certain skills. Iron is scarce, as can be noted that the most popular item is a spear made entirely of wood.

Cultivate?

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The kid can't even read or write, you feel mana drops from the sky when you want?

Invent a start-up business?

Look around fool, you're in the fricking wilderness. People here are lucky if they hold a silver coin during their short lives.

Travel to the nearest city?

On what?

A belly full of bitter water?

Yes yes yes, truly SCREWED!

"Hey, you lost your mind?"

A slap on his head jolted Chu back to reality. The person talking was a burly kid around fifteen. Maybe he should say that out of the ten kids present, he was the largest among the malnourished.

Everyone was dressed in shabby attire, some had boots with more holes than soles, while others made up for such deficiency with torn clothes.

It felt really good to be among equals.

The big kid was named Ming. He was the self-proclaimed leader of the children in the slums. This was given to him since he was the eldest and largest. It was a title-only job, everybody still had to fend for themselves. Since they all earned their livelihood as loaders for carrying firewood from the forest, they gathered and left the slum together.

This group was formed out of necessity instead of brotherly bonds. Think of them as individual birds who feed in a flock to escape predators. Last week, as they were leaving the forest, a lone wolf attacked the group.

The girl who got caught served as a distraction while the others made a hasty escape. In the mind of these discarded children, the law of the jungle was already imprinted. She was written off as the unfortunate one at the time.

The group consisted of six girls and five boys. The boys were around twelve while the girls were younger, at about eight or nine. There was about five more girls who were younger who remained in the camp. They remained alive due to the compassion of the few old people in the slums.

During winter, these older girls may be 'lucky' to warm the beds of some bastard in the village rallying through hard times. Survival of a girl in the slums inevitably leads to some form of slavery.

The routine was the same as any day. They walked along a wagon trail for about an hour until reaching the forest. Here at the forest edge, the trail split into other paths leading to the places where the trees were being cut. The woodsmen would cut trees and prepare them for transport by cart.

The children were essentially scavengers. The remaining branches and small twigs were gathered, broken, and bundled. These were sold to the Trading Post as firewood to be sent to the villages and towns in the interior.

During the day, this place was bustling with villagers. Firewood and hunting occupied the chief income of the village. While the men would venture deeper to hunt, the women would secure firewood and forage for roots within the forest. After the first month of winter, the forest would be out of bounds until spring.

Snow made the trail impassable for the carts while wolves and other beasts became more daring, making the forest dangerous. Everyone was hoarding to rally the long winter. Life here was hard, but it was still better than moving into the towns as a slave.

As the group scattered and began to hustle, Chu made his way to some fallen branches and began gathering his load. It took time to make a load and carry it back to the village. During the day, Chu realized how hard this work was. In the end, they managed to leave the forest before sunset with their last load to the village. Two loads for the day at a price of two coppers.

All firewood was collected at the Trading Post located outside the village. Opposite it was the entrance and the wooden walls that surrounded the village.

He collected the money and then went into the village to give it to his mother. After that, he returned exhausted to his shack for a dinner of bitter water. Removing his clothes and hanging them up to dry, he draped the rag bedding over himself as he sat down.

"Damnnnn!"

With a day like this, it was no wonder the past Chu kicked the bucket. A life like this guarantees a swift death. It was like spinning a roulette wheel with the only options being how to die. Starvation, freezing, or the choice of being eaten by an animal.

Sitting and thinking, he understood the previous tenant of this body had gradually dug a hole for himself. Unfortunately, the present owner had to bear this damage.

Winter was on the doorstep, and now was a crucial time for the family to earn money. This money was to buy food and clothing to survive the four months of winter. The saying copper can't keep you fed and warm during winter was true.

His money was to prevent the starvation of his family. An extra mouth would compound this problem during winter. Going back to his family as he was now would be too shameful.

His own living conditions were even worse. When winter begins in full swing, he was lacking food, clothes, and a secure shelter. Foraging for food in the forest was out of the question, not to mention that there would be nobody sane to venture in there. He needed more money for food and time to repair his shack. Both of which he was sorely lacking.

Wolves were starting to appear along the forest borders, and attacks were beginning to be more frequent. As winter moves into full swing, these and other wild beasts would become more daring and start venturing out into the grasslands. Then the slums would be even more dangerous.

No matter how he racked his brain, there was no easy answer. There was only one option, but it depended on the will to survive. While thinking, he cleared away the space in the middle of the hut. He moved the stones that served as the stove to this position.

Using an old flint he had borrowed from his mother, he struggled until he had a fire going. He adjusted it for the wood he had to smoke. As it burned slowly, making coals, he dressed and left the shack.

The night was already biting cold as he stumbled in the darkness to another shack near the center. He had to make sure he didn't encroach on someone's toilet. Reaching his destination, he banged on the side and hollered. After a minute, the door slid open, and a face peered out.

Chu wore the best face he could muster as a door-to-door salesman,

"Hey Ming, do you want to earn extra coppers?"