Bothvar Beorcolsson
I slowly wake up, finding myself encased in brown fur. I try to move, only to feel pain surge through me. My vision slowly clears. I’m inside a cave… A fire burns. I look up to see two huge white beasts sitting beside two smaller ones. The shorter of the bigger ones get up and picks a large glowing mushroom before walking over to me and pushing it against my mouth. It makes some grunts and growls as it motions its other hand to its mouth. It wants me to eat the mushroom. I open my mouth and take it in, forcing myself to chew and swallow it. It sucks the moisture out of my mouth and I can hardly swallow it down without gagging. The big yeti brings me a large stone bowl full of that earthy water. I drink. I feel so weak. I collapse back down and drift off again.
I awaken again inside the cave with the yetis. Once again, the smaller of the two bigger yetis, one without horns who must be an adult, rushes over to me, forcing another mushroom into my mouth and practically drowning me with the earthy water. After I get it down, I get up feeling much better. To my amazement, my wounds have all but healed. I feel as if I was never hurt to begin with. The yeti grunt and makes a bunch of strange hand gestures as I climb to my feet and stumble out of the cave. Those mushrooms and the water must have some powerful healing effects. I feel as good as new. A little tired, but better. The yeti hesitantly walks out from the cave behind me. I turn to them. “Thank you. You saved my life.”
They don’t seem to comprehend. I must show them my gratitude somehow. The dead bear is still there. I walk over to it and find that it hasn’t yet gone bad. The cold of the mountain has preserved it. Thankfully, no other beasts have come for it.
I salvage what meat I can from the bear after that fiendish monster spoiled a little less than half of it. Thankfully, I’m able to save most of its pelt as well. I even take the bones. They can be made into useful tools, especially its claws and teeth. Nothing goes to waste. Everything seems more vibrant than before. Even the dull gray colors of the mountain seem to brighten. The clouds take shape into forms that seem to come alive. It must be the gods looking down from above. Are they happy with my progress?
I take three-fourths of the bear meat, more than I’d like to, and carefully make my way up to the yeti cave. I feel I owe some kind of debt to these creatures, for they surely saved my life from those fiendish monsters with the mushrooms. Hopefully, this will help to pay it off. I lay the meat in front of the cave entrance. I hear the rumbling of the ground as the beast charges out. It makes the wind surge at me like a storm. It stops just before the meat and beats its chest wildly while a roar erupts from its huge, toothy mouth. I can feel my beard blowing in the wind of its roar.
But I don’t even flinch. My lack of reaction seems to calm it as it looks down at the meat and back up at me. Behind it, two little yeti cubs hesitantly come out along with what could only be its mate, the hornless yeti.
The horned beast in front of me is nearly as tall as a tree as it towers over me. It reluctantly takes the meat and turns back to give a good portion of it to its cubs and mate before eating the rest. Then the yeti goes into the cave and comes back with a pair of antlers. It must be from one of the fiends we killed. It sets the antlers down in front of me. I look up at it and nod, picking the antlers up before slowly backing away. The yeti watches me leave before it heads in with its tribe or pack, or whatever you call its family.
I think I just made a friend with the beast. Interesting. Maybe this will help with winter. It is smart enough to make a trade.
Once I get the meat, hide, and bones back to my cave, I spend the majority of the afternoon smoking it and drying it out with the makeshift smoker I made with the wood. I also set the bear hide out and made a frame for it. Then, I have to create another fire and smoke box to smoke the pelt in. I clean the bones and keep the fat. Grease can come in handy. I store it in the makeshift ice box I made. It’s gotten quite cold out; cold enough to keep the snow frozen, so I can keep most of my meat out here. I just need to make sure no other animal can get into it. But I know winter is only beginning.
I pull the grease out to try to make oil with it. However, it catches on fire and as I try to put it out with water it erupts in my face like a breath from a dragon. I stumble backward as my beard catches on fire. I quickly smother it out. Then I have to stomp out the grease fire and smother it with a hammer. It confuses me. Water is supposed to put fire out, but it only made this burning grease erupt even hotter. I’ll have to remember this. I feel like it would be a good weapon to use on elven ships. I can only imagine them trying to put the flaming grease out with water, only to make the fire spread. The idea brings a smile to my face.
With the claws, I make a spear with some of the wood. I use a bone to make another hammer and ax. With the smaller bones, I just eat the marrow out and create bone dice. I do not know what the dice say, but surely, they mean something.
I create a saw with its teeth, and that makes the process of cutting wood much easier; I do not like to rely on it, however, because it takes away from the reason I am here. I’m here to gain strength, not to chop wood.
The Antlers I hang as a trophy and as a reminder of what lives in these mountains.
—
Every day, I think about my wife and child, but not for too long because it hurts to know they are without me. I pray to my gods that they are kept safe along with my family and my brother’s wife and children. I wonder if his son has been born yet. I’ve been doing a lot of carving in my spare time and I’ve carved my son some toys along with Thorkel’s children.
I push those painful thoughts out and imagine the elf that took my brother from me. I’ve burned his face into my memory. I will never forget it. It spurs me on to push myself above and beyond my physical limits.
What really surprised me after I was attacked by those creatures was that in the morning my wound was nearly healed completely, as if it never happened. Was it the mushrooms that did it? Do they heal the flesh? I must remember that and take them with me when I return.
I harden my body and temper it through pain and hardship. I’ve become strong enough to lift the small rock to my waist. It feels far lighter than it used to be. Just a heavy stone that takes some effort with both hands.
And yet, I still can’t budge the hammer. Whatever it is made of, it is stronger and denser than glowing metal. Once I am strong enough, I will use the smaller rock as a tool in order to smith a hammer once I smelt the glowing rock. I don’t know what I’ll use as an anvil, But the surface that the hammer sits upon seems hard enough. It’s a dark metal with an emerald hue to it. Somewhat similar to the green glow rock, but not quite.
—
After many long days, I can lift a decent size glow ore with relative ease. I’ve chipped out several large chunks and I’ve made quite a pile with it.
One night, I snuck back into the village unseen, using the side entrance of the wall. Thankfully, with hunting, I gained the skill to sneak quite well. I sneak a peek into my father’s Stronghold, sneaking in without being noticed. I slip inside my room where my wife lies asleep with our son. They look so peaceful. I just wish I could stay here with them. I miss them so much. I take them in for as long as I can before I place the carved toys, I made for Hrut down on the table next to them. I then leave some for Thora and Thorkel’s son outside their room. Then, I sneak out of the Stronghold and down into the town for what I came here for. Into Aldam Bronzehammer’s blacksmithing shop, I enter. I lay down several chunks of glow ores I have brought which should be sufficient to trade for what I need and grab Aldam’s spare anvil, several molds, a spare quenching bucket, spare tongs, spare vices and clamps, and a spare apron. Oddly enough, I’m able to carry all of it in packs without much trouble. I thought for sure I’d have to make several trips to get everything I needed. I’m just surprised at how light the anvil feels. Much lighter than the chunks of glow ore. I remember I could barely lift it at one time, now I can just carry it under my arm as if it were a roll of blankets. I leave Aldam something to know it was me before I head back to the cave.
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