19 My Housemate's Plans

The following day at the smithy, I finished one ingot, before focusing on making a dagger from wood. The dagger had to be designed first, but I wasn't pressed for time like before. 'Even if this takes me a few days, it doesn't matter. I need something good to cast it. The dagger can't be too thick, too big or too rough. I'll experiment a bit, before making a mould', I figured.

Besides, a failed dagger wouldn't pose a problem. I'd just chuck that inside the furnace, and burn it. The other problem was my practice. The only place where no one controlled me, was smithy. My practice would go unnoticed, but my work had to be carried out as well. Grond knew how much I was able to produce. If one fully completed ingot, and one started wasn't there, he'd say I was lazy or fooled around.

Of course that was what he knew. In reality, my body recovered enough for me to make two ingots in the allocated time. I could rush one ingot, then do something for a while, like rest or whittle a dagger. That wasn't much time for training though. 'I suppose once my dagger is ready, I could learn to wield it here. After all, throwing is nice, but not practical with one dagger', I figured.

Once the dagger left my hand, I'd be left without a weapon. My plan was to make more of such daggers, but it would take time. Besides, learning to swing that thing wasn't a bad idea either. Nonetheless, the wooden dagger for my mould imprint had to be created first.

After the work at the smithy, I returned to the house where my breakfast awaited me. Dina wasn't around, and we didn't bump into each other during the morning. 'I wonder what her tasks are', I thought while eating.

My work at the doctor's place changed a bit. Normally the doctor would be taking care of everything, but that day, he told me to treat some patients myself. "If someone with minor wounds, scratches and such comes here, don't bother me. You can do it yourself, since you watched me do it a few times. Call me when a patient has a serious injury, or problems that alcohol and bandages will not solve. Understood?".

"... I'm not sure if I can...", the doctor stopped me before I finished. "It's nothing difficult. Clean the wound, and apply bandages. Any idiot can do this". Once he said that, he went back to his room. Minor wounds, and injuries were most common in patients that visited the doctor. I wasn't afraid of doing that myself, but rather the reaction such patients would have.

There was no arguing with the doctor anyway, my option was to do it. The first guy who came over was a hunter. He was the same guy who sometimes kept an eye on me. He had a few scratches here and there, while his leather clothes were a bit tattered. "Call the doctor for me", he said. I checked his wounds out, and concluded they were minor wounds.

"I'll treat you today. Doctor told me to take care of patients with minor injuries", I explained. The guy was a bit surprised, but then sneered, "If you try something stupid, you'll pay for it. Just so we are on the same page". I shrugged my shoulders and told him to take some parts of his clothes off. "Just so you know, this will sting", I said while applying alcohol on his wounds.

"Agh.. Bastard. Want me to punch you in your face?", he asked annoyed. "I'm not an expert, but doctor said the wound needs to be cleaned. I can just bandage it, but then don't complain if this gets worse", I replied. "... Whatever, just do it", he finally gave up and let me continue. With his wound cleaned and bandaged, he left the house. 'First happy customer... Yea, right', I said to myself.

A few more people came in with bruises or scratches. I wasn't sure what to use on a bruise, but the doctor was 'kind' enough to let me know. He pointed at a specific dried plant, told me to grind it, add water and then apply it with a bandage. The kid wasn't happy about me treating him, but it wasn't really my problem. With no serious injuries, I missed the times where doctor did everything himself.

With my work at the practice finished, I took a break before heading to the fields. This time, Dina was at the house, and she was eating her dinner. "Hey, you left early morning, so we didn't get a chance to talk. How's your day?", she asked. "So far alright, I guess. What about you? What tasks did they tell you to do?", I replied with my own question.

"I had to chop wood for almost entire morning. That drunkard woodcutter is so lazy. This is my break, and then I'm supposed to help in the tavern for the rest of the day". That explained why we didn't see each other. "Yea, that woodcutter is lazy for sure. I used to do this before, but they changed it up for some reason. That was before you even got here", I said.

"Anyway, I should go to tavern now. We'll chat after work... Are you going to the river today as well?", "Yea, probably. There's no point sitting here, so might as well catch some fresh air, away from these people", I said. She nodded, then left to do her work.

After the break, my usual task in the fields began. One of the farmers told me that it was the last time for me to water the fields, since it wasn't really necessary anymore. The crops were pretty much ripe, and ready for harvest. That being the case, I wondered what sort of task they'd assign to me next. I wasn't delusional enough to think they'd simply let me rest, after my work at the doctor's place.

I wasn't wrong about that. On my way back, a young guy who used to keep an eye on me called me over. "Rand said your work in the fields is no longer necessary. He said you'll work longer for the blacksmith, and the doctor", he explained. "So, how will that work with breaks and such?", I asked but he simply shrugged his shoulder. "That's the message I was told to pass. Go to Rand if you want", he replied before leaving.

Before doing that, I headed back to my house for the dinner. Dina wasn't around, and I wasn't sure what time she'd finish her work. After dinner, I headed to the Village Chief's house. The house was the biggest in the village, and partially made from stone. The house was two storeys tall, and had to have at least four bedrooms. There was a garden behind the fence, and a nice studded path towards the doors.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

An old woman opened the doors, and looked at me with a frown. "What are you here for?", she didn't sound welcoming at all. "Apparently my tasks changed again, therefore I have a question to the Village Chief", I replied calmly. "He's busy. Tell me what you want to know, and I'll ask", "Alright. I just want to know about breaks and my food. Since I'm not working in the field anymore", I said.

The woman closed the doors on me without a word. I wasn't sure whether to wait, or just go away. 'I'll wait a few minutes, if there's no sign of life, I'll leave', I figured. After about ten minutes, and with no signs of life, I turned around to leave. Just at the end of the path, the doors opened, and the same woman threw a piece of crumpled paper on the ground. "Here's your answer, now don't bother me..." *Bang*, she closed the doors immediately after that.

The piece of paper had a few sentences on it. My breaks were the same as before, as was my morning task of carrying the water. I'd work for the blacksmith until my usual breakfast as always. Then after the break, I'd go back to the smithy, and work there until early afternoon. Once my second break was over, I'd work at the doctor's place for the remainder of the day. Whereas my dinner would be served once my work at the doctor's was over.

'I don't think it's a bad arrangement for me. With more time in the smithy, I'll get more metal, and finish my wooden dagger sooner... The drawback is that more ingots have to be created', I thought on my way to the river. Dina wasn't there either, which meant she was still at work, or back at the house. I wasn't going to look for her, and instead retrieved my net to do some fishing.

I sat there next to campfire, roasting my fishes, when a noise of someone approaching made me spring to my legs. "It's just me, relax", Dina said with a smile. "You think it's easy to forget such habits? I've been chased countless times after all", I replied a bit relieved.

"Anyway, how was your day?", she changed the topic. "They changed my tasks. I don't have to work in the fields anymore", "That's good, right?", she asked. "Depends how you look at it. I'll work more in the smithy, which requires more energy to be honest. What about you? You like your jobs so much, you stay longer in the tavern?", I said. "Yea, sure. I like it there so much... No, it's just I'm supposed to stay there for that amount of time. That's still better than chopping wood, it's not as exhausting", she replied.

"Did they give you that blunt axe as well?", "Heh, that thing couldn't harm a chicken even if you tried. Whatever, I'm taking it slow there, though my arms do hurt a bit", she affirmed my speculation. "Haha, yea. There's a blacksmith in the village, yet the axe is dull. Anyway, grab one, I think they're ready", I said.

We sat there for a while, when Dina decided to talk about a specific subject. "Hey, how about we run away?", she asked in a quiet voice. "... This might look like we are in the clear, but Rand isn't weak. There are also hunters, and we don't even have a weapon. Moreover, he has connections with another village. They'd catch us quickly at this stage", I voiced my thoughts.

"Right now is not possible, but we can plan, right? You work at the smithy. I'm sure you can get, or make a weapon somehow. I could steal some supplies from the tavern, so we wouldn't worry about such things for a while", she pushed the idea. "...I don't know. Seems too risky for me", I said. "Look, think about it for now. I'll really need some help, and you've been here for a while already. They trust you more, than me", she added. "I'll think about it", I replied.