10 Rules & Tasks

The old man didn't stay after he threw the paper at me, he simply left. The list he gave me, was rather specific. I needed to follow certain rules, and carry out the tasks listed. Beginning from the rules, there were four of them:

One. I was not allowed to leave the close vicinity of the village unsupervised. If I wanted to go to the forest for example, I would have to report that to the old man and ask for permission.

Two. I was not allowed to bring harm to any of the villagers. This meant that I couldn't fight with anyone. That wouldn't be so bad on its own, but the rule included that I couldn't even defend myself.

Three. If I was in possession of any item, that was not used to carry out my task, I will be punished severely. Supposedly they didn't want me to have anything.

Four. I had to complete all the tasks on the list everyday. If I didn't, I wouldn't get any food.

If I were to classify my standing by those rules, I was a slave. Not allowed to retaliate, have possessions or even go anywhere without permission. That could end badly for me, they could simply beat me up without remorse. Of course the rules didn't say anything about hurling worded abuse at them, but to some arrogant or short tempered people, it was given they would beat me up.

I had no way to run away from this problem, I could only comply with that. Besides, my stay inside that village was supposed to help me. I required knowledge, strength and maybe even supplies. Although rule three prohibited any possession of item, that could only apply to my person. The house I stayed at, wasn't mine. Moreover, I was certain that rule was there to prohibit me from carrying any weapons. They probably wouldn't complain about something like a piece of rag, at least that was my hope.

Then I read the tasks, which I was supposed to carry out. There was also a map of the whole village, which would be handy for sure. First thing in the morning, my task was to bring fresh water to every household in the village. On the map, I could see the wells, and around twenty-five households. Judging by the number of households, it was quite a small village. The Freemount Village I came from, had at least a hundred households.

The water needed to be delivered before 7 o'clock in the morning. In other words, 'Wake up very early in the morning, and better start carrying the water'. Each household required four buckets of water. Which meant at least two trips to the same household, that was if two buckets were provided. After carrying the water, I was supposed to visit the woodcutter's lodge, which was located just outside the village. My task there was simple, and self explanatory. I had to chop wood for fire. No specific amount was stated, which made me glad.

After that task, I'd get a break and some breakfast. The food would be waiting for me at the house, which I decided to simply call mine. After the break, I was supposed to help the local blacksmith. The paper didn't say what sort of task it was, only to help him out. Once the work at the blacksmith's, I'd get about an hour of break. 'Generous... but no food will be provided. Just a simple break', I thought about the 'less than ideal' arrangement.

After that break, I was supposed help in the fields. The fields were located just outside of the village. More precisely, at the northern side of the village. The woodcutter's lodge was located at the opposite side of the village, towards south. The task in the fields would last until late afternoon, a few hours from the break. That was the last task on the list. Once those things were completed, I'd get my dinner back at the house. The rest of the day was off.

I guessed that, they didn't want to work me to death from the beginning. I expected for something to change further along the way. The paper stated that everything would start from the following morning. Nonetheless, I found some positives in my life. The task would help me with stamina and over body condition, provided they supplied enough food. They mentioned two meals a day, but didn't specify how big they'd be. '... Looking at this map, there is a river just outside the village. I can try and catch some fish. With additional meals, my body should recover better', I thought.

There was a problem though. I had no weapons nor tools. I would have to create a fishing rod or net, then use that to fish after my day's work. Sure, I couldn't carry around anything on me, but what if I fished and ate all my food outside the village? I wouldn't need to carry the fishing tool with me either, I could simply hide it somewhere at the river. What could they tell me in such a case? I would have nothing on me, so they couldn't carry out any punishments. 'That would be absurd even for them. As long as I don't carry anything that is a tool of some sort, or worse a weapon, I think I should be fine'. I wasn't sure, but that needed to tested later.

I wasn't naive anymore, and someone was bound to monitor me. Even so, I wouldn't steal anything. I'd use whatever I could find outside the village. 'If they have any problem with that, then they can kill me straight away', I thought. My plan was formed, I decided to rest properly that day. I needed to wake up early in the morning, for my first day at the so called new work.