117

Chapter 117

Shantu Mountain Range, Republic of Shantu, Continent: Barat, Year 2036, Planet: Grimoire

Grifton discovered that the first week had been way too easy in the following days and weeks as the terrain altered from the serene and pastoral fields, lakes, and valleys that comprised the central portion of Three Pronged Fork and the Shantu Republic.

Once they'd fought off bandits and reached an outpost, Grifton was able to work on some items that would be sold at their next destination. He did so at every opportunity that came his way.

One night, Grifton sat next to a medium-sized firepit. The others were smoking and playing card games. One of the artisans happened to see what he was doing.

"Huh, so you can cart your equipment with you?" The young man seemed impressed and envious.

"Yes," Grifton nodded. "I made some boxes to carry what I need." He tapped the bag he always carried with him. "They fit in this bag, so I don't have to burden the wagons even when riding in one."

The artisan nodded thoughtfully. "How much would one of those bags cost, along with a box?" He studied the materials. "I could source the materials to lessen their cost and hasten the manufacturing time."

Hmm, this was a surprise to him. Why was the artisan asking him that? Grifton looked at him in surprise. "I don't know. No one ever asked me to price any of the ones I made."

"Err," the artisan sighed in frustration. "My equipment is too heavy to bring," he admitted. "Carting around a pottery wheel, among other items, wasn't feasible."

Oh, Grifton nodded thoughtfully. "I see. So, you'd need something like a limitless item bag similar to what hunters and adventurers carry with them?" Now, that type of thing Grifton had already made. Those were premium items, and he couldn't just sell them willy-nilly.

"Yes, something like that. Though not on such a high-end scale." The artisan nodded. "M'name's Paul Doss." He offered his hand. It was rough and callused from coming too near a fire on occasion.

Grifton hesitated slightly. Then he grasped the offered hand and shook it carefully. "Grifton Tinroy."

The artisan's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh, so you're that Tinroy," Paul shook his head in bemusement. "I know your siblings. They're good people."

This was the first time someone had mentioned his brother and sisters in a positive way. "Oh, really?" Grifton studied him. "How did you meet them?"

Paul shrugged. "Same as how I've met you. Through a caravan internship. Although the ones we were in before sucked." He grimaced. "Begging your pardon, but you dodged a bad situation when you were held back while still at the Orphanage."

So, Grifton came to understand. "Yeah, I still wound up on the streets, though." He smiled ruefully. "It turned out to be a good thing."

Paul nodded. "So, about an item bag..." He looked hopeful.

"I'll see what is required to create one that holds a pottery wheel and a firing oven," Grifton said, holding up a hand. "I have to finish my other commissions first," he said, making a face, and Paul laughed.

"Sure thing. I can pick up the materials and learn about the other stuff you need to know." Paul reassured him. "In the next stop, Chaucer Outpost," he nodded thoughtfully when he checked the itinerary, "We'll run into my former master." Paul's eyes gleamed. "He'll be able to answer your questions." A faint grin appeared. "Who knows, maybe he'll need some of your know-how when creating items other than pottery and shoeing horses."

Huh? Grifton blinked at him. "So, he's got other trades than being a potter?"

Paul nodded. "Yep, he's the blacksmith, veterinarian, and other trades." He shrugged. "It is a small outpost, but very important for jumping from the mountains and heading to an oasis."

Jump, hmm? That sounded slightly ominous, but Grifton also felt a sense of anticipation as well. "Sounds good. So, tell me more about what isn't generally allowed in caravans?"

Thanks to Paul and a few other artisans who overheard their conversation and joined in, he learned much, to his surprise, that no one thought of bringing their own supplies with them. Too bulky and inconvenient, along with heavy equipment? Not a chance.

So, Grifton was lucky to have portable goods that didn't weigh much; the same was said for supplies and equipment. The rest of the artisans had yet to have their luck when creating various items that could serve multiple walks of life. He figured he could do them a favor since they'd been so informative and helpful. It would allow them more freedom to create more than a set amount of items beforehand under a deadline crunch.

"All right, I'll see what I can do to help you all obtain item bags, so your materials and equipment won't overload the wagons." Grifton offered since they'd been so informative about what was needed to balance the wagons safely.

"Thanks, Tinroy." the others nodded.

One grizzled veteran grunted. "Word of advice, young one." He shrugged when Grifton lifted an eyebrow at him. "Don't be this easy to approach in the future." A sigh escaped him. "Otherwise, others will get wind and try taking advantage of you."

Grifton nodded. "Thank you for that reminder." He frowned. "Is that what happened to my sisters and brother?" How they'd been caught up in that snare would make sense.

The veteran blinked at him. "Hell, no. That was just bad timing and luck to get into the sights of that deviant asshole." He smirked. "No one ever took advantage of that hellion trio." There was agreed laughter and other mentions of incidents.

The veteran ended with. "Unless they wanted to try talking around three inches of stiletto through their throats." He shook his head. "I've seen you in fights, so I know you're on an equal scale of damage dealing as they are." He shrugged. "I just wanted to give you a head's up, that's all."

Recognizing common sense advice when he heard it, Grifton nodded. "Thanks, I appreciate the warning." The last thing he wanted was to be taken advantage of right at the beginning of his latest venture.

Several of the men were yawning, stretching, and entering their tents. That's when Grifton noticed how late it was getting. "Right, I'll put everything away and turn in for the night." That night, he didn't have night watch duty until three a.m., so Grifton had better get some shut-eye while he still could.

Currently, they are scaling the Shantu mountain range, and it is massive. Grifton looked around curiously. "How long do you think we'll remain in this area?" He inquired of the veteran, whose name was Giles Leroy.

Giles looked around. "Hmm, probably will take at least three days to cross safely." He estimated. "That's before we reach Chaucer outpost." He scratched his head. "Once we get there, we'll offload some consignment items and take on a few specialty items produced by the townsfolk of Chaucer."

Grifton nodded. "So, how long will we stay there?"

Giles shrugged. "Depends on the weather." He grunted. "It is nothing like what you're used to down below in Three-Pronged Fork." He rolled his eyes. "Stupid name for a metropolis." Giles sneered. "Anyway, the longest we've stayed is two days." He clarified the conditions of why they would stay there for at least two days but no more. "So, we might shorten it to one," Giles grimaced. "It depends on how much we take on for trading goods and the weather."

Grifton nodded. "Understood," there were likely other underlying reasons for not remaining too long in such an isolated area. He didn't question Giles any further about Chaucer.

Almost every day, landslides of mud, rocks, and occasionally snow made the terrain impassable. Fortunately, tunnels made by water and extinct monsters allowed for safe passage within certain areas of the mountain range.

That was the only good thing for travelers who couldn't utilize teleportation portals. Grifton learned those portals were reserved for nobility and royalty's usage. That wasn't the case in the history books, so when had that obnoxious trend begun? He shook his head in disgust.

Fortunately, that day, when they made it to the Chaucer outpost, marked the third day of the second week. That meant they had at least four days to reach the oasis, provided nothing happened when they descended from the Shantu range.

That was also when Grifton encountered his first challenge. He was told to cover his face, and he saw everyone else wearing masks. He added a hooded cloak that covered his hair. Something about this outpost made him extraordinarily wary and uneasy.

Leroy inspected him and nodded. "Good, you're too noticeable and would get you into trouble for any Yahoo aiming to grab an Omega to sequester."

Ugh, was this one of those backwater places with outdated notions? Grifton sighed. "I'll do my best to remain in the background if possible." He passed another illusion that messed with people's memories of his appearance, especially his eyes. The last thing he wanted was to become someone's illegal bridge or worse, bitch.

Fortunately, this trip would be relatively speedy. Doss's master was in town, and Grifton was able to get the information necessary to make item bags to hold heavyweight equipment. The offloading of consignment items and accepting specialty items took a matter of hours.

It was only midday, but the caravan moved out rather than remain at the outpost. Grifton was relieved once they headed into the next series of tunnels, three of which would lead to their jump-off point, Coal Crevasse.

"What gives with that name?" Grifton was dubious. As far as he knew, coal wasn't something safe to use under any circumstance.

Leroy shrugged. "You'll see soon enough. It is more of the color of the place than the usage of coal that gained its moniker."

Hmm, Grifton was a tad leery, but he decided to observe first.

The tunnels were easy to clear but hit their severe first obstacle when reaching Coal Crevasse.

The trestle bridges that were the only way to cross the crevasse were utterly destroyed. "What the hell is this?" The captain bellowed in disbelief. "Why wasn't this reported?" He was furious when he turned to stare at the people who guarded the bridges.

"Communications are down." One of the guards growled at the captain. "So, we weren't able to report it to the officials until someone came here a day ago."

The guard stared at Grifton in evident curiosity, but it wasn't pleasant to remain under his intense scrutiny. "I'm afraid you'll just have to wait..." The guard sputtered when the captain shook his head.

"We're not waiting for anyone," the captain decreed. "Everyone with teleportation magic or psychic kinetic abilities, please step forward."

Grifton was hesitant, but when Leroy nodded, giving him the go-ahead, he grimaced.

Leroy chuckled at his hesitation. "It'll be okay, kid. Those guards won't remember a thing." The veteran promised with a wicked grin.

"Err, thanks?" Still leery, Grifton joined twelve men and women who stepped forth.