Jon Steinke
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Chapter 10: One cage for another
🕑 Added 2025-10-05 20:19:46 +0000 UTCDawn broke over Deadfall Village as Aurum began its climb. Caleb stirred from sleep, his body moving before his mind caught up. Six weeks of routine had worn new grooves into his existence. The 28-hour cycle of Veraxus no longer felt odd. He'd grown accustomed to the extended daylight of highsun, which allowed for grueling ten-hour sessions in the kitchen, and the eerie crimson glow of second dusk that followed. He barely even noticed the chiming of the hourly bells anymore. It was the rhythm of this life now—one that afforded more time for work, and, he hoped, work would be enough.
The aches remained, transformed from the sharp protest of abused muscles into the dull throb of a body shaped by honest effort. He swung his legs off the narrow cot without ceremony. The staff quarters were quiet and restful. Other shapes huddled in their beds, stealing precious minutes before the day's demands. Not Caleb. His internal clock, honed by decades of corporate punctuality, had adapted to this new pace.
The washbasin held yesterday's water, cold enough to shock the last wisps of sleep away. On its surface, a stranger stared back. The gaunt hollows of Thal's cheeks had filled out. Color bloomed where pallor once reigned. His arms and chest showed definition—actual muscle forged by endless hours of knife work.
In his old life, he'd spent a fortune on a gym membership he used three times, mostly to sit in the sauna. Here, a diet of reincarnation, manual labor and constant stress had given him the kind of muscle definition he'd only ever seen in men's health magazines. Great. I'm finally thin. Fate sure knows how to crack a joke.
He dressed in the dark with rehearsed silence. The newer shirt felt stiff; the trousers comfortable. Clean, whole, sufficient. Fingers finding laces and seams without a single fumble. Every motion was a well-worn groove. His old body had known the path to the coffee maker; this one knew the path from cot to clothes.
The kitchen welcomed him with residual warmth from banked fires and the ghost-scents of last night's service. His station waited, knife and board exactly where he'd left them. The blade sang as he ran it across the steel—three passes, fifteen degrees, the angle precise without thought.
His hands found their flow immediately. Onions first, always onions. The knife moved in precise arcs, each cut clean and sure. [Chopping (F)] - Expert wasn't just a notification anymore; it lived in his muscles, in the way his fingers curled to guide the blade.
A sprig of rosemary lay among the herbs for the morning's prep. He picked it up, crushing it between thumb and forefinger to release its oils. The aroma overwhelmed him, dragging memories with it.
Suddenly he stood in his old kitchen. Sunlight warmed the linoleum. Evelynn hummed off-key at the counter, wearing his college shirt with the hole in the shoulder. Her hands moved with casual confidence, seasoning the roast for Sunday dinner.
"Add more rosemary," she said without turning. "You always go light on the herbs."
Katie sat at the breakfast bar, supposedly doing homework but actually texting under her textbook. Jack had his earbuds in, bobbing his head to whatever noise passed for music these days. The scene was so complete, so achingly whole, that Caleb felt the sunshine's heat against his skin, tasted the coffee cooling in his Northwestern mug.
His knife faltered. The blade bit crooked, mangling the onion beneath. The vision broke apart, yanking him back to the kitchen with its stone walls and pale morning light slanting through high windows. His grip trembled, and the knife shook.
Caleb sighed, bitter with frustration.
The ease of it was the cruelest part. His own past, the life with Evelynn and the kids, was a pristine library he could walk through at will. Every memory was preserved, whole and real.
But the past of the body he wore? That was a different story. For six weeks, he’d tried to systematically access Thal’s memories, to sit down and build a mental encyclopedia of this new world. It was the logical thing to do.
And it had never worked.
Thal’s memories were a shattered archive, a library where a bomb had gone off, leaving only disconnected pages fluttering in the dark. He couldn’t search for a topic. He couldn’t browse. A page only appeared when a gust of wind from the present—a sensory impression, strong emotion, words spoken—blew it into his hands.
His [Perfect Memory] was the flawless librarian, but it couldn't read a book that had been torn to shreds. He was an archaeologist, forced to piece together a lost history from broken pottery and scattered bones.
He forced himself back to work. The knife's beat became a mantra—thump-thump-thump—each impact an attempt to drown out her ghost and the useless fragments of another's.
Get up, work, eat, sleep. The thought tasted bitter as the herbs under his blade. Build a new life that will never be as good as the one I lost. Is this it?
The kitchen door banged open. Gareth entered with his usual economy of movement, already fixated on the day's battles.
"Thal." The half-elf didn't look up, busying himself at his station. "My cleaver. Needs an edge."
Caleb set down his knife and crossed to Gareth's station. The cleaver lay dull on the block, its edge darkened by yesterday's work.
"Yes, chef."
He wrapped the tool in oiled leather and slipped out the kitchen's back door. The morning air was cool as he traveled through the awakening Deadfall Village, carrying wood smoke and the eternal dampness of the Virethane Forest.
The forge squatted like a beast of brick and iron, already belching smoke into the grey sky. First bell had just rung out from the village watchtower, its deep bronze tone signaling the official start of the workday, and the forge's heat already rolled from its mouth in waves. The sweet smell of coal mixed with hot metal, and inside, the ring of hammer on steel created a percussive heartbeat that vibrated through the ground.
Yorrin worked his anvil with methodical strikes, shaping what might become a plow blade. The blacksmith embodied his craft—thick arms corded with muscle, leather apron scarred by decades of flying sparks. Each blow landed with the certainty of long practice.
Caleb waited at the counter. Better not to interrupt a craftsman mid-strike.
Eventually, Yorrin noticed him. The smith's light brown eyes swept over him with brief disdain.
"Yeah?"
"Gareth Hearthsong's cleaver." Caleb unwrapped the blade, setting it on the scarred wood between them. "Needs sharpening."
Yorrin grunted, picking up the cleaver to examine its edge. His calloused fingers explored the blade, detecting each imperfection and curve.
"An insult to the steel. Leave it. Come back in an hour, dull-ear."
The slur landed softly as everything else Yorrin said—no particular malice, just the casual dismissal of someone who'd never questioned the world's order. A simple fact: sky blue, water wet, half-breeds lesser.
Caleb's jaw tightened, but he nodded. "One hour."
He left the forge behind, its heat giving way to the cool morning. The main thoroughfare showed more signs of life now—merchants preparing their stalls, early customers haggling over prices. He kept to the center of the street, avoiding the alleys that opened like hungry mouths between buildings.
As he passed a tavern, the door swung open, spilling the smell of stale ale and unwashed bodies into the street. For a second, he caught the sharp, bitter scent of Steelbloom Brandy—the drink Rufan favored. A figure stumbled out, broad-shouldered and gaunt, and Caleb’s heart seized. It wasn't him. Just some other drunk starting his day early. Yet the abrupt insight left a frigid sensation in his gut. The threat wasn't gone. It was just waiting.
The Adventurer's Hall rose ahead, three stories of reinforced timber and ambition. Even at this hour, figures moved through its doors—some swagger-filled with success, others worn down by failure. The building hummed with an energy distinct from the forge's honest labor. This was the buzz of adrenaline and the desperate stink of final-bet sweat. It was the sound of coins clinking on wood—a down payment on either a fortune or a funeral.
The common room stretched before him, worn and chaotic. Tables bore the scars of daggers used to make points, floors stained by substances best not examined closely. Trophy heads watched from walls with glass eyes. A party of five argued over a map, their voices rising with each contested point about "optimal approach vectors" and "aggro management."
He crossed to the quartermaster's cage, where a semblance of order existed in defiance of the surrounding chaos. As he approached, he cataloged the unique feature that stood out on the patrons of this hall—the badges. Nearly every adventurer wore a badge—bronze or iron discs with emblems that glowed faintly. Bronze badges showed wisps of silver mist around a stamped tree. Iron badges held more substantial silver inlay.
His attention settled on the woman behind the reinforced counter, the clear center of this small island of efficiency. She was a half-elf, maybe in her late twenties—hard to tell when one had a bit of elven blood, he was learning—with dark brown hair pulled back in a severe, practical bun that allowed no stray strands to escape. Her fair skin had a light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose, and her sharp, intelligent brown eyes missed nothing, flicking from her ledger to a hulking adventurer and back again. Pinned to the collar of her vest was an iron badge, but the silver mist on hers was different. It swirled upward, enveloping the lower branches of the stamped tree in a silent, permanent fog.
Felicity looked up from her ledger, and her professional mask softened into something warmer. "Thal. Good to see you." Her voice carried educated precision, each syllable carefully placed. "Let me guess—Gareth's special order?"
"Indeed."
She turned to the cabinets, producing a tiny glass jar sealed with wax. A cluster of sunstone lichen flakes rested inside, each orange-gold sliver glowing with a soft, internal warmth. Despite its size, she handled it gently.
"One measure of Sunstone Lichen Flakes." She slid it across the counter with practiced care. "Do you know what the adventurer's went through for this?"
Caleb shook his head, though Thal's memories supplied fragments—something about a Lichen Lord, a creature of stone and fungus that moved like a glacier and hit like an avalanche.
"A full party tracked it for a week through the deep caves. Two of them came back with lung rot from the spores. Their mage is still coughing blood." Her fingers drummed the counter—nervous energy seeking outlet. "Sixteen gold imperials for one measure. Though..."
Her eyes flicked to the door, then back. Professional courtesy warred with personal interest.
"Between us? I could do fourteen. The party leader owes me a favor."
Caleb's mind shifted gears, falling into patterns honed by years of vendor negotiations. [Haggling] might be the skill, but the instincts came from stressful procurement meetings.
"Twelve." He kept his voice steady, reasonable. "The Inn's a repeat customer. Consistent orders, always paid promptly."
"Thirteen. The Guild takes its cut regardless."
"Twelve and a half. Split the difference."
She studied him, and something in her expression shifted. Approval, maybe. Or simple pleasure in haggling with someone who understood the exchange.
"Done." She adjusted her ledger, making notations in precise script. "I'll deduct it from the Hearthsong's account. You're getting better at this."
Turns out, years of haggling with vendors over bulk pricing for networking infrastructure and enterprise software licenses had some real-world applications after all. Who knew that arguing about a three percent discount on a million-dollar IT contract was the ideal training for saving a few silver on glowing fungus flakes? Evelynn would have gotten a kick out of that.
Movement caught Caleb's eye. A man hunched at a nearby table, studying a marked-up map of the Virethane. One hand traced migration paths while the other fidgeted with a crude, beak-shaped lure. His leather armor bore scuffs and tears, but the hunting knife beside him shone with a flawless edge.
"Mosshide bear's been denning near the old creek," the man muttered. "Should take a full party... but alone... a beast that old has to drop a stone! Five percent. Just need to feel the needle move."
"Another stone-fiend," Felicity said, dropping her voice. Distaste flashed across her face. "Jurgen there? He tracked for Silverscale Company for almost a decade. One of the best mundane scouts they had, sharp instincts."
She tapped a finger on her ledger. "Saved every copper he earned. Finally scraped enough together to Awaken a couple of years ago. That first taste of real power, after a lifetime of being powerless... it hooks deep in some men. He's forgotten all the skills that kept him alive for years. Now it's just about the numbers."
"Taking risks?" Caleb asked.
"Reckless ones. Any contract with a high formation chance, no matter how deadly. Last week? Nurse Log Basilisk, solo hunt. Returned with melted gear, medical debt, and nothing to show for it." She shook her head. "He'll die within the month. They all do once the status screen matters more than their own blood."
After a final look at Jurgen, Caleb nodded to Felicity. "Thanks."
Caleb pocketed the lichen flakes, Jurgen's desperate words following him into the street. An addiction. Of course. He’d seen it in his old world—workaholics chasing promotions, traders chasing market highs. The thrill of the numbers. He made a quiet vow to himself. That won't be me. For him, Awakening wasn't about watching percentages tick up. It was about standing on his own two feet. It was about understanding this world's rules, from its runic doors to its strange magic. It was about competence, not a high score.
The sun had climbed higher, burning off the morning mist. Foot traffic thickened—farmers bringing produce, craftsmen opening shops, children darting between adults' legs in games of tag.
His [Athletics] skill served him well, turning what would have been stumbles into smooth recoveries. After weeks of errands, he'd learned every uneven cobblestone and mossy tripping hazard.
He passed the intersection where Gilded met Duskborn, the social divide marked by architecture as much as clothing. On one side, shops with glass windows and painted signs. On the other, simpler stalls with hand-lettered boards. At the corner, a woman in rough homespun kneeled to repair cobblestones, her movements mechanical with exhaustion.
A Gilded approached—silk robes pristine despite the dirty streets. He stepped around the working woman without acknowledgment, as if she were furniture. She didn't react, didn't even lift her eyes. Just kept working, hands raw from hard labor.
A sour heat rose in Caleb's throat. He watched the Gilded dismiss the woman completely. He felt his own feet carry him past, his silence a shield of safe anonymity.
This was the person this world was making him.
He knew the lesson well. It was written on his ribs by Narbok's boot and etched on his throat by the memory of Rufan's hands. Keep your head down. Don't make waves. Survive. But knowing the lesson didn't make the taste of it any less bitter.
The forge's heat welcomed him back. Yorrin had his cleaver ready, the edge now gleaming with fresh promise. The smith held it up to the light, showing off his work.
"Done."
"How much?"
"Two silver."
Caleb paid without haggling. He’d seen a merchant argue with Yorrin last week over the price of nails; the man’s cart was still sitting by the road with a busted axle. Some lessons were cheaper to learn by watching others pay the price.
He came back to the inn quickly. Through the automatic doors, past regulars claiming their spots, into the kitchen's bustle.
He returned Gareth's cleaver to its place and his own knife to his hand. The kitchen work claimed him once more. Vegetables surrendered to his blade in exact portions. His movements fluid, no thought required. Just the meditation of repetitive excellence.
Cassia appeared as lunch service wound down. She seldom ventured into the kitchen during rush times, but once the chaos subsided, it was fair territory.
"Thal? A moment?"
He followed her to the office, wiping his hands on his apron. Sunlight spilled through the narrow window, bathing her office in golden warmth. She'd been working on the books, ledgers spread across her desk in neat rows.
"The lichen flakes?"
He produced the pouch. She inspected the seal, then nodded approval.
"Excellent. And the price?"
"Twelve and a half gold."
Her eyebrows rose. "Felicity usually charges fourteen minimum."
"We negotiated."
"I see." She made notations in her ledger, each figure precise. "Well done. That's significant savings." She set down her pen, fixing him with that evaluating stare he'd come to recognize. "Let's see where you're at, shall we?"
She opened a different ledger—smaller, more personal. His name marked the top of a page in flowing script. Below, weeks of careful accounting. Three silver here, five silver there. Simple mathematics that somehow added up to possibility.
"With today's earnings and the bonus for the discount you secured..." Her pen scratched across parchment, tallying sums. "You're at ninety-five silver."
He let out a relieved sigh. When had he last felt this? This feeling was raw and real, earned with blistered hands and aching muscles, eclipsing the hollow victories of past performance reviews. Accomplishment. Pride. The abstract goal he'd been crawling toward suddenly felt within reach.
Ninety-five silver. One gold was a hundred silver. Another day and he'd have enough for a basic spirit stone. The first step on whatever path this world offered.
"That's..." Words failed him.
"Six weeks of hard work paying off." Cassia's smile held maternal warmth. "You should be proud."
Pride. Such a simple word for such a complicated feeling. He'd rebuilt himself from nothing. Learned skills with supernatural speed, yes, but still through sweat and repetition. Earned every silver through actual labor, not corporate manipulation or borrowed authority.
This money was his in a way his old salary had never been.
"Thank you." The words came out rougher than intended.
"You've earned it. Every bit." She closed the ledger, but didn't dismiss him. "I have another task before you return to the kitchen, if you're willing."
"Of course."
"A special delivery. Our most... particular client has ordered Dominion-style spiced quail. Gareth's outdone himself, but the meal must arrive hot." She gestured to a wrapped package on her desk, aromatic steam still rising from specially treated cloth. "The cloth will keep it preserved for plenty of time after it's removed from the inn. But if you're late..." She shrugged eloquently.
"Aurelian?"
"You know of him?"
Fragments of conversations overheard in the kitchen had painted a loose picture. A disgraced noble playing at redemption. An alchemist with pretensions and flexible ethics. Someone who paid well but demanded perfection.
"I know where his shop is."
"Good. Be careful with the preservation cloth—it's quite expensive. And Thal?" Her expression grew serious. "Aurelian values promptness above all else. Don't dawdle."
He took the package, the cloth warm against his palms. Six weeks ago, a self-heating, food-preserving magic cloth would have been a miracle worthy of a TED Talk. Now, it was just another piece of equipment for a delivery run. It's amazing, he thought with a flicker of grim humor, how quickly even literal magic can become just another part of the job. Just like the wonder of the first iPhone eventually gave way to the dread of answering emails at midnight.
Outside, afternoon had settled over the village like a comfortable blanket. The lunch rush had passed, leaving the streets in that peaceful lull before evening commerce. His route to the alchemist's shop was straightforward—down the main thoroughfare, left at the mossy fountain, through the small market square where vendors hawked "fresh" produce of dubious origin.
Caleb turned down a side street that led to Aurelian's shop. Somewhere behind those walls, an arrogant noble waited for his meal, ready to complain if the temperature dropped a degree.
Unfortunately, he recognized this train of thought. This was his old life in a new skin. Demanding clients. Unreasonable expectations. The endless dance of service and satisfaction. An old weariness settled over him, a quiet counterpoint to the pride he'd felt moments before. That feeling of accomplishment was real, earned with sweat and calluses, but this errand felt like a step backward. It was a piece of his old life reasserting itself in this new one.
His old doubts followed him like shadows. Get the promotion. Buy the house. Check every box. Now it was silver instead of dollars. Spirit stones instead of stock options. But the treadmill looked remarkably similar.
Okay, ninety-five silver. A couple more days, and I'll have the stone. Then what? Back to chopping onions for the next demanding customer?
He'd reached the cusp of his first goal. The summit was in sight.
He hoped he wasn't trading one cage for another.
