8. Timing

Oskar stands on the top of the bar, wielding a long stick with a curved blade at the end of it. In front of Oskar hangs four vines that seemingly hang from the darkness, reaching down until approximately two feet length apart to the ground. Oskar grips the end of that stick on their right waist in reverse before swinging it in a circle arc with great speed, cutting down the vine. Oskar does that again three more times.

The vines Oskar just cut down are called Livitus, or in short, VINES. Livitus only grows when there is presence of a firestone. Livitus are versatile, as all of their parts can be used.

The youngest part, which is located at the lower end, has a greenish color, thin, and soft to touch, suitable to make bandages, splints, or pouches. They need to be handled carefully though, as these young parts are easy to tear apart.

The juvenile part, which is located in the middle, has a rather orangey to light brown color. These parts are thicker than the younger parts, and rustic to touch. These typically saw use in most everyday clothes such as robes or cloaks.

The best part is the mature ones, which have a brown color, and are very thick. It is also where Matoto fruit grows, the most important ingredient to build a society. These vines can be used to make armor, and if desperate, one can repair broken things with these, although temporarily.

Now usually, people don’t cut vines that go higher up than intended height, because as the vines get older, they harden themselves to the point it’s impossible to cut them down. In this part, the Matoto fruit blooms into a large purple flower with six star petals. These flowers too become uncuttable.

Despite their usefulness, it is important that these vines be cut down periodically, or else they burrow to the ground, in which they begin to creep the ground, destroying anything in its path with their extremely hard vines… Well, at least that’s what I’ve heard from Fervil, who occasionally catches rumors. This vine cutting routine is called VINES, or for the humorist they call it a VINE day, because this is the way people here measure time.

Now that the vines have been cut down, one VINES has passed. I have two VINES left to be a torchbearer. This is not going to be easy.

***

-v1-

The first training task is to carry a Matoto fruit, with a bucket, to the bar in front of me. Sounds easy, but it’s not.

This fruit has a blueish color, and is smooth to touch, like a metal ball. This is indeed a good looking fruit. The problem lies in its size, which is about twice the size of my head. A single fruit takes over an entire bucket. It’s also very heavy… I can barely carry it with my two hands. Everytime I drop it, a loud scream strikes my ears.

Regan: “WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU? THIS IS THE EASIEST PART, AND YOU’RE NOT EVEN HALFWAY THROUGH! GET UP!”

Occasionally, I tripped myself to the ground, and dropped the bucket and the insanely heavy fruit. I tried other methods too, such as carrying on my back, but soon I dropped it again and even worse, the fruit hit my head hard. Despite that, I have to push on, as the bar heavily depends on it.

Regan: “Okay, done! Rest for a while, and then you continue again.”

I finally carried a single matoto fruit to the bar. My back, my hips, my hands, and my legs are tired and in pain. I’ve never sweated so much and huffed so hard in my life. This task is murderous.

Regan: “Hey, where’s your reply?”

Me: “...Yes, …sir…”

I can’t make up words as I was still huffing.

Regan: “Louder!”

Me: “Yes, SIR.”

Regan: “LOUDER!”

Me: “YES, SIR!”

Regan: “Too slow! 30 squats!”

Me: “...Aihhh!”

Ever since Regan started training me, Regan’s attitude shifted 180 degrees, as if Regan’s a different person. When Regan asked me something, I had to end the sentence with a loud ‘SIR’. If I somehow forgot it or if I replied not in time, I have to do a squat.

Regan: “Alright, bring the next matoto fruit. Go!”

Me: “YES, SIR!”

Despite my feeling of exhaustion, I have to carry on… there are still numerous matoto fruits lying on the ground.

***

I’ve finished carrying five matoto fruits to the bar. Pain spreads all over my body, my muscles are exhausted, and my throat is as dry as dust.

Me: “Ugh.. No more..”

Regan: “So, this is the limit, huh… Get yourself a drink and then we’ll continue again!”

Still, the one muscle I absolutely must not get tired of is my mouth, or else I’ll face the consequences.

Me: “...YES, SIR..”

Inside the bar, Fervil had already prepared me a drink. It was… foamy.

Fervil: “Good job bringing those heavy fruits here! That old mayor said they would cover the tab for you for the next couple of VINES.”

Me: “But, why this drink..? Ugh..”

Fervil: “They didn’t say what type of drink I need to serve, and since you’re not the one who pays me either, I simply choose the most abundant ones. HAHAHA!”

…Needless to say, the drink was awful. If I could vomit it, I would, but I can’t, as my body desperately needs the hydration.

As I finished my drink, I saw Fervil pour the juice of matoto fruit into one of those empty glass tanks, then add shreds of amber stuff to it before heating it up.

Me: “That fruit… Can you explain it more to me? How are you able to open it?”

Fervil explains to me that Matoto fruit is where the juice is extracted to make drinks. Since the fruit is very hard, it needs to be opened with two tools, a small rectangular blade they call Carver, and a stick with a weighted head they call Whacker. It can be cracked open by whacking the Carver’s grip to have it inserted to the fruit, carving holes in multiple places which splits the fruit into two.

The fruit has four parts. The outermost layer, which is really hard, is typically used to make metal scraps. The second layer is the albumen, which Bal Do used to make remedies in clear bottles. The third one is a thin layer to protect the best part, the juice inside. The juice however, is undrinkable raw, so it needs to be refined first before consumption.

Fervil: “I then split these juice into two, the one you just drank, and the premium one with less foams. For these ones, I added shreds of Forongi block to enhance the taste.”

Me: “Then, why not you gave me those-”

Fervil: “I don’t think freeloaders shouldn’t complain.”

Me: “Ugh!”

These VINES and Matoto fruit are the wheels of this city. Without them, this city would surely crumble, even with firestone intact.

…VINES huh? I wonder if the rumors Fervil heard were true.

Me: “Fervil, you’ve said before that an uncut VINES will burrow the ground, but has it actually happened before?”

Fervil: “I doubt it ever happened to any cities I’ve known, but it’s an old rumor, so perhaps actually someone did see VINES burrowing, but in remote places.”

Me: “So, people here always cut the VINES on time, right?”

Fervil: “That’s right.”

Me: “But, how do you guys know when it is the time to cut down the VINES?”

Fervil: “Huh? What is that question? We observe the VINES, then we cut it down…”

Me: “No, I mean when you are not ‘observing’, but instead what if you can’t? What if you weren’t there?”

Why do I ask these foolish and obvious questions? The VINES are clearly outside here. Anyone who isn’t blind surely knows about it. What am I actually worried about?

Fervil: “What if I can’t see… And what if I were not here…You mean when do I need to cut the VINES if I were blindfolded, is that what you mean?”

Me: “Yes, yes! That’s what I want to know about!”

Fervil: “Aah, I see! Then I have a puzzle for you!” Fervil clapped his hand, then pointed their finger at me. Is this a challenge?

Me: “...A puzzle?”

Fervil: “Yep. What is it called when you do something regularly?”

Me: “A routine?”

Fervil: “Correct! Next, tell me what kind of routine you would do here.”

Let’s see, a routine is a thing you do over time, a thing I do repeatedly… What kind of things do I repeatedly do here? What kind of things do I do that I did before, and I did it again?

…

I think I get it. Can you guess?

Me: “Drinking?”

Fervil: “Yes! Bright people think the clearest, eh? You can predict when to cut down the VINES through routines. Now, most men here drink about four cups, that is the time it takes for the VINES to grow from up there to the cutting line. Since you are doing heavy training, I reckon you'll need to drink twice the amount.”

That is a good insight. With that kind of information, I should be able to measure the time without needing to look at the actual VINES.

A loud noise came from the outside. It seems my time is up.

Regan: “Recess done! Get back to drill, Baldy!”

Me: “YES, SIR!”

Fervil: “Hey, Baldy. Next time, don’t drop the fruit, okay? It’ll ruin the insides.”

I nodded and continued my brutal training.

When I’m dehydrated, I go for a drink. When I’m refreshed, I continue my fruit carrying task. When I fall, Regan tends my wounds. When I fail to reply with a loud ‘yes, sir’, I do squats. With every drink I take, I drop less fruits, I carry faster, and I finish squats sooner.

This is where I learned that this is strength training according to Regan. It builds up the muscles in my arms, legs, my chest, and my back by repeatedly stressing them by lifting heavy fruits, which forces those muscles to grow larger.

After four drinks, I finally carried all the matoto fruits to the bar. I carried more than a hundred I think. Fervil opened all these fruits and discarded the carcasses beside the bar. They are piling up like a hill.

My body is tired, even after chugging down four drinks. I am still as frail as before, none of my limbs grow any larger than before, and there are bandages in many parts of my body.

…

Regan: “Baldy, we’re done here! Let’s go running!”

Me: “YES, SIR!”

Pain and exhaustion accompany me, but I must press on.

***

-v1-4/8

For the next training task, I need to run laps around the city. Despite the amount of buildings and the lack of population, this city has a huge area. The hill at the edge of the city is a perfect place to do that. I can admire the bright view of the city, and numerous dark tiny houses around this hill… Unfortunately, I don’t have a moment to do that, as my view is preoccupied with the unstable paths, and my legs are killing me... I have to watch my steps so I don’t trip over.

Regan: “WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU? I TOLD YOU NOT TO SLOW DOWN!”

Me: “Uwahg!”

I tripped myself again. This time I hurt my knee. As usual, Regan tended to my wound. This time too, Regan removed some of the bandages from the training earlier. If it’s not for these sandals, I would’ve hurted in more places.

Regan: “These wounds are already healed….”

Me: “Uh, yeah… I mean, YES, SIR..!”

Regan: “ *sigh* Here, drink this.” Regan noticed my hoarseness.

It’s the bottle I’ve seen at Fervil’s bar. It’s quite large, and it looks like it is made of Livitus’ mature parts. Strangely, this bottle has an uneven cylinder shape, and no liquid seems to come out, even after I shake them.

Me: “What is this..? Why is there no liquid inside..?”

Regan: “You have to squeeze the bottle with your hand.”

I squeezed this thick bottle as hard as I could, and bursts of jelly-like substance went straight to my mouth. Rather than drinking, it’s more like chewing. Taste wise, not as horrible as the drink I had ago, it has a little bit of sweetness to it. Nevertheless, the taste and the texture, it’s still nasty in my opinion. Regan noticed my nauseous face.

Regan: “You don’t seem to like it. Well, can’t have good things everytime.”

Me: “Is every bottle… this nasty? Why is it not in a liquid form?”

Regan: “They were solidified to preserve it, which unfortunately also ruins the taste.”

This sweet taste must’ve come from that Forongi block. Now that I think about it, I’ve seen amber colored things before… Still, if I had to choose between this bottle and that bar drink, I would prefer a drink in a mug.

Regan: “30 squats!”

Me: “Ah!”

Regan: “50 squats!”

Me: “YES, SIR!”

I wish Regan’s behavior would change though.

***

-v1-6/8

I’ve circumnavigated the city two times already, but I’ve never felt any change of speed in my running, nor if my biceps muscle has grown at all. According to Regan, this training is aimed to improve my stamina and strengthen my legs. The only thing I noticed is that I don’t huff as much as I did before.

At least I’ve made an improvement.

We are now above the hill at the front of a tall storage building.

Regan: “You’re doing better than I expected.”

Me: “YES, SIR.”

Regan: “For now, follow me.”

I followed Regan as we entered the building. This time, the strange man with a blue robe is not here.

Me: “Regan, do you know anything about a man with a blue robe?”

Regan: “A man with a blue robe? I don’t know their name, but I’ve heard that man is some kind of traveler themselves. What of it?”

Me: “Do you know anything about their deal with Jevannah at the front door?”

Regan: “No idea. Jevannah never told me about any of their secretive endeavors.”

Me: “Secretive? You mean…”

Regan: “Has Jevannah ever told you why that man wants to become a mayor?”

Me: “No.”

Regan: “Neither do I. Unlike Fervil who works at the bar and has a good connection to the people here, Jevannah was a nobody.”

Me: “Wait, what? Is that true?”

This is new. I never thought Jevannah, who seems to be well known in this city, would have a history like that.

Regan: “When I and Oskar first arrived here about 40 VINES ago, Jevannah was not even a torchbearer. Jevannah was known among the people as a man who meditates all the time in front of a firestone. Jevannah had nothing back then.”

Me: “How about their office?”

Regan: “Originally it wasn’t Jevannah’s office, but it was Fervil. What’s even crazier is that Jevannah does not drink nor talk to people. Jevannah just meditates, all the time, like a statue… That is until one moment where Jevannah found an eureka.”

Me: “Eureka? What is that?”

Regan: “The hat Jevannah wore is their manifestation of firestone. Jevannah spent a lot of their time becoming a torchbearer. When they finally did, Jevannah became a changed man instantly. Jevannah became much more skilled at conversation, built connections here and there… Jevannah even convinced Fervil to give their office to Jevannah and a quarter of Fervil’s fortune to be used to buy books and texts, and hire followers to do rescue missions.”

Me: “Why rescue missions?”

Regan: “Because it is the best and the fastest way to convince other people to trust you.”

Me: “And that is where both of you met Jevannah, perhaps?”

Regan: “Sort of. I can tell you that from the first VINES I met that guy, Jevannah did not change at all. Oskar and I had good experience with combat, so naturally Jevannah was interested in followers like us. We kept getting hired by Jevannah, till other torchbearers started to call us Jevannah’s pup. Despite that, we never feel ‘connected’ to Jevannah. We simply kept our relationship professional, and did not bother with our personal interests… That is until we rescued you that I began to feel something strange.”

Me: “Of all the rescue missions you guys did, I’m the weirdest?”

Regan: “Your rescue was rather odd. The tomb where we found you… Almost nobody goes there, because there is nothing valuable inside, which means having someone lost here is almost impossible. Another thing is, Jevannah brought Thorne, a MUTE who is usually better to be left alone.”

Me: “Are you saying that Thorne shouldn’t be there? Didn’t Jevannah said that Thorne’s the best scout? Jevannah said they hired the best, right?”

Regan: “Did you forget what I’ve said before at the bar? Being good at one thing does not mean being good at teamwork. There are other scouts more suitable for these jobs. The distance to the tomb is also not that far, the paths are relatively easy to follow… Any crappy scout could do these jobs at lower prices… Maybe… Maybe Jevannah’s trying to show Thorne something…”

Trying to show something? What is it Jevannah even tries to show? When the fighting ended at that time, Thorne only met us briefly before Thorne disappeared. Is it the tomb, or something else?

What if that ‘something’ is me, then it didn’t make sense either, as Thorne at that time even avoided looking at me.

…

What sort of things are Jevannah and Thorne were looking for?

Regan: “Anyway, enough talking. Get inside the room on the right, and grab a sack inside.”

Me: “YES, SIR.”

I entered this dusty room and grabbed a thick large sack that contained… sands? Nevertheless, it was really heavy. I brought the sack outside, then Regan tied it on a stick.

Me: “What is this thing?”

Regan: “This is called a sandbag. This is where you’ll learn how to use a weapon.”

Beside the sandbag, there are three weapons lying on the ground.

On the left, a large weapon with a rectangular blade is called a Ruler.

On the middle, a long yellow stick with circular pommel at both ends is called an Aider.

On the right, a chain weapon with a weight at the end of it is called… a Traumatizer. Why do weapons in this place have weird names…

Regan: “Go on, pick your weapon.”

Me: “But, I’ve never held a weapon before.”

Regan: “You can try holding each one of them, and see which one that fits you… Actually, scratch that. Don’t pick that Traumatizer. Just choose one of these two.”

That Traumatizer weapon would certainly do more harm to myself, even though I had no clue about weapons at all… Strange.

First, I held a Ruler. This is a type of weapon that Regan uses to slice the Undeath in half. The middle of the blade is inscribed with multiple strange drawings. It is really heavy, and I don’t have the strength to carry this for long periods, so I’ll skip the Ruler for now.

Then, I held an Aider. Its length is about as tall as mine. It’s not particularly heavy, but the balance of this weapon is not something I’m familiar with. Most of its weight is located at the pommel. The middle part of Aider feels a little rough to touch. *This suits me* I thought.

Regan: “So, you choose an Aider huh? Fun fact, you can split the Aider into two by turning the grip on the middle. It helps when you are in a pinch.”

Regan’s right, the weapon does split.

My right hand instinctively held the splitted Aider, putting two fingers over the grip…

And that’s where it hit me.

Someone touched my right hand. It was cold… So cold… A hand is holding me, it’s unusual… something more than a human possibly have…

A strange vision blasts my eye for a moment, showing me the figure of a man with a black suit, before it speaks to me…

I have taught you well… Mother would not accept you… I was hesitant at first, but…

You are a part of the Family… Do not forget that…

That moment lasted briefly, but somehow I learned something for ages.

No, it’s as if I held this weapon a long, long time ago.