Chương 23: Testing Distance

Mark looked into the forest. He felt it again. She was close. He couldn't see her. But he knew she was watching. Morning light filtered through the trees. The meeting stayed with him. Determined to not let it slow him down, he brought up his map to review the zone. The area to the northeast had more area that was no longer shaded out. Still more unseen area than seen. The map showed he barely reached the dense grove. Reviewing the POIs on the map, his eyes stopped on the clay pit.

"I still need to clean the mess." After the fight with the rootback, he had left the pit and all the other things just lying around. His control came from how well he took care of his area. He had left a mess, and it was time to clean it up. With his mind made up, he headed into the forest toward the clay pit. As he traveled, he continued to watch the forest. When he passed traps, he checked them and reset or looted them as needed. When he arrived, he looked at the pit.

It was a mess of broken spears and smashed and mangled limbs. Mark started by dismantling the trap. He pulled apart the deadfall, setting the log to the side. He dismantled the trip wire and cleaned up the bushes around it. He then picked up the ladder he left by the tree, placing it into the hole. He climbed in, making sure not to impale himself. He then picked up all the branches. He dragged them up the ladder and threw them next to the tree. Once the pit was finally clear, he leaned against the side to rest.

It had been a lot of work to clear out the mess. He climbed out of the hole and looked around the area.

"If this is a clay pit, we need to reorganize some." Mark pulled out the axe and started to clear the brush and small trees near the pit. Once he was finished with cleanup, he looked back into the hole. He could see that one side of the pit had clay, but the other did not. Deciding that he needed less of a hole and more of a clay pit. Mark started breaking down the side that was away from the clay and made a crude ramp down. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

He walked back down into the hole and started looking at the clay. He had the feeling that she was out there. Walking out of the pit, he scanned the area again. He could not see her. Shrugging, he went back in the hole and pulled out his shovel. He used it to knock out some of the clay. He found that some areas looked better than others. He pulled a clump up and tested it. Forming it into a ball. When pushing his finger into it, the ball cracked and fell apart. He tossed that piece aside and pulled another chunk.

This one was more moist, maybe? Doing the same test, this held its shape better. As he tested a few more samples, he heard a branch snap. Turning around, he saw that she was there outside the pit. She was watching him. Not hiding. Not really. Mark wondered how long she had been watching him. She looked nervous. Neither of them said anything. Just watching each other. He didn't move. Neither did she. For a moment, It felt like she was deciding something. Mark turned back around and picked up another hunk of clay.

Hearing something, he glanced back. He caught a glimpse of her back as she moved away. Her movements were like those of a cat on the prowl. Mark this time just watched as she slowly, carefully walked into the woods.

"She's watching how I work." Not just watching. Learning. He waited to see if she would return. When he decided she was gone, he returned to his clay. He had found that there were roughly 3 varieties of clay.

"The moisture levels are different." He gathered enough to make a few projects. This would work. Not perfect. But workable. Walking out of the pit, he looked around again. He felt that he had improved the area. Easier to access. Clean of debris. He picked up and stored his ladder. He no longer needs it here. Looking at the shovel, he decided it would stay here at the pit. Making a few more shovels will be added to his to-do list. He decided that everything was in its place and headed back to camp.

As he walked back, he thought about how she was still watching him. She did not seem to want to talk.

"Not sure where this leads." He walked into camp. Nothing had changed this time. Mark grabbed his chair and sat down at his crafting bench. He pulled out the 3 separate types of clay and sat them on the table. He started to play with them. His first test was that he made a bowl out of each of the three types. He found that one of the types did not work well at all. He could not get it to hold shape. Finally, he decided this one was not moist enough to mold. He gathered it all up and put it back in inventory.

He would drop it off in the pile of waste dirt near the clay pit later. He looked at the other two. Both seemed to be holding their shape well. One was a little stiffer and drier. The other is more malleable, but there is no real difference. For his needs today they were about equal. He made one more bowl to match the 2 that he just made. Walking over, he started a fire to dry them. When done, he would have 4 bowls.

"Better to have more than needed." Still having plenty of materials, he sat down and made 4 plates. He arranged them also around the fire to dry. He had just enough materials left to make one type of craft. Looking over at the water pouch, he decided he would make some mugs to go with them. He created 4 mugs, and they joined the plates and bowls by the fire. After creating the plates and mugs, he received the system messages for the 2 new crafts. He now had a set of 4 plates, bowls, and mugs. They were consistent.

More than he needed. For now. Mark looked into the forest.

"She's not just watching."

"She's paying attention."