Chapter 140

The Surface of the World.

Thrush

“It’s good to shoot dice with you again,” I said.

“Course it is!” Boggo said.

He reared up for a roll. Shook his clasped hands with a vengeance. Bit his tongue. Jumped up from his blue nest and threw the die.

“One off from point,” he said and wound up for another roll.

This time he hit point and went wild with victory. He bounced around the cellar, cheering himself on, performing cartwheels and boxing the air.

The pot held a good sum. A small hammer. A couple of cloaks. Bread. Fruit. Some picture books, and a bottle of liquor.

Boggo gathered all the items together. There was much more than he could handle, so he pushed the entire pile, half at a time, until he’d gotten it against the wall. He returned with the small hammer, the head of it dragging behind him.

“This is the best,” he said. “Look how much metal this thing has. Good for a whack!”

“Good job,” I said.

“Alright,” Boggo said after making himself comfortable once more. “A deal’s a deal. Let’s do the high-five stuff so I can help you level up. You ready?”

“Take a look around,” I said.

Boggo and I shared tales of adventure while we traded back and forth. He told me all he’d been up to, and I shared all I’d been up to. His favorite parts of my adventure invovled the bandits.

“Hawkin told me you were asking about me,” I said.

“Yea, I just got curious. That’s all. Hey, did you know that I took a peek above ground while you were gone?”

“You’ve never seen the world above ground?”

“Nope. We’ve got besties assigned for that role. Usually the ones doing construction. Occasional surveys for safety too. But I managed to sneak a peek!”

“What did you think?”

“I thought it was bright. Really bright. It hurt so bad. So I went back when the sun was going down. It was still bright, but I could see trees from the outside. Who knew that’s what they looked like! I saw bushes! Birds! Colors of all kinds! Reminded me of gems. Oh boy, it was amazing!”

We focused on trading for some time. When Boggo grew weary of the game, we paused for a snack. A whole pile of smoked fish and some dreambons. I poured us some goblin spit beer from the barrels I’d recovered off the coast of Lunstad.

After some time, and a full belly, Boggo said, “I’d like to see the world again during the day. I can’t stop thinking about it. That's all I think about.”

“Why don’t you?”

“It’s dangerous. There’s the snakes. The badgers. The feline animals. All sorts of horrible ways to die. Not to mention horrible monsters—no offense. Blue besties live for a long time. Why risk it?”

“There aren’t any of those things for miles,” I said.

“That’s what the reports say, too,” he said.

“Animals fear me. As long as I’m around, there won’t be any animals or monsters.”

“I don’t know,” Boggo drawled. “It’s not like there’s much to do above ground. I’m good with the besties down here. Lots of games to play, you know? I’m a social guy; particular about who my friends are, but if you haven’t noticed, I love a good time!”

“I played a few games on my adventure,” I said.

“What’s the hold up? Tell me! What games?”

“One of the games I liked to play was a drinking game.”

Boggo’s eyes went wide. He leaned in.

“We have to play,” he said. “Can we play?”

I brought out a water skin of a planes cutter beer and let it flop over on the ground.

“What… what’s this?” Boggo whispered.

“That’s the prize,” I said. ”Whoever can out-drink the other gets to drink this beer.”

“Let me get this straight. Whoever can drink more than the other person, has to drink some more?”

“That’s the game,” I said.

“What’s so special about that beer?”

“That’s for you to find out.”

“What if I win?”

“You won’t.”

Boggo stepped up to the challenge. He drank from a vessel for his size, and I drank from a silver tankard I’d purchased from Omes Arbor. It didn’t take many rounds until I drank Boggo under the table. He could barely keep his eyes open and gave up.

“You win. You win,” he slurred. “So… what now?”

“Now you have to take a sip of the planes cutter beer. It’s going to take you somewhere. You’re going to have a full day there before you return.”

Boggo took up the beer. Uncorked it.

“One more thing,” I said. “You have my word that it’s not dangerous. I consider us friends. I wouldn’t put you in danger. Understand? Trust me when I say you’ll be in a safe place.”

Boggo nodded and I hoped he understood me.

He took a deep breath and took a sip.

∞

Boggo

I was attacked by sunlight. I screeched like a hyena. Hissed like a cat. Fell back and held a hand against the sun that came at me like a knife.

“Oh… god,” I muttered.

I couldn’t muster the strength to dig. I could barely hold my hand up against the light. My heart raced. When a grasshopper landed next to me, I panicked and ran for the bushes. Bees buzzed about; pollinators minded their own. And from the shade, my eyes were finally able to adjust to the daylight.

I gasped.

Daylight was beautiful.

I held onto the base of a honeysuckle bush and gazed out across the landscape. The grass was bright and green. Tall and flowering. Millions of insects moved about. Trees bore fruit. Bushes bore fruit. The sky was endlessly high. Like the ceiling of an aquifer.

I was too drunk to stay awake any longer, so I flopped onto my back and slept for half a day. When I woke, I was still in this new world. Only my trust in Thrush kept me from panicking.

The sun hadn’t moved since I’d arrived. I didn’t know how much time I had left here, so I began to explore.

I walked upon the surface of the world for the first time ever. Smelled fresh flowers for the first time ever. Saw winged insects. Saw birds. Saw the wind pass through tree leaves. I fell in love with the world. With sights so foreign to me.

Something deep in my bones wanted more of this. Adventure. But I was afraid. I wished Thrush could be with me. I would have felt much more at ease with him here. Wherever here was.

When I returned to the cellar, I couldn’t shake my yearning for more adventure on the surface of the world.

End of Book 1.