As I stumbled after Yorka towards chemical vat 14B, I stopped to transfer Bask his two sol.
No sooner had I finished than a vaguely familiar person appeared in my line of sight, scratching his belly. It only took me a second to recognize him — it was that deer with three fours on his hide. That orc who knew he was weak, and kept his water bottle tucked tightly between his sweaty thighs. We weren’t far from the trade point, so I spent two more sol on water without a second thought. I handed the bottle to the deer-orc, who blinked at me in surprise.
“I said I’d pay my debt.”
“Th-thank you... Wow...”
“Remember, if you run into any trouble, come find me. If some bastard tries to take your water, tell him Elb the goblin, double ones, gave it to you.”
“I will! Everyone knows who you are, Elb! Everyone heard about Johnny!”
I waved goodbye to him, and picked up my pace to hurry after Yorka, who was already fussing over another monolithic box on the wall. As I walked, I realized I had made a mistake — it didn’t make sense to transfer Bask those two sol, since the system would essentially just eat the whole amount when it took the fee.
Balance: 0.
Job: Wipe markings. (Party).
Description: Procure sponges from chemical vat 14B (CLUX-17) and wipe the wall and floor markings in adjacent hallways 1 — 12.
Job location: Hallways 1 — 12 adjacent to CLUX-17.
Deadline: Evening end-of-work alarm.
Compensation: 30 sol.
Chapter 9
WE FINISHED OUR JOB in three hours of hard work.
We worked hard but smart. We took the most optimal route, deciding to start from the farthest hallways, splitting the work. I used two sponges to clean the markings, while Yorka ran back and forth, replacing the reddened sponges with fresh green ones.
The technology was amazing. We were tasked with wiping all the numbers and letters on the walls and floor with special sponges, but it was more than just cleaning the dirt off — although the dirt came off easily. When I ran the sponge over a green arrow pointing to CLUX-17, it suddenly looked brand new. Not only clean, but like it had just been painted on. The paint was whole and unchipped, the arrow shiny and visible from afar. The sponge served as both brush and paint, but could be used on markings of any color, without leaving stains on my hands or the unmarked surfaces. Truly amazing.
It was also a relatively easy job that didn’t use up all our energy.
Three hours later, our hard-earned money was added to our balance.
Balance: 10 sol.
I was more than relieved. We went back to our ledge, and I immediately sent Yorka out shopping, after a quick reminder to keep one eye open and one hand near the club at her waist.
It was time for Bask’s extra shot. I didn’t want to reopen his wounds, so I stopped a passing orc, flashed him my nicest smile, and asked him to do us a kindness. He couldn’t resist my charm, and helped me get Bask into the medblock then back to the ledge afterwards. Before he left, he squeezed my hand in a heartfelt handshake and asked for permission to use my name to keep griefers away from him. I granted him that, in exchange for another service. We brought Bask to a food unit for a cube and some water. I got my lunch afterwards, and it turned out I didn’t have to pay. I even got an extra free shot, too. The system was spoiling me. And we deserved it — it was our reward for not letting the system down, for completing its jobs and even exceeding its expectations. Our little orcish helper left us and swaggered off to get his own lunch.
Bask explained that the system had given him two shots and only had to pay for one of them — the special restorative one. The system was also permitting him to eat and drink normally, and he was advised to limit movement.
Fortunately for me, ‘limit’ wasn’t the same thing as ‘avoid’.
We had received an unexpected job, and we would need our whole party to get it done.
Yorka returned with a backpack just like mine, and assured me there were socks, underwear, and personal hygiene products inside. She also hinted that she didn’t need them very often, twice a year at the most.
That sounded strange, but it was good for our party. Maybe something in the shots messed with women’s’ cycles, since it usually happens much more often and is much harder on them. I had no idea how I knew, but I knew it could sometimes be a week of suffering and discontent.
I thanked Yorka for doing what I told her to perfectly, then had both of them get up and follow me along the main hallway, hugging the wall. For the first thirty paces, I tried to catch what words I could among the hubbub of goblin voices, but it turned out to be pointless. A goblin stood on one of the benches, shouting and waving his hands, spreading the latest news.
