The Infinite Bk. 01 Ch. 01

"Drag these bodies into the woods, out of sight from the road. That should satiate any beasts that search this area."

There was no telling what the value of these slave traders were. If they were even slightly important to someone, their disappearance might lead to an investigation. Three nude, headless bodies that were devoured by monsters wouldn't leave any evidence. They couldn't even be identified. On the other hand, if they were criminals, then Noah might be able to use their severed heads as confirmation of their deaths and collect a bounty. He had been in a lot of bad situations and chaotic timelines, so this mindset was a skill he knew he could rely on and use as he needed.

Once the bodies were dealt with, Noah took his seat at the front of the wagon and Tin joined him. The two extra horses were tethered to the sides of the wagon and would follow along. Noah cracked the reins and the horses pulling the wagon began moving forward.

"There is a suitable place several miles down this road. I will show you where."

"Until we get there, I have questions that I need answered. Where am I? What country is this?"

"This is the Algata Province of the nation of Uther."

"How large is Uther? How much of the continent does it take up?"

Tin bowed her head. "Please forgive my ignorance. I do not know the size of this country, nor what a 'continent' is." The way she had reacted, was she expecting him to punish her?

Her answer was to be expected, though. A slave educated in geography would be an unusual find. It would be good if he could get his hands on a decent map, though in this era, that was probably a lot to ask for. In a world with magic and monsters, there was no telling what the planet's topography looked like, even the arrangement of the continents. He had traveled previous Earths numerous times, but much of his experience was now obsolete.

"Relax, I'm not going to hit you for not knowing something. Just keep answering my questions as best as you can. Uther, is it a rich country?"

"I... don't know for sure. Perhaps there is wealth in the capital, but this is the countryside."

"Does it operate under a monarchy? Or do they elect their leaders?" She looked at him like he had spoken in gibberish. "Does it have a king or queen?"

"Oh, yes, sir. There is a royal family, but I don't know anything about them."

"What do they use for currency?"

"Metal coins, like silver and gold."

Noah retrieved one of the snakeskin coin purses and emptied it out onto the seat between them. It was about a dozen bronze coins and a few silvers. The other two could be expected to hold a similar amount.

"How much would you say this is? Would you say it is a large amount of money or not much?"

She looked at the coins with her glum expression. "I don't know. I've never handled money before." She picked up one of the silver coins and showed it to Noah. "This is what I'm worth."

'Well, that's a depressing thought.' "What season is it currently?"

"Mid spring."

That was good for Noah. In order to get a foothold in this new world, he'd need ample time with the chances of survival at its highest. Winter would hamper his mobility, possible actions, and make life a lot harder. Had he appeared in this world a few months earlier, he could easily freeze to death before reaching civilization.

"You spoke before of monsters. What should I be cautious of in this forest?"

"The biggest danger is the wolves. They travel in packs and kill whatever they see. There are also bears, large spiders that hide in burrows, and goblins."

Giant spiders and goblins? This world was getting more fantastical by the second.

"Tell me about the goblins."

"They are small, only about the size of children, and maybe as smart. They have weapons and often ambush travelers."

"The old man, what was that technique he used? I've never seen anyone do that before."

"That was magic."

'Thought so.' "Tell me everything you know about magic."

"It is the blessing of the gods, letting people call down divine retribution upon their enemies. It can create fire, control water, make you stronger, and do all kinds of things. There many different kinds of magic users. I've heard of some of them; mages, paladins, warriors, shamans, but I don't know much about what they can do."

"What kind was the old man?"

"A mage, I think."

"So can anyone use it? Or is it passed down through the bloodline?"

"I don't know."

That was a problem. If it was an ability passed down from parent to child, then he was screwed. His glitchy reincarnation left him with the regular genes of his last parents. If magic wasn't something he could learn or acquire, life would get exponentially harder. Then there was the mentioning of gods. He had spent several lifetimes searching for signs of the existence of God, some presence of divinity that might explain his existence, but he always came up short. However, in a world where magic existed, perhaps gods might as well.

As they continued through the woods, Noah thought about the slaves walking behind the wagon. Letting them go might be a liability. They knew he had killed three slave traders, they knew where he would set up camp. The slave traders mistook him for the son of a noble, so if the slaves went into some town and started blabbing about him and what he had done, people might come after him. Perhaps it would be better to dispose of all of them? No, the chances of him managing to kill them all would be low and that would be a lot of corpses to deal with, not to mention he didn't know if killing them would get him into trouble.

'To think my laziness would compensate for my withered conscience...'

They were passing by a hill with trees blocking much of the view, but all of the horses flicked their ears to it. Noah didn't miss that tick and reached into the wagon. When searching earlier, he found a bow and a few arrows, none of which seemed very well made. He took aim up the hill, spotting a shadow moving between the hills. It had been a long time since he had last used a bow. It was one of his hobbies about four or five lifetimes ago. This was nothing like the modern bows he was used to handling, but when he let the arrow slip free, it shot between the trees and found its mark. Noah didn't see what he hit, but there was a shriek of pain that he did not recognize and the sound of multiple entities running off.

"What was that?" Tin asked.

"I assume that was one of those goblins you mentioned." This was getting dangerous. "You stay here," he told Tin. He brought the wagon to a stop and went back with his knife and the key. He cut the slaves' binds and unlocked their collars. "You're all free to go, get out of here. But don't even think of trying to follow—"

They ran off before he could finish his sentence. Good, that would make him less of a sitting duck, and they'd draw the attention of anything that might want a piece of him. He returned to the driver's seat and turned to Tin, holding up one of the coin purses.

"Get me to that safe spot and this is yours."

The forest thinned a lit, the trees spreading out far enough for the wagon to go off the road and head towards the sound of running water. They arrived at a clearing where a small waterfall thumped on exposed rock. It was isolated, just the place Noah needed. There was even a cave behind the waterfall where he could make camp. However, they were not the only inhabitants.

"Tin, what the hell is that?" he asked, looking at the creature sliding across the ground. At first, he thought it was giant slug, the creature about the size of a beer keg, but he then realized it was translucent. There were four of them.

"That is a slime. They like damp places. Their undersides are like giant mouths, devouring whatever they crawl over. Their bodies are covered with a thin skin, and if you tear it, its insides pour out and change the shape of its body."

"Are they dangerous?"

"Yes. Anything that their undersides touch will melt, same with anything you stab them with. The bigger they are, the faster it happens, and the faster they can move."

"How do I kill them?"

"You have to hit their brains."

The slimes hadn't noticed them yet, so Noah took aim with the bow at the nearest one. It was hard telling the front from the back of these things, but he spotted something floating inside, suspended, an apple-sized lump of solid tissue. He released the bolt, missing the creature's brain by several inches. It rumbled in pain and its gelatinous insides spilled out of the wound like a runny nose. Upon contact with the air, the viscera began to congeal and develop a layer of skin. It formed an extension of itself, like a second tail, now searching for what had injured it.

'So, that's what she meant when she said it changed the shape of its body.'

Already, the arrow was halfway dissolved. That thing was like a giant moving stomach. He would have preferred to take care of these monsters from a distance, but he didn't have enough arrows to throw away. It would also get dark soon, and he didn't want to try and look for another spot.

He turned to Tin and cut her binds, then handed her one of the coin purses. "You're free. Go wherever and do whatever you want. But don't even think of taking anything from the wagon."

He got up from the wagon and approached the waterfall with one of the slave traders' swords in his hand. It was the worst of the two, useful at least for experimentation. He approached the slime, already back to full health after being shot with the arrow. It didn't appear to have very good vision, didn't even appear to have eyes. He picked up a stone from the creek and threw it, sending it bouncing a few feet away. It pounced on the rock with surprising speed, smothering it with its body and absorbing it. So, these things could jump. If it could see, it was probably short-ranged, based on movement, or more likely it could sense vibrations in the ground.

He took another rock and threw it at the slime, this time hitting it. The rock ripped through its fragile skin and its guts spilled out. The blow stunned it just long enough for Noah to sprint over and cleave through its brain. As quickly as he attacked, he darted back. He had learned through numerous occasions to always expect an enemy to get back up. Plus, he wanted to avoid getting sprayed with any guts.

Despite his concern, it was a clean kill. The monster, originally a nauseating yellow, turned gray, and its exposed insides began to smoke and dissolve. Unfortunately, smoke was also coming from his sword. This really was a nasty acid. Noah wiped the blade off on the grass and then rinsed it in the river to clean it. It had undergone severe corrosion. Hopefully it would last until he killed them all.

One thing made him happy, though. When he killed the slime, numbers didn't appear in the air, displaying experience points earned. He started having concerns as soon as that first fireball was launched at him, and when Tin said it was a slime; he thought he had been reincarnated into some kind of RPG world. If at any point, she used the word 'level', he would have permanently lost the ability to keep a straight face and take anything seriously.

Anyway, back to killing.

He repeated his strategy with the other three slimes. A fist sized rock thrown with sufficient speed and accuracy could pierce the monsters and stun them long enough to deliver a fatal strike. After the third slime, his sword broke in half, the end completely melting off. There was one slime left, but it would be tricky. It was slithering around behind the waterfall, unaware of what had happened to the others. The vibrations of the water would probably mask Noah's movements, but he didn't want to take the chance.

He crept behind the waterfall and threw another stone, striking the slime near the brain. Its body curled up like a slug sprinkled with salt, and Noah rushed over. This time, he thrust the broken blade straight in. He managed to stab the brain, but the sword slipped right into its body. Noah pulled away before his inertia could send his hand plunging into the acidic muck, but several drops splashed him and he could feel his skin dissolving. He thrust his hand into the waterfall and steadied his breathing as the pain faded.

That was too close for comfort. He'd have to come up with another way to stop those things if he encountered them again.

The area had been secured, now to set up camp. He stepped out from behind the waterfall, and to his surprise, he saw Tin standing by the wagon, as if waiting for him.

"What are you still doing here? I told you, you're free."

"I... don't know what that means. I don't know how to be free."

"I gave you money. Take it to the nearest town and buy yourself something to eat and some new clothes. Look for anyone who will hire you, hopefully offering room and board in exchange. From there, start your new life."

"Is that an order?"

"No, it's advice. You don't have to take orders from me, I'm not your master. I hired you to be my guide, you got your money, and our contract is complete. Now we part ways." She continued to stand there, looking like a puppy in the rain. "You can have one of the horses. You'll be able to get to town faster and outrun pursuers."

"So you want me to prepare for your arrival into town?"

This girl was starting to get on his nerves. "You're not listening. You don't have to do anything for me. You're your own person now."

"But I'm not. I'm yours." She was almost whimpering now. Time for some tough love.

Noah retrieved his bow and an arrow and took aim at her. "Leave now, or I'll kill you and use your corpse for bait to catch my dinner."

There was a glimmer in her eyes. "If I can be useful as a corpse, I'll do that. Please, use me as bait."

Noah sighed and lowered the bow. Were he a harsher man, that wouldn't have been a bluff. This girl was needier than he would have liked, but her subservience made her more trustworthy than anyone he could expect to find in this world. Maybe it would be good to have an extra pair of hands to help him, at least until he got out of this forest. Besides, it wasn't like this was the first time he had owned a slave. There were many dark timelines when he followed the rule of 'when in Rome, do as the Romans.'

"Fine, I'll be your master. What skills do you have?"

"I can count to one hundred, I can write some, and I can tend to livestock and work fields, as well as perform household chores. I am also very experienced in pleasing men, so I can service you whenever you desire." She bowed her head as she spoke, not seeing Noah raise his eyebrows at her last sentence.

Depressing as her words were, he wasn't one to turn down an offer for sex from someone so willing. On the other hand, nothing about her current appearance stoked his libido. He was standing twenty feet away and could smell her like it was twenty inches. Sitting next to her in the wagon had been very unpleasant.

"Let's get camp set up and then we'll talk. You said you can tend to livestock, correct? Then I'll leave the horses to you. Get them watered and fed and then remove these dead slimes. I imagine they've lost their acidity in death."

Tin obediently went to work while Noah gathered all of the chains and collars that had been used to lead the slaves. There was also plenty of rope in case any of their binds broke during transport. Noah snapped the collars off the chains and used them as hammers to break the weaker links and split the chains into multiple short segments. He split the rope into thinner strands and set up a perimeter around the campsite, then hung the collars and chains on it like Christmas ornaments. Any intruders that tried to enter would hit the tripwire and the jingling chains and collars would give them away. And in case they were set off by the wind, the horses would be the second line of detection. If they started acting up, then a threat was nearby.

"I'm going to go collect some firewood. If any monsters approach, just holler for me and yeet some horseshit at them. The smell will drive them off."

"Yes, Master," she said with a bow.

Noah set out into the woods with his only sword and a satchel the old man had been carrying. He didn't want to stray far from camp, but he had to check out the area and make sure there wasn't anything to be afraid of. One thing he was especially cautious of were the giant spiders that Tin had mentioned. She said they hid in burrows, so he kept a close eye on his footing, avoiding any suspicious areas that could be a possible ambush. Webbing on the ground was a telltale sign, proof that he wasn't the only one using tripwires to detect enemies.

The first thing he did was gather pine boughs from around the site, accumulating a large pile that they would use for bedding and making frequent trips back to the camp. Then he gathered all of the firewood he could carry, but focused only on specific trees. This world was very different to the one he was used to, but most of the trees appeared to be the same. He also filled his pockets and the satchel with medicinal plants and even some edible mushrooms. As he moved, he had a strong feeling that he was being watched, and he knew what was watching him, especially when he found one of their dead.

It was one of the wolves Tin had mentioned, larger than any he had ever seen. His nose led him to it, the wolf reeking of death and rot. The meat was well beyond eating and its fur and bones weren't worth the effort to harvest, especially with all the maggots and flies, but there was something that he could definitely make use of.

The sun was starting to set by the time he was done, but there was still plenty he wanted to do. Luckily, dinner was already taken care of. The slave traders had packed enough food for themselves and their cargo. It was hard bread and dried meat, something that Noah's spoiled taste buds would not appreciate, but he'd seen enough hard times to know how to be grateful.

Before doing anything else, he removed his hoodie and t-shirt. He had kept them on as an added layer of protection in case anything attacked him, but the blood had hardened into a hard crust and he was glad to be able to finally take them off. Had he known he would reincarnate like this, he would have gone home and just hung himself, preferably with his pockets stuffed with useful tools. He laid out his shirt and hoodie under the waterfall, directing the spray right onto the blood stains. He pinned them down with stones so that they wouldn't be washed away.

He noticed Tin watching him like a curious feline. She had never seen muscles like his before. To survive in the countryside, men required great strength to farm and fight and muscle mass naturally accumulated. Noah's appeared more defined, like he had focused on improving the quality of his muscles instead of just chasing after the vague definition of strength.

"Tin, take off your clothes."

"I shall do my best to satisfy you, Master."

"Not like that. Put that dress of yours here under the waterfall. Do the same with all the clothes you removed from those slave traders. It may be low-quality, but whether we use them or sell them, it would be best if we can at least remove the stink."

Tin removed her dress, though it was more like a raggedy potato sack with holes cut for her head and arms and a strip of cloth for a belt. She was malnourished and scrawny, but he just had to polish her up a little.

With the last of the light, he searched the river for stones. He'd test their hardness, striking them against the back of his sword. Once he started getting sparks, he returned to the riverbank and gathered up some tinder. He ground some dry birch bark into a fine dust and struck the rock against his sword over it. It took several attempts, but some sparks landed in the dust and it went up like gasoline. From there, he built up a fire on the riverbank with all of the birch wood he had gathered. By the light of the flames, he started digging a hole using his sword and a metal skillet he found in the wagon.