Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 62: Homesick

We hoofed it to the Ceaparean Drift, eager to get to the zone before the event started. Being five days early meant that we had a luxury none of us had experienced really since becoming [Adventurers].

Down time.

Once Leo had shown the officials our invitation, they’d assigned us a camping spot in a copse of trees. The shade was welcome, as the Ceaparean Drift was essentially a desert.

"What are you going to do now that we've got camp set up?" Tandy asked as she strung up her hammock. We'd worked it out so that someone would babysit the camp while the rest of us could explore.

"I'm going to go see about getting some new gear. I still need some armor." Leo fingered his threadbare tunic. He’d left the pink sweater in his pack since the last dungeon.

My guilt got the better of me. "Here, take this." I threw him one of my two money pouches. Andrew had insisted I take some winnings from the dungeon after getting the long-term earnings assigned to the orphanage.

I’d kept it quiet from the girls.

"Hey, thanks, Cole. That'll help," he tossed the pouch up and down, weighing its worth.

Meredeath eyed me and tossed a small bag Leo’s way as well. Leo caught it deftly, grinning. Apparently, Andrew had been more generous than I knew. All three of us looked at Tandy.

She stood shaking her head as she tied the last knot on her hammock. "Sorry, I've got to keep the coins I’ve got left. I’ve been footing the bill for our travel."

I felt a spasm of guilt. I’d give her most of my other pouch later tonight.

It made sense, but she could have chipped in something. Just for show, in the spirit of Leo rehabilitation. Minimally, not to look like a jerk. That wasn’t Tandy’s style, though.

Leo shrugged. "I'm just grateful you all chipped in anything. This should really help." He opened up his own pouch and poured in our donations. Leo casually tossed our empty bags back to us. The blue-dyed leather pouch sat fat on his hip. "How about you two?"

I eyed Meredeath, seeing if she'd speak first. I shouldn't have bothered; she always held her cards close to her chest. She gave a fake shrug, as though she hadn’t already planned something.

“We are going fishing,” I said, patting Richard on the head.

We are?

I grinned at Richard's question as he sleepily raised his tentacles.

Leo raised his eyebrows.

"You are? That's..." his voice trailed off. I knew what he was thinking. That fishing sounded too much like home, too normal for our current life. And that's exactly why I was doing it. I needed a brief escape from the insanity of being an [Adventurer].

The road to the Ceaparean Drift had been long, dusty, and full of minor quests. The [Adventurer] life seemed to be a stream of boring, muddy roads interrupted by absolute terror. I needed fun.

"I know it's mundane. But I need a little slice of our old life. A day where the only goo I’m covered in is worm guts. I want to laze along that big ass river we passed and catch trout." It sounded whiny as it came tumbling out, but I was tired. Not tired in that all that was missing from my life was a nap, but homesick. Life-sick? Could I be life-sick for my old job as a glorified dishwasher?

"I think that's a grand idea." Tandy had climbed into her hammock as I was talking and gently swung back and forth. She yawned as she waited for the rest of us to leave. She was feeling the same weariness I was.

"I'm going to look for other-" Meredeath caught herself, her eyes shifting around to look at the other [Adventurer] campsites. "-others like me. With this many teams coming together, maybe there’s someone around."

Her reasoning made sense, and for her sake, I really hoped that she could find someone. I would not get roped into that search. After the night at the club, I would no longer just do whatever Meredeath wanted.

So I just nodded, returning to packing my fishing kit. I’d been planning this after consulting my dad’s map. I’d gotten a collapsible pole and some basic gear — thread, hooks, some fake bait.

"That's great!" Leo said, breaking the awkward silence. We were all feeling a little guilty that no one was going to help Meredeath, but we all needed a break from the quest life. In a sense, her quest was just a different version of my homesickness.

I watched and saw her eyes glisten. My heart broke a little. We hadn't run into another Traveler, only whispered rumors. Every town had a rumor, but none materialized when we investigated.

She'll be fine. Richard smacked his lips, still trying to wake himself up. She'll find someone eventually. Let's go fishing. What are you using for bait?

"I was going to dig for worms. Figured I'd scout the riverbank and find a suitable spot first, though. I've got a small jar of what looks like sausage bits that came with the hook kit." It wasn’t really about catching any fish; it was about fishing. I didn’t care whether I caught anything.

I shouldered my pole and walked away from the campsite. I’d made note of the tributaries as we’d walked into town. The Ceaparean Drift sat along a fairly large river called the Tigra. In the desert, the glacial-fed river was a lifesaver.

I just needed to hike upstream, above the camp. The latrines ran off into the river, and I’d had enough sewage in the last month.

I've got a better idea than old sausage. You find a spot and I’ll handle the bait.

Finding a spot was harder than I thought it'd be. I wasn't the only [Adventurer] who'd had the idea to spend a few aimless hours fishing. Each shady tree with a good vantage point of the river had a couple of souls already fishing it.

Richard sat on my shoulders, fully awake now. His tentacles extended actively tasting the air. The overcast weather was perfect for fishing. I just needed a spot to get my hook in the water.

"What about the rock over there?" Richard pulsed his body toward a large boulder I'd already examined and decided against. It sat in the river, with a ten-foot span of gushing water between me and the rock.

I was tired. I gave the boulder a second look.

If I could make it, the rock was big and flat, it’d be a prime spot. But I was never a good swimmer, and ten feet made me nervous.

"It’s too far." I started moving on when I felt Richard’s lips clasp my earlobe. I really hate it when he does this.

Noooo, it's perfect. He purred into my ear, one of his fangs catching on the sensitive skin and tugging my head in the boulder's direction.

"Come on, Richard, I still need to look for bait. I can't dig for worms on a boulder." I did not want to admit how worried I was about making the leap. Or how nervous the rushing water made me. I couldn't stop looking at the current; the water noticeably churned in the mini chute. The river was wide enough to fit two barges across, but in this spot, it narrowed enough to cause the already swift current to speed up.

Since jumping into the tidemaw I just couldn’t look at rushing water the same. Intellectually, I knew I had [Gills]. But the experience of drowning had stuck with me.

I’m going to be your bait.

I stood there dumbly with a tiny slug tooth embedded in my ear. Richard was going to be the bait? I hadn’t seen that coming.

"Won't you drown? Won't you get eaten?"

You still don't believe I'm [Immortal]? Think of me as one of those fake worms, the ones made of sinew and rope.

The general store I’d perused had some, but they’d been too expensive. Plus, why waste my money on expensive artificial bait when worms are free?

I'd seen enough over the last couple of months to back up Richard's ridiculous claim of [Immortality]. But I just couldn't believe it. It was too undignified.

Plus, true [Immortality] seemed a little too far-fetched. Damage resistant? Sure.

"I don't think this river has a fish big enough to eat you." There was no point in arguing with him on his own [Immortality]. That I had learned.

You've never fished in the Tigra, have you? There's fish that'd eat bait the size of you.

"That sounds like a tall tale." There was no way. It wasn't uncommon for Richard to indulge in exaggeration.

You need to see more of the world, Cole. There are fish as big as wagons out there. This river doesn't have any of them, but there are absolutely fish the size of a horse. And I'm great bait. I guarantee we'll catch something interesting.

I snorted, "There's no way. Besides, I couldn't pull a fish that big with this rod. I’d need a bigger hook. And I refuse to believe you're that tasty, even to a fish."

I'll take that bet, and if I win... I get my pick from your share of the next dungeon loot.

"Deal, and if we get a minnow..."

If we catch something mundane, I'll never lick your ear again.

"Deal!" I would do anything to get him to stop randomly licking my ear when he wanted my attention. I had found no leverage that outweighed his enjoyment of making me twitch. This would work nicely. I’d just wanted to fish; who cares if I caught nothing.

Now, let's hop over to that rock and go fishing. Stop thinking of that leap like you're a [Mundane]. You have stats now. Skills. Use one.

Right. I had skills. [Mind the Gap] would be perfect for this. I still hadn't gotten used to leveraging skills when we weren't in a dungeon or on a quest. I knew we were supposed to practice, but it was impolite to flaunt in front of [Mundanes]. Plus, it was stupid when the errant use of a skill could cause an accidental wound or death. Here, though, out in the wild, it would be fine.

I eyed the gap, took a breath. The edge of the bank ended in a rocky cliff, with the water rushing five feet below. The boulder was slanted at a forty-five-degree angle before flattening out. I went for it without thinking further. Backing up, I took five steps and ran.

I looked down as I came to the edge. The water hiccuped, sending up a small splash. A twinge of nerves shot through my skull just as I triggered [Mind the Gap]. The skill fizzed.

What the hell!