Chapter 6:

After the cultivator’s leave, life on the mountain settles into a quiet routine. The biggest hassle to Sae had been the scoundrels trapped by his spell, but now knowing that even cultivators from other clans are unable to help them the men resign themselves to their sorry fate.

The group stays off the main path per Sae’s request and whittle away the days by hunting and improving their campsite. On some occasions merchants and wanderers passing through will trade supplies with them for fresh meats or furs. Some of these people will wind up stuck on the mountain too and some of the stuck people will wind up leaving with the merchants and wanderers. In this way the group of scoundrels is always changing, growing, and shrinking.

As the campsite settles into a true living space and the scoundrels learn the ways of the forest a few of the men find that they have no desire to leave whatsoever. These men become the unspoken leaders of the encampment and are the ones who teach the newcomers the rules and how to avoid the mad cultivator’s wrath.

Sae had told the trio of cultivators about how he’d killed two of the violent men trapped under his spell, but his words had made it seem like a quick affair with no fanfare. This is only the truth for one of the deaths. The man who harassed the girl going up the mountain was not quickly dispatched like Sae would have the cultivator’s believe. That man had been hunted down, dragged into the midst of the campsite, and an example had been made of him. The warning had been clear and effective: any vulgar desires towards the women coming and going would not be tolerated. Since then the scoundrels trapped on the mountain have practiced strict abstinence.

Now on rare occasions a few women do wind up trapped under the spell as well, but the men dare not touch them either. Knowing the nature of the spell, they know that if a woman is trapped like them then that means she is as sordid as they are and thus someone who can’t be trusted. It would be a vile, un-virtuous woman to cry assault from an innocent man. Knowing that Sae cares for them little and will easily cut them down if it suits him the men dare not tempt fate and vow to keep their hands to themselves while they are living on the mountain.

To keep their minds and bodies busy they occupy themselves with their plans to survive the impending winter. A few of the scoundrels had suggested moving the campsite to the east facing side of the mountain to be closer to the desert, but the more experienced merchants in the group had explained that nighttime temperatures in the desert are just as bitterly cold and deadly as they are in the forest, and there are less materials to start a fire with in the desert. So the scoundrels agreed to keep their campsite where it currently stands.

After bargaining with a few of the local villagers passing through the forest they managed to acquire a number of building tools and supplies to construct buildings. None of these scoundrels have ever had any experience with building structures or with any of the labor involved with sourcing the wood and clay needed to build something habitable, but a number of the men are of the creative sort and are able to draw up ideas on how the structure should look. In this way, through much trial and error, the scoundrels build themselves a hall with a large fire pit in the middle.

There had been much grumbling about sleeping under the same roof, but it had been pointed out that any person who doesn't want to sleep in the communal hall is welcome to build their own cabin by themselves. Most of these men, who had never involved themselves in much physical labor before, did not complain about the sleeping arrangements after that.

After the hall has been built the men set off to the next task which is preserving food. Luckily for the scoundrels most of them have had experience with long travels through remote places which involves having a store of food that won’t easily spoil after time. The men brainstorm together what foods are easily available to the them that can preserve. The most obvious answer is of course meat. So the men set out to build a smokehouse and cooking stove so they can properly save the meats that they catch from the woods.

After much pleading the scoundrels also manage to convince a few of the villagers to show them what wild herbs and other edible plants grow in the forest. After a few weeks of dedicated hunting, foraging, and cooking, the men gather a hefty stock of food that will surely last them through the winter.

After the food is sorted the men begin working on the next dire task which is warm clothing. In the beginning the scoundrels had readily traded their furs since they serve almost no purpose in warm weather, but now with snow coming they begin to stockpile those as well. The players who had been abandoned to their fate by their troupes are able to make themselves most useful by teaching the others how to sew and craft wearable items. In this way the scoundrels soon amass a wardrobe of cloaks, trousers, and moccasins with almost no hardships.

Now at this time any person with half a wit can sense the impending change in weather. The snow that comes every year in great mass to the mountain is visibly gathering in the sky. Thick gray clouds circle around the mountain while biting winds howl and screech from all directions in dire warning: Winter is coming, coming upon the mountain! These changes in weather fill the scoundrels and even the experienced villagers with a sense of dread. The bright colors of autumn fade and wither until there’s nothing left but dead leaves and bare branches that shiver eerily in the cold weather.

The animals become scarce as they burrow themselves away for the season and the small rivers that trickle down the mountain run dry as their source freezes. Except for the biting wind the mountain becomes as silent as a tomb. Only a madman or an idiot would be oblivious to these ominous warnings and still wander about without any worry or care.

Sae comes into the scoundrels’ camp while humming a merry tune. A heavy sack is slung over his shoulder, but it doesn’t appear to be a burden to him as he easily traverses the path and comes upon the great hall that the scoundrels built. The men all around stop their work as Sae comes into their midst. Many of the men had been chopping down trees and splitting logs to ensure that they have a hefty supply of wood to keep them warm through the next harrowing months.

Sae unslings the bag and sets it carefully upon a large table with benches along either side of it. He admires the campsite with an appreciative eye. Since he built his temple by his own two hands he can easily see the effort that went into building this great hall.

“This has turned out quite nicely.” Sae gives his compliments to the leader of the scoundrels who bravely stands beside him. Scripp and Strigg wander about giving every man they pass a terrible fright.

“Thank you.” The leader, named Talo, stands stiffly in front of Sae unsure of the reason for his sudden visit.

“Ah, you lot take these for me. The grandmas passed them off to me, but they’ll go to waste if I keep them.” Sae opens his bag to reveal a number of glass jars filled with brightly colored persevered fruits. He sets the jars out on the table and then slings the empty sack back over his shoulder. “Perhaps in the next year I’ll hire you lot to rebuild my temple.”

Talo looks taken aback at this casual suggestion. “Hire… us?” He looks around at the other men who look aghast at the idea.

“Aye,” Sae points at the great hall, “I did say that it looks nice. I was going to hire carpenters from the village, but giving you lot honest work will probably do you good.” He grins playfully before calling out for his servants and then says. “I'll take my leave now.”

“Wait!” Talo reaches out, but then stops himself before he actually makes contact with Sae. “Um, for the preserves…” He hastily begins untying his cloak and makes to give it to Sae, but Sae just stares at him blankly. “…Aren’t you cold?” Talo asks and tries again to pass the cloak off, but Sae makes no attempt to take it.

“Cold?” Sae glances around at the other men and notices for the first time how similar everybody is dressed. And hadn’t the villagers also been bundled in furs and fabrics? He looks down at his own attire which is still just his plain tunic and trousers that he’s been wearing for months and are near thread bare now. “Oh!” A laugh bursts out of him at the sudden realization. “I've forgotten how sensitive you humans are to this type of weather. No need to fret, my servants and I are quite well.”

Talo takes an uneasy step away from Sae as he talks. When Sae had burst out in his sudden fit of laughter Talo had a strange realization that the person standing in front of him is not human. There was no breath. For every man present, their breath plumes out in front of them in white clouds because of the frigid temperatures, but from Sae there’s nothing. It’s an unsettling sight to say the least. Talo clumsily ties the cloak back around his neck, he tells himself that his hands are trembling from the cold and nothing else.

Sae gives a friendly wave as he sets off. He heads up the mountain path to his shabby, little temple and the scoundrels watch him leave with some sense of relief. A few even have the thought that hopefully this mad cultivator will not live to see the flowers in bloom.

That night the first snow falls. For this even the wind quiets down. The snow falls in a hushed whisper that doesn’t even disturb the lightest of sleepers. It buries the whole mountain under a blanket of white changing the landscape from something dark and dreary to something new and beautiful.