Auntie toasts the VRMMORPG

69. Building the Pyramid - Part 2

Flora had spent the night in a cabin. Before the sun rose, drums awakened her.

After a short but rich breakfast of fruits and porridge, the next round of hauling blocks started. Today, they were a bit smaller, but they had to carry two at once. Thankfully, two more workers joined the crew.

Quest: Building the Pyramid – Session 2

Description: Comply with the demands of the overseers. Last 6 hours.

Possible Rewards: Continue Scenario

Possible Penalties:

Whip lashesChange of occupation

End of scenario

Difficulty: A

The first round of the day started in darkness and bitter cold. Flora took the pole position on the ropes again. It was generally disliked because the guys behind you could see when you slacked off.

This time, she started the breathing-meditation right from the start. When she had fallen in a comfortable rhythm, she let the events of the past few days drift through her mind.

The pyramid was now ten stories high, and the ramp longer. To ward of negative thoughts, Flora concentrated on the fact that the sled ride would be longer and more fun. And it was!

While she waited for the rest of the crew, Aidan informed her that she had used up 370 stamina, even though she minded her breathing. Immediately, Flora sat down and meditated. When the others arrived, her stamina bar was full again.

The sun rose during the second round.

Flora thought about her stamina usage. If nothing extraordinary happened, she could sustain this session with her current tactic of breathing exercises plus meditation while waiting on the crew. But it was only possible because she used on the way up less stamina (370) than the amount of her stamina bar (530).

If she used more, she would fall to the second stamina bar, and nothing but sleeping could get her back to the first. And of course, she would black-out and lose her job. Because 370 times 2 is more than one stamina bar, so she would immediately drop to the last bar and then fail the next round.

Her other bars were full. Although her health bar sank a bit occasionally, her regeneration filled it immediately up. In the harsh light of the desert, it looked like the top of the bar was vibrating.

Flora needed one more strategy to save or regenerate stamina for the next session. "Maybe drinking? But I have no container nor free hands. The last aspect is the bigger problem with all that papyrus around. I wish I could use the potion guzzler or any guzzler." Flora got an idea. "Let's invent the antique guzzler!"

The rest of the way, she struggled not to get too excited to mess up her breathing. Her imagination created one antique guzzler after the other: one Chinese inspired conical with the water reservoir between her head and the tip or one African inspired with a rim on which you put a flat bowl.

When she reached the water stall again, she was nearly disappointed that they were willing to give her a flask. It nicely fitted under her tunic between her boobs, and she only needed a stalk of reed to drink from it without using her hands.

Flora shrugged, sometimes the most straightforward solutions were the best.

Between the flask and her normal intake of fluids, she estimated that she drank around 5 liters of beer during the next hours. The beer was watered down, but in the fourth round she got a debuff: