by Eric Vall
“Let’s see.” I started ticking off my imaginary fingers. “First, you’re going to build two really big fire pits. One is going to be a kiln, and one is going to be a smoker. Then Nicola is going to butcher the cougar. Instead of taking the carcass out into the woods this time, you’re going to hot smoke all the meat. This way it won’t have time to go bad, and it’ll be around whenever you want some extra sustenance. And someone needs to gather shells because we need to heat them up to make the cement, and that’s what we’re going to use to fix the altar. Actually, do you want to gather limestone or shells? You can use either. Any questions?”
“Shells!” Penelope chirped. “I love shells!”
“Um, that’s a lot of stuff you just told us,” Nicola laughed. “But I’m certainly happy to work on the meat.”
“I’m happy to build the fires,” Aleia chimed in. “Especially with the new shovel we got.”
“Oh, I got something really cool for you today,” I told the women. “It will help you start fires in an instant, and it makes a really big flame.”
“Ooh, I want to see,” Aleia said, and she rubbed her hands together. The strawberry-blonde was always particularly interested in the tools I got.
“Should we all go to the garden?” Penelope asked. “I want to see if there are any good apples on the tree right now.”
The garden had a huge, withered old apple tree in the corner, but a lot of the fruit had blown off a few days back in a windstorm.
“That sounds good,” Aleia said with a nod, and the three women began their walk up the hill.
The space we called the garden was the open area that contained the altar where the priestesses had prayed for my appearance. It was surrounded by white stone walls, and the remains of large, arched windows on one side made me wonder if it had ever been fully enclosed.
The altar had been damaged in the same storm, and now the women needed to repair it both to fulfill my Town Quest and to make sure I still had all my powers. I felt okay, but I didn’t want to take any chances.
I zoomed in on the garden once the women arrived, and while they headed over to the apple tree to find something for breakfast, I looked around for the new propane torch I’d requested. Then I saw something long and blue lying in the grass, and I recognized it as the fuel cylinder.
“Hey, Aleia,” I called out to the fairy, who was chewing on a bite of bright red apple. “Do you see the blue thing in the grass? Come take a look at it.”
“Where?” the strawberry-blonde asked as she looked around. “Oh, over by the altar.”
Aleia walked over to the small propane tank and nudged it with her toe, and then she bent down to pick it up off the ground. It looked huge in her tiny hands, but I knew how capable the fairy was.
“Do you see the trigger?” I asked the strawberry-blonde. “It’s where you can squeeze it on the side there. Careful, hold it away from yourself when you ignite it.”
Aleia squeezed the bright red trigger, and she jumped back when a steady stream of flame emerged from the tube.
“Oh, my,” the fairy yelped. “Wow, Jack, that is interesting.”
“Is that fire?” Nicola asked as she glanced over with interest. “I want to try!”
“This is going to make starting that big fire so much easier,” Aleia said as she passed the tool to the brunette. “Thank you, my lord.”
“No problem, and we already have a trowel you can use to work on the altar,” I informed the priestesses. “It’s sitting on a big white rock over there.”
“I got it,” Penelope chimed in. “I personally feel very strongly about fixing the altar because it is where we worship our master.”
“I want to fix it, too,” I agreed.
“But I thought you didn’t care if we prayed to you or not, Jack,” Nicola said in a playful voice. “Isn’t the altar just a pile of stones?”
“Um, well, if it’s important to Penelope, it’s important to me,” I replied. “You still don’t have to pray to me there, but I hate to have something broken, anyway…”
“Let’s do everything over here in the garden,” Nicola suggested. “It will give me more room to butcher the cougar, and the smoke from the big fires won’t get in our living quarters.
“I can definitely carry its body over,” Aleia announced with a smile.
“Awesome,” I said. “And listen, I want you to start making more weapons later, too. I’m trying to come up with a plan to protect the convent better, but for now you need to make sure you’re always armed.”
“Yes, my lord,” Penelope said, and the other two priestesses nodded their agreement.
“Okay!” I said in a cheerful voice. “The shovel is already here, but you’re going to need to go collect a lot of firewood, Aleia, although I was hoping you could go get the cougar first.”
“And I’ll look for shells.” Penelope twirled around as her honey-colored hair streamed behind her in the wind.
“I’m excited to get my hands on that cougar,” Nicola said as she rubbed her palms together again. “Smoking the meat is a great idea, Jack.”
“I wish we could do something with the hide,” Aleia mused. “I wonder if the gnomes might be able to help us with this.”
“You should definitely ask,” I confirmed. “So, where’s my girl who’s going to fly up and carry a lion back down to the garden?”
“That’s me,” Aleia giggled as she raised her hand.
“I hope the cougar is delicious, because I’m starving,” Penelope laughed.
“Well, it’s going to be amazing, but it’s going to take a day or so to be done,” I told the naiad, who started to pout.
In reality, I couldn’t remember ever eating cougar before, so I had no idea if it was delicious or not.
“Well, I suppose we’re all in for an adventure, then, so let’s go get that meat!” Aleia said in an excited tone, and the women walked out of the garden gate.
Chapter 3
The priestesses split up once they left the garden, and Nicola and Penelope went over to the living quarters to gather supplies while Aleia flew off to cut the cougar out of the tree. Once the fairy reached her quarry, she drew her dagger and sawed through the fern cordage. Then she hefted it up over her shoulder with ease.
In the daylight, I could see what a truly magnificent animal the lion had been. The beast had a thick, tawny coat and a long, elegant tail that hung down behind the strawberry-blonde’s back as she lugged it along.
“It’s a bit lighter without all the blood,” the fairy commented as she attempted to adjust the awkward load. “I think getting back will be faster.”
“I think you’re right,” I agreed.
The strawberry-blonde landed in the garden and rested the cougar carcass on the grass, and I focused on the other two priestesses.
“Is there anything we need while we’re still here?” Nicola looked around the women’s living quarters, and her eyes landed on the pile of weapons. “Like Jack said, I think we need to be armed.”
“Yep,” I agreed. “You need to keep up your defenses.”
“Well, I have my knife, and I’ll take my bow,” the brunette sighed as she picked up her weapon from the pile and slung it over her shoulder. “I’m really not in the mood to fight today, though.”
“I hope it’s a peaceful day, too,” I responded. “Still, you’ll need to make some more weapons soon.”
“I could make some, my lord,” Penelope volunteered. “I remember how we made the arrows and spears.”
“I still want you to collect shells, but we’ll see how long that takes,” I told the naiad. “The altar can be your project, Penelope.”
“Thank you, master,” the naiad said as a pinkish-lavender blush spread up her pale blue cheeks. “I would really like that a lot.”
“Let’s go back to the garden and get started on the cougar,” Nicola suggested. “Penelope, I think you have the best knife, but I still want to sharpen it before I use it. Let me just grab my strop.”
“The knife is on my belt,” the naiad informed the human. “I’m happy to give it to you. And here, I have the spears. What other kinds of weapons could we make, Jack?”
“I’d love to get my hands on one of the gnome’s swords,” Nicola interjected as she tapped a slender finger against her lips.
The small creatures down the road had a whole collection of beautiful, gilded weapons, and we’d seen how lethal the blades were against the trolls.
“Do you know how to sword fight?” I asked the brunette.
“Well, no, but I know how to stab things,” the dark-haired woman laughed as she thrust out her wrist at Penelope as if to impale the naiad.
“Don’t hurt me, Nicola,” the naiad giggled as she dodged the pretend blow. “In any case, I’m ready to go.”
The two women made their way back to the garden where Aleia had already started to dig the first giant pit. The fairy’s heart-shaped face was covered in smudges of dirt, and her white garments were covered in both dust and cougar blood.
“You’re dirty,” Nicola laughed as she poked the fairy in the arm.
“I know I’m gross,” Aleia said as she wiped her sweaty brow, which only smeared the dirt even more across her face. “But I have work to do, so I don’t care.”
“It’s lucky the stream purifies everything,” Penelope chimed in. “We all definitely need to go bathe later.”
It was true the nearby creek seemed to have mystical cleansing and healing powers. Penelope had blessed the water, and in addition to the minor benefit of removing stains from clothing, it could heal and refresh everything from sore muscles to cuts and bruises.
“I can’t believe how fast you’re working,” I complimented Aleia, who had already managed to dig a pit that was about a foot wide by a couple feet deep. “You’re going to have this pit done in no time.”
“Thank you, my lord…” the fairy responded with a shy look down at the ground. “I certainly hope so!”
“Why don’t you let me have your knife now, Penelope?” Nicola asked the pale blue woman. “I’ll sharpen it to a razor’s edge with my strop, and that will make butchering the cougar much easier.”
The naiad pulled the gleaming blade with the black leather handle from her belt and handed it to the brunette, who took a moment to admire the dagger.
“I have to admit I’m a bit jealous of this knife, Penelope,” the dark-haired woman said as she furrowed her brow and pouted. “You’re very lucky. I just got whiskey from those terrible men!”
The blue woman had gotten two blades when the three priestesses killed a couple dangerous bandits a few days back, but there unfortunately hadn’t been one for Nicola.
“The whiskey made for an interesting evening, at least,” Penelope giggled. “I do love my new knife, though.”
“You still need to hand it over to me for the cougar.” Nicola smirked and held out her hand, and Penelope carefully placed the hilt of the knife in the dark-haired woman’s palm.
Nicola smiled triumphantly, and then she sat down on a rock with her strop and the coveted blade. The brunette sharpened her knife against the leather, and after several strokes, she picked up the dagger and looked at it with pride.
“That looks great, sister,” Penelope said with raised eyebrows. “It’s definitely sharper than it’s ever been before. I’m going to go look for shells now. I’ll get whatever I can, but I’m expecting to find the most snail shells.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” I agreed. “You can collect them in one of the pots.”
“Well, then I suppose I’ll see you all later.” Penelope walked over to pick up a pot, and then she headed out the rusty gate toward the woods.
“Bye, Penelope…” Aleia called after the naiad, and the blue woman offered a small wave behind her back.
“What do you think is going on with Penelope?” Nicola asked the fairy as soon as the naiad was out of earshot. “She left sort of abruptly, didn’t she?”
“I don’t really know.” Aleia gazed at the dark-haired woman with wide, sea-green eyes. “I hate to gossip, though maybe she is acting just a little strange.”
“Do you know, Jack?” the brunette questioned me in an accusatory tone. “You know everything, right?”
“Um, well, I don’t know about this,” I replied. “No, I don’t know anything.”
“Okayyy…” Nicola responded with pursed lips. “I somehow don’t believe you, but if you really are telling the truth, you should probably talk to her, Jack.”
“Are you expecting him to report back to you?” Aleia laughed. “Nicola, you don’t need to know everything.”
“Just admit you’re curious, too, sister,” the brunette scoffed, but then she softened her voice. “I suppose you don’t owe me anything, Jack. I didn’t mean to overstep my boundaries.”
“You’re fine,” I chuckled. “I think you’re funny.”
“I am,” Nicola snickered, and she tossed her dark hair behind her shoulders. “I’m not even being serious half the time.”
“Okay, sister,” Aleia giggled. “You sound serious to me, but whatever you say.”
“I’ve got to start on this cougar,” the brunette sighed before she walked over to the lion and examined it closely.
“It is a beautiful animal, isn’t it?” I asked the brunette, but I thought again about the women eating the cougar, since I knew trichinosis could be present in some wild game. I wasn’t sure if they had those kinds of parasites in this world, though, and I was planning to have the women salt the meat well and cook it for a long time. “Hey, neither of you have ever heard of anyone getting sick from eating cougar before, right? I remember a lot of survival tactics, but I can’t seem to recall if you can eat a big cat.”
The two women looked at each other and shook their heads.
“No, my lord, why do you ask?” Aleia questioned me.
“Oh, just making sure,” I replied. “And people do eat it, right?”
“Of course, it tastes a bit like pig.” Nicola got a strange expression on her face. “You’re being odd, Jack. Anyway, I really hope the gnomes can preserve its skin for us.”
“You’re going to do a great job skinning it, Nicola,” Aleia encouraged the other priestess.
“Thank you,” Nicola said with a smile. “I’m going to dress it first, which will be easy. And then I’ll skin it. Do you have any advice, Jack?”
“First, you’re going to want to make cuts up the inside of each of its legs,” I explained. “Try to stay on the line where the brown fur meets the white fur. And then, connect those cuts to the line down its belly. If you keep it symmetrical, it will look better.”
“Interesting,” Aleia responded as she inspected the big cat.
“You’re going to want to peel off the hide as you go,” I continued. “Make tiny cuts with your knife.”
“Okay, I think I’m going to get started.” Nicola stared at the beast with a slight amount of trepidation in her eyes. “I can do this. Aleia, can you please get me the modern axe?”
The fairy ran to get the tool, and the brunette rolled the animal onto its back and sliced it down its midsection with the dagger. Once Aleia returned with the axe, the dark-haired woman used the large tool to split the cougar’s breast and pelvic bones. She then cut the windpipe loose and removed all of its internal organs, and she followed up by rinsing the cavity with water.
“You should really eat the offal,” I mused. “It has so many vitamins in it. Then again, I’m not entirely sure it’s safe from a cougar…”
As usual, I really wished I had the internet.
“Okay, I think I’m done with the dressing,” Nicola sighed.
“You made it look easy,” I praised the dark-haired woman. “You’re working really fast…”
I trailed off when I thought about the women’s stats, and I wondered if they could possibly still have a boost from fucking me. I quickly checked the numbers, but everyone seemed to be back to normal except Penelope, who had an
extra point from the dream visit.
That just meant Nicola was getting super tough.
“I’m going to skin it now,” the brunette told us. “I’m going to start with this paw up here… wish me luck!”
“You can do it, sister!” Aleia cheered the other priestess on. “I’ll take the carcass out to the woods in a few minutes. Jack, can you see what Penelope is doing? I just want to make sure she’s alright.”
I zoomed in on the naiad in the woods, and she was peering under a big log and singing a little song to herself. She looked adorable, and she seemed absolutely fine, if not extra cheerful from our dream encounter.
“She’s good,” I reported. “Just singing a happy little song.”
“That sounds like Penelope,” the fairy said as her face relaxed.
“I’m going to go talk to her for a minute, though,” I told Aleia and Nicola. “Nicola, do you have this under control for a little while?”
“Yes… at least I think so,” the brunette gulped. “I don’t want to do anything wrong, but I’ll call out to you if I have any questions.”
“I’ll check in on you in a couple minutes, anyway,” I said to the dark-haired woman. “Don’t worry, you got this.”
“Thanks, Jack,” Nicola replied absentmindedly as she examined the cougar’s fur.
I zoomed back down on Penelope, and she was absolutely glowing. Her hair had an extra sheen to it, her eyes looked to be a brighter blue, and her cerulean face was rosy.
“Looking good, Penelope,” I told the naiad, who startled and stopped in her tracks.
“My lord!” the blue woman giggled. “You almost made my heart stop beating. You can’t sneak up on me like that.”
“How can I sneak up on you when I’m always here?” I asked.
“Well, you weren’t talking to me at the time,” Penelope protested. “I’ve just been out here, looking for shells and enjoying my day by myself.”
“That sounds nice,” I admitted.
“You’re the only one I do want to spend time with right now, master,” the naiad said as she lifted a rock and looked underneath. “Because you know my secret.”