Hunter Or Huntress

Tom pondered the problem of how to insulate the freezer for a bit as Sapphire headed off. He thought he might just have a solution: sawdust. They definitely had plenty of it with all the construction going on, and it should work well enough. At least for a first attempt. Now he just needed to find the carpenter and ask him just where exactly they had put all the excess from cutting planks and beams. Hopefully they hadn’t burned it all.

He had tried to get released from carving up the direwolf he had mangled. Jacky, however, wasn’t having it. The reassurances that he was fine, and that it wouldn’t take long, had fallen on deaf ears. Eventually, Dakota had come to the rescue when she came by to see how things were going. She was apparently doing a tour of the whole keep. A brief explanation later she had been cajoled into working on the wolf while Jacky and Tom scampered off.

He didn’t want to tell Jacky, but his head was still feeling a little funny after the night’s events, though things seemed to be going alright thus far. What he didn’t understand was why Joelina hadn’t picked up this morning. It was damn well his turn to ask some questions, stupid dream, cutting off just as it started getting good.

She was probably going to be rather pissed with him for being two days late on their little agreement, and he just hoped she hadn’t gotten worse. They did kinda need her after all now. Maybe Glazz had put her under house arrest for the time being, who knew.

‘Actually, why didn’t she have Paulin remind me?’ Tom pondered to himself as he started to make his way down the stairs, Jacky following along behind him dutifully. Surely this would warrant Joelina using that fancy paper stuff to just have Paulin poke him in case he forgot. ‘Maybe she really has been given detention?’

Tom started to imagine what that just might look like as he went further down the stairs. Joelina strapped down to a bed against her will, cursing and shouting as the stoic Glazz just shook her head disapprovingly. Maybe Glazz just shut the door to her room and locked it. If an inquisitor even had a room, he honestly had no idea. If she did though, it probably came with an escape tunnel or some other strange surprises.

His daydreaming was cut short as something jumped onto his back, latching on. It was a little heavier than normal as Tom looked back to Kiran with a chuckle, Jacky having stepped aside to let the little guy through.

“Aren’t you supposed to have classes right now?”

“No, we done for today,” the little guy stated brashly as he set about climbing up to his preferred spot.

“You sure?... also you are getting too big for that.”

The little guy would not listen, simply draping himself over Tom’s head with his tail hanging down over Tom’s shoulder.

“No, I still fit.”

“Not for much longer. At this rate you’ll have to swap me out for Jarix sooner or later.”

“Then you need Yldril, I sure Fengi will let you.”

“I’m sure she would, not sure Yldril would be too happy though,” Tom countered as he set off down the stairs once more.

“She not important, she evil. She eat children.”

“I uhm… Who told you that?” Tom questioned. He honestly didn’t even know if that might be true, which was really saying something.

“She told Rakshaza, I think he was being annoying.”

“Ahr.” That sounded in character to Tom, and at least they knew the dragon couldn’t actually hurt any of them.

“Yes, Vigon told Racki that he couldn’t go poke her in the ear.”

“So you were pestering the massive black dragon…” Tom let out a sizable internal sigh. ‘I guess we did a bit too good of a job convincing you black dragons aren’t dangerous.’

“She’s mean, so it’s okay. Essy wasn’t very happy though, she shouted at them a bunch.”

“I can see why.”

“What you mean? She’s bad,” Kiran questioned, clearly puzzled by Tom taking Esmeralda’s side in this.

“I know I know, but Fengi is trying to teach her to not be bad. You are making it harder for Fengi if you make her mad all the time.”

“Ooooh… I think Fengi should just be nice to someone else.”

Tom sighed a bit as his boots finally hit dirt once more and he had a look around, checking for any sign of the carpenter.

“You know if we were just going down we didn’t need to take the stairs,” Jacky said from behind him, Tom stopping his searching to have a think.

“Ahr,” was all he had to say in response as he glanced back at Jacky. She just seemed bemused. “Well you could have said something.”

“I thought you wanted to pick up something along the way.”

“No no, I just needed Kulinger.”

“Oh well he’s right over there,” Jacky replied, pointing at where Tom could now make out the carpenter along with Wiperna and Raulf, seemingly busy working on some fencing by one of the small barns which he believed the oxen lived in during winter.

Judging by the two goats that were currently outside of said fence, it didn’t seem to be going swimmingly.

Tom sauntered on over, Kiran raising his head to look around before going right back to getting comfy. Jacky followed after them at a more sedate pace. There was no one and nothing to worry about down here after all.

“Ahr Kullinger, a moment of your time if I may?”

“Of course Tom, what is it?” the carpenter questioned, not looking up from his work where he seemed to be sawing a strange-looking plank to length, probably an off-cut from the warehouse cladding.

“I- I need to sit down,” Tom replied, tone switching as he felt the familiar poking sensation jabbing into his skull. Much to the carpenter’s confusion of course as he finally turned to look, Raulf and Wiperna looking up as well. “I- I’ll just sit down here.”

Jacky was right there of course, helping him down onto a wooden stump Kullinger had been using, Wiperna quick to help as well. Kiran craned his head to look at Tom’s face. “You okay?”

“Yeah, need us to get some water or something?” Wiperna questioned, caring as ever.

“No no, I’m fine. I’ll uhm… be back in a bit, someone is calling.”

_________________________________________________________________________________

“What are you doing here, Dakota? Someone’s work not up to standard?” Saph questioned as she came back down from the upper rooms, finding Dakota of all people working on Tom’s wolf.

Dakota glanced back at Sapphire with a brief note of surprise. “Ahr Saph, good timing. Say, you wouldn’t have the time to finish this up, would you? There is much to do today.”

“I uhm… not really. Just had a chat with Nunuk, and she thinks maybe we could have Jarix fetch some uhm… things, for Tom. From Deriva.”

“Oh. What things? Bit late now, should have let them know yesterday when Baron did his rounds.”

“Uhm… berries,” Sapphire admitted a little sheepishly.

“You want berries?” Dakota questioned, sounding rather disappointed in Sapphire, which Saph did understand but at the same time.

“It’s to make jam,” she tried, hoping that maybe she could convince their fearless leader that this was in fact a good use of time and resources.

“Which is?”

“Tom says it’s like potted meat but for fruits and berries. It’s made with sugar. I just really wanted to try it.”

Dakota stared at her for a bit, seemingly still working to make up her mind. “And Nunuk said yes?”

“Yup, I think she wanted to try some as well.”

Dakota just sighed, which was enough for Sapphire to know that the plan was a go. She gave a little cheer inside and asked. “Sooo, any plans for how to get them?”

“Baron refused to carry the goats, so we are sending either Jarix or most likely Yldril with those at some point when the weather isn’t too horrible. I suppose they can bring back any berries Deriva might have stashed.”

“Sweet, maybe they want some of this jerky in exchange, heaven knows we’ve got plenty of food for winter.”

“Yes, we are all going to be too fat to fly when spring comes, you know that right?” the gilded huntress sighed in reply as she got back to work on the wolf once more.

“I mean… possibly? I suppose we have acquired a fairly large amount of tasty treats.” Saph did have to admit the amount of snacks, drinks, and other fancy foodstuffs they had bought was bordering on excessive, so maybe Dakota was on to something here. It wasn’t even that long ago she had been pondering why she was even bothering making more jerky after all.

“I suppose we shall just have to do twice the amount of training in winter then. I hope you feel ready for a few hundred wingups.”

“Oh please, since when have I ever been out of shape?” Saph joked in reply, silently praying. Dakota had never been one to let them slide too far during winter, and with all the work she expected they would have this cold season, Saph dreaded to learn what a double training regiment might be like.

“There is a first time for everyone. Now why can’t you see to this? I have dragons to prepare for,” Dakota reiterated, gesturing at the wolf she was working on.

“I, uhm.” Sapphire pointed at where she had left the half-finished Jackalopes. “Gotta finish those up first.”

“All this food and we are making our own jerky still,” Dakota sighed, sounding conflicted on if that was a matter she should do something about.

“Can’t let it go to waste,” Sapphire rebutted, and truthfully so, especially from the last hunt. The whole point was being grateful for what the forest gave you after all. “Besides, maybe Deriva wants it.”

“I suppose so,” Dakota conceded as she looked back to the mess of a wolf. That was when Herron of all people peeked up from the stairs to the kitchen.

“Hey Dak, Tom’s laying in the grass again, just thought you would want to know.”

“As in ‘taking a nap’ or as in ‘he has been injured somehow?’ ”

“Well, they are all standing around him looking at him.”

“Oh for the love of. Well is anyone helping him?” Dakota spat back as she took the excuse to leave the wolf. Saph could hardly blame her, taking a moment to ponder the situation before deciding watching Tom was probably more entertaining than cutting jerky strips that no one was going to eat anyway.

“I mean, Jacky is there. Does she count?”

_________________________________________________________________________________

“Uhm… hello?” Tom questioned into the darkness which quickly enveloped him.

“Ahr, hello, is this Tom?” an unfamiliar voice replied. It sounded male? Young too.

“Yeah… who is this?” he called back, trying to work out just what might have happened to have Joelina not be the one on the other end.

“One moment, please do not take off the earring.” the voice replied with a calm professional tone, almost like they had been expecting this.

Silence reigned for what felt like an eternity: it might have been seconds, it might have been minutes, maybe even an hour. Tom simply couldn’t tell.

Then the world seemed to warble for but a moment followed by a more familiar female voice.

“Tom, is this you?” Joelina asked in a stately tone, if speaking perhaps a touch too slowly. It was almost reminiscent of her demeanor when Tom had first encountered her though, but something was definitely off about her.

“Uhm… yeah? Sorry about the wait,” Tom cautiously replied, rather surprised by the shift in her demeanor.

“IT HAS BEEN TWO DAYS!”

“And we’re right back to normal,” he sighed as the inquisitor fell right back into her ways.

“Do you have the faintest idea what trouble you have caused?!” she carried on. As she spoke she didn’t sound quite so deranged as before, rather just upset, and definitely speaking slower than normal. Not by much, but enough to be noticeable.

“Hey now, to be fair, it was you who wasn’t in any state to hold a conversation last time,” Tom defended himself, only afterward thinking that maybe that wasn’t the most diplomatic way to put it.

“How dare-... no, no, there isn’t the time for bickering,” Joelina replied, catching herself. Tom was both relieved that he was spared further tirade and worried just what might have her in such a hurry.

“Uhm, dare I ask why?” Tom got in before she collected herself enough to carry on.

“Clearly you dare, I managed to arrange a meeting… with the high priest of Lotek, the god of travel,” she replied, adding the quick clarifier on the end just in case Tom wasn’t following along.

“I remember yeah, you wanted to know if they knew where I was from or how I got here, right?”

“That is correct, yes Tom.”

“Aaaand?” Tom questioned. Of course, he knew where he was from, but any news on that mysterious voice all the way back in his office would certainly be welcome. He still had no clue who that might have been.

“They did not know,” Joelina stated matter of factly, without even a shift in tone.

“Well shit,” Tom dismissed. He had really rather hoped for something more than that. At least some mystic hint or whatever.

“You do not understand, Tom. The priest did not know, so they asked.”

“They asked a god?... just like that?” Tom asked. He of course didn’t know how any of that actually worked with the priests and the gods, but it didn’t sound to him like that was something which happened often.

“There is no, ‘Just like that’ with a god, Tom. It took some convincing I shall admit, but yes.”

“Sooo did Lotek know anything then? God of travel and all that,” Tom tried again, starting to feel like Joelina had definitely lost her edge, meandering around the point rather than just getting to it like she normally did.

“No… which is very concerning.”

“Fuck me. I really am a mystery then I guess?”

“Quite… Though the priest expressed his… umh…”

“His what?” Tom pushed, getting just a little tired of the dancing around the point.

“Lotek wishes to see you, Tom,” Joelina finally went after a brief pause.

“Excuse you?” Tom replied, not quite sure what the implications were here.

“The god of travels wishes to see you, and I believe, more importantly, to talk with you.”

“Oh,” was just about all Tom had to say to that. “What in the-”

“Do not besmirch his name,” Joelina was quick to cut him off—the first quick thing she had done today.

“No no, wasn’t going to… so uhm… what now I guess? How does one have a chat with a god?”

“To converse you must enter one of his temples to pray. Most mortals would never get an answer… But you must remain where you are. You do not leave the keep. Pretend as if nothing has happened and tell no one, understand? Lotek is an ancient being; he can wait a little longer.”

“Soo… spring then?”

“Possibly, we shall have to see, I suppose.” The inquisitor did sound genuinely thoughtful for a change, not as if she gave a shit about Tom, but rather as if this was a tricky situation, even for her, to navigate.

“Right… I see,” Tom responded, not sure what to think or do himself. It certainly dwarfed what he had intended to ask. “I guess I get to see one of the big cities then?”

“You most likely will, yes, which poses a whole other set of concerns. Concerns which we are not ready for. Your fame is growing, human. My informants report tales of the golden skinned fire mage in taverns all over the city.”

“Yeah I can see how that might prove a bit tricky. One problem at a time then?”

“Yes, that is most likely the wisest path. Stay put, do not do anything rash or stupid, work through the winter, and when spring arrives we shall see what awaits us. Oh, and thank you for the lighter, it is most ingenious.”

“Oh you got your hands on one of those did you?”

“Yes, it was a gift from Glazz. I suppose she believed I needed one.

“Right, gotcha. Anyway, so just one question.”

“Yes Tom, what is it.”

“Well two actually, but firstly: You don’t seem nearly as unhinged as before, what gives?”

There was a fairly long moment of silence following that one. Long enough for Tom to wonder if maybe that was a step too far with the prim and proper inquisitor.

“... My appointments at the church convinced me it was for the best if I abstain from further research for now,” she eventually answered in an almost stately manner, still speaking far too slowly. In fact, he thought it was getting even worse.

“Glazz beat some sense into you then?”

“No… but one cannot appear before a high priest when chasing the demons in the walls,” Joelina replied without missing a beat. Tom just had a snicker to himself or she heard him, it was hard to know with this magic stuff.

“What, afraid you might come off a little crazy?”

“I was lacking some composure, yes. Luckily we are friends now.”

“Well that’s the understatement of the centur- wait what do you mean ‘friends?’ ”

“There is no need to purge what is not real, and I have never had a dark knight to ask so many questions before.

“Uuhhhhh… What the actual fuck do you mean?” Tom replied, thinking back to what he could remember of the living nightmares he could remember, his foot getting grabbed by nothing but shadows, the devils outside the door trying to get in.

“Exactly what I am saying of course,” Joelina replied calmly, seemingly confused by what he found hard to get.

“Waaaiiit a fucking minute, Glazz gave you a lighter. Are you fucking stoned right now?”

“No no, I prefer water bottles.”

“I… what?”

“Hot stones are for the peasantry, water holds the warmth much longer. Mine are still warm this morning.”

“Wait, morning?”

“Yes, I just got up of course, same for my assistant who ringed you. Tom, I must know quickly, what is this Xbox and why does the box live? Or is it that people live in the Xbox? And if it is an ex-box, what is it now?”

Okay, she was definitely getting worse as they spoke. Which… if she had just gotten up, “Are you smoking while doing this?

“Of course, I do not wish to remember the screaming children.”

“How the fuck are you managing that?” Tom questioned in disbelief. He struggled to even sit up straight while doing this.

“Decades of training and discipline,” she replied, followed by another pause as she waited for him to speak.

“You’re taking hits in between sentences aren’t you?”

“Perhaps…”

“Fucking hell, and you slept till the afternoon? That’s not very inquisitorial,” Tom jested, by now he was starting to find it funny.

“It is barely after sunrise. I do not have time to dwell in bed these days.”

“But you do have time to get stoned right away, heh… Wait? But it’s afternoon here? Ooooh,” Tom went as he realized something.

“Yes, there is some distance from where you are to the capital where I currently reside. Time moves don’t you know?”

“Yeah, gotcha… Well I guess this place definitely is round then.”

“Yes Tom, the world is indeed round,” Joelina replied with the sort of tone one might use when talking to a particularly dimwitted person, which Tom didn’t really think was fair right now.

“Hey, I know my planet is round, I just didn’t quite know about this one yet.”

“I see… your second question? I do have a long day ahead of me.”

“I bet it’s gonna be a long one. What were you guys looking for way up north, you know with that steam powered sled thingy?”

This time what followed was not a pause, but a silence. A long one at that. Tom tried his best to listen for anything he could, but there was but a void. ‘Come oooon, think out loud would you?’

“No,” came the brief reply, leaving Tom a little stumped as the silence returned.

He didn’t want to push her as she was still thinking, maybe whatever she had been smoking would be to his advantage this time around, and she would spill some beans she did not want to.

“An ancient bastion, that means an old place… A fortress of steel in the cold north. Harvik discovered it many years ago. A lot of years,” she finally began in a slow and reluctant tone. “I only learned later, but the inquisitor had dedicated much of his life to uncovering its secrets. He believed it may hold the key to the darkness spreading in the pristine white north. Like an infected wound spreading its sickness…”

“Well? Was it?”

“We still do not know…” the stoned inquisitor replied curtly and without further explanation. Tom did wait a little before speaking to see if she had anything more to say, but it would seem not.

“Uhm, why?” Tom questioned, feeling like there really needed to be a bit more there to have it make sense.

“You will know soon enough. Two more days, at noon… Your time. Also, you may wish to try a sedative. I have never met such a polite traitor. I promised I will kill him quickly… but he is already dead,” Joelina replied with a bit of mirth in her voice as Tom felt the connection sever in a heartbeat, and he was left alone in the dark empty void.

“Right… fucking hell, is that good or bad? Having a stoned inquisitor running around talking to priests and who knows what else, also what the actuall fuck? Talking with a god? The fuck is that about?”

The silence didn’t reply, but Tom was not ready to leave just yet. He needed a moment before he had to face the others.

“What should I tell them?... as little as possible. If Kulinger finds out everyone within a day’s flight will know… Even Jacky.

“And why the hell do I need to go dig this all up by myself? Hey, if you can still hear me, that Harvik guy is suspicious as fuck! You know that, right?!” Tom tried to shout out. It didn’t really work to be honest, kinda like shouting in one’s own head, and it just came out a bit hollow.

He waited a moment for a reply, but there was nothing, not even an echo. “Right, well I guess that was something, fuuucking hell. I need more religion lessons now,” he sighed to himself as he once more returned to the world of the living, finding the midday sun all but blocked out by faces, some staring at him, others bickering with each other.

“What in the?”

“Oh. Morning, Tom.”

_________________________________________________________________________________

Oh well. Tom was fine apparently. He’d just been having a chat with Joelina. So back to work it was, while Jacky saw to it that he was in fact fine. Wiperna and Raulf had managed to corral all the people who had been so kind to show up into helping them out. Saph had tried her best to sneak away, going on about how she really had something else important to do, but it was no use.

She had stuck her nose in what Raulf was doing and she was going to pay for it by hammering in a few poles for them as Jacky tried to get the human to spill the beans on just what Joelina had said, which for some reason he was quite reluctant to do.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“She didn’t want to tell me about it?”

“Tell you about what?” Sapphire questioned as she hammered the stake in another half inch.

“Oh nothing, just some weird dream I had.”

“Riiiight,” Sapphire replied, trying to determine if the human was lying or not. He had always been damn hard to read, so she wasn’t quite sure. Jacky’s expression seemed to betray that she had made up her mind though.

“What? Why? Did you not tell her something she wanted to know? Or was she just too far out of her mind?”

“Uhm, no. Quite calm really, because… uhm…”

“Last time you talked with her you said she was ready to start crawling on the walls?” Jacky protested, clearly not buying it. Tom looked quite reluctant to answer. “Go on, spill it.”

“She was stoned out of her mind I think.

“The inquisitor was stoned?” Kulinger questioned, seeming utterly baffled by that statement. “What in the gods’ names did she do to deserve such a punishment?”

“No no, not like that, like smoking weed? Stoned?”

“Oh you mean she was high as a kite?” Wiperna added, without missing a beat.

“Uhm… yeah…” the human admitted, seeming a little unsure of himself. They all just looked at each other, well save for Kulinger, who was staring at the human. And then they all broke out laughing.

“I suppose that is one way of dealing with a little anxiety,” the farm woman broke out, clearly finding it very hilarious.

“A shame really that Nunuk doesn’t approve of it. We’re only allowed regular tobacco, not devil weed,” Raulf added with evident mirth in his tone.

“You know you old fart, Apuma might have some in his possession for spellcraft, you never know.”

“I cast relaxation,” Raulf joked right back, the couple having a hoot of a time.

Saph just chuckled to herself and shook her head. Oh this was so bad, yet so funny. An inquisitor off her rocker on who knows what was both funny and terrifying. She had a feeling Nunuk definitely wouldn’t be happy, and, glancing to Dakota, she did in fact seem rather horrified about now. She was just staring at the human wordlessly.

“Maybe Tom here should try that next time something goes wrong, ey?” Wiperna carried on, looking to the dumbfounded human with a big grin on her face. “Oh come on now, don’t tell me you wouldn’t want to be rid of it. We heard the screaming from down here some of the days.”

“I uhm… no, I suppose not.”

“Anywho, cheer up, there’s work to do.”

“Oi Saph, quit gawking and get to hammering. Can’t be here all day. Rain is coming.”

“Right, right, getting hammered,” Sapphire joked back as she got to swinging the big fucker once more to drive in that stupid post. This stuff was only going to be up for a few days at most anyway, and it probably wouldn’t even work on those stupid goats. Why did they need to make such a deal out of it?