Book 3. Chapter 23: Tanda - Hart Refuge Tour

Book 3. Chapter 23: Tanda - Hart Refuge Tour

Tanda finished up a few tasks for her preparations, sending messages and calling clan heads. Tomorrow she would be leaving back to Kenwodi, a long flight with her flock. She anticipated some danger on the way back, but thought that the large number of them would keep her safe.

Now that she was a champion in truth, she had to be worried that an enemy champion would come after her. She was weak still, and thus this should be her last trip alone. Luckily, a majority of the territory between here and Kenwodi was the Alliances.

She sent Ophelia a message, her supposedly waiting to pick her up. She was holding her Champions Crescent Moon Spear, expecting to use it in her song and dance. Tanda was wearing her black tribal clothes, having a short top that showed her midriff, with a skirt. It had beads and feathers throughout, and made with wolf hides.

Ophelia exited a portal that appeared near the Node, wearing some cute tribal-wear. Ophelia had a red skirt with feathers and beads on it, along with a cute sleeveless top that fit her well. Her platinum hair and blue eyes shone, and her smile was beaming.

Tanda couldnt help but smile back, and she was sure her tail was wagging behind her.

Hey Tanda! You ready to see our place? I cant wait to hear your song!

Yeah! I cant wait, too! Um Tanda pointed at the portal. Thats not dangerous, is it?

Nope! Lets go. Ophelia sidled up to her, and put an arm around her hip on the opposite side, tugging her forward.

She went through the portal, experiencing an odd shifting feeling, her stomach feeling like it dropped. She hadnt done any incursions yet, but her ravenwolf tribe mates had told her about it.

Tanda arrived in what appeared to be some sort of receiving area. There were armor racks, and various racks for jewelry and other things. She saw numerous of the same bracelets that the Hart Clan wore, and there were tables that looked like there were for disassembling creatures.

Ophelia looked thoughtful. Now that I think of it, we probably should redesign this, huh? This is where we come out of the dungeon, out of that portal there.

There was another archway with no portal there currently that she pointed at.

So wed come out all covered with monster guts, and sometimes with monster carcasses, though that part isnt really required any more thanks to the bracelets and the [looting] skill. I guess we should have one room for the incursion portal, keeping it separate.

Tanda thought she understood. I dont smell anything in here, though?

We use a sort of cleaning magic that really removes most of the particles, and the ventilation in here is separate. Just watch.

She opened the door, and Tanda saw a large living area. A fireplace burned in the back, and the air was filled with life and vitality. She felt welcomed, like she was stepping back into the cave she grew up in, and a number of smells.

Cmon in! Welcome to our Refuge! Ophelia tugged on Tandas hand. Tanda walked in and took a breath, and a sniff, and was amazed.

Jakes a little busy, but hell come out and greet you in a bit. Let me give you a tour!

While it wasnt the forest or jungle, it had a similar feeling to her. There were some houseplants in vases along the walls, and the ceiling was high, probably for Berris sake. The room was bright, filled with an odd light solution she had never seen before.

Her people often used fireflies, which worked well, as most of her brethren could see with little light. A couch was facing a strange slate that was against the wall, the fireplace near.

Tanda smelled the cooking of meat, and her mouth nearly watered. The kitchen was in view, and Jake and Bloodberri were clearly working hard together there. There wereknives floating around, too?

There were over a dozen spits filled with auril beast meat over a massive flame rotating like a wheel on the back wall, next to some advanced oven, sinks, and other food preparation areas. She saw enough food being prepared to feed an army!

Paintings were on the walls, that Tanda hardly understood. She saw one where Ophelia hada mustache? And Jake too. They were competing in some sort of challenge? It was so lifelike!

Ophelia noticed what Tanda was looking at, and laughed. That was our first date. We couldnt really leave here except for the dungeon, so Jake did his best to give me a special day. We like to play a lot of games, that one was tennis! He beat me in the smaller version on the table.

Tandas tail started to wag, as she imagined such a challenge for a date. That was one type of date her people really enjoyed!

Ophelia grinned. Well have to play together sometime. Think you can keep up with us?

Tanda was excited. Id like to try it! Tanda looked over the other paintings. These are so lifelike. What is this, it looks like people are having fun?

These are pictures, taken with a device called a camera. Its mostly true to life, capturing a moment in time. Thats us riding a rollercoaster. It moves really fast, and even though you can dive through the air faster, its still exciting. Oh, I hope you can try it sometime! Well have to travel far, though, unless we can have one built.

Tanda had never seen a contraption like that before, but she had never seen Jakes gondola before either. In some ways, it looked somewhat similar to another image there. Whats that? It looks a little like the gondola?

Thats a Ferris Wheel, and it kind of is. Just you dont go anywhere, going in a circle. Its just for sightseeing. For a flyer like us, its not too big a deal. Still, it was kinda fun.

Tanda saw all sorts of other pictures that were interesting, but she heard Jakes voice.

Tanda! Welcome to our home.

Jake was wiping his hands with a cloth, while Bloodberri appeared to be monitoring some meats on a spit over a flame, and several other pots and pans over an oven. He stood near the edge of the kitchen, not far away from the entrance. It was a large open room, where everyone was in the same room, even if they were doing other things.

Thanks, Jake! Are more people coming? Thats an awful lot of food!

Jake laughed. We like to cook extra, as they can go in our bracelets for meals on the go. But I got a few extra spits going for the tribe, and Bloodberri wants to make something for the kids at Rookards village. She plans on making a quick visit tomorrow.

Welcome, Tanda! Oh, I do hope you enjoy the movie later, too! Itll be a while yet, before were done cooking. Tanda could tell it was Berri speaking.

That sounds like fun! The food smells amazing.

A flash went through Bloodberris eyes, and Tanda could tell it was now Blood speaking, Welcome, Tanda. Im so glad you might be joining us. We do a lot of activities together, with a wide variety of things to choose from. Im a big fan of Chess, Go, Catan, and Risk. Im ready to crush you anytime, even when Berri is busy.

Her words had a challenging edge to them, but Tanda felt like they were welcoming her to play, based on the tune and the notes of her song.

Thanks, Blood!

Tanda frowned. She was more than a little worried about the dragon woman. She got strange vibes from her, like she was going to be eaten if she let her guard down, in another way. Tanda hadnt really felt that before from a woman, her people only attracted to a male that can birth them children.

I Ill think about it?

They opened a door at the bottom of the stairs, and many powerful aromas hit Tandas nose at once. The smell of smoke, fire, herbs, flowers, and odd chemicals caused her to immediately plug her nose.

Ophelia chuckled. I dont think Ill ever get used to that, but she practically lives in here now.

Tanda looked around, seeing lots of supplies scattered everywhere. They were in a large chamber, and there were many cauldrons boiling, and odd machines nearly everywhere. Fluids flowed through strange clear constructions of various colors, dripping and pooling into various areas and being combined.

From what Tanda could tell, a machine was both monitoring and stirring each cauldron, and various tubes and pipes were extracting something from plants.

Ah, there you are, Tanda! Fhesiah laughed, almost evilly. Welcome to my lair. There are rules in my chambers, the first being that no panties are allowed, why, they just cause all sorts of fluctuations with my equipment

Ophelia interrupted, I didnt know you had so many machines now, you really expanded this room!

Tanda was a little confused, as Ophelia changed the topic right away. The Framework had supplied her with a definition of panties, and her people did not wear such garments, often wearing loincloths and skirts, or similar.

Tanda desperately wanted to know why, if she had any, they would cause fluctuations in Fhesiahs equipment. That piece of knowledge was now lost thanks to Ophelia possibly forever.

Yes. Im making thousands of pills per day now, the only way I could possibly keep up with that is by having more hands, as it were. Dave is working hard in Kenwodi, managing another third of the operation or so. More Hearthtribe are added every day, and they are both helping me prepare cultivator materials and making my time more effective, but also working on their methods. My goal is to have all current members of Hearthtribe awakened within a week.

Tanda was shocked. But you have thousands of members now?

Fhesiah smiled. Yes, well, when you beastkin eat auril beast meat exclusively and have my supplements, you move rapidly toward awakening. It really doesnt take too long to have the latent will and life force density in your body to be high enough to awaken, when youre of age. I have made some awakening serums, but when your people fight in some beginner incursions even after this stage has been met, many do just from their spirit. The few who dont, they can use the serum.

Tanda frowned. This all sounded a little too easy, but perhaps the Frameworks reward for kills against Tartarus were helping in ways it was complicated to understand. What does the serum do?

It puts them in a dream-like state. It makes them face their greatest fear, in defense of their dreams. Id imagine most males would experience protecting a mate in many cases, but it can be almost anything. It could be arguing with a parent over becoming a nomad, or perhaps a woman choosing a mate that isnt particularly strong. Whatever ignites their spirit to connect them to the world, isnt it?

Tanda thought she understood. Many of her people awakened during these times of high trauma or strife, so forcing them to experience it in a near-magical way appeared to be a smart way of doing it.

Ophelia said, Did you find a way for the beastkin to make their own?

Fhesiah smiled. Yeah, it looks like those little horn dogs underground had some means. Dave showed me this pipe he used to get high, and well, it appears the shrooms turned into a powder combined with some things up above helped formulate something close enough to usually produce the desired result. Mine is still better, but I think the remote villages should have some luck reproducing some of this.

Tanda was intrigued. Youve accomplished so much, in such a short time.

She snorted. Short? Ive nearly spent two hundred hours on this, expanding trials into dozens at once. Combined with the dozens of herbalists and prospective alchemists Blood and Enora have been delegating some work to, this is months and months of labor! Im practically wasting away here. Why, if Jake doesnt feed me some of his serum for a few days after we take the Alliance HQ back, I just might refuse to make more of mine!

Tanda asked, Jakes working on a serum too?

Ophelia interrupted, Lets see your pill furnaces!

Fhesiah smiled. Sure, but you must first fit the req, Tanda felt something odd pass over her, her heart shuddering. Oh, Tanda already does! Wow, you tribal types sure are free spirits, arent you?

She licked her lips, and Tanda suddenly felt like she was going to be eaten again, how did Fhesiah know she fit the requirements?

Ophelia blushed, for some reason. A-Anyway, lets go!

Ophelia pushed past Fhesiah opening the door, and the herbal aromas increased.

Tanda walked in, and she was in awe. There were many odd contraptions, all sorts of almost pot looking things, made of various materials. There were ceramic looking pots over a flame, as well as metal or even stranger looking urns, that had styling similar to Fhesiahs robes she was wearing.

On the left here, we have the earthenware pill furnaces I had made. These are what the beastkin would use, and I have a few trials going on to see what works best here. You can think of them like magical pressure cookers, the end result being a pill. It cooks them to both combine the many substances, and compress the energies into a condensed pill. On the right are some of my magical metal trials, but Im finding they dont work so well.

How about this one? Tanda pointed to the large, almost vase-like furnace in the center with many intricate designs. Underneath it, was a flame that reminded her of the Goddess, Hestia. There was also a sort of carpet or prayer mat in front of it.

Fhesiah smiled at it fondly. I really have to thank Zeke. I feel like this pill furnace was a bigger treasure than it was made out to be. Combined with Hestias wonderful, thoughtful reward, I can truly move forward in my cultivation, despite missing out on all the fighting. This is my furnace, and this is used for making my own pills, for my personal progression.

She turned to Tanda and smiled at her. Its also where I made your pills, as well.

There were some more on the back wall, that Fhesiah turned to.

These are where I sort of mass-produced the remaining pills, using some really crummy Qi furnaces from the market. Using the results of the cauldrons in the other room, I can make really poor pills here. There isnt much fundamentally different from your pills and the ones Im feeding those in the guild, its just that there are more impurities and efficacy is lost when I use these. You are getting nearly ten times the amount of life force in yours, but the input is actually quite similar.

Fhesiah sighed. So much is wasted with these things, but theres simply only so many hours in the day. Materials are not a problem, as everywhere you took Nodes to, Tanda, people are putting up herbs for sale to buy food or equipment, no doubt. I just buy all of them up.

Tanda was amazed by this revelation. That everything in these two rooms represented her people having meals or other equipment across her world of Highlands she loved so much moved her. While there were some smells of burning in the room and many other strange smells, she did enjoy the medicinal, herbal aroma within.

Ophelia said, You had said something about helping the herbalists with growing before?

Yes, for now, I have provided them with a few of the small details I knew about increasing the efficacy of the plants themselves. Your people enjoy returning the energy to the world, burying various components of the creature carcasses and more. What I prescribed they do, is to use the carcasses as fertilizer instead. The Framework has a sort of composter that they can use, but I think Jake would consider it more of a wood chipper than what he might be familiar with, allowing it to take in bones of creatures.

Tanda found this fascinating. Perhaps, this is something that she could work on, for her people to better their own herbal gardens and more. She wasnt sure exactly why her people didnt already do this, but it appeared their traditions of burying their own dead and the creatures carcasses deep into the earth caused them to miss out on this potential resource. All of her people were excellent diggers, after all.

Ophelia said, Well, thats everything for the crafter rooms until Jake gives you a tour of his enchanting room, it looks like. We still have the training rooms to show you, but I think Jake is ready to hear your song now.

Tandas heart hammered in her chest. Finally, she was either going to have a prospective mate, or be able to move on with both her heart and mind.