Black Hole: The Book of Iratus, Episode 33

Chapter 321

A few days passed since the party delved into the fortified hospital. After transporting as many medical tools and medicines as possible, the group went back to constructing new homes and a wall. They cut the bark off their logs and got them to roast on top of a long fire line. Fractura and Tempestas were confused when they had to feed the flames.

Fractura, "I'm sorry, but why are we toasting the logs?"

Venatio, "Fire hardening."

Ignis, "Fire curing."

Temoestas, "And what's that?"

Iratus, "Well, you cook the logs on an open flame, blacken them, but don't let them burn, and then cut away some of the wood and repeat a few times."

Venatio, "We are trying to heat the wood to the point that its cell structure changes. Do you two know nothing of this classic fire-hardening technique?"

Fractura, "How about why do you know?"

Venatio, "Why wouldn't I? Your people hired me because I knew a lot of things, specifically what things are made of and the like."

Fractura, "This is clearly some out there knowledge, if you ask me. Why are we even doing this? I mean, why are we doing this fire-hardening thing?"

Venatio, "Hardness, reduced moisture absorption, insect repelant, and it slows down decay."

Tempestas, "Is this something we are going to do for all our lumber?"

Clamor, "I don't see why not."

The hyena man and badger woman merely groaned at this.

Iratus, "Look on the bright side; it does look visually appealing in a way."

After they started errecting a few logs, they made sure that the bottom was covered in rocks so that the logs would not be directly touching the dirt. The group would start by chinking the gaps by filling them with mud and straw that they mixed in a container. Sometimes they would work on the housing as well. They cleared several areas and leveled them as best they could.

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Chapter 322

On day 150, the group grabbed more items from Last Mistake, mostly tools. They brought many kinds of farming tools, such as plows and hoes, as well as wooden planks, more nails, and an anvil.

Another day, and the party set about cutting down more trees, making sure they grabbed sturdy trunks for their needs. They stripped the bark and began to shape the logs into some basic beams. The nails from their recent looting saved the party from having to improvise, and soon enough, the frame would be completed.

It took a few more days, but eventually they used the planks to create solid walls as well as a door they took from another building. The roof was a lot more challenging, with the team having to use thinner branches to use as wooden shingles. In the end, the shed still needed things like shelves, and it wasn't the prettiest-looking thing, especially because it was also quite small, but it worked well enough to store the tools outside in this shed.

On the 156th day, the group took things slowly, with the focus on resting. Despite resting, they still did their best to stay in shape, with everyone even paying Clamor for martial training. From time to time, the tower folk would ask for training lessons, but this time even the other three would ask for lessons, and since Clamor was now working a lot harder as a mentor, he started charging money and food.

Venatio, "Why do you want money? There hasn't been much use for it."

Clamor, "Sooner or later, we will have a society, run into another society, or something else. If we wish to trade, then we will require funds."

Venatio, "For a complex civilization, sure, people need a medium for trading labor, but this money comes from many different civilizations throughout time and space, so what we have might not be enough for a currency."

Clamor, "Don't you three suck up as much coinage as you can?"

Fractura, "Yes, but that's because if we ever do figure out a way to get out of here, then we will at least have some treasure that we can sell for a high enough price."

Clamor, "Eh, I'm sure we can find some way of making use of all these coins and gems."

Iratus, "Worse comes to worse; we can melt them down for their base material. A coin might not hold the value that we want, but iron, copper, tin, gold, and silver are all valuable no matter the circumstance."

Fractura, "You grossly overestimate how well off other people summoned here are. While you guys can make use of metals, especially after we get a forge up and working, most others are only able to scavenge with no way to utilize base metals."

Iratus, "It does not matter what they want from metals, only what we want. If we want metals, then metals can be used to trade with us."

Resonantia, "We still need things that make people want to trade with us."

Tempestas, "My God, they are already thinking about making an economy."

Ignis, "We'll be the powerhouse of the area."

Aestus, "Lords of all the land within our sight!"

Fractura, "You'll need to find other people first. I'll admit finding this many people is quite the feat, but since gray masks target large groups of people, finding other groups will be unlikely."

Clamor, "Surely dealing with a number of conduits will keep them at bay around our location, though, right?"

Venatio, "It does remove their influence, for a time."

Iratus, "So it is possible there are people around?"

Tempestas, "I don't know why we wouldn't see more people sooner or later."

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Chapter 323

Later that night, as Iratus and the girls were finishing up playing one of their games, suddenly, Iratus was aware of a brief argument among the four girls. Iratus turned and tried to figure out what was wrong.

Iratus, "Woh, what's happening?"

Victoria, "Resonantia has been out with your expeditions and has the nerve to demand more of your attention."

Resonantia, "Our military explorations have been nothing but work. I fail to see any actual time invested. Regardless, what about your hunting trips with Iratus, then?"

Victoria, "That's why I'm not asking for more time."

Ignis, "Yes, I have also demanded by forthright to have additional time to bond with Iratus.

Aestus, "Same."

Resonantia, "My time has been spent in less than ideal circumstances."

Iratus thoughts, "And thus the downside of multiple relationships has manifested. One of the most important aspects of a successful relationship with females is investment—time, money, or otherwise. I have been working pretty hard for my friends and to prepare for the coming children, so I must not have given the girls more time."

Iratus, "How about I take a few days to relax with you lot?"

Ignis, "Uh, please elaborate."

Iratus, "I want to spend more time with you four. I can see that I need to have you all around me more often, and so I say, how about we take some time to have just us around?"

Victoria, "Yeah, I think we need that."

Ignis, "Then let us plan our escape from work."

Iratus, "How about a stroll through Last Mistake? I may know of the place personally, but it is one of my people's towns, so maybe I can show you all around."

With approving nods, they continued with some planning before they retired for the rest of the night.

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Chapter 324

As the other group worked on the housing and wall, Iratus took the girls to Last Mistake on day 157. The town had many still-standing buildings made of robust lumber and strong white stone buildings with painted decorations that have endured the abuse of time and the former monsterous inhabitance. Despite this, almost half of the town lay in ruins from either weather or treeskins tearing into the buildings and allowing plant growth to invade the town.

Iratus always seemed to give a sigh every time he looked down an empty street with broken market stalls or damaged cobblestone paths. Along a once-maintained lawn was a large church with still-standing religious statues. One was a loving and caring tiger mother holding broken chains, and the other was a divine-looking lion that still had some reddish-brown paint for its fur, which was still intact. This male lion had a very pronounced mane, a massive build, and looked like he might have had wolly fur. The group offered a quick prayer before heading off.

The quiet atmosphere gave way to a more somber one as the group would see abandoned tools, broken pottery, and other signs of lost civilization strewn about. The weather was sunny, and of course the heat was much worse, even though the town wasn't too far south from the stone tower. Since the cold wave was slowly fading, the heat was even greater.

Iratus, "I think we've mostly picked this place clean."

The girls combed buildings together with Iratus as they did a deeper dive that they had not been able to until recently, when they sloew the treeskin monsters. Suddenly there was a chorius of squeels, and when Iratus turned around to see the girls take glee in finding a number of jewlery bands,

Iratus, "Sure, they look nice, but how practical are they?"

Ignis placed on a bronze headband with an amber jewel encrusted in it.

Ignis, "How could you say this is not appealing?"

Iratus, "Huh, you know it does look natural on you."

Ignis, "Like a straight arrow."

Resonantia, "Wait, I think I found something."

The shark girl pulled off a small tapestry hanging on a wall, which depicted some interesting things between foxen lovers in a garden-park area.

Victoria, "I thought you people didn't have foxfolk."

Iratus, "We don't, I assure you. Anthropomorphic animals are a ficticious species, but considering what we look like and our desires, we find similar people like us quite attractive, ficticious, or otherwise."

Ignis, "We are adding it to our tasteful art collection."

Resonantia, "Oh yeah!"

Iratus, "Well, at least it isn't as pervy as some of our other arts."

Victoria, "It is close enough."

Iratus with a smile, "I feel like our room will soon be draped with so many depraved and lustful artworks."

The four girls gave their own words of agreement.

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Chapter 325

Iratus was on the lookout most of the time, the longer the group stayed.

Aestus, "Love, don't you want to take anything in here?"

Iratus, "I really just want to keep watch. The sun will set soon, and I want to be on top of any trouble that can come brewing."

Resonantia, "Here, let me take a watch then. You pitiful furred ones have such inferior night vision; by God, you can't even see color in complete darkness."

The others gave a chuckle.

In the next building, Iratus found some collars and was ecstatic.

Iratus, "Finally. Loves, I have some good news."

The girls gathered around.

Iratus, "In my culture, we use collars to show that we are taken; it shows that someone is in a breeding contract."

Victoria, "Hey, we have something similar."

Iratus, "Perfect, grab what you like."

Victoria grabbed a sleek silver collar that incorporated small gemstones that matched her hair; Aestus took a vibrant, beaded collar with colors inspired by her red fur; and Ignis acquired a collar with warm tones that worked well with her reddish-brown and white fur and hung a little glass artwork from it, the glass piece being the shape and color of fire. Resonantia took a while but finally settled on a sturdy yet elegant collar made of metallic materials in a blue-gray hue to match her skin. Finally, Iratus took a delicate gold chain with a small pendant shaped like a lion's glare.

Iratus, "How lucky, I found something made from the old times and invented for the royal family too."

Aestus, "Ancient artifacts?"

Victoria, "Treasure?"

Iratus, "In the old days, they were valuable, but in my time, they were a novelty—I mean, still valuable, just not as a big deal. Regardless, I always hoped I'd get a Lionheart chain."

Resonantia, "Proud of you."

Iratus, "Ha, thanks."

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Chapter 326

There came a point when darkness was finally setting in, and the group seemed embarrassed that they stayed out for so long. As they walked towards the entrance of the town, they dove into cover when they saw a massive prey animal. It was a Cape Buffalo with large, curved horns and a dark black coat.

Resonantia, "Woh, what is that?"

Aestus, "It looks like a buffalo of some kind."

Iratus, "It is a Savannah buffalo, and it is extremely dangerous. People die hunting these things."

Resonantia, "It looks delicious! We must eat it."

Victoria, "I agree!"

Iratus, "No, no, no, no! Look, loves, I love you four. I really, really love you, girls. I also really love our unborn babies, and I'd like them to be alive. That thing over there is a freak of nature and is too unpredictable and dangerous for you right now."

Aestus, "This thing is the embodiment of our bond to hunt and live. We must eat it."

Victoria, "If you want us to throw ourselves at you at the snap of your fingers, then you need to provide when we say so."

Iratus, "Oh, my broken silver chains. Is this what Clamor calls breaking my back? Is this what I've been doing to the others? This is awful."

Ignis, "Worry not; only you will be down in the streets. The rest of us will take the high ground."

Iratus, "Have none of you hunted dangerous game before?"

The girls all said no.

Resonantia, "My ancient ancestors hunted dangerous prey animals. It is why we grew a hardy pain tolerance and fast healing compared to the rabbitfolk."

Victoria, "My people's solution was usually traps or other stealthy approaches. Hunting was just a puzzle to be solved, and we excel at puzzle solving."

Ignis, "Same for my kind, though we had a more robust omnivore diet like the human thing. Our ability to eat fruits and vegetables led us to have a much higher population than the other folk tribes."

Aestus, "I just fish. That's me."

Resonantia, "We knew an otter on the train. Otterfolk used pack tactics to take down any land prey. What specialty of hunting were your people, Iratus?"

Iratus, "Yeah, most of the time it was ambushing and group tactics. However, our prey was usually animals like that." Pointing to the buffalo. "We had to fight, fang, and claw to kill them. So hunting was usually as brutal as warfare in some ways."

After some time, the girls managed to force Iratus into their hunt, and they all got into position.

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Chapter 327

The majestic buffalo was just minding its own business when a bolt and arrow slammed into its neck at the same time. It swerved to look for its enemy, and when Iratus poked out of a building and slammed the walls to lure the beast, the buffalo ran forward to meet its foe.

Iratus managed to back away and dive back into the abandoned building where the buffalo ran mindlessly, only to be met by a spear that the group set up as a trap, using rubble to keep it propped up to stab into the beast. Not only that, but Resonantia managed to fire a shot quick enough and accurate enough to land into the neck of the creature. Of course, these wounds, including being gored by the spear, were not enough to even slow the buffalo down. Iratus got behind a wooden counter and readied his spear at the perfect angle, just in time for the beast to jump right into his spear. Unfortunately, Iratus took nearly 3,000 pounds (1360 kilograms) of the beast to his chest and was bodily thrown off to the side, slamming into the ground far away.

The beast thrashed around for a bit before it slowly lost its strength. Ignis would come around as well as Resonantia and Victoria. The two ranged attackers launched a few more shots because they had a pained look as the creature suffered and wasn't dying.

Ignis, "Lord, please put it down!"

Ignis took her knife and got down to slit the creature's throat and try to have it die faster. It was dangerous, but she managed to get in and get out before she was knocked around.

Ignis, "Argh, I hate that."

Victoria, "Sorry, we tried to kill it faster."

Resonantia, "It is the absolute worst when an animal does not die quickly from a hunt. Like, this hurts to watch."

Aestus had already come around and was at Iratus's side. He was breathing rapidly, and Aestus was trying to comfort him. The other girls soon gathered around him to do a medical check. After some time, Iratus would go back to a normal breathing pace, but he refused to move because of the pain.

It took a few minutes, but Iratus would slowly begin to stand up. It was slow, but he did stand up. When everyone realized the ungodly weight of the animal, they got really freaked out. Victoria and Aestus ran back to the stone tower and managed to bring back the whole crew. Fractura and Tempestas were still at the stone tower, waiting for the tower folk to return until they got the news of what happened.

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Chapter 328

The buffalo was not going anywhere, so the group came up with the idea to lift the beast with the rope and a stone building to drag up the buffalo enough to be gutted. A small hole was dug for the organs, which was never meant to be perfect, just enough to get them out of sight. The horrid smell was a blight on everyone, but they worked through it and somehow managed to drag the beast on their largest cart, and with all of their physicality allowed, they dragged the beast back to their home, where they strung it up in their cold room, though the rope was tied to a tree nearby because the buffalo weighed so much.

Venatio whined about bleeding the corpse, but she was made aware of its value.

Iratus, "For having such a hunter name, you seem to lack basic hunting knowledge."

Victoria, "You've been around here when we've bled animals."

Venatio, "Yeah, just tell me why bleeding is a thing."

Iratus, "It improves the quality of the meat."

Fractura, "If the blood were to clot, it would negatively affect the taste."

Venatio, "No, you knew?"

Fractura, "Boom, knowledge dropped, scientist flopped!"

Venatio, "I'll eat you alive."

Fractura, "Jokes on you; I'm into that."

Iratus, "I get it. It's because hyenas eat animals from the rear to the head."

Fractura, "Bones and all!"

Venatio, "That is actually horrifying. They eat animals alive—literally alive. The animal is alive and aware as it is being eaten. I never wanted that image in my head."

Fractura, "Eh, uh, sorry."

Iratus got a small fire started in the below-ground hut and did his best to somewhat seal the building.

Iratus, "We rarely bleed at night. We will have to take time to inspect the meat throughout the night to make sure no bugs are on it."

Victoria, "To be honest, the smoke has always worked, keeping the bugs off."

Iratus, "I just really want to make sure everything goes perfect with this kill."

Ignis, "Don't worry, love, just go to bed, rest, and mend your almost broken ribs." She gave a scary yet loving smile.

Fractura, "And that's enough for me. I'm noping out of here."

Tempestas, "Good night, everyone."

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Chapter 329

In the morning, after breakfast, Iratus's family and the other two older folk got to work butchering the buffalo. They skinned and removed the limbs of the carcass and managed to drag it to the commons area to drop it on the table. It took a long time to get the meat cut up, but the group did manage to use their knives, cleavers, and saws to remove the meat from the bones. They trimmed the excess fat away and divided the meat.

They had loads of chuck and shoulder meat that was great for roasts and stews. Ribeye is a flavorful steak cut from the ribs, which Iratus declared was his favorite meat. There was sirloin, which was lean and tender meat, as well as tenderloin, which was, of course, tender meat that is often used for various premium cuts.

The round came from the hind legs, the brisket was cut from the breast and lower chest area, and the shank was a tougher cut that would be used for the group's soups and stews for the rich flavor the meat brings. There were other cuts, and of course, when the process was finished, they saw a mountain of meat, and a nervous smile crept onto Iratus's face.

Iratus, "Okay, now how do we preserve all of this?"

Victoria, "By putting those clay pots to use and storing them in the cold hut."

Tempestas, "Store them in the summoners tower. It is supremely cold down there."

Victoria, "I'll smoke what I can."

Fractura, "I think I've seen some salt around, so I'll see about salt-curing."

Aestus, "Iratus, maybe now is the time for your crazy pickling idea!"

Iratus, "Once again, no vinegar."

Venatio, "Oh baby. I have always wanted to make my own vinegar. I don't think we could have some up to save the meat, but I do actually want to give it a go."

Clamor, "Yo, hit me up with that too. I don't know much about vinegar, but I am aware that it is one step removed from making alcohol and wine."

Fractura, "Yeah, I foresee a future party happening! No pregnant females allowed."

Ignis, "We are not as unaware as not to know that alcohol is bad for the unborn."

Victoria, "Less dreaming of sweet wines and more on saving the meat, please."

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Chapter 330

Their first meal was ready, with chunks of buffalo meat being accompanied by some root vegetables. Makeshift skewers were fashioned and used to make kebabs with Ignis using her cooking knowledge, and she added certain herbs and spices during the grilling process. A sizable amount of meat was used as the group had a veracious need for sustenance, and just as the meat was finished, the group would devour it all with quickness. Even when they ate their meat and vegetables, Iratus still felt hungry, even though he probably couldn't eat another bite.

The group would work to clean up and then sit down, where multiple conversations would spawn. Iratus mostly listened, but eventually people would move on, and Iratus was stuck at the table with Aestus and Ignis, who asked for more gaming.

Iratus, "I've been talking to Fractura about another tabletop RPG we could play."

Ignis, "We are already drowning in a number of games. I cannot see another game working with our current schedule."

Iratus, "That's the beauty of it. It is a game that's more of a one-on-one with the GM and can be played whenever and only for a few minutes."

Aestus, "Oh, what is this new game then?"

Iratus, "It is a game where players roleplay as nations. Basically, whenever someone wants a turn, just ask the GM, and a turn should take only a few minutes. Only when a player discovers another player will you'd need more than one person at the table."

Ignis, "Intriguing. Can the players just make a super federation and conquer the world?"

Iratus, "You'd have to find them first. In a blind play, you won't know who is a player until something drastic happens between the two. Another problem is keeping everyone relatively close to the same turn number. For the most part, not being in the same turn shouldn't be too bad until we get players interacting within the same vicinity with each other, but we'll see."

Aestus, "Hey, can we help with this project of yours?"

Iratus, "Well...can you draw?"

A number of days would pass peacefully, with day 162 being a stopping point as a meeting was planned and some people had things to bring up. There were only two of note, with Iratus revealing a large paper map with a hand-drawn map of a fictional world. He gave his pitch, and all eight members of the group said they wanted to be part of the game. They agreed to start nation-building after the meeting. Fractura was the other major topic, with him demanding that they deal with the reality shard in their possession.

Fractura, "It is time to actually make a decision on this."

After a moment, many words of agreement rang out.

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EPISDOE 33: END

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Episode 33 End Character Sheet
Name: Iratus Lionheart
Species: Mousefolk
Age: 14
Coverings: blonde fur, white gambeson (many repairs, some leather patchwork, a lot of minor damage, and torso tear), leather gloves, tactical vest, tailorcraft backpack, leather plate helmet, delicate gold chain with a small pendant shaped like a lion's glare
Weapons: Long Sword, 3x Knifes, Short Sword
Equipment: belt, belt bag, water skin, leathercraft backpack, 2 bags, 33 oval copper coins, 6 small silver bricks, 3 gemstones, 20 fine silver coins,20 fine gold coins

Wounds: none

Relevant Community Stash: a fire starter, whetstone, several leather items, 3 glass jar, 12 empty bottles, 1 fish net, primitive sewing kit, a bunch of small wooden figures, wooden dice, metal scrap, lots of rusted metal, several small fish nets, a strange device (Gameboy-like device), compass, sextant, some bedrolls, a tent, a large barrel, writing material, 80 cloaks and other clothing materials, some fabrics, 6 carts, 11 tattered tents, skin drum, beautiful arts of tropical scenery, floatation devices, wildlife figures, lots of tropical clothing, reality machines: portal maker and energy use, 1 reality shard

Armory: 10 wooden spears, 56 short swords, 53 knifes, 25 daggers, 34 metal spears, 2 hand bombs, 21 rusted weapons, many armor pieces, ruined metal armor, semi-automatic rifle (no ammo), box of unknown ammo, 4 hunting traps, 3 snares, 2 pistols (no ammo), 12 unknown bullets, 4 backpacks
Aestus: leather vest, leather helmet, metal spear, short sword
Victoria: scrap metal breastplate, leather helmet, metal spear, short sword, crossbow, flashlight
Resonanita: breastplate, metal helmet, metal spear, short sword, compound bow, flashlight
Ignis: leather helmet, metal spear, crowbar

Treasure: 88 oval copper coins, 33 oval silver coins 74 ancient metal coins, 10 fine silver coins, 43 fine gold coins, 23 fine copper coins, a tarnished silver brooch, a small ornamental figurine, a handful of sparkling glass beads, a small wooden trinket box, a few antfolk tapestries, some antfolk art, 107 copper lion coins, 5 silver lion coins, 14 gold lion coins, 115 wolfen metal coins

Home Base, Tower: Large Storage Area (many crates, clay pots, and wooden chests), Basic Workshop Area (lots of tools, woodcarving tools, glue, sandpaper), Kitchen Area (many tools, many cutlery items, pots&pans, makeshift grill), Library, Armory, Infirmary Room (surgery tools, first aid kit, plenty of medicine and equipment), Guest Quarters, Master Bedroom (proper bedding, sensual antfolk sculpture), Six Bedrooms (proper bedding)

Outside Base: Butchering Hut (modern butchery kit, smoking rack), Tannery Hut, Underground Storage Area, Garden Area (fenced in), Tool Shed (fishing gear and supplies, trowel, woodcutting axe, woodworking tools, lots of rope, rope ladder, plows, hoes, sickles, rakes, shovels, scythes, chisels, anvils), Partially Built Wall

Books: 3x woodworking books, weathered leather-bound journal, war game booklet, sketch book (from warband), special documentary on Nexus Prime #34, 16 Broken Tower documents, Bathhouse Reviewers (entire 80 book series), cards

Year 0, Day 162

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