Chapter 260: Homecoming

Chapter 260: Homecoming

An hour of hard work by two strong men filled the hungry chains of the charnel pit with the carcasses of slaughtered sedge beasts. Thick smoke filled the building that would have choked anyone addicted to breathing normal air. The charnel pit, frantic at first at Ozzy's return, began to calm down. With every breath, he left his mark on the building as his smoke coated the chains, turning them from a greenish silver to a dark black. He hauled down one of the fully smoked beasts, tore off a leg, and tossed it to Butterbelly. The firewalker sniffed it, took a small bite, and then a larger one. "Nice flavor to this. Heavy on the smoke, this meat was grass-fed with a hefty level of dark mana. It leaves a sweet taste on the tongue with just a touch of the bitterness you normally would get with that flavor of magic. For smoked meat without a rub or sauce, it's quite tasty."

"The Legion certainly thinks so. They buy up all the barrels of meat I can provide. We're way beyond what the contract was for. They ship the extra to other outposts. For the local guys, I try to add some different flavors. The local guys are pretty easygoing, and I like to do a bit extra for them." Ozzy spent a few minutes filling the pit with a mix of Holly, Rowan, and some Apple wood. It felt like a good mix to go with the 9-spice bear grease. It would burn down slowly through the night after he covered most of the pile with coals and ash. He needed hot smoke, not open fire. He could feel the fire and wood slowly turning to smoke and adjust how much air the fire was getting until he was happy with it.

He ran his hand along the bricks of the pit, feeling their warmth, and added some of his own heat to them. They hummed with appreciation as he brought them to a dull glow. "Good job. We'll get to work tomorrow. Lot's to do." The chains above him tinkled like wind chimes.

Butterbelly was curious. "You talk to it? Is it like a pet?"

Ozzy thought about his answer for a moment. "Just seemed right. The thing's alive now, or sentient at the very least. It's like a mistreated dog that's been adopted by a good owner. Eager to work with you and affectionate when it gets some attention, but ignore it, and it will get into trouble. There was a tense moment at first like it wasn't sure which of us was the boss. After we settled that, we got to work. The damned thing is pretty helpful. I can smoke a herd of cattle with it in a couple of days, and they taste like they were smoked a month. I hope I have the meat and wood to keep it going."

"Here, try some of the bacon. This was done with screaming coal. Great stuff when you need a nice fire and some tasty smoke." The firewalker grinned at the 1/2 pound chunk of smoked pork, put it into his mouth, and started chewing with his oversized teeth. Then his eyes rolled up in his head, and he moaned. "Oh, this is good, just like momma used to make. If you hadn't said pig, I'd have sworn this was wyvern or wyrm. Great meat on those critters, especially the big ones."This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.

Butterbelly took another look at the smokehouse and hanging meat. "I can see why you were anxious to get home; this is a nice place to live. Thank you for letting me cook with you. And I was glad that this sauce bucket is ever-filling. Without that enchantment, I'd have never kept up with you. But I need some of this beer you talked about. Let's join friends at the tavern and see how much Woodrat has exaggerated his tales by now."

A roar greeted them as they entered the tavern. Both men had mugs of dark beer thrust into their hands. Butterbelly started emptying mugs as fast as they were handed to him, and eventually, someone got him a bucket with a handle on the side. The Butcher was required to authenticate Woodrat's lies about surfing on the back of a whale and then help the story about throwing a tornado at a giant squid. One thing was clear to the customers in the tavern: the crew had rehearsed their seaman's tales and spent time making the lies entertaining. A few workers simply nodded their heads while others laughed, unbelieving. If you had been in Sedgewick since the beginning, you would have seen a lot of weird things. Bob enjoyed every story and instructed Twitterberry and the hound to gather all the tales for him. If he hadn't been responsible for his realm, he might have signed on as a cabin boy then and there. His drinking partner, Billy, was quiet and thoughtful. It hadn't escaped him how many crew members were outfitted with magic weapons and gear, along with gemmed rings, necklaces, and cufflinks.

"But was the trip worth it? You were gone for a couple of months. Not knowing what the hell had happened made it worse."

Ozzy could tell that bothered her—a lot. "I think it was worth it. It certainly paid well. And I certainly didn't plan it that way. We were shipwrecked and trying to stay alive on a little raft. Then shit just kept happening. Two months? From my point of view, it seemed a lot longer, but nothing is the same in the Smoke. Woodrat and I had some terrifying adventures and caused a lot of trouble. But some of it was glorious. And I did get what I went for, maybe a lot more. Old Smoke was pretty generous when it came time to teach me some tricks. I have a nice set of spells now that combine mana and heat. Stuff other wizards may not have seen. We can take a walk tomorrow, and I can show you. No sense burning down the tavern by accident." He blew out some smoke and made a miniature shark that roamed around the room before diving into a candle. "I can make that little guy get a lot bigger and do some tricks with chains and fire." The way he said that made Suzette sure that they were more than just little tricks.

Suzette got up and examined the tattoos on his arms and shoulders. "I can't get over the fact that you got tattoos. You never used to like them. Chains, crossed-axes, and pirate chests. I'm surprised you don't have a big anchor or a can of spinach on one shoulder."

The Butcher smiled at her. "Watch this." The tattoo of a chest disappeared from his arm, and then a similar chest appeared on the floor. Ozzy snapped his fingers, the lid popped, and golden shells spilled out. Suzette saw a king's ransom in gold and jewelry in it. Her eyes got wide. Ozzy pulled out a long strand of pearls and a necklace of fire-imbued rubies. "I'd tell you to take your pick, but they're both for you. Generously donated by dastardly denizens of the smoke."

Lustrous Pearls of the Queen of Iskaria: The islands of Iskaria are known for their large, man-eating oysters. These pearls are often purchased at the cost of the divers' lives. This double strand of over 100 flawless pearls was worn by Queen Lemoria, whose ship was lost at sea to the attack of a Diluvian Kraken.

Suzette ran her hands along the rubies, but the pearls were what sang to her. "These are amazingly beautiful. Where is Iskaria? Did you go there?"

Ozzy shook his head. "A lot of sailing around, yet I never made it to an island. Maybe we could take a vacation someday? We could have Captain Woodrat take us for a ride in Splinter and visit the place. But right now, I want to grab you and crawl into bed." He snapped his fingers again, and all the candles in the room were snuffed.

Suzette laughed. "I agree. And I took the entire day off tomorrow. Let's stay in bed until noon."