Nicole woke up and sat on the bed. The hut was empty—no sign of the guy from yesterday. She sighed.
Well, that was... something. Definitely not the best guy I’ve slept with, but whatever. Alright, plan for today: make more flatbreads for the natives. Gaining their trust through food—especially something new—seems to be working.
A few seconds later, she noticed her chest felt slightly heavier than usual. She gently cupped her breasts and realized they’d gotten a little bigger.
Huh? What the hell? What caused this?
She stood up—then froze.
Shit. Yesterday I was so horny I walked out without clothes. And now what? Not like I have a choice. I’m not taking any of his stuff. At least I think I remember the way to Soi’s hut.
As she moved toward the exit, she passed a table similar to the one at Soi’s place. Her eyes landed on a light blue paper card and a strange fruit next to it. She picked up the paper—it felt rough and coarse to the touch.
The note read:
"As a gift i left u this Escu fruit. Lukily, Retika left before i gave it to her."
Wait… They have paper? And they can write? I never questioned how they speak English, but what’s with this grammar? Either he’s dumb, or this is just how they write.
Nicole picked up the fruit. It was fist-sized, bright green with red dots.
I should ask Soi about this. He said it was meant for that girl’s brother, to help him ascend his ability. That must mean it’s valuable.
She took both items and headed out.
As she walked through the morning village, many of the natives glanced at her naked body.
Hmm. Even if they’re open about intimacy, I don’t recall anyone walking around naked like this. Except at the beach in the evenings.
So… do they not have exhibitionists? Then again, since nudity isn’t as shocking here, which makes the whole kink kind of pointless. Or maybe I’ve just been lucky—or unlucky—enough not to meet one yet.
Lost in thought, she accidentally bumped shoulders with someone—a tall man in a leather shirt and pants, carrying a large bow and a quiver of arrows.
"Hey, watch whe—" he began, then paused, finally noticing her lack of clothing. He smirked, eyeing her up and down.
"You know, never mind. Looks like you just couldn’t resist touching me, huh?"
Two more men stepped out from behind him, dressed similarly.
"Uh, I didn’t mean to—" Nicole started.
One of them interrupted, grinning. "No need to explain. It’s natural to get horny around guys like us. After all, we’re the best hunters in the village."
The third one chimed in. "Yeah, so—wanna come with us? You won’t regret it."
Okay, I got it. It's this kind of guys.
She turned and walked away without a word, ignoring their continued remarks.
Back in the day, I’d have kicked their asses. Three years of martial arts—and a bit of alcohol—went a long way in keeping jerks in check.
I wonder if they have proper alcohol here. I could try making some, but if I screw it up, it’ll just become poison.
I really should get a weapon and train. My workouts aren’t enough, and relying on fruit and monster meat isn’t sustainable. There’s not enough of that stuff to keep growing stronger.
Nicole arrived at her and Soi’s hut. Outside, a small group had gathered—mostly kids of various ages, all holding Goldmanes.
"Hey, she’s here! Nicole, here are the Goldmanes! Please make us those things you promised!"
The kids crowded around her. She smiled and nodded as she passed through.
"Yeah, yeah. Just give me a moment."
Inside the hut, Soi was unsurprisingly absent. Nicole got dressed, set the fruit down on the table, and returned outside.
"Alright, just like I said: for every twenty Goldmanes, you get one flatbread. Get in line, give me the plants, and tell me your name."
For the next half hour, Nicole sat on the ground, using a piece of coal from the bonfire to write names and tallies on the blue paper. Among the group was a girl she’d previously given a flatbread sample to.
Right, she mentioned one of her parents works with the Ironhides. I should ask her more about that later.
"Hey, Perna, can you wait a bit while I finish the line? I need to ask you something."
"O-okay, Nicole." the girl said and stepped to the side.
Once Nicole finished with the last boy, she stood up.
"Okay, listen. Making the flatbreads will take some time. Come back in the evening—say, when the sun touches the horizon."
The kids nodded and scattered, probably off to play or help their parents. Nicole turned to Perna.
I should ask her to show me where she lives, talk to her parents about Ironhide fur. But flatbreads first.
"Can you show me where you live later? I want to speak to your parents."
Perna’s eyes widened. "I-I did something wrong? Please don’t tell them!"
"No, no, it’s nothing bad. I just need to ask them a few things. It could help me make more cool stuff. Wouldn’t that be great?"
Perna nodded, still hesitant.
"Later, after I hand out the flatbreads, you’ll introduce me, okay?"
"Y-yes."
"Thanks. You can go now."
It took Nicole hours to bake the flatbreads again. She counted and divided them: 18 total. Seven were for the kids—each had just a bit over 20 Goldmanes—so each got one flatbread. The remaining 11 were hers.
Ugh, finally done. Not bad.
She hid the flatbreads in the hut—just in case someone tried to steal them—then took three and left.
Looks like I’ll be in this village for a while. I should look good in front of the elders—at least the huntress and Izab. I’d skip Terl, but that might piss him off. I’m not in a position to defy them. Yet.
She made her way to the elders’ hut, the one where she had first arrived. Green, thin leaves hung like a curtain at the entrance. Inside, three animal pelts formed a triangle in the center—but only one was occupied.
Izab sat facing the entrance, sipping from a clay cup as she approached.
"Nicole. What brings you to me?"
His voice was calm, yet commanding.
"Maybe you heard about the new food I made yesterday. I brought free samples for the village elders."
She handed him a flatbread, which he placed beside him.
"Indeed, I heard rumors. Thank you."
"I expected all the elders would be here. Where are the others?"
"Terl’s likely at the training grounds. Sevora… who knows. Maybe in the forest, maybe sleeping at home."
"Alright. I’ll leave the rest here. Could you give them to the others?"
"They’ll come. Hand them over."
She gave him the rest, and he added them to the pile.
"One more thing—I don’t know which of you I should ask, but I want to trade for a weapon. A spear."
"That’s a bold request, girl. And what can you offer?"
Nicole smirked. "You can smell it, right? That amazing scent from me? I can share its secret. Say… a full pot of it."
Izab raised an eyebrow. "It’s nice, sure. But I’m not a young woman—I don’t care much about that."
"Fair. But think: it’s valuable for trading. Traveling merchants would love something unique."
He considered that. "Still not enough. Unless you want a rusty fork instead."
"Alright. I’ll add something else: I’ll share the flatbread recipe with the village. In a week. And it’ll take time to make the soap too."
Izab studied her in silence, then smiled.
"Good. I have a good feeling about this. But if that’s all, leave. I have matters to attend to."
Yes! I thought he’d try to get more out of me. Honestly expected him to ask for sex. Glad he didn’t.
As she turned to leave, a memory surfaced.
"By the way—you guys made me strip before, remember? Then Terl knocked me out. Could I get my clothes back?"
Izab nodded and whistled. A guard entered silently.
"Take her to the main storage. She’s to receive one spear and her belongings. Nothing else."
The guard bowed and left. Nicole followed.
Great. I don’t have to see Terl. And now I know the woman’s name is Sevora. Gotta remember that.
They arrived at the storage building. It was large and chaotic inside—weapons and pots scattered everywhere.
How am I supposed to find anything in this mess?
The guard stopped by the door. Nicole moved in, scanning the room. She eventually found her clothes in the last corner, holding up the dark orange shirt and pants triumphantly.
No bra or panties. Guess I’m used to it by now.
She walked over to the spears and chose one from the far right. It had a sturdy wooden shaft and a shiny, gray triangular tip.
That’s better. Now I just have to find someone who can teach me how to use it.
* * *
Nicole returned home and sat on the bed, her old clothes in her lap.
What now? No point in wearing them—I’d draw even more attention. And it’s not like I want to. I’ve worn them enough.
Maybe I can sell them. Until I make my own clothes, these are the only modern ones on the island. A few cuts, some paint—and every woman in the village will kill to get them. I just have to hope they won’t kill me.
She began folding the clothes but felt something in a pocket.
Huh? What’s this?
She reached in and pulled out a small magnifying glass and a black pen.
Damn, I forgot about these. The trinket I won in cards back in the prison and result of Annie’s work.
She pressed a small button on the pen. One of the tips glowed in a soft blue light, and a robotic female voice chimed:
"Welcome. I am ToraAI. Still in development. Please provide a password to verify access."
It reset? Maybe the storm or sudden lack of internet. What was the password again? Oh, right.
"Hermit Blue!"
A reference to one of Annie’s favorite animes. Even after a dozen of times, I feel stupid saying this damn password.
"Password accepted. Full access granted. How can I help you today?"
At least it works.
"Tora, run a diagnostic."
A minute passed.
„I haven’t found any physical damages. No internet connection found, running in the offline mode. Battery is 3%. Start the charging? Estimated time: 3 hours."
"Yes."
A panel on the pen slid open, revealing a solar panel.
Great. And where do I put this? Guess I’ll just carry it around for now.
Now, what should I do? Still a few hours until sunset…
Nicole stepped out of the hut and placed the pen on the ground. Standing beside it, she began her usual training routine.
When she finished and sat down to rest, Soi approached. In the catgirl’s arms was a large ball of dark blue fur, dotted with small white specks.
"Hey hey! Today I hunted a Sylvurn! Look!"
Soi raised her arms, revealing the creature more clearly. It resembled a rabbit, but was several times larger.
"That’s impressive… I guess. Actually, I have no idea why you’re so excited. What’s so special about it?"
"They’re hard to hunt, for your information! They hide well during the day and only come out at night. They’re fast and pretty dangerous too! If they feel threatened, they charge at the hunter. See those claws? Yeah, nobody wants to fight one."
Still holding the dead creature in the air, Soi used her other hand to lift its front paw. It had two claws—each one as long as Nicole’s palm and visibly sharp.
As they chatted, the girls made their way back inside the hut.
"Sylvurns are one of the creatures I have to hunt alone to complete my training. Though I got lucky today."
"Good for you, then."
I wonder how much fat it has. I’ll need a lot for the soap I promised Izab.
"Say, what do you plan to do with it?"
"We’ll eat it, of course. What else?"
"Great. Then you won’t mind giving me most of its fat?"
"Hm, Sylvurns have plenty, but why do you need it?"
"I went to Izab and promised him a big pot of soap and a flatbread recipe in exchange for this."
Nicole picked up the spear she had left earlier in the hut. She tried to spin it, but it slipped and fell to the ground.
"To make the soap, I need animal fat."
"Oh, right! The soap! My mentor and a few others said I smelled nice today! Your invention is amazing! And yes, I’ll give you as much of the fat as you need."
Soi began skinning the Sylvurn and cutting it into pieces. After a while, she approached Nicole, carrying a pot.
"Look, I got all the fat I could. Hope it’s enough."
She handed the pot to Nicole, who peered inside and sighed.
"Well, I’ll need at least three times more than this. But that’s okay. Thanks anyway. Also, there’s something else I wanted to ask."
Nicole pulled out a sheet of blue paper and the fruit she had received.
"First of all, is this text written correctly? Grammatically, I mean."
"Hmm, where did you get this? Not many people here know how to write. Lucky for you, my parents taught me—I was supposed to become a merchant, after all."
After studying the paper for a few seconds, Soi nodded.
"Mhm, it looks normal. Why do you ask?"
Shit. That means they actually use different grammar rules. And it looks fucking stupid.
"Well… back in my world, things were a bit different. Don’t worry about it. I was just curious. Second—what exactly is this fruit?"
Soi’s eyes widened as she took the Escu fruit.
"He gave you this? As the note says, it’s called an Escu fruit. It’s mostly used in potions of ascension—to gain lightning-elemental claws. Who gave it to you, exactly?"
"Uh, it was… what was his name? Janah...? Joneh...? Right, Joreth."
Just then, a soft knock came from the hut door. The girls opened it to find a group of kids. One of them stepped forward.
"Hey! You said we were supposed to gather here so you could give us those tasty things! We've been waiting a while already!"
"Right, right. One second."
Nicole went back inside and returned with a stack of flatbreads for the kids, along with the blue paper listing who was supposed to get them.
* * *
By the time Nicole finished handing out the flatbreads, the sun had already dipped below the horizon. As agreed, Perna was waiting for her, hugging her flatbread tightly.
Soi watched the whole scene while chewing on her own.
"Hey, Soi. I need to gather some materials for my next invention. I’ll be back soon, probably."
The catgirl nodded—her mouth still full.
Nicole turned to the younger girl.
"I’m done here. Let’s go, Perna."
As they walked, Nicole tried to learn the layout of the village.
"So, what are your parents’ names? Can you tell me something about them?"
"U-Um, my dad is Sopak and my mom is Coliza. A-Also, they don’t live together. I stay with my mom, but I try to help both of them during the day. And if you’re interested in fur, you’ll have to talk to my dad."
"Oh. I see."
Soon, they stopped near a hut that looked similar to the others, except its walls were adorned with animal pelts. Above the door hung the skull of some kind of beast.
"This is the place."
Before they could approach, the door opened and two men stepped out, laughing.
Nicole froze. They were the same men she had bumped into earlier that morning.
Oh fuck. Nope. Not happening. I guess there are other options to get Ironhide fur.
She turned to the girl with a sigh.
"Alright, thanks. But… uh… I forgot to do something back at home. I’ll come by later."
Quickly, she turned and walked away from the hunters.
Looks like I’ll have to ask Soi’s teacher. Or the head huntress.
* * *
Back at Soi’s hut, the girls made their usual white tea and chatted.
"Oh, and I have to show you something, Soi. Just promise me you won’t tell anyone—for now."
Nicole picked up the pen.
"And please, don’t be too scared."
With a small smile, she pressed the activation button.
"Welcome. Current charge is 74%. How can I help you?"
Soi stared wide-eyed at the pen.
"Wh-What is this?!"
"Um… imagine there’s a person inside—someone who knows a lot."
It took Soi half a minute to process.
"O-Oh. That’s… interesting. How did you put someone in there?"
"I didn’t. It was my friend, An—"
Nicole was cut off by a loud knock at the door. The girls looked at each other. As Soi got up to open it, Nicole hid the pen.
Outside stood three Torakai men, armed with spears. Their expressions were a mix of calm and determination.
Soi stepped forward.
"Uh, hello?"