Day 94 of Banishment: Fall, and Preparing for Winter (4)
The next day, on the 96th day of her banishment, Marylia ventured into the forest, searching for lily bulbs while keeping an eye out for potential prey. If an animal appeared, she would take it down to secure both meat and fur.
Meat was the quickest way to gather food in large quantities on this island. However, relying solely on meat could grow tiresome, so supplementing it with other food sources remained equally important.
"Oh, there's one... Alright, scatter! Don’t let it escape! Surround it!"
While searching for lily bulbs, Marylia spotted her first prey of the day: an unfortunate peryton. Wasting no time, she deployed her golems to encircle the creature.
The golems strategically blocked the directions the peryton might flee, forcing it to change course repeatedly. As the golems closed in, the peryton grew panicked and exhausted, making it easy to subdue.
"Hehe, peryton feathers are such a blessing. They're perfect for winter hibernation," Marylia said with a smile, having her golems carry the carcass.
While food was crucial for winter preparations, insulating materials like feathers and fur were equally important. Peryton feathers, in particular, were valuable for keeping warm.
"Let’s just drain the blood for now and return to searching for lily bulbs. Ehehe..."
After hanging the peryton back at her base, she resumed her exploration. By the end of the day, she managed to bring back a large haul of lily bulbs and even took down another peryton.
While Marylia thought to herself, “Processing two big catches at once is such a hassle…”, she couldn’t waste this rare stroke of luck. As a result, she devoted the following day, the 97th day of her banishment, to processing the perytons.
"I've gotten much better at skinning. I can tell how much faster I’ve become," she mused as her knife skillfully stripped the hides.
Although Marylia had experience with hunting, her survival on this uninhabited island had honed her skills to a whole new level. Survival demanded constant improvement—whether it was taking down prey or breaking it down into usable resources.
And it was enjoyable.
Improving her abilities and seeing visible progress brought Marylia great satisfaction. Cheerfully humming, she severed the head of a peryton and continued the butchering process.
The routine was straightforward. Perishable offal was cooked and eaten the same day, while the other meat was salted, drained, air-dried, and smoked for storage. That was the standard method.
But...
"I'm running out of salt..."
Salt was an essential resource, and the current supply was insufficient for salting the meat of two perytons. Marylia had been producing salt bit by bit using her golems, but this sudden bounty threatened to deplete her reserves.
"Maybe I can fetch the salt that's currently being processed. That should be enough for today... Still, I'll need to ramp up production."
Salt would be needed throughout the winter, so increasing its production was imperative. However...
"I’d really like another pot for boiling... Ugh, what to do? But I just don’t have the resources to make one right now."
Frustrated, Marylia lamented her lack of time, tools, and materials. For now, she resolved to continue increasing salt production while making do with what was available.
She systematically cut the meat into portions, rubbed salt into each piece, and packed them into glazed earthenware containers. Some of the meat would remain salted without drying to test its longevity. To minimize spoilage risks, she used as much salt as possible. The rest of the processing hinged on the golems tasked with making more salt.
With the meat handled, the next priority was the hides.
"I’ll keep the fur intact. Hehe, it’s so soft and fluffy."
Peryton pelts, with their downy feathers, were ideal for winter preparations. They could be used as blankets for sleeping or sewn into cloaks for warmth, greatly enhancing her comfort.
As always, Marylia used oak bark to make tanning liquid. Since she lacked sufficient pots for boiling, she improvised. Filling an earthen vessel with water and bark, she heated the mixture by adding hot stones until the bark released its tannins.
Once the tanning liquid was ready, she soaked the hides in it. Afterward, it was a matter of waiting. At the right time, she’d remove the hides and have the golems knead them thoroughly.
Thus, Marylia pushed forward with her preparations, step by step, as the days of her exile continued.
"The furs... Yes, I'll need plenty of them," Marylia mused.
As preparations for winter continued, the pile of furs was bound to grow. Of course, she had already preserved the pelts from her previous hunts, but these furs were indispensable for surviving the cold months. To stay as warm as possible, Marylia planned to line her bed generously with the soft, fluffy pelts and fashion warm clothing for the winter.
"That means I'll need more bark. Making tanning liquid is quite the chore.”
Before winter came, there were so many things to prepare—far too many necessities to gather.
Marylia’s ultimate goal of assembling the iron golems and setting foot on her homeland seemed fraught with endless obstacles. For now, the biggest hurdle of all was undoubtedly winter.
“Well, there’s nothing for it but to keep going.”
Marylia muttered with a sigh and moved on to her next task. After all, her to-do list was practically endless.
Having finished processing the meat and pelts, Marylia transitioned smoothly to preparing dinner.
She quickly drained and cooked the organ meats, grilling them to a golden perfection before indulging in their fresh flavors. Their freshness alone made even simple cooking methods incredibly satisfying.
"Liver really is a treasure trove of nutrients.”
The velvety smoothness of the liver, with its rich umami flavor, lightly tinged with the wild, slightly bitter taste of blood, was simply divine. The bitterness itself seemed to enhance the taste, perhaps because it combined with the savory, slightly charred aroma of the dish.
"And paired with orange sauce, it's absolutely heavenly."
The pièce de résistance was the citrusy sauce she had prepared from the oranges found among the driftwood. By cooking them down into a syrupy consistency and bottling the sauce for preservation, Marylia had created a zesty complement to her liver dish. The sauce’s refreshing tartness and aroma paired beautifully with the meat.
"It's a shame I can't enjoy this with a glass of wine. Someday, I’ll make my own wine—though I might return home before that happens."
As for the wine among the driftwood, it remained stored safely away. Wine had numerous potential uses, including being left to ferment into vinegar. Its acidic properties would also come in handy for many purposes.
"I wonder if any wild grapes grow around here... though that's probably wishful thinking."
This island, Marylia theorized, once had human inhabitants. The presence of items like the slave collar pointed to that. Likewise, the berries she found might have been introduced from outside the island. It wasn’t entirely out of the question that she might stumble upon grapes.
"Still, what I wouldn't give for a nice plum-infused liquor.”
Marylia sighed wistfully. But soon enough, the taste of her exquisite liver dish reignited her spirits, and she returned to her meal, energized.
Once dinner was over, Marylia could have simply gone to bed. However, she decided to complete one more task before turning in.
"It's amazing how just frying fat can fill the air with such a wonderful aroma.”
Her final task was rendering fat. She meticulously fried the fat from both perytons, collecting the oil that melted out during the process. This rendered fat would serve as fuel, food, or even soap during the winter. With extended indoor confinement on the horizon, it would also prove essential for lighting.
"I’ll add some rosemary and orange peel to the fat. Ah, such a lovely scent."
The orange peels, another salvaged treasure, had been carefully preserved for their fragrant oils. Fat readily absorbed these oils, so Marylia simmered rosemary and chopped orange peel in the rendered fat, infusing it with their delightful aromas. She poured the scented fat into small earthenware dishes and added wicks to create makeshift candles.
"Oh my, it’s such a pretty color.”
As the fat solidified, it took on subtle hues of rosemary green and orange-yellow, giving it a charming appearance. Marylia toyed with the idea of dyeing the fat pink using the color of wild roses someday. However, given the inefficiency of such a task, she put the thought aside for now.
The next morning, day 98 of banishment.
Marylia woke early and stepped outside, only to be greeted by an astonishing sight.
"Well, would you look at that—the slimes!"
To her surprise, not a single slime remained in the fields.
"Huh? What happened? Did they abandon the field? Or are they just in the mood for an adventure?"
Curious, she spotted one slime nearby and approached. Another was visible a little farther away.
A quick survey of the area revealed at least ten slimes within view of her base. The rest were likely scattered even farther afield.
"What on earth are they up to? Did they lose interest in the field? Or are they rebelling?"
Marylia moved closer to one of the slimes to investigate.
"Ah, I see now," she muttered with a knowing smile.
The moment she observed the slime, Marylia understood what was going on.
"They're preparing for winter in their own way!"
The slime’s translucent body contained bits of grass, tree bark, and what appeared to be jujube fruit—all stored for later consumption.
"How handy! Well, I'll just take these, then," Marylia said cheerfully.
And so, the slimes' carefully gathered winter provisions were unceremoniously claimed by Marylia. Poor slimes!
What do you think about this chapter?
