Day 120 of Banishment: Winter Clothes (1)
The 121st day of banishment began with an energetic flurry of activity.
"Alright, Terracotta No. 1, take Nos. 2 through 6 with you and gather firewood. Stay within half a league east or west of here. Don't go too far north; that's closer to the center. Iron Golem, take the rest of the Terracottas and some slimes to gather food. Now, off you go!"
Following Marylia's instructions, the golems set off, each group heading out to perform their assigned tasks.
Marylia beamed with satisfaction as the Iron Golem moved efficiently, despite her vague and haphazard instructions.
"... Ah, it's just so wonderful~ Hehehe."
The cold wind blew, but Marylia's heart was warm. Oh, the marvel that is the Iron Golem!
While the golems were out collecting firewood and food, Marylia began crafting clothes.
"Ehe, finally, I can put this needle and thread to good use."
Marylia took out one of the tools she had brought to the island—a needle and thread set—and started sewing a petticoat.
"No need for anything too elaborate. Let's make something to keep the torso warm for now."
She dismantled a linen petticoat made in a skirt shape, turning it into fabric and repurposing it into clothing. Though simple, layering even such basic garments could provide warmth.
"Since I'll be wearing fur anyway... This will at least protect the skin from irritation where poorly-tanned fur might rub."
While making about three simple garments, Marylia also thought about how to process the fur for winter clothing.
The main material for these winter clothes was, of course, fur. The fur had been tanned using a solution derived from acorn tree bark. Thanks to the golems repeatedly pounding and kneading it, the fur was relatively soft, though still far from cloth-like.
The reasons for this were primarily twofold.
First, the tanning process itself was inadequate.
There are simpler tanning solutions that could make leather more pliable, such as those involving specific metals. However, given the island's limited resources and technology, Marylia had to forgo such methods.
As a result, the tanning process ended up being subpar. Even so, thanks to the golems' relentless effort, the leather was of reasonably good quality.
Second, the fur itself was thick because Marylia had hunted monsters that were naturally bulky and heavily furred!
By late morning, Marylia had finished sewing three garments and decided to check on the golems' progress.
"Oh my, you've gathered quite a lot of firewood!"
The firewood was stored under a roofed rack Marylia had built beside the bathhouse. At this pace, they should have enough to last the winter.
"Good job. Now, as for the Iron Golem..."
When Marylia turned around, the Iron Golem knelt before her and presented a kelpie's head.
"... Oho, you've been hunting too? My, oh my, oh my..."
An extraordinary achievement, indeed. The Iron Golem had hunted and defeated a monster on its own and brought back its meat!
Looking in the direction the Iron Golem indicated, Marylia saw the headless kelpie hanging from a tree, its blood already drained. Nearby, the Terracotta Golems were diligently sorting through gathered chestnuts and walnuts.
The chestnuts were shelled and sun-dried whole. Afterward, they would be dry-roasted once a day until thoroughly dehydrated, making them long-lasting. To eat them, one would crack the brittle shells, soak the nuts overnight, and then boil them.
As for the acorns, they were boiled, leached of tannins, and ground into powder, as Marylia had done before. Once thoroughly dry-roasted, the acorn powder would also keep well.
"Splendid. If I had medals to give, you'd all deserve them. Now then, let's work on dismantling that in the afternoon."
Marylia instructed the Iron Golem to process the kelpie. Dismantling it was heavy work, and she was happy to delegate it.
"... Oh, that's right!"
Suddenly remembering something, Marylia stopped the Iron Golem.
"If you have time after dismantling it, could you hunt some weaker monsters? Even small amounts of meat are fine. You can even give the meat to the slimes if needed."
The Iron Golem tilted its head slightly, as if puzzled, a gesture Marylia found endearing. Smiling, she explained her reasoning.
"I need thin, soft fur."
"Well, hunting monsters near the central part of the island naturally leads to this kind of result, doesn't it?"
After lunch, Marylia reviewed her current materials while the golems worked on dismantling the kelpie and splitting firewood.
"Sturdy, thick hides... Hmm, they're great for armor, but not ideal for clothing."
The furs she had were mostly thick and tough, with coarse hair.
While these were good insulators, they were less suitable for clothing, as garments should ideally be flexible and conform to the body. Overly stiff materials wouldn't move with the wearer's body.
"I'll have to hunt small, weak creatures to obtain thin, soft fur."
Marylia realized she would need to prioritize hunting for fur rather than food.
Animals like rabbits or foxes—small creatures—would provide thinner, softer fur. However, their small size meant she'd need to gather hides from multiple animals.
"But monsters tend to avoid me, don't they? Considering that, asking the Iron Golem might be best."
Having hunted many of the island's stronger monsters, Marylia suspected they now feared her. She imagined them whispering, "Run if you see her," and chuckled.
Thus, relying on the inconspicuous Iron Golem seemed the better option. For the foreseeable future, Marylia planned to rely on it to hunt specifically for fur.
"That means I need to procure more tanning liquid again... Hmm, deciding the distribution of the golems is such a challenge."
While mulling over this, Marylia decided to start by making something with the furs she currently had. First things first, she would make boots using fur and tanned leather to improve her cold weather protection for her feet.
She pulled out a thick, long sewing needle to stitch the leather together.
"If I hadn’t brought this along, I’d have had to carve a needle out of a peryton horn... good thing I didn’t have to."
Using deer antlers, it’s possible to craft thick needles. While these would suffice for sewing leather, having proper metal ones was undeniably preferable.
Marylia got straight to work, cutting the leather.
For the soles, she doubled up sturdy pieces of leather. For the sides, she chose the softest fur she could find. Or, at least, tried to.
"It’d be great if brownies would stitch them up for me, but I know that’s just wishful thinking. Hehe..."
Legends say that if you leave the pieces of a shoe ready, brownies might show up and sew them together, but she didn’t count on it. She then began crafting leather laces. Scraps of leather left after cutting the main pieces were repurposed into laces.
Instead of cutting the leather into straight strips, she cut it in spirals to make longer laces. This technique maximized the usable material from the outer edges, making Marylia feel a bit triumphant for wasting nothing.
Once she had strips of leather, she stretched them out thoroughly. Rubbing the taut leather strips against the corner of a table added tension, thinning and softening the strips to make them more pliable and suitable for stitching.
"Well, this should do."
Once the strips were thin enough, Marylia threaded them through the needle. She used two needles for sewing. With a chisel, she made holes in the leather pieces shaped for the boots, then threaded the needles through those holes, sewing the edges tightly.
"Even with leather laces this thick, if I apply enough pressure, they come together quite nicely."
Since the edges were sewn with leather laces, she was careful to stitch them densely and securely. She wanted the seams as durable as possible, so she opted for leather over plant-based fibers.
Marylia stitched meticulously, one stitch at a time. It took a significant amount of time, and by evening, the boots were finally complete.
"Phew, they’re done."
Massaging her tired shoulders and eyes, she gazed at the finished fur boots.
The boots were slightly oversized, reaching midway up her calves. The loose parts were fastened with leather laces, making them wearable and warm.
"Now, how are the golems doing, I wonder?"
Having been absorbed in her work, she hadn’t checked on the situation outside. Feeling a mix of curiosity and concern, she peeked outside.
"You’re impressive, aren’t you..."
She clapped as she saw the Iron Golem standing there, holding the pelt of a small animal.
"So, you’ve finished processing the meat, started salting it, and even went hunting for smaller prey on your own? My, how efficient!"
Inferring the situation from the details, Marylia applauded once more. The Iron Golem, kneeling respectfully, looked proud.
"This is... a horned rabbit? Excellent, truly excellent."
The pelt brought by the golem was from a horned rabbit, a large rabbit with antlers. About the size of a curled-up Marylia, it was still a rabbit, meaning the fur was soft and fluffy, making it perfect for clothing once tanned.
"And three of them! You really managed to take down that many?"
While golems lack a biological presence, making them less detectable by monsters, taking down three horned rabbits was no small feat. Perhaps the golem had been particularly lucky.
"Wait... acorns?"
The Iron Golem extended its hand, revealing acorns in its palm.
"Uh... hmm."
Marylia contemplated. Since the golem was showing her the acorns, there must be a reason.
"So, you hunted them while they were foraging for acorns?"
When she asked, the golem nodded in confirmation.
Horned rabbits mainly eat grass but also consume acorns and nuts like walnuts. It’s likely that this season of abundant nuts was the perfect opportunity for them to feed in preparation for winter.
"Winter is coming, after all... Alright, please handle the tanning for these. The rest can wait until tomorrow."
After instructing the Iron Golem, Marylia assigned the Terracotta Golems to dry firewood and fetch water for her bath. Then, she began preparing her dinner.
Dinner was a stew made with kelpie and horned rabbit offal.
The offal, coated with acorn flour and grilled to a crisp, was both fragrant and rich in flavor, encapsulating a robust savoriness. The addition of man-eater roots and lily bulbs soaked up the broth’s flavor, adding another layer of deliciousness.
Smiling, Marylia enjoyed her hearty stew... but then.
"Oh? It seems we have company."
Sensing movement outside, Marylia stepped out cautiously.
And there they were.
"Well, I can’t blame you for wanting to target a place with plenty of food."
A group of monsters, including perytons and gryphons, had gathered. Behind them, smaller monsters like horned rabbits lingered, likely hoping for scraps.
They were probably after the food stores or the drying meat.
"But you see..."
Marylia smiled sweetly at the monsters.
"You’re about to become my dinner."
What do you think about this chapter?
