Chapter 6 Scene 9

Keruka attends to the sick parents, who are improving but still contagious, at least to everyone who is not a shaman. She builds two fires since there will be a lot of cooking, and awaits the castaways and native children to return. While she is waiting for the fires to grow large enough, a lizard scurries between them. Keruka alertly grabs it.

You found a Purple Multifaced!

She puts it in the box of rarities. She is pleased at the number of rarities found so far, but is well aware there is a lot of work yet to do. The children and castaways start returning two hours later, and it appears that many of them had some difficulties in obtained the required items.

Gopumbi, who looks very cheerful, and Mike return with the three snakes and the unused Lightfoot Potion, but Gopumbi's body is coated with wet sand from his feet to his chest.

"Didn't the Lightfoot Potion work?" asks Keruka.

"It worked perfectly," states Gopumbi. "I igot two snakes and a lizard while it was in effect. Then it wore off when I was waiting for the third snake, but I was close enough to Mike for him to pull me out."

"Why didn't you drink the second potion?"

"We decided that would be a waste."

"We?" Keruka turns to Mike. "What was your part in this?"

Mike answers, "I saw how much time and trouble it was to get the mushrooms needed for the potion, and the way things are going I'm sure we'll need some again, so I felt it best to save the second potion."

"So you just watched Gopumbi sink while you were waiting for him to get a good shot at the snake?"

"That's right."

"And the snake came out when he had finished sinking?"

Gopumbi speaks up. "Actually I had to wait ten minutes after I sank. But I was able to hold the bow sideways and shoot the snake twice quickly. Saving the potion was definitely the right thing to do."

Keruka looks at them, and announces, :"Good, you did the right thing. Gopumbi, please wash up. Mike, you can help cook the dishes."

Next to arrive are Bukela and Stefi dragging a wagon with the three boars, but Bukela's body up to her navel is coated with mud.

"This isn't a competition to see who can get the most dirty," comments Keruka.

"I didn't mean to," explains Bukela. I shot a boar in the mudhole in the northern part of the forest, and got stuck tying a rope around it to pull it out."

"Looks like you could have used a Lightfoot Potion."

Bukela is not going to let Gopumbi upstage her.

"That would have been a waste. I got out in less than an hour, and it takes a lot longer to get the mushrooms to make one."

Keruka nods approval, and then asks, "Why didn't you just shoot another boar?"

Bukela almost looks offended that Keruka would ask that. "We have to make full use of every boar we kill. We eat their meat and use their skins, and if we kill too many the Spirits won't provide enough of them for us in the future."

"Very good. You have been paying attention.' Keruka looks at Stefi, and senses something. "You shot a boar, didn't you?"

"Yes, Bukela showed me how to shoot the bow and arrow. But the boar was in a trap, so it wasn't dangerous."

Bukela adds, "We didn't have any Protective Potions, so we hunted the safe way."

"It was fine the way it was," adds Stefi.

"Very well," replies Keruka. "Bukela, it would be a good idea to wash up now. Stefi, you can help prepare the dishes."

Next come Rogula and Nicole with all the vegetables. Keruka isn't shocked too see that Rogula is encrusted with dirt up to her chest.

"Normally growing vegetables doesn't make you so dirty," comments Keruka.

"It didn't. I fell in a hole Pelubo or John dug for bait when I was chasing a butterfly and it caved in on me. But I don't blame them. It could have been the Spirits testing me to see if I'm worthy of being a shaman."

"The Spirits say you need to wash up before eating." Then to Nicole, "You look fine."

"I am. I can cook these vegetables we grew."

Nicole goes on to help while Rogula cleans up after putting the butterfly in the rarity box.

Soon after Otanve and Tom arrive at the Village with thirty pieces of lumber and eight crabs. Like Rogula, Otanve's body is also encrusted up to his chest, but with sand. He feels he has to explain.

"While we were hunting crabs, I saw a shell in the hole Rogula must have been stuck in a few days ago."

"And the sand collapsed around you when you jumped in?" asks Keruka.

"No, it didn't. At least not right away."

Tom speaks up. "That was my fault. I was trying to catch a crab, and threw the net over Otanve. The weight of the net is what collapsed the sand and buried him. Then a butterfly flew by and he ordered me to catch it, so I had to leave him there. Then boars chased me and I had to climb a tree to escape. I didn't have any weapons, and they wouldn't go away for an hour. Sorry I had to leave him there so long."

"Don't apologize," states Keruka flatly. "You should be apologizing if you helped him out and that butterfly got away."

She looks at Otanve, who is smiling, almost grinning. "Otanve didn't mind at all. You can tell he enjoyed the challenge. Now both of you wash up and help with the meals."

Next, Yadifo and Amy come with the fruits and herbs. Amy looks fine, while Yadifo is rather wet but only slightly dirty.

"Was there a problem gathering fruit and herbs?" asks Keruka.

"It seemed like none of the herbs on regular ground hadn't grown back yet, and the only ones I could pick were in puddles," explains Yadifo. "Some of them were deep."

"There was no problem picking up fruit," adds Amy. "But the sugar cane was hard."

"It wasn't that hard," counters Yadifo. "I just jumped in the river, grabbed the sugar cane, and floated to the ocean so I wouldn't damage it. And I found a good shell there."

"You did fine," says Keruka. "Now clean up and help with the dishes."

Last to arrive are Pelubo and John with the fish, eels, and squid. John's pants legs below the knees are wet, but Pelubo is soaking wet from head to toe.

"We figured out a system to make it go faster," announces Pelubo. "But it still took a long time to catch the third squid."

"Yes, I had to go back and dig for more worms," adds John. "Come to think about it, we should fill in those holes now."

"It's already been taken care of," responds Keruka.

"Good." John is relieved. "Wouldn't want someone to fall in."

"Actually, Rogula did, but it worked out for the best. She and Nicole took care of the holes. Now you can dry off and we can finish making the meals and gifts to the Spirits."

While everyone else is busy washing up and attending to cooking the dishes, Keruka takes the ten fish, five of the eels and crabs, and three snakes and squid and adds them to the wagon containing the three boars. She wheels it to the secret entrance to the Sanctuary.

Quest 67 complete!

Keruka returns to the central part of the Village to see the last of the meals being completed.

Quest 66 complete!

Everyone eats and discusses the day's events. When they are done, Keruka proclaims,

"Good job everybody. You have bought some time, but we still need to find the rest of the statues and rarities. I believe the Spirits will help us tomorrow."

They go to bed in the shelters, but Keruka remains awake to watch over the statues collected so far.

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