Chapter 21: The bounty

The slimes came back with a deer, and ten squirrels. The deer was between Karl's teeth, and each slime had the tails of the squirrels inside their blob.

"You may keep the squirrels," Thomas told the slimes, and Karl translated. The slime-dragon looked at Thomas with a hopeful gaze, as his brethren ate, extending, so they could get the entire body of the rodent that they had been dragging within themselves.

"Karl, bit off half of the dear. Leave the other half for Rina and I," Thomas felt that this was more than fair. Sure, Karl had caught the deer, but he had done so using Thomas's mana as fuel.

Karl threw the deer in the air, and then chomped off half of it, letting the other half fall down on the ground. Lucius caught it before it touched the dirt, and pulled out a knife.

"Now, I will teach you how to dress an animal," the vampire said, and he placed the deer on the butchering hook. Thomas noted that there was slime at the edges of the deer, and that the blood was dripping freely from the bitten off spot.

"Come over here," Lucius commanded him, and Thomas obeyed. "Now, watch me do this, and do it as well after."

Lucius began to skin the deer, and Thomas looked at his hands with interest. Then, the bloody knife was handed over to the summoner, and he was made to begin skinning the animal as well.

Thomas did so, albeit slower than Lucius. The spot around the head was tricky. He found that cutting off the head and then giving it to Karl would have been easier, but Lucius just shook his head.

"The brain is full of protein. You will benefit from it. Especially since you already gave the slime as much meat as you did," with that, Thomas had no other choice but to skin the head as well. He looked like he had just left a battle, what with being covered in blood from head to toe, but the deer was ready to be cleaned of the intestines that were hanging out of its stomach.

"Now, cut it open," Lucius commanded. It took much more strength from Thomas to cut open the animal, than it had taken him to skin it. With a scrunched-up face, he got out all the insides of the deer. Placing the few remaining organs in a bucket, and then looking to Lucius for further instructions.

The vampire handed him a cleaver, and then lowered the deer on the wooden platform that had been prepared for the purpose of cutting up the meat.

By the time Thomas was done, it was already dark, and he was famished. Two days of eating eggs had gotten the better of him. Rina chose this time to come and, as she stared at all the meat that was on the wooden platform, her eyes shone.

"Finally, meat," she exclaimed. Then, she turned to Lucius. "Hi, I am Rina, an elven archer."

"Lucius, vampire rogue," Lucius didn't offer his hand because it was still covered in blood. "Could you help us get this meat back inside? Does the farmer who called me here have a bottomless bag with a static rune?"

"He should, I'll go ask," then, Rina picked up two rib racks, and headed over to the house. Thomas took a bowl, and filled it with the meat. Then, Lucius did much the same.

"Karl, don't eat the rest of the meat. That is for me," Thomas looked at the slime-dragon, who just cracked an eye open. The summoner had been happy that his summon had chosen to remain a dragon, rather than take on any of the deer's characteristics.

Had he ended up a giant deer, he would have become weak. Not that Thomas was going to abandon him even then. Karl had been created by him, and his life was the responsibility of his summoner.

Karl nodded, and then bubbled the message for the rest of the slimes, which had all taken the form of squirrels, much to the amusement of both Thomas and Lucius.

They went back in the farm house, and saw Owen stash away the rib racks that Rina had carried in a bottomless bag.

"I will add another twenty coppers to your paycheck, if you supply me with some of this meat," Owen said. It would be good if he kept his chickens for eggs and emergencies.

"You don't have to pay me anything for the meat, Owen. I got it from your forest," Thomas told him. It was the truth, too. For, the forest was the property of the ranch, and that was why the summoner hadn't gotten in trouble with the authorities in Orestria when his slime-dragon had begun to eat away at it.

"Yes, but it was Karl who brought the meat, I presume?" Owen spoke, and Thomas nodded.

"Thomas, just take the money. You need them to get better equipment," Lucius told him, as he placed his hand over Thomas's neck in warning. Ready to swat the man over the head again, if he proved to be stubborn.

"Ok, fine," Thomas murmured, and Owen smiled. He reached out for the bowl that Thomas was carrying, and took it off of him.

"I do believe that a bit of black pepper, sweet potatoes, and some butter will go well with this," Owen then went in the direction of the kitchen. Thomas turned to Lucius.

"Forget the sweet potatoes until you are fit," Lucius told him in a level tone. Thomas had figured as much.

"How is he going to get any vitamins in, if he doesn't eat fruits and vegetables?" Rina asked, curious.

"Cucumbers, salads. Greens in general," Lucius answered her, and she sighed.

"I suppose, if he is on a diet, I must support him," she had on a determined look on her face. Thomas blinked at her.

"You don't have to go on the diet," he said. No one had ever gone on a diet with him before. Not even if they needed it.

"I must. Least you quit again. Besides, I am a bit fluffy around the stomach myself," Thomas and Lucius shared a look. The archer was not fluffy anywhere. Yet, they knew better than to argue with a woman who wanted to lose weight.