"Blessed be the cheesemakers" - Mistranstion

  Something they didn't tell you in the stories was how much everything stank. Aurelia wiped her hands on the boar's tough hide. The afternoon sun had been baking the carcass for a bit over an hour now, and it was starting to fill the air with a stench which could make hair curl.

  She'd killed the damn thing easily enough, it was alone, an oddity for a boar. It sounded like the farmer who'd contracted the job had arranged to have the rest killed earlier, and this one had been the sole survivor. The things bred rapidly, and would have soon become pests again if not rooted out entirely. So a short notice job had been posted to the board, and Aurelia had been more than happy to help the poor farmer in need. The pay wasn't great, and the timeframe was short, only a couple days. But those conditions had persuaded the other, more experienced adventurers from taking the job, leaving opportunity for her.

  She didn't scoff at grunt work like this. She'd departed soon after her morning shift at the bar had ended, not wanting to waste any time during her limited afternoon hours before she was due back in the tavern to work the evenings. The boar had been found easily enough, it had been snuffling around in a small copse of trees not too far from the farmer's home. All she'd had to do was follow the churned earth.

  Boars were nasty things, and would continue to charge at an attacker, even after having taken many arrows to the head and body. So most people hunted them with spears, luckily for her, she just happened to have one of those.

  It had charged her as soon as she'd approached, evidently still wary from the purging of it's kin not long before. And had practically impaled itself on her spear, all she'd had to do was hold it out in front of her really. It had hauled itself a surprising length down the shaft, further impaling itself but too furious to stop trying to get closer and gore her. It's beady eyes and thick tusks had kept working long after it's legs had finally slowed down. Refusing to acknowledge that it had been beat.

  After the fact, Aurelia had been faced with a dilemma, she could just return to the farmer and inform him of the job completed and head merrily on her way back to the Sword and Scroll whistling to herself about a job well done. But seeing such a rge quantity of meat and hide which was hers by right go to waste just seemed wrong, so she'd attempted to try and salvage what she could.

  Using the spear tip as a knife hadn't been the best idea. There was a reason hunters carried dedicated knives for each of the tasks required to properly sughter fallen game. But Aurelia had to make do, she'd overheard the basics while in conversation, and had gathered enough knowledge to make a semi-informed attempt, but all the knowledge in the world didn't account for her complete ck of experience.

  She'd tried to make a rge incision down the things chest into the chest cavity, aiming to try and keep as much of the hide intact while she removed the organs. What she hadn't been ready for was the smell. As soon as her spear tip had punctured the boar's lower extremities, the stench of the beasts guts had filled the air, and had made her gag. She wasn't squeamish by any means, she'd been exposed to plenty of the nastiness which came alongside the constant births of the temple. The bowel movements during, and the afterbirth after had given her plenty of experience with rather unpleasant smells close up, but this was something else entirely.

  Maybe it was the fact that in her caution to try and do things right, she had been slow enough for flies to start to gather as the carcass began to cook in the mid-day sun. She'd diligently removed of the hide as best she could, and held it before her. The boar had been big, she doubted it would have been easy pickings for a regur sized man, but her long reach combined with the extra sized spear she'd been carrying had made the beast manageable. She held it up to the sun, and cringed at the unintentional damage she'd caused what otherwise might have fetched a nice price.

  Holes of light poked though the hide where she'd been inexperience enough to pierce it during removal. It wouldn't be able to be turned into anything more than strips or scraps now that she'd botched things. Never the less, she began to scrape the fat from the inside. Leather strips could be useful enough, and it was worth taking back at least, even if it wasn't the prize she'd been after.

  Looking at the rest, she resolved to take as much as she could easily carry. Looking over what would be the choice cuts, as if boar was something which people ate on the regur.

  As she worked, she thought. She'd spent so much time wondering how best to sughter the damn thing, she'd never paused to consider whether she even should. Most people wouldn't be able to heft the beast whole, it probably weighted as much as four grown men, no way a normal hunter would be able to carry that back to the city. But her? she looked down at her hands, bloody from her work. She'd have been able to carry it no problem, she could have simply hefted her spear over her shoulders, the boar impaled so far down the spear that she could use the weapon to transport the body all the way to the nearest butcher, where she could have negotiated a fair price for such a rge quantity of meat and hide.

  She groaned, and put her head in her hands. Then she groaned again, as her face became sticky with coaguting blood. She'd have to wash off in a stream on her way back into Rome. She'd probably get stopped at the gated if she came back with her face covered in blood, no matter if it wasn't hers.

  Especially because it wasn't hers, she thought.

  After gathering the pitiful excuse for a hide she'd harvested, and whatever choice cuts she could carry with her small pack, she headed to the small farmstead. Notifying the man about her success, and that he was welcome to the carcass now that she was done with it. It probably wasn't very often that a farmer could have meat for days on end, but she supposed that if this farmer was wealthy enough to be putting out contracts to the local adventurers, he probably was doing pretty well for himself all things considered.

  The bottom of her sack was stained red by the time she got back to the S and S, she'd not considered a proper way of storing her bounty aside from stuffing it in her bag, hopefully it would come out if she washed it enough. She dropped off her spear, and changed out of her adventuring leathers in her room. Donning her blue robe. She was gd she'd insisted on purchasing a long cloak in addition to her combat leathers, it meant that she received much fewer lecherous stares than she otherwise would have if she'd marched through the city streets clothed in what might be mistaken for a particurly odd courtesans garb.

  She carried the sack down to the kitchen, she greeted Brann on her way. He nodded to her, seemingly pleased at her success. Behind the bar there was a door which led back to the kitchen. During her working hours, ptters of food were passed through a window in the separating wall between the main hall where the tables where, and the kitchen in the back y. She passed though the swinging door, it creaked slightly on it's worn hinges and she was greeted to the sight of a mildly corpulent man tutting back and forth through the kitchen. There was a rge cauldron bubbling happily over a firepce, and there where vegetables and herbs in various stated of preparation as the man in front of her fussed about his business.

  "Hello Marrion!" Aurelia chirped as she set down her sack on one of the counters which filled most of the space in the kitchen. The man nearly jumped with a start, clearly having been lost in his own world not having heard her come in. It took a second for his body to stop jiggling after he came to rest. It was a cooks job to ensure that everything which came out of his kitchen was up to their standards, which involved tasting the dishes occasionally as they prepared them to ensure quality. Marrion, though he had many virtues, restraint was not one of them.

  Aurelia could commiserate on some ways, the softer parts of her body were also prone to unintentional movement if she didn't take the care to wear clothes which supported her more extreme proportions. There was quite a lot of bouncing when she walked down stairs she knew, and there was only so much she could do about it.

  "My goodness Aurelia, one of these days you'll stop my heart!" Marrion replied, dabbing at his forehead and cheeks. "What's that you've got there? Dragging filth into my kitchen only means I'll have you scrubbing the whole pce down twice over to make sure you don't leave anything behind!" The man said jovially, though Aurelia could tell that he was quite serious about his threat.

  Aurelia opened the draw strings, and withdrew a chunk of red bloody meat from within.

  "Fresh boar, speared it myself not two hours ago." Aurelia said proudly, unable to stop herself from puffing out her chest just a little with pride.

  "So you really went out and did it huh." Marrion said thoughtfully before coming closer to inspect her offerings. "Congratutions on your first job, plenty of folk pass through here without accomplishing anything at all. All talk and no walk, if you catch my meaning" he said as he took the gobbet of flesh from her hands, and began to inspect it more closely.

  "What kind of half-wit did you get to butcher this thing. It looks like someone pulverized it with a hammer, and just picked up the biggest pieces!"

  "Uhhh..." Aurelia stammered "I did, I didn't think to bring a hunter's kit with me, and I realized that fact too te to bring the thing in whole" She said abashedly, not able to meet Marrion's gaze.

  "Oh." He said into the awkward silence. "Well next time you'd best get your cut's done professionally before you bring them to me." he said before pausing and adding "Or at least remember to bring proper kit next time, at least."

  "I don't know how much I can do with this stuff, I can throw it all into a stew, surely. But the pieces are all mangled enough that I wouldn't dare serve them whole as is."

  "Let me tell you what, I can offer you a few quadrans for your troubles, if you want me to be able to give you anything more you're going to have to bring me cuts in better condition."

  Aurelia beamed at him

  "Thanks Marrion!"

  She quickly deposited the rest of her bounty on the counter and darted out the swinging door. Leaving Marrion's protestations at the bloody mess she'd left him behind as she retreated back to her room, cackling in delight all the way.

  Aurelia was becoming an established sight in the tavern. After working most days during the past few weeks, patrons no longer gawked at the sight of her, her white wings, golden hair, and revealing outfit having become a common enough sight that the regurs no longer stared. She'd been becoming more familiar with the adventurers which frequented the bar, who worked with who, how strong most of them were retive to each other.

  It was intimidating, knowing that most of the people she served drinks to, and let paw at her tits could probably fold her in half if they wanted. One dwarf adventurer had even offered to demonstrate for her. He'd offered her his hand to stand on, and when she'd banced one footed on his hand, he'd then proceeded to lift her entire body over his head with his singur arm. Even going to far as to lift her up and down just to prove the point.

  Aurelia was a big girl, she knew. She probably weighed at least two or three times as much as an average man. But the stout dwarf had handled her with the same ease as he hefted his tankard when he wanted a refill.

  The contrast between the regur citizens of Rome who she had to be conscious around, lest she accidentally trample one, and the shear dynamism of the adventurers sometimes gave her whipsh when she came back in the afternoon.

  The successful completion of her first contract had given her confidence, and now she was eyeing up each contract as it was posted to the job board. Most were intended for a team of adventurers, those who had arrangements whether permanent or temporary, who would work together to achieve the goal, then split the earnings separate ways.

  This provided Aurelia with a conundrum. She would likely need a team to work with her if she ever wanted to be able to take on the rger contracts which came the S and S's way, but she felt awkward about approaching any of the regurs here. Sure she could probably find a group easily enough, but trusting the same people to cover your back when you'd be shaking your tits at them in the evening just seemed weird to her.

  She filed the problem away for another time, for now, she had to deliver drinks and cater to the crowd for the rest of the evening. She had tips to earn, and her tits wouldn't shake themselves after all.

  A cold gust of wind came into being along the cold snows atop mountain peaks. It swept down the mountainside, and rolled over the foothills, bending tree and tearing leaves from branches as it went. It past low valleys and high pteaus, as it travelled south small dots of light became more common. Small campfires surrounded by huddled figures close together for warmth. The gust continued south along the coast before finally turning innd, where a great city blocked it's path. It broke along its broad wall, and funneled through it's streets, losing vigor and cohesiveness as it split. By the time it reached the other side, nothing of what had gathered along the mountains remained.

  Augustus shivered as a cold breeze disrupted his train of thought. He had been wondering how best impress his uncle during the upcoming Vulcanalia festivities when the sudden cold interrupted his thoughts. Maybe it would be an early winter this year. Her certainly hoped so, his brother had been given charge of the house's granaries this year, so any disruption to the harvest would make him look better in comparison.

  He'd been given an odd task by the Patriarch of the gens Cudii, the Pater Familias, with rumours brewing of renewing conflict in the south. He'd been tasked with finding suitable candidates to take under the house's patronage. Those who distinguished themselves with their strength of arms or had some magical ability which elevated them above the common hoi-peloi. Naturally, his search had drawn him to the quaint dens where adventurers gathered. Apparently they were scheming to try and form a guild, his cousin Antonius had told him. If they did it would make his poaching much harder, as it was, he was able to travel to each gathering pce separately, and evaluate the adventurers there without much competition.

  Apparently the Fabii were also trying to get their dirty hands on quality adventurers for the coming days. And it was his job to make sure that they didn't get them. He looked down to the list in his hands. The names of four adventurers taverns were listed, with three of them already crossed off. The st one for today was one called the Sword and Scroll, how quaint. He had started his search in the city center, where those of higher station resided, but he'd soon found that most adventurers there either already had noble patronage, or were powerful enough that he couldn't "coerce" them into accepting his offer.

  He gnced outside the carriage which carried him through the crowded streets of Rome. Even with his guards and attendants making call of "Make way! Make way!" progress was slow through the narrow streets. Didn't these Plebeians know to get out of the way when one of their betters was coming through?

  After some time, the carriage came to a stop, and Augustus looked out. In front of him stood a broad blue-roofed wooden building with a sign bearing the eponymous sword and scroll. He dusted off his shoulders, and gave himself a once over. He wore a bronze chestpiece, sculpted to resemble a muscur torso. A cape of deep crimson draped from his shoulders to his heels, giving his presence a weight which was welcome when undergoing "negotiations". Long leather pteruges and bronze grieves completed his current uniform, and he was pleased with the result. He knew he looked like a hero out of Greek legend, and when trying to intimidate, looking the part is half the battle.

  Leaving two guards to keep watch over the carriage and horses, Augustus dismounted and arranged his guards so that they fnked his shoulders, forming a wedge. Thus prepared for battle, he rose the two steps with his men following and swept open the double doors which formed the entrance to the tavern. He liked to do it that way because it made his cape fre dramatically, and it let the people inside know they're dealing with someone important.

  Aurelia descended the stairs leading to the main hall of the tavern. She was dressed in her bar-wench outfit, and was prepared to begin her evening shift like usual. Brann was absent from the bar, and Nym, her Felis coworker gave her a grateful look before retreating to the backrooms to change out of her bar attire.

  Huh, Nym must really have somewhere to be. Aurelia thought. Usually she and her afternoon counterpart were cordial, they hadn't talked all that much in depth, but Aurelia gathered that she was a pleasant enough person, and had been working at the tavern for a bit more than a year. It was unlike her to leave without exchanging at least a few words though, and as Aurelia stepped onto the nding of the first floor, she could feel a slightly tense aura filling the room.

  She scanned the room, there were the usual faces plus a few more who fit the adventurer vibe. But after a seconds look she quickly found what was out of pce.

  Standing there lording over a table of adventurers, Lina's crew, Aurelia thought, was a tall man wearing ornate bronze armor. A red cape was draped over his form, and he seemed to be delivering some sort of spiel to whoever happened to be listening. He didn't seem to be having any great success with his words so Aurelia turned to begin her work serving booze and food to louts who probably could punch holes through solid rock if they ever got off their zy asses.

  She dropped off a ptter of food, and a round of tankards filled to the brim with mead. As she turned she was startled to find the patrician wannabe right in front of her. His eyes rose from where they'd obviously been looking up her short skirt as she had been bent over delivering to the table. And even though she made her living drawing enticing looks, somehow this man made her feel vile, and wish she could cover herself like her old temple robes used to.

  "Hello my sweet" He crooned lightly "And just who might you be?"