“Next time, I’ll cook.” Jack announced come morning.

Ai wrinkled her nose slightly before turning to him with big blue eyes. “Are you saying you didn’t like my cooking?”

“Are you saying you did?” He gave her half a grin.

“Haha, you got me there.” Ai had attempted to cook, she did everything the way she had been taught. She wasn’t sure how it had gone quite so…wrong.

“I can’t believe you stopped me from eating it uncooked…” The goblin sounded genuinely upset.

“It’s unhygienic.”

The goblin muttered something.

“Here,” Ai said brightly, “how about you carry this.”

She dumped the furs into his arms and he staggered comically, considering they weren’t actually that heavy.

Two annoyed eyes peered over the top of the furs.

Surprisingly, Jack was the one who attempted to do a kindness and take the furs off of the goblin. Ai didn’t think he liked the gray creature. The goblin scowled and clutched the furs to itself.

“I can carry them myself!” Apparently the goblins manliness had come into question. Or whatever the goblins version of manliness was.

“Whatever you want.” Jack shrugged unconcerned.

They finished packing up and Ai had to admit, it was funny to watch the goblin struggle everywhere with his armful of furs. He actually tripped up once, but glared back at the two of them as if daring them to say something.

Ai had to pinch her lips shut to keep from laughing.

The sudden light hearted spirit didn’t last long though, because they found the lair shortly after that. There was no mistaking it as anything other than a lair. There were broken bones scattered outside the cave entrance and the sort of nasty stench you got from trash juice.

Putting one finger over her lips to signal them to keep quiet Ai backed away. Nobody spoke for a while.

“This should be far enough away. Put this on, we don’t want her smelling us.” Ai held out a pot full of dung.

Jack wrinkled his nose, but grabbed a small handful of the dried shit and rubbed it on his body and clothes. The goblin did the same, but looked unconcerned by the smell. Either he couldn’t smell, or he had done it before.

Ai was last and spent the majority of her time trying to ignore the way the smell burnt the back of her nostrils.

Now, they needed an animal sacrifice.

Ai knew there were some mini horses to the north that would be perfect. The only flaw in her plan was how to catch one without killing it. That ranged weapon would have come in handy right now. A bit of poison on the tip of an arrow would be perfect.

Why didn’t I pick one up?

Because she was an idiot who left without any prior planning.

She pulled out a purple mushroom with white spots, squishing it slightly when she put it into a small metal pot.

“Can you grab some wood for fire?” Ai asked Jack.

He nodded, quickly gathering enough together. Ai didn’t bother asking the goblin, who appeared to have collapsed on the furs it had insisted on carrying.

Moments later she had the pot balanced somewhat precariously over a fire.

“Move round this side.” Ai patted the ground next to her.

“Why?” Jack asked as he moved.

“You don’t want any of the fumes getting in your face.”

As if the mushroom had heard her long curls of purple started rising from the pot. Grabbing her waterskin and holding it higher than the fumes, Ai poured a little into the pot.

“Is this what you got taught in the village? How to make poisons?”

Ai shrugged. “Amongst other things.”

The pot began to hiss and make purple bubbles.

“Is it supposed to do that?”

“I’m supposed to keep going until all that’s left is some gunk at the bottom of the pot.”

“Huh. What does it do?” Jack actually looked interested.

“It puts you to sleep. Permanently if it’s too concentrated.” Ai bit her lip in concentration, pouring in a little more water.

“I’ll have to make sure I never cross you.” Jack said, only sounding half joking.

“Very funny, I’ve never used any poisons on people.”

“Yet.”

Ai gave him an odd look. “Yet.”

“How long are you going to take? I want foooood.” A voice moaned from the direction of the furs.

“Ten minutes or so, can you wait that long?” Ai sounded amused.

“Jack’s cooking right?”

“Yeah.”

“I can wait.”

Ai wasn’t sure whether to be offended or not.