Guernsey Tom's Strong Team Build Saga

Chapter 17

Day 146
Eustache had snuck out at first light so that the healers couldn't stop him heading out. Hopefully he would be back before he noticed. He found her.
Freyja: Yes, my child?
The cats hissed at him but he had learned to ignore them.
This...Heodenings Curse...how does it work exactly?
Freyja: As the Norse poem goes, those who die in battle get resurrected to fight again.
Eustache: Yes, yes, we know that part! Who/what resurrects them and will they always join Björn's forces?
Freyja: *laughs* I will need 4 orichalcum beads before I answer those questions.
Eustache: Per question or total? Maybe you can tell me then what would have happened had we killed Björn the other day!
Freyja: Per question. Same for that one.
Eustache: You can't be serious! We're in a crisis here and all you can think about are your precious beads!? What do you need them for, anyway?
Freyja: Okay, I will answer that one for free. They are a measure of prestige but can also power devices our people made. Moira and Blodeuwedd have already killed the volcano, so the only devices that remain are creature comforts for those who are left.
Eustache: Can you give us any insight or advice that can help us keep Björn at bay?
Freyja: You are already doing everything you can, child.
Eustache: The ballistatowers, guns, armed escorts and the alliances?
Freyja: Yes. There is a reason your man from the future is here. Use him wisely. Listen to him.
Eustache: Is my leadership safe?
Freyja: No.
Eustache: Will he challenge me?
Freyja: Not intentionally.
Eustache: Will anyone else challenge me?
Freyja: I think you already know the answer to that question.
Eustache: Will I be ejected from camp if I lose a leadership contest?
Freyja: Only if you continue to upset and aggravate your comrades.
Eustache: Where is my next girl going to come from?
Freyja: I honestly don't know.
Eustache: Can any of my comrades die permanently?
Freyja: To answer your question literally, you have already laid Parvaneh to rest. To answer the question you meant to ask, that'll be another 4 beads.
Eustache: Bah! You're loving this, aren't you?
Freyja: Was that a real question?
Eustache: Grrr. You'll get your damn beads!

Knut: Moira, we're nearly out of rope. Will you let me make some more?
Moira: 'Fraid knot. You need to rest. I'll make you up an ointment, then Tom and I will make your rope.
Knut: You are a woman of many talents! Thank you, Moira!
Narrator's note - Solveig and Gudrun really had done a number on Eustache's politeness and etiquette. This is not the same Knut who squabbled with all healers and scowled at spinsters in CCCP's Story Mode storyline.
Moira: Tom, you and I will be on the forge making rope this morning.
Tom: Enough to hang myself?
Moira: Don't ever say I never give you anything!
Tom: Haha. I'll grab the hemp.
Tom went out, gathered some hemp, considered smoking it and made his way to the forge. It had been going overnight with lime. This was not something he trusted himself with. Eirik retrieved the lime and headed off to Granni's camp. Moira appeared soon after.
Tom: I must confess that I have never made rope before.
Moira: Really? No!
Moira took the bundle.
Moira: First off, we only need the stalks. The rest can be used for the toilet and sheep bedding. Next, we dry the stalks. We can do this by holding close to the forge with a metal plate between. If any spark lands on the stalks, it's goodbye hemp. Once you think it's dry enough, try snapping the lengths. They should snap. If not, you need to continue trying them. Then, pry off the outer shell and use the inner fibre. This is then woven into rope.
Tom: There's no way in hell I'm going to remember all that on the first try. My short term memory is very poor indeed.
Moira: Let's start with isolating the stalks. Keep the discard pile and the stalks pile well away from the forge. I usually do this over here at the tavern, seeing as we rarely use it nowadays.
Tom: Okay. Let's do this.
Moira let him settle. Once he was as settled as he could be...
Moira: Talk.
Tom: *gulps* I've really messed up. You have deserved better.
Moira: Yes and yes. Continue.
Tom: I'm sorry for how this has played out and how I've behaved.
Moira: Am I supposed to care?
Tom: Did you feel anything that night?
Moira: I FELT a cock that only went beyond half mast when the eyes were gawping at my sister!
Tom: That might have been true later on but he was rock hard for you at the start.
Moira: What are you saying?
Tom: I'm saying he's high maintenance.
Moira: Wow. You greedy fucker.
Tom: Haven't you ever been like that?
Moira: Yes but not with you.
Tom: Your sister was...very distracting. Don't get me wrong! If I were fucking her instead, I'd have been gawping at you.
Moira: So it's HER fault now that you can't keep your mind on the job at hand? You've stopped sorting the hemp, by the way.
Tom: *resumes separating the stalks* Sorry. I'm very distractable. I can't multitask to save my life.
Moira: Is this supposed to redeem yourself?
Tom: Not at all, just being honest, however damning that is.
Moira: Next, we dry the stalks. Put the metal sheet there in the sticky, spongy substance at the front end of the anvil, then put the stack on the anvil.
They moved back over to the forge and resumed.
Moira: I've moved on. There's a couple of suitors I'm interested in.
Tom: Well, Yaghoub, I'm sure, is more than capable of fiery passion and some devilish moves in the bedroom but you won't be able to get an intelligent conversation out of him. Cissé is the opposite. I bet his bedroom preferences are just a little bit weird. Then there's me. I'm not sure I can compete.
Moira: Ooh, I don't know. You're still young, getting fitter all the time and have an impressive mind. You can be just as filthy as Yaghoub and I'm sure I can improve your stamina. Wait, am I making your case now?
Tom: Very well, I might add. Do you want to give me another try?
Moira: Depends how passionate a kisser you are.
Tom slid Moira close and embraced her with full emotion. After five minutes or so, Tom pulled away.
Tom: We'd better finish this rope.
Moira: Quickly.

Day 147
Eustache: Everyone! *bang bang bang* (he had carved himself a gavel) The last few days have been hard on all of us. Thank you all for your patience and endurance. You'll be pleased to hear that not only are our wounded fighters on the mend but we are already half way through building the ballistatowers at Granni's. But that's not the biggest news, however.
Eustache: Tower-building team, gather some more chalk because Jannick has approached us. He has seen how gallantly we have fought for our fellow countrymen and wants to enter our alliance! What will he give us, I hear you ask! Fighters. They will escort the other camps in our alliance in every outing unless we or they ask otherwise. In return, they want some of our produce and wood, like the other camps. This means that we must gather wood every day with three loggers and a forester, who must all be battle-ready.
Eustache: It also means we need to keep more livestock and plough fields to grow fruit and vegetables. We can do this. Our neighbouring plateau, Solveig assures me, is nutrient-rich. She and (I'm sure) Leif's men will farm these pastures for us. Soon, we will be swimming in resources and feel safe amongst our new friends. A golden age is in our grasp. Everyone, please raise your drinking horns in a toast. TO THE ALLIANCE!
After the harsh few days, this is exactly what everyone needed to hear. They roared in unison and good beer went everywhere as they chinked their horns.
Half an hour later, Eustache drew Moira, Knut, Blod, Eirik, Kari and Solveig aside.
Eustache: We Secret Seven have another mission. Freyja has agreed to give up her secrets about the Heodenings Curse if we give her 4 beads per question. I already have 3. Questions, I mean. If one of you has to drop out, we have Shanaw, Cissé and Gudrun as backup. We start tomorrow. Eirik, Yaghoub can take your place building the towers.

Tom had snuck out. He knew where Freyja normally dwelt. She wasn't there, but he could track her and her cats. If his hunch was correct, she only left her post when there were dead to return to the land of the living.
Tom: Where's the Blue going?
Eventually, he came to a clearing. There were bodies floating in mid-air with strange glows. All three Blues were there. They were muttering some inaudible long incantations, each different, with different glows/spells emanating from each of them.
Freyja had the power to heal, so she must be bringing them back to life. Loki was always looking to be entertained by the misfortune of others, so he must be the one picking which side the resurrected would fight on. Thor has the power to improve someone's battle prowess, so he must be giving them some killer edge. This all made sense but why? Was this some reality TV show for them where they are both the producers and the audience?
Tom sensed that the metamorphosis was nearly complete, so rather than risk being smelt out by Freyja's cats and then hunted down by Thor, he realised he had better return to camp pronto, taking a detour so as to not be inadvertently followed by the Blues or the cats.

Back at camp once Tom had returned...
Eustache: Good work, Tom! Hopefully we don't need 12 beads now, or at the very least we can ask different questions.