Chương 112: Nice and Sweaty

Back at the cathedral, Kuba proudly held up the box he'd made. Resin inside, lacquer outside. A technique learned from his father to significantly slow decay. He'd made it to store the hand Hecate had given him. Soon he'd be able to use it as an offering to upgrade a skill. Kasia and Hecate had been gone for quite some time now. How long he wasn't really sure of. He'd lost track of time, and all his days looked basically the same. Which was fine for him, because he was happy.

Sure, he missed Kasia, but this was the first time in his life since his parents passed that he would consider himself truly happy. The things Hecate had done for him, for them, were incredible. No one had ever shown him such kindness. Kasia would be dead without her, and he most likely as well. And then there was her unparalleled generosity. Even saints were not this generous.

First she'd let him have that inquisitor's armor, and now that he was getting regular meals—provided by the skrzat—he slowly started to grow into his new gear. The constant hard labor also helped. He was rapidly packing on muscle, something that Moryana was verryy happy about. Of course, anything he did made her happy, which was great. She only tried to drown him a couple times per day now, which was an improvement. It didn't really bother him either way.

He was much stronger than her, especially now, so sometimes he'd pretend to lose the struggle just to make her happy. She rarely ever left his side, always looking at him with complete adoration. It made him feel special. It made him feel loved. And he was loved. She did love him, he was sure of that. She never let him forget it. And he loved her back all the same. He put the box back and turned around to see Moryana sitting on the bed, staring at him.

When his eyes met hers, she got the biggest, most loving smile, as she always did when he looked at her, and her eyes sparkled. He walked over and gave her a small kiss on her forehead, which prompted an excited squeal from her.

"I'm going to chop some more wood," he said.

"Want to come watch?" She grabbed his arm, gave his bicep a squeeze, and squealed again, eyes fluttering.

"You know I do." Together, they walked down the stairs. When they got to the main hall Kuba glanced at the large painting of Bies and shook his head. She really did look suspiciously like Hecate. Then he noticed the empty altar. Meowphistopheles often used that spot to lick his butt, and something about that had always felt sacrilegious to Kuba. Speaking of Phisto, he wondered what happened to him. He also hadn't seen him in a while. He'd disappeared around the same time Hecate had left with Kasia and Vasil.

He shrugged the thought off and looked up at the ceiling. He'd replaced all the rotting beams, and it looked pretty amazing he thought proudly. Moryana also looked up.

"You are by far the best [Carpenter] who has ever lived, my love. No one could do it better." Kuba smiled and put his arm around her.

"You make me feel like it. One day I will make it true." Arm still around her, they walked toward the main entrance. When they got there Kuba stopped and took in the heavy doors. Gently, he touched the wood, tracing the intricate carvings he'd made.

"You think she'll like it?" he asked.

"I think she'll be amazed," Moryana said.

"I think she'll love it! She'll be so happy when she returns and this is the first thing she'll see!" Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Kuba kissed Moryana's forehead again, which prompted a "Mmmmm" this time. Yeah, he thought. She'll love it. The carving had taken him a ridiculous amount of time. Not because he wasn't good at carving, but because of the insane amount of detail he'd put into it. And the doors were very large.

He wanted to create something beautiful and impressive, and that took time. Thankfully he had a lot of time these days. He didn't even have to search for food, since the skrzat provided that for them. Where the little creature got all that food from, he didn't know, but he also didn't care that much. One time he'd walked up to the skrzat as it sat in the flames of the hearth and asked it if it would like him to build something as a thank you, but it had just scowled at him and didn't say anything.

After that he decided to just leave it alone. He pushed one of the doors, and it opened as if it weighed nothing. He gave a satisfied nod. The doors were his crowning achievement. He was pretty proud of himself, since making such heavy doors move so lightly was no easy feat, especially with limited materials. As they walked inside, Kuba scanned the area. It looked a lot less… wild. He'd cleared out most of the dead trees around the cathedral, and the outside area looked a lot more intentional now.

Skelly was sweeping the steps and turned his gaze up at them as they approached.

"Hello, friends!" he said, excitedly tossing away his self-made broom. Kuba clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good morning, my friend, may I compliment you on the hard work you've done? The place looks spotless! I'm impressed!" Skelly suddenly looked shy.

"Aww, Kuba, you're making me blush. It's nothing, really." Moryana pulled skelly into a warm hug.

"It's not nothing, it's wonderful! You're really making this place feel like a home!"

"Aww, you guys," Skelly said shyly.

"I'm going to gather some wood. Got a big project planned," Kuba said.

"I'll see you later, alright?"

"Sure thing, Kuba!" Skelly replied. After some time looking for the perfect tree, Kuba spotted a heavy-looking one. He rapped it with his knuckle and gave a nod.

"This one." He grabbed his axe—which now felt like it barely weighed anything—and got in position. The axe had also been a gift from Hecate, and it was the most valuable thing he owned. It was probably worth more than his entire old cottage. It was like it was made for him, improving his build in every way, and Hecate had just given it to him. For free! He still couldn't believe it. A few quick chops later, the large tree came down.

With the gear she'd given him, felling trees had become quick work, and the improvements it granted meant he was gaining experience faster than he'd ever imagined. But then again, with Hecate involved, almost anything seemed possible. Moryana was watching him intently, chin resting on her hands. He waved at her, and she straightened, flashed him a cocky grin and flexed her bicep. He dropped his axe and flexed both of his in return. She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead and pretended to faint.

"Ooohh." Once again that warm, happy feeling filled him completely, and he wondered if Hecate and Kasia were feeling the same, though deep down in his heart he knew what they were going through was likely nothing like his own experience. He wondered how Kasia was doing and hoped she was safe. He corrected himself—of course she was safe, she was with Hecate. Hecate would protect her. She'd killed those inquisitors who'd grabbed Kasia within the blink of an eye.

The woman was so powerful even trained warriors didn't stand a chance. They had been dead before they even realized what was going on. That being said, they were still being hunted by the Church, so they were probably out there fighting, looking for more people to help, to save. They'd bring them back to the cathedral, and Kuba would make sure the place was ready. They'd managed a lot in a short amount of time, just him and Skelly. The building was no longer drafty. Kuba had fixed every hole he could find.

The roof no longer leaked, and Skelly had cleared out most of the vegetation outside. There was still much to be done, but it was becoming more habitable by the day. It was turning into something to be proud of, and Kuba wanted to make it a sanctuary where people could be as happy as he was. That would be his way of giving back. His way of honoring everything Hecate had so selflessly done for him. For all of them. He looked at his stats. Just a bit more and he'd be level ten.

He wondered what kind of upgrades an inquisitor hand would give to a [Carpenter]. Probably something powerful. He was excited to find out.

"My love!" Moryana called out, arms spread.

"I require affection! My suffering grows unbearable. Hold me in your strong, powerful arms before I waste away." Laughing, he walked over and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Mmmm, nice and sweaty," she purred.