Page 115 of Huntress

“What’s that?” Perrie perked up. She was deeply enjoying all the little jars and bottles of magical tinctures, salves, creams, and potions the mage always had on her.

“A soothing balm. My skin will be back to normal by morning.”

“Oh my gosh, you’ve got to show me how to make that! What else do you have in there?”

The next nest they arrived in was dealing with an illness that had over half their population bedbound. A squad warrior met them, wearing a black mask over his nose and mouth.

“We’re sending you away from the humans immediately. You’re unlikely to contract the illness, but it’s possible for you to spread it, which means we have to keep you separate. You’ll have to sleep in whatever you brought in your go-bags,” he said.

“We were not given any reason to believe we’d need to pack tents. We’ll sleep in the tram. What exactly are you expecting us to do here?” Elsie asked. The file for this mission had been sparse, only telling them to help in whatever capacity they could.

“With most people sick or recovering, the fields aren’t getting tilled and planted.” The warrior shrugged.

“We’re going to be…farming?” Perrie wrinkled her nose and looked at her already damaged nails. She usually kept them well manicured and coated with a clear polish.

“Do any of you have experience operating a tractor?” Elsie asked.

“Grady might,” Morgan answered. Fat lot of good that did them. Grady was still with Marley, Trenton, and Banks.

“Farming isn’t that bad,” Riven laughed. “Everyone in my village does it on some level. Whether it be plants they use for spells or food to build up the village supply.”

“Good. You take point on this one, then,” Elsie assigned, nodding at the warrior. “Show us around.”

They toured massive sheds holding well-maintained machinery that were hybrids of tractors from before the fall of man and improvements made over the years. One of the first changes made was to get them running on solar. Gasoline and the pollution that came from its production and use were a thing of the past, though Elsie wasn’t certain it would remain that way. Not after what they’d learned from Oasis and their oil operation.

“I’ll never get over how creative humans are.” Morgan moved among the mechanical monsters, a childlike awe on his face. Saint was trailing behind him, unable to contain his curiosity.

“Our colony is home to Nest Ingenuity.” The warrior puffed up with pride. “All the best engineering minds go there and devise solutions to problems the rest of us didn’t even know exist.”

A small smile lifted Elsie’s lips. Humans were capable of great things when they were allowed the time and freedom to explore the reaches of their own minds.

“The instruction manuals for how to use each piece are in here.” The warrior patted a filing cabinet, then opened one in a series of wardrobes. “Suits are mandatory for fertilizing, since the chemicals involved can be caustic to the skin, eyes, and lungs, but you’re hunters, so I’m sure any accidents won’t be as serious for you. Thankfully, the fertilizer is already mixed, and we don’t have to worry about you burning the fields.”

Perrie was staring at the man as though he’d spontaneously grown two extra heads.

“You don’t have anyone who can come down here and give us a full, classroom-style explanation? Or even to supervise and make sure we’re doing it right?” Elsie asked.

“I don’t think you quite grasp the gravity of how many of our humans are sick, ma’am.” The warrior raised his brows.

“Alright, but don’t blame us if anything goes wrong,” she muttered.

He showed them where to find the fertilizer, pointed out which machines to use for which job, and then moved on to the corn they would be using. He spoke in rapid fire and never left an opening for questions. They were expected to pick it up from the information given.

When he left, Elsie and Perrie shared a look.

“Is he serious?” the witch hissed, and Elsie shook her head, every bit as bewildered.

“I guess so.”

She opened the file cabinet and started tossing manuals onto the counter. “We’re not starting this job until tomorrow, we’ve got some studying to do first. Pick something that looks relevant and start reading. You’ll be responsible for making sure the rest of us don’t screw up whatever part of this you’ve read about.”

Everyone, including Saint, grabbed a manual, then they found somewhere comfortable to sit down and read. The demon followed Elsie outside into the sun to soak up some warmth while she read.

“I didn’t know you guys spent time doing stuff like this.” He sat as close to her as he could get away with, if one of her squad members came outside.

“This is grunt work. Even when I was freshly graduated, my skills were too valuable to waste on low-level missions like these. The same probably goes for most of my squad. Their talents would have shined from an early age for them to reach the level they’re at now.”

“They made you believe your skills and talents put you so far above others that certain tasks are an insult.” Saint tilted his head at her curiously. Elsie set her manual down.