471 Harvest Fair: Mud Pi (1/2)

”Step right up! Twenty credits to gets you three balls. Dunk the fair maiden!” Bali's humor-filled voice shouted loudly over the din of spectators.

”The fuck are those two doing now?” Pon shook his head in dismay as they pushed their way through the line. He stopped suddenly without warning, causing Wind to bump into him and spill some of his beer.

”Woah.” Wind stared at the booth in question. ”Who the hell made that?”

Nix raised his hand as the guilty party. ”I did. Dunk tanks are fairly easy to build.”

Ronnie sat comfortably on the wooden plank that kept her of the water. She wore one of the two-piece swimsuits that Nix had made, her dark legs swinging slowly as she cat-called the participants. ”Don't you guys know how hot it is today? Someone get me wet already!”

Shae didn't comment but followed as the group walked up. A completely dry Ronnie waved to them while four more women in white robes waited nearby to take her place once she was dunked.

[Whisper: Pon to Wind] Sharl's number three in line; I'm coming back later.

[Whisper: Wind to Pon] Same here. Who is that behind her?

Pon scratched his head before cursing under his breath. The first thirty people were all Ain'Dhassi rangers; the dark archer was a favorite among them. ”How can they throw so badly?” The old man watched as each of them failed miserably; no one even came close.

Wind shook his head in disbelief, ”it's like they've never seen a ball before.”

/Inferno: Ducky: Nix! Morti is awake! We're coming to Haven.

Nix couldn't stop the smile from coming to his face as he left the group without speaking and started running toward the temple platform.

/Inferno: Nix: On my way. Let his parents know. I saw them earlier in the second tent.

/Inferno: Shae: I tell them. We'll meet back at the mud-pit.

Nix arrived at the temple entrance just as the overly large cub waddled out. Ducky and Fey were both riding his back.

”Nix!” The Titan bulled his head into the Inferno guild leader's chest, causing ruts to dig into the ground under Nix's feet when he pushed back to keep his balance. ”We swatted her down this time!”

Nix scratched the cub's ears while hugging him tightly. His arms could barely connect around Morti's neck. ”Yep, we evened the score.”

”Yep, one to one.” Morti fell in beside Nix as the two started walking back to the booths. ”I want to play some games at the fair. Can I chase the pig?”

Nix had an arm on the cub's shoulder as the four of them made their way toward the crowds. ”Not sure the mud would do well with your fur; I'll think of something fun.”

”Piggy!” Ducky pointed at mid-sized pig trotting happily toward them. It was pinkish in color and completely devoid of hair.

”Apprentice! I am ready.” The pig stopped in front of Nix and looked up at him.

Morti exchanged glances with Nix before pushing a big nose into the side of the pig. ”I smell bacon. How come?”

”Bacon comes from pigs...” Nix studied the puppet; once activated, it would look and smell like the animal it represented. However, if it were killed, it would go back to being a puppet. He had made this one using the animator interface; it was not a true puppet. He also managed to enhance its speed and agility by a small amount.

”It does?” Morti stared at Chiba for a long moment. ”Can we eat this after someone catches it?”

”Oi! Quit staring at me like that!” Chiba backed up a few steps; the cub was starting to drool.

”I like the piggy tail.” Ducky slid off Morti's back and knelt beside the puppet. ”Can I help grease it?”

”I agree with Morti. Let's just eat it.” The white-haired mage spoke from her comfortable position on the cubs back. Fey played with the tip of her long braid with one hand. ”Hyai cooks me bacon all the time.”

Nix picked up the pig in question and kept it under one arm. ”We've been roasting several wild boars that were caught a few days ago. They'll be plenty. This one would taste like Chiba.”

Fey's pretty face scrunched up in disgust. ”That would not be good.”

A few minutes later, Nix watched while Ducky and Fey oiled the pig up. Unexpectedly, Chiba was quite ticklish in this form and couldn't handle Nix's touch. Scarlett and Mortimus had joined them. Both Titans were wearing casual clothes made by Rico. He had crafted them several sets when they waited out the assassin threat in Haven.

”Next year, I'm catching it.” From his tone, Morti was decidedly unhappy about not being able to chase the greased pig.

Scarlett shared a glance with her husband before smiling at her cub. ”A bit longer than that...”

”Nope... I can feel that it's close.” Morti ignored the alarmed looks of his parents. He hadn't taken his eyes off the pig since they started rubbing it down. ”It's so shiny...”

Ducky paused and looked up from her task. Her expressive blue eyes showed how much she loved the cub. ”Are you saying you'll be able to take human form soon?'

Morti nodded. ”Yep.”