LRAB Chapter 56 Working with Pelts and Hide (1)
Chapter 56 Working with Pelts and Hide (1)
'Well, I never expected to turn it all into warm clothing to begin with. After all, there are plenty of other things I need rawhide for, like making sutures and using more durable binding materials.' Pinching the brim of his nose, Aoni noticed the faint flicker of pop-ups out of the corner of his eye and knew they were merely notifications of progress points gained, so he ignored them and looked around the thawed-out platform.
What was he looking for, you may ask? That's simple: the viscera from his harvesting, more specifically, the basin he had used to store the Brains of each dead animal.
Since he was out in the wilderness and didn't have the optimal tools on hand for tanning hides, he, of course, had to use one of the oldest methods known to humankind: Braining.
Now, don't get it twisted, you perverts. Braining is simply a term for using brain matter as a preservative to aid in the sealing and tanning process.
It was messy and, quite frankly, quite gruesome, considering Aoni would need to mash the brains into liquid, soak the hides and pelt in it, and then give it a good rinsing.
It didn't take the Lad long to locate the basin, and unfortunately, there was a slight...ok, massive issue. The instant Aoni drew close and removed the top half of the basin; he was assaulted by a stench far worse than he could smell in the Cave...because all the viscera and brains had turned to sludge.
"Fuck..."
For the next several minutes, the Lad resisted the urge to empty his stomach until finally deciding on his next course of action. Without Brain matter or, more specifically, the emulsified oils in the brains that would aid the tanning process, there weren't a whole lot of other options other than supplementing it with different oils, such as egg yolks, bear fat, olive oil, fish oil, lard...
So, while Glacia slept with her belly full, Aoni went to work, beginning with something he wasn't looking forward to: emptying out the Cave of everything he required.
Logs needed to be dragged out, Vestr and Austr required to be removed from the sled, all the vines needed to be piled up outside, and on top of that, he needed a box of matches.
So, while it took multiple trips and a lack of oxygen, eventually, he was able to get all the materials necessary for his plan stacked up in orderly piles outside of the Cave.
From there came the start of a long process that involved crafting several key items, the first of which was a stone bowl. Unlike when he crushed up the salt, a more durable container was required since he would be exerting quite a bit more force than when crushing up the minerals.
Thankfully, he had the foresight to upgrade both the durability and sharpness of his weapons because all it took was a few well-placed strikes, and a chunk of rock the size of his torso came off the outer wall of the Cave.
From there came the annoying task of carving it into a bowl shape, which ended up resulting in him using his knife like a chisel and another rock like a hammer.
Still, between his increased stats and resolve within 30 minutes, he had a decent-sized stone bowl ready to meet his needs. However, with one goal met, another was created, and that was crafting a container to hold the bone powder once made, which was remedied after another carving session with some wood, and thus, a new drawer three times the size of the ones used to dry the hides was born.
From there, the next step was cleaning the bones off in some snow to free it of any gore and meat, then grinding it down, and soon enough, the entire newly crafted wooden drawer was filled to the brim with bone powder and covered with a log to keep it all from blowing away.