Jack Of All Trades (Erotica)

The two agents each picked something from the basket and took a bite. Their faces lit up with smiles and they ate voraciously. Jack snorted at the almost savage way they consumed the meal. By comparison his consuming the steak had been an act of absolute civility.

“The mayor and Asha have invited us to do a tour of the original Boon Falls which is apparently on the surface. It will be cold so if you aren’t up to it I understand. He vetoed my suggestion about skiing as they have to catch and kill a bull Skrahak as it’s dangerous to be around.”

“We will come with you to see this original village,” Gee said.

“As you are not skiing please change into clothing less violent to our eyes,” Bal requested.

Jack pouted and went to get changed after snagging one of the cucumber like items from the basket and dodging Bal’s slap at his hand.

When everyone was ready and Jack was back in his fur coat he called the mayor and arranged to meet where Jack last saw them.

They made their way back to the village and once they greeted Ghen and Asha once more they took an elevator up a few levels and stepped out into a large transparent dome. There was a set of doors ahead, like an airlock which Jack assumed kept the cold air out of the dome. He looked at Gee and Bal but they were wearing every layer of thermal protection they had under the fur coats. They seemed comfortable.

“It isn’t too cold out there but we are in the shadow of the ridge above so the warmth of the sun isn’t touching the ground here,” Asha warned.

They made their way outside and Jack moved his goggles down over his eyes. While they weren’t in direct sunlight the snow just a little ways down the hill was bouncing the brightness in their direction.

They walked uphill and saw the original excavations dug into the surrounding cliff face. These had been turned into boutiques and Jack was delighted to do a little browsing in the shops. The Altarians also appreciated being inside. Ghen and Asha spoke to each of the shopkeepers as they made their way from shop to shop. Jack was carrying several bags by the time they left the eighth shop.

Jett came running from further ahead panting with excitement. “Mayor! They got it!” he yelled.

Ghen stopped to look at Jett. “They got the bull?”

“Yes! Come see! It’s a big one!” the youth gushed and headed back down the lane. It ran between two vertical cliff faces which gradually drew closer. Shops had been cut into the walls on both sides. Jack couldn’t help but compare this to one of those villages catering to the upscale skiing community.

Ahead there was a large archway and a tunnel which they followed out into a field where many Shreen were gathered around a large flatbed cart. Covering the cart was a creature with the same kind of fur Jack and the Altarians were wearing.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

The thing looked like a large furred slug to Jack. Except for its face… or the collection of boney plates where the face would be.

“It is a big one! Definitely a bull. Looks like we shouldn’t be having trouble with the Skrahak for a while.” Ghen said with a grin. He wandered off to congratulate the five Ridgers who brought down the beast.

Jack turned to Asha. “Does this mean it’s safe to do some skiing tomorrow?”

“It should be. Once the bull is dead the rest scatter uphill back into the mountains,” she explained.

“Uphill? This beast came from higher up?” Jack said in surprise.

“Yes, there are some big things up there. We stay out of the peaks. If they come down we kill them.” Asha said with venom in her voice.

Jack blinked at her. “You sound like you really don’t like these creatures.”

She looked at Jack and sighed. “No, I don’t. A larger one than this took my grandfather and his best friend. It went back up into the mountains so we never killed it. I take a little comfort each time we kill one. Seeing you eat the flesh of one was particularly satisfying,” she said with a grim smile.

He just nodded to her. He knew how the need for vengeance felt. He wouldn’t judge her for this.

They made their way back and stopped at a few more shops before calling it a day. They walked back to the dome and stopped to make plans for dinner.

“Are we going to do another dinner broadcast?” Jack asked.

Ghen’s expression gave away his hopes and Jack just smiled and nodded. Asha was pretty happy as well.

“Tomorrow, I’d like to go skiing. That should be ok now, right?” Jack asked.

Ghen checked his com. “The danger of the Skrahak is over but I suggest you head out no earlier than 11AM as it will be warmer and the small stragglers will be long gone by then.”

“That sounds good. As it will be my first time on the skis in a long time I don’t plan on being out too long,” Jack explained. Ghen nodded.

They made their way into the elevator and went back down to the new village’s main level.

Before they parted Ghen caught Jack’s eye again. “See you at dinner?”

“Yes!” Jack grinned and they went their separate ways.

As they made their way back to the resort Jack was so excited! He was going skiing! When he started to repetitively chant ‘We’re go-ing ski-ing!’ he saw Gee and Bal weren’t quite as enthused.

Well, they could stay home. He was going! It was his vacation after all!

>>>>>>

The powdery snow sparkled like scattered diamonds under the noon sun as Jack’s skis cut through the frozen crystals. He found himself grinning stupidly as his breath puffed out in gusts of steam. This was much better than he remembered.

Of course the technology in use now compared to the last time he’d gone skiing improved the performance of the skis by light years. The bindings were small plates that used tractor beam technology to maintain an aligned connection with the linkage in the toe of his shoes. This allowed his shoes to rock up and down as his heels lifted and dropped with the stride and glide motions. The skis didn’t rely on special waxes or rough scallops in the underside to give them the traction and frictionless qualities needed to kick off and glide. Instead, the binding read the pressure and position of each boot and took signals from the grips on the poles to alter the underside qualities of each ski. This also gave the skier the ability to brake if needed.

Jack, Gee and Bal had spent roughly an hour learning how to operate the controls of the skis until they felt comfortable enough to venture outside of the village into the hillsides nearby. Now they were moving quickly through pristine hills and meadows. The ‘evergreens’ they saw dotting the hillsides and providing windbreaks on their way looked like no tree Jack had ever seen but they served the same function apparently.

They’d been given a quick overview of the surrounding land and told which areas to avoid. There were a few places where hidden cliffs could end their playtime with a grisly conclusion. Keeping to the meadows was safe. They’d seen groups of teens out placing and maintaining the red hazard flags at the entrances to these danger zones. A service each village undertook to keep their people safe.

Jack stopped atop a small rise, set his brakes, and looked back. Gee and Bal were a distance back but they caught up quickly. Both enjoyed the skiing very much but they scowled at him for getting so far ahead. He ignored that.

“This is incredible!” Jack gushed.

Neither of them could deny the smiles that came to their faces for his enthusiasm.

“Yes, this is a most enjoyable activity,” Gee admitted. Bal nodded at her partner.

“Maybe we stay out another thirty minutes then begin to head back?” Jack asked and received nods.

A terrifyingly deep roar cut across the hillside from behind them. This was quickly followed by the high pitched screams of teenage Shreen. They turned their skis immediately and headed back along their tracks as quickly as they could. Jack was behind the agents so he was forced to keep their pace.

They came upon one of the red flagged pocket valleys where the slope dipped down between two cliff walls and ended with a precipice. More screams and crying came from down the slope.

Bal looked back at Jack. “Stay here!” Then she and Gee went over the lip and swooped down into the shadowed place.

Jack stayed put for a record five seconds before he said fuck it and swooped over the edge. He got maybe five metres in before stopping atop the slope running down to a sharp drop off. Down near the bottom Jack could see two young Shreen backed up against the wall of the pocket valley, clinging to each other in mortal fear.

What was driving their fear was mostly hidden in the snow but to Jack it looked like a Skrahak, at least as big as the one he’d seen on that flatbed cart. The only thing keeping it from the kids was Gee and Bal putting shot after shot into its back from behind with their deadly little pistols. Unfortunately, the creature’s bulk reduced the effectiveness of the bullets to merely painful annoyances.

It finally turned slowly to face the source of the pain. Gee… disappeared, though her skis and poles remained and seemed to move on their own up slope as Bal continued to pepper the Skrahak’s side with bullets.

Once the creature was facing Bal, Gee dropped her camo and gestured for the teens to run towards her. She pushed them to keep going upslope once they reached her.