Amelia scrambled to her feet, the sudden increase in strength and vigor made her feel a bit off-balanced... and embarrassed, as she realized her new body of a teen was stronger than she once was as an adult. The floorboards creaked and she hesitated to take another step, but if it could hold her giant of a father, then it could hold her weight as well.

The blue interface disappeared after several moments of inactivity and she hurried to get dressed. She looked down and saw that she had gone to bed dressed in a wooly kirtle. The coarse fiber was bought from the local herdsmen and sewn by her mother... still didn't help how it scrapped against her skin, but it was warm enough and better than what a whole lot of other villagers had.

Being the Village's Chief Hunter and the Village's Butcher's daughter, she was akin to a little nobility in the small community.

Amelia adjusted her clothes and washed her face in a bucket of cold water before Scrambling downstairs,

"Took ya' long enough,"

Grumbled her father as he fastened a buckle around his waist,

"Come now, yer mother needs a hand with breakfast. Unless..."

His voice dropped into a whisper,

"Ye prefer yer breakfast raw and wiggling?"

Amelia grimaced and Calvin leaned back laughing heartily. Yep, that's definitely a father. No other creature in the world would be as terrible at making jokes as that one. Back in her old life, meat came shrink-wrapped and neatly sliced. Here, apparently, it came with a heartbeat.

Following Calvin out of the room, she took in her surroundings for the first time. The house, which was large enough to be declared one in her book, was a two-story, wood and thatch structure. The ground floor consisted of several rooms including an open kitchen, a cellar, a large dining room, and a lumber room. There were stairs leading to the first floor which had two living rooms, one for her and the other for her parents.

A fire crackled in a stone hearth in one corner, smoke curling through a chimney. The walls were decorated with various skins and fur hung on the chair, she spotted a deer, a wolf, and a bear amongst all the other random skins. A collection of hunting implements leaned against the wall next to the stairs, several quivers and knives, pairs of swords and bows... almost like an armory... barely like an armory. Although, in terms of armor they had next to nothing, a pair of leather jerkins.

The house was simple, utilitarian - and lacking quite a lot of windows in it.

Calvin stopped and from a pouch strapped to his waist, withdrew five copper pennies,

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Here ye go, lass! Your ma went and bartered the meat from yer last hunt, and this all is yer share."

Amelia took the coins, they were roughly carved and jagged around the edges. Well, they were certainly not minted coins she was sure of that much, nor were there any clear markings to distinguish them from ordinary copper scraps except for a distinct 'P' on one side and '1' on the other.

'This looks more like a currency in some game.'

Still, it was something, and if her new memories served her right, then there was a small barter shop somewhere on the outskirts of the village, she could try her luck there.

As she pocketed the coins, a woman with weathered features and eyes that mirrored Calvin's dark brown hair entered the room. She was tall, somewhere between 5'8" and 6... very tall for a woman, and she wore an apron stained with what could have been blood or berry juice. Although considering her occupation, the former was more likely than the latter.

"There you are, Amelia,"

She said, her voice was hoarse but not unkind,

"I thought you'd sleep like a log after yer first hunt."

Calvin scoffed,

"Aye, that she did. The sun's already past its peak."

Hallbera gave her husband a stern look,

"And who's to blame for her late start, eh, Calvin? You lot returned well past midnight with half a dozen hare handing from yer shoulders."

Calvin mumbled something about prey being hard to find from all of Hallbera's shouting and disappeared through the heavy wooden doors that led outside.

"Here, take this,"

Hallbera said, handing her a bowl of what looked suspiciously like a mixture of jelly, cereals, and porridge. Something cooked from grinding leaves and fruits if the smell was anything to go by,

"What is it?"

Amelia asked, hesitantly as she took the bowl.

"Oats, girl,"

Hallbera replied, giving her a strange look. The older woman was checking her impressive collection of knives for any dents or nicks,

"Old Benny's daughter picked some while you lot were away huntin'. If only you were half as womanly as she's, you'd have suitors lining up from the door to the well."

Amelia's eyes twitched, now where had she heard those words before? Hesitantly, she took a bite from the oats bowl. The texture was rough, but the taste was surprisingly palatable. As she ate, Hallbera explained the day's tasks,

"We have three rabbits and a doe to clean before the sun sets. I'll take care of the doe, you skin the rabbits and drain the blood. Remember to take a deep breath before getting to work, we don't want ya' throwing up all over the meat again right."

[Quest Alert!]

Job Quest: Butcher's Apprentice (Level 1)

Objective: Assist Hallbera in preparing three rabbits for sale.

Reward: +10 XP, Basic Butchery (Level 1)

She quickly swallowed the rest of the oatmeal before grabbing a rag from a nearby rack and making her way to the butcher block. Hallbera watched her daughter with a raised eyebrow but said nothing.

The butchery was located right next to the open kitchen and above the cellar, it was a somewhat clean but bloody space. Clean as in there was no unnecessary item cluttered across the floor or over the table, and bloody because of the copious amount of blood gathering in a bucket beneath the carcass of a doe.

***GORE WARNING***

Memories resurfaced, memories of a young girl sitting and watching as her mother butchered animals with a speed that sent blood splattering across the room...

'Alright. First step, process the rabbit.'

She picked up the rabbit and secured it to a pair of hooks hanging from the ceiling, jutting the hooks midway between the rabbit's legs and body. The poor creature's stomach was facing towards her, and so were the lifeless eyes, but one glare from Hallbera made all thoughts of protest die down in Amelia's throat... the woman was scary.