Book 1: Chapter 26: Smoke and ruin.


    Much as I hungered to leave and set about solving my newfound monster issue, responsibilities came first. Even though the back of my mind itched for violence, I stayed home and tended to my farm. Artyoms new hut was, sadly, no longer existent. A burnt pile of wood remained in its stead yes, but the felinid needed elsewhere to stay.


    Without so much as a sigh, I told him he could sleep inside. Provided he did something about his purring snores. They seemed innocuous at first, but the high-pitched sounds and whines he produced while asleep quickly grinded my nerves.


    But such small difort was fixable.


    Were I a more brash man, I would have taken my weapons and headed off to observe the problem-fixing capabilities of copious violence. The old Garek would have. Been right eager about it as well. But instead, I spent time at my farm, cleaning alongside people I knew. And even, daresay, liked.


    Never had I seen a smile so content as the one Lerish wore now. The petals had not done anything for her missing eye, true. But she did notment that. Instead, she blissfully strode along, happily <em>breathing</em>. Something so simple could give a hardened woman like her so much joy. I found that frankly amazing. Truly, the simple things in life mattered most.


    Wounded or not, the cows called to be milked. And with buckets in hand, I trudged over to attend this task. After yesterday, I was simply too sore to be bothered with <strong>Cloven Crash</strong>. Instead, I plopped down on my stump-stool beside one and just shot it a tired, grumpy stare.


    There was much pawing of hooves, shaking of head, and otherwise dissatisfaction. But, ultimately, it relented and let me carry on with the task while it chewed bloodstained grass.


    Several others were not so understanding, but I tried anyhow. Only after several spills of the milk bucked did I give up and freeze them in ce with my entirely misused skill. I did my best to be patient, truly. Yet I was still human and wed, and it only extended so far.


    With four people hard at work, the farm was mostly repaired by the time evening fell across the sky. We gathered for supper, with Lerish and Ish both epting my invitation. The huntress sat, her usual hard exterior melted away to reveal happy smiles underneath.


    Mmmmmmmm. She breathed in deeply. I usually dont make assumptions. But none of you have any idea what its like to breath. After years of cracked, stunted lungs. Safe assumption, I think.


    I didnt, and admitted as much. Sheughed and shook her head. There was genuine happiness writ on her features.


    It is <em>intoxicating</em>. Glorious. Clean, fresh air. No more <em>fucking</em> slime-haze. Gods Above I fucking <em>hate</em> that taste.


    Im happy for ya, Ish spoke quietly, between sips of soup. Soup that she almost dropped with a squawk as Lerish leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek.


    Thanks,ss. She smiled, and I grinned myself as Ish furiously blushed. Artyom made noment, face buried in his own food. The felinid had more important things on his mind than two women flirting. His grub, for one.


    There was a distinctly happy feeling in the air tonight, I found. No doom and gloom and worrying about tomorrows problems. We had survived the raid, beaten back the monsters, and rebuilt. An ordeal had befallen us, and we had emerged in a better situation than upon going in.


    So, I was more than content to simply sit here and sip my soup, rather than break my skull over tomorrows problems. Enjoy the wins as they came, and worry about the problems of the world another day.


    So, your didnt care that you were attacked? Lerish asked ish, her eyebrows raised. Thess shrugged and ran a hand through her hair with a sigh.


    Not really. Ma just asked how many I killed and Pa expressed his approval of me survivin, but he didn expect stonemongers to threaten me anyhow, She grumbled. On ount of me bein their daughter and whatnot.


    Your parents must have a lot of faith in you. I remarked.


    Ehhh, She shrugged. Think its more then thinkin so little of the monster around here. Dont really care about pests and whatnot.


    Mmmm. Lerish nodded. Im pretty sure your mother could march off and murder half the monster on the redtip without breaking a sweat.


    Yeah, but thats Ma, not me. Ish grumbled. And they wouldnt let me take the <strong>Adventurer </strong>or <strong>yer</strong> ss until I was of age, and by then the <strong>Farmhand</strong> ss had leveled up so much that any progress I make now will be cial.


    Did you level upst night? I rumbled out of curiosity.


    Yeah, <strong>Farmhand</strong> went up for defending the farm. Maybe if Id taken <strong>yer</strong> instead of <strong>Adventurer</strong> i would have gotten a level in that too.


    Theres a reason you didnt take the first one? I grunted.


    Well, to me, adventuring aint all about killin. Now if Id have taken <strong>yer</strong>, Id get more Skills and stuff that specifically helps me kills monsters. And now, dont get me wrong, every party needs apetent <strong>yer</strong>. But I want my adventures to be about more than that. Fighting andbat are <em>dangerous</em>. People die. We all know that. Prepare for it best we can, but it still happens, especially if you around lookin for trouble, which is what that ss specializes in.


    Now, if you want to find trouble <em>and</em> stay out of its way, you be a <strong>Stalker</strong>. Lerish grinned. Like me. Hell, Im sure the four of us have the right makeup for a decent party ourselves.


    Youre a? She gestured to me, and I shared my ss with a shrug.


    Right, <strong>Berserker</strong>. Assuming you have apetent <strong>Stalker</strong>, thats one of the better <strong>yer</strong> offshoots to have in a party. Doubly so given youre a minotaur. Youd have me to make up for your poor vision andck of range, find the enemies before they find us. Traps, pits, enemy scouts and assassins? Forget about them. Ish havin the <strong>Adventurer </strong>ss could take the <strong>Treasuresense</strong>, <strong>Danger Alert </strong>and <strong>Pathfinder </strong>skills and the like to round things out.


    The woman leaned back, a thoughtful look in her eyes.


    Cat. She gestured at Artyom. What ss do you have?


    He looked peeved at being referred to as that, and looked around ufortably before sharing his ss.


    <strong>Scavenger</strong>. Hmm. Not too good, not too bad. Usuallyes with Skills that let it pull useful items from nowhere. Increase finds in certain ces. We find any relics or chests, we let him pop them open.


    In this hypothetical scenario, yes. I sighed. But I am a <strong>Farmer</strong>.


    True. Shemented with a rueful smile. Youd have made a great adventurer. Maybe even grown to a high-ranked or <strong>Known</strong> one. But youve made you choice, and I am happy you chose toe here.


    I nodded, and the conversation drifted off into other topics. Lerish mentioned she had been approached by the Verdant Dawn camp to hunt for them, and intended to take them up on that offer.


    Good pay. Turns out soldiers who ride around all day and prefer to loaf in town cant hunt for shit. I mean a few of them can. But not enough to feed all of them.


    And thats where youe in.


    I have services and talents, they have needs. She shrugged. Long as the coin flows, those services will continue.


    Artyom muttered something about her seeming like a very expensive doozy and immediately bolted as Lerish whipped her spoon at him. Still cross from being called a cat, the felinid bounded across the field as Lerishs death re followed.


    Just because theyre small doesnt mean they cant be mean. I shrugged. Cats <em>are</em> vindictive little bastards.


    Ill exact payback. She shrugged, and I remembered she too had feline features.


    Ish dismissed herself soon after, citing that chores still awaited her at home, and Lerish left with her. With littlepany save for a sound-asleep Gol, I turned myself in for the night.


    Sleep did not find me waiting. Instead, I sat on the beds edge and stared at the wall. I contemted tomorrow, and all that I intended to do.


    In all this time here, I had not gone to purposefully seek out violence anywhere. Even my fight with Gol was a spur-of-the-moment decision of righteous anger and rashness. But here I sat, preparing to go to do so.


    I hade here, far away from any possible strife and conflict to be at peace.


    And yet, the monsters of the world refused to leave me alone. For there was nothing that fate hated more than a quiet, peaceful ce, it seemed. It refused to simply let me be, to quietly raise a homestead and live out the test of my days in silent satisfaction.


    My eyes rose to the wall, where Gareks armor was messily piled into the corner. Weapons and armor forged for the express purpose of war. I had hoped to never use them except in self-defense.


    But how much more would the next raid im? How many burnt crops, dead animals and ruined houses would be piled here when more monsters came knocking in the night? Would a stonemonger run down Art, or a lucky blow down Ish? Would Gol find his way back to the farm next time?


    These were all questions in the aimless hands of fate, and I was not content with that.


    Hard was the resolve that lurked within me as I straightened and gazed upon the steel before me.


    If fates answers to those questions were uncertain, then I would remove the variable that posed those queries in the first ce.


    I was not a soul that hungered for violence, but I was also not some helpless creature to be carried by the current and hope it did not dash me upon the rocks below. And I refused to let tragedy strike because I was too scared, too tied up in my own morality to take necessary action.


    This time, I had emerged lucky. Next time, I might not.


    There would not <em>be</em> a next time.