《Farming in combat is broken》 Chapter 1: Into "The World" Opening my eyes I see a run down building that is missing its shutters, lacking the front door and is surrounded by weeds. The grass is overgrown and movement in it is obvious. The sky is cloudy and the wind is cold. But according to the deed in my hand reading Lytel estate, I have a new house and this is probably it seeing as the floating box above it read the exact same thing. All I can think about is how awesome it is to have finally gotten here. Usually you would feel really lost having suddenly found yourself in a completely strange place, but luckily I had these weird little blue windows labeling everything for me. The most persistent window flashing the words ¡°Immigration finalizing, Mental strain condition Overridden¡±. That seemed nice, pretty sure that was the only reason I could even process the windows without distraction. The window with the most important looking information seemed to be asking me to finalize my two class slots. Being curious I selected the dropdown menu for option 1, I found it to have quite a few options with most being typed in white, mostly things like Pickpocket, or Laborer. There were a few greens such as Guard, Smith, and Merchant, along with 2 blues, Knight and Mage. The thing that really caught my eye though was Druid, highlighted in a rustic orange color. Having been an avid gamer my entire life, my subconscious knew that this was something I couldn''t pass up¡­ I mean, it''s doubtful that this option was available to many. I quickly selected Druid and was then greeted by a confirmation menu. ¡°Druid selected, Class Summary is as follows¡± a scrolling window popped up. ¡°Druids are cultivators of the elemental forces focusing on methods of growing, protecting and fighting with Nature. Would you like to choose Druid? Yes or No?¡± The summary being pretty much exactly what I thought it was going to be, I chose yes and watched the window close. I then selected the second class slot dropdown menu with the initial intention of choosing one of the rare blue classes. A druid mage would be fierce, or possibly a warrior that holds his foes down with an army of roots! Wanting to check out my options I selected Wizard first and was greeted with a new confirmation menu. ¡°Wizard selected, Class Summary is as follows: Wizards tap into the arcane magic of the world in order to conjure spells of fire, water and air. Would you like to choose Wizard? Yes or No?¡± But then the gamer in me started to process the possibilities, I selected no, closing the menu. I scrolled up, all the way up into the green classes, chose Farmer and was greeted with a new confirmation menu. ¡°Farmer selected, Class Summary is as follows: Farmers are able to grow plants faster, bigger, and of higher quality than normal. Would you like to choose Farmer? Yes or No?¡± Hrm, I could totally see this stacking bonuses with my druid job, but it could also be a dud. Was it worth the risk? I mean, could I change it later if it didn¡¯t work out? And then I looked around, I was in front of a decrepit building in the middle of an overgrown field with a deed in my hand claiming that I owned the 80 acres surrounding the Lytel estate along with this broken down shack. ¡°Heck with it¡± I thought, I might as well just start pretending this is a farming simulator and get rich with the combo. Worst case, I bet the legendary druid job could net me a comfortable living by itself. I mean it wasn¡¯t the adventurer life that me and my buddies talked about in the past, but I always did like the ¡°Tales of Harvest¡± games growing up, so why not now that I¡¯m in ¡°The World¡±? Clicking the chosen option the confirmation menu closed and brought back up the original menu. Now that the job slots were filled I noticed 2 new boxes were available to explore with a prompt flashing next to them. Upon clicking the flashing prompt I was greeted by a new menu. ¡°Skill selection warning. Classes only advance through using the class for its intended function and its given skills, it is therefore highly encouraged to pick 1 skill from each of your chosen classes. It is possible to learn a skill from a trainer later but it is not recommended to delay a class''s potential for advancement.¡± Wow, okay. So I basically want 1 skill from each for now. No use in getting the farmer job if I¡¯m just gonna ignore it. Clicking on the Skill menu I was greeted with 10 different options.
Druid Skills
Air Cutter Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Allows the user to hurl a weak blade of air at a target
Animal Familiar Grants the user access to a animal familiar
Plant Familiar Grants the user access to a plant familiar
Poison Spray Shoots a spray of poison at a target
Staff of thorns Summons a staff made of thorns
Farmer Skills
Animal empathy Animal bonding increases faster
Bountiful Harvest Plants grown, have better yields
Efficient Work Farm tasks use less stamina
Enrich Allows user to raise soil quality
Quick Growth Plants reach maturity in less time
Well that¡¯s quite the list. ¡°Animal Familiar¡± and ¡°Animal Empathy¡± would probably work out. But I would assume that any familiar I have would already have a pretty strong bond with me. ¡°Plant Familiar¡± and ¡°Quick Growth¡± might work, but I¡¯m not sure it would get stronger over time without me actually gaining experience. ¡°Plant familiar¡± and ¡°Bountiful Harvest¡± would either be awesome or nothing. Technically you could argue that a familiar¡¯s strength or attack power is its yield. Really it just depends on the logic behind the skill. Ugh, it really stinks that I can''t see the actual bonus before I choose! Having chewn all ten of my nails during my indecision, I finally made my choice. Within moments the system brought up a summary of my character sheet. With a new window just below it.
Name: Bradford Wallace Age: 18
Tier and Classes
Stone tier Druid Stone tier Farmer
Skills
Plant familiar Bountiful Harvest
¡°Character Immigration Completed. When finished reviewing character information feel free to close the window. For ¡°Menu¡± access just think ¡°Menu¡±.¡± Upon closing the window, the world went blurry. Waking up, sweat drenching my dirt caked outfit, my brain was pounding. Was this the effects of the ¡°Mental Strain¡±? Regardless, the immigration was not a fun process. Looking around, there were subtle changes to the estate since my collapse. The sky had grown darker with a bit of moisture filling the air. Long grass stalks were moving with the passing of animals across the fields and what could be described as chewing sounds were coming from across the yard. All of this briefly distracted my vision from the new icons scattered at the corners of my awareness. A small bright red line occupied the top left corner of my vision followed by a blue bar below it and a green bar below that. To the right was a pale green circle with a question mark that was slowly pulsating as if to beckon attention. Upon getting my focus the icon bloomed into a bright green window filled with several options.
Fruit familiar Produces beneficial effects for allies
Fungus familiar Focuses on debilitating enemies
Tree familiar Well rounded front line fighter
Tuber familiar Resistant to ongoing detrimental effects
Vine familiar Focuses on stealth and ambushes
Taking a look at the options I started running through the options. A ¡°Fruit familiar¡± could probably be a good source of income but would leave me effectively defenseless if I encounter trouble¡­ A ¡°Fungus familiar¡± might weaken them enough for me to hurt enemies but without having a second combat class I doubt it would be worth it unless I find a party to go adventure with which probably isn''t so smart right off the bat for me. ¡°Tree familiar¡± seems like a good option, it would at least be able to give and take a hit or two which is infinitely better than what my farmer job would be able to. ¡°Tuber familiar¡± feels like it would be a good option for a mountain or desert setting, luckily I¡¯m in what appears to be a temperate area. ¡°Vine familiar¡± seems like another pretty good option for dealing with threats but I really need something that can take a few hits for me without just dying the moment it doesn¡¯t instantly kill its target. Which brings me back to ¡°Tree familiar¡±. With my selection made I was greeted with a wiggle in my pocket. The wiggle turned into a rolling and the rolling turned into a squirming. Within moments, what appeared to be a ball of roots started growing out of my pocket before launching itself up and out of my ragged bottoms before landing on the dirt below. Over the span of 10 seconds the roots sorted themselves out and grew a more central solid core. The whole process was captivating and demanded attention. After what I¡¯m guessing was a good 5 minutes the transformation process was finished and the creature stood staring right back at me. Roughly 6 inches wide a ball of bark stood just as high off the ground on its 4 twisted root legs. With two root like appendages coming from its top to act like arms, it was waving and trying to gain attention from its bonded companion. Its small eyes hidden in the folds of its bark, glistening with unseen tears as the cold wind caressed its young body. As a new gust of wind hit the little familiar, it ran towards its bonded companion for warmth. Chapter 2: Checking the place out and finding problems The moment the little guy started charging at me with its arms swinging I didn¡¯t know what to do, so I ran. Heart racing, arms pumping, and eye tight, I ran as hard as I could down the path away from the little plant monster. Looking back I should¡¯ve known that it was friendly because of our bond but honestly it was a wiggling mass of roots charging at me in a way that my instincts fought against. I got about 100 yards down the road when I noticed the green bar on the left of my vision had partially depleted along with a large portion of the green bar on the right of my view. And that¡¯s when reality hit me, I had another set of bars on the right and they were accompanied by what could only be described as a crying emoji peppered with little snowflakes. My running started to slow to a stop as I started to process exactly what happened only moments ago. That was my familiar and it seems that the little guy was cold. Looking back I see it about half the distance of our starting point away. It had fallen and seemingly given up on chasing me. Feeling bad for the little one I headed towards it. Sensing my approach the ball of roots and bark seemed to grow with its top most roots branching out high and towards me. For a moment it reminded me of a little kid asking to be picked up. Before I did anything hasty and with too many assumptions, I took a look at the information box over its head.
¡°Name: Undetermined, Age: Seedling, Race: Tree familiar (standard), Bonded Partner: Bradford Wallace¡±
Having confirmed that the little thing was indeed my bonded familiar, the tension in my body subsided, my breathing calmed, and I bent down to touch the seedling. Upon making skin to root contact the thing launched itself into my unbuttoned jacket using my arm to help propel and guide itself. Heart instantly pounding and my hands flying all over the place I started to strip and throw off my jacket. About 10 foot away I saw the little thing pull my jacket tight around itself with only a small little gap in the bundle to peer out of. The whole thing was kinda cute, right up until the wind blew hard and I felt goosebumps and shivers start to wrack my body. Steeling my mind for what I knew shouldn¡¯t be hard, I went and picked up the jacket and found that the familiar was crawling down a sleeve to stay warm as its bundle unfurled. ¡°Come on little guy, I¡¯m sorry for the misunderstanding. I¡¯m really new to this whole thing. I don¡¯t want to hurt you, I really need that sleeve though. I promise, if I can put on my jacket properly I''ll let you stay in the body portion of it until we get into some cover.¡± With my request acknowledged, the little thing squirmed out of the sleeve and hung itself off of my shoulders and down my back. Within moments the back of my jacket was pulled tight against my body and keeping out any possible draft that could make it up there. To my detriment that meant that wind now nipped at my lower back. With the chill on my mind I started back towards the shack, otherwise known as my decrepit home. As I approached the doorway I noticed the door was hanging off of 1 semi-attached hinge with the other one hanging from the doorframe, nails completely rusted through. The door itself having the bottom few inches chewed off and various growths and mushrooms on the shaded side. Walking past the door and into the home proper, a beam of light shining through the roof revealed the floor was bare dirt and i had a shoddy cupboard in the corner that possessed such a lean it was hard to say how long it would still be with us. Opening the cupboard I was pleased to find a new window appear.
¡°Estate Inventory Management¡± tab added to the menu. Feel free to view it through the ¡°Estate¡± tab and the ¡°Lytel Estate¡± sub-tab.
Following the prompts instructions I was able to bring bring up the estate¡¯s inventory
Lytel Estate Inventory: Shack: -1 Ax (Bronze)(Durability: 30/30) -1 Broom (Wood)(Durability: 10/10) Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. -1 Blanket (Coarse Linen)(Durability: 10/10) -1 Flint -1 Hammer (Wood)(Durability: 10/10) -1 Kitchen Knife (Iron)(Durability: 40/40) -1 Pan (Copper)(Durability: 20/20) -1 Shovel (Wood)(Durability: 10/10) -1 Water Pail (Wood)(Durability: 10/10) -5 Caulifloweer seeds -20 Potato seeds -30 Eggs (Chicken)(Unfertilized) -1 Jug of Oil (Vegetable)(Portions: 30/50
Upon seeing the Blanket I immediately withdrew it from the inventory menu. It was as easy as highlighting it and hitting withdraw. Having a coarse linen blanket appear in my hand I quickly threw it over my own shoulders hoping for the goosebumps to disappear. As the blanket settled around my form, I felt the little familiar start to climb around my body until its central core had the smallest of holes to lookout from my jacket. The little guy being curious had apparently wondered what just happened. After satisfying its curiosity it quickly went back around and resumed its hanging position. Now that the issue of immediate warmth was solved I started thinking about warmth over the coming day and night. With the flint in my cupboard I could definitely start up a fire, but I had no where to put it. ¡°Well, I do have a hole in my roof to let the smoke out.¡± I stated outloud to myself. Taking the knife and ax from the cupboard I headed outside. Knife strapped to my waist and ax in hand, I was going to go gather some wood. Upon making it outside I quickly located a fallen tree branch that was located just outside of the waist high grass. Approaching the branch I saw a window display above it.
Fallen Branch Type: Unknown Durability: ?/?
¡°Well that is the most useless window I have ever seen.¡± I thought to myself. ¡°Why would that even display if it had nothing to display?¡± Gripping the ax with both hands I brought it over my head then swung down. The moment the ax slammed into the branch and wood chips flew, a new window appeared along with the initial description updating.
Successful hit with the ¡°Ax¡± 2 damage (base 2 *1 (Farmer proficiency)) Material difference of 2 adds and additional +4 damage Total damage: 6
Fallen Branch Type:Soft Wood Durability: ?/?>6
¡°Huh, well that definitely became a much more useful window. I wonder, will it apply to similar looking branches?¡± I asked out loud to no one in particular. Still wondering, I followed it up with another swing of my ax.
Successful hit with the ¡°Ax¡± 2 damage (base 2 *1 (Farmer proficiency)) Material difference of 2 adds and additional +4 damage Total damage: 6 (Overkill 2) Fallen Branch Destroyed
Fallen Branch Type:Soft Wood Durability: 0/ 10
As my ax had made contact the branch had split into 2 smaller pieces. Both we now about 3 inches thick and 2 foot long. Great for a fire but not small enough to actually start one. ¡°Heck, I will need even more to survive the night. Just getting a fire does me no good if it goes out within a few hours.¡± Approaching another nearby branch, I started to raise my ax to strike the wood when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. As my head started turning, I saw a long green vine lash out at my leg moments before my mind filled with pain and my leg caught fire.
Unknown Attacker hits you with attack 3 damage taken Poison applied
Chapter 3: The Great Rumble Screaming in pain as I fall towards the ground, I felt the long green vine wrap further around my leg. Bright red needle bristling from it and driving deep into my leg.
Unknown Attacker hits you with an ongoing attack 1 damage taken 1 Poison damage Poison applied
I hit the ground barely not hitting myself with the ax. After only a brief moment of shock i twist around and hit it with the ax in my hand.
Successful hit with the ¡°Ax¡± 1 damage (base 2 * 0.5 (not a weapon)) Material difference does not apply to uses outside of tool use Total damage: 1
? Vine ? Type???? Remaining HP >1
¡°Oh crap, I¡¯m boned.¡± was the only thought in my mind as I took in the window in front of me.
Unknown Attacker hits you with an ongoing attack 1 damage taken 2 Poison damage Poison applied
As the monster continued its attack I felt my back start to come under attack as well, sick vine like appendages starting to strangle me. Wrapped around my neck and constricting I felt the blood supply to my head start to restrict and my vision became hazy. Suddenly the pressure was gone as a hard lump of wood ricocheted off the back of my head after squeezing its way past my jacket. The little thing barely touched the ground when its whip like legs tore at the ground and it barreled into the vine at my leg.
An ally stopped the ongoing attack by ripping opponent away 2 damage taken
2 Lingering Poison damage taken
Oh my god that hurt! The little guy just rip the vine from my leg, leaving many of the needle like thorns still embedded. While not quite enough to make me pass out, it did leave me on the edge of unconsciousness. I was able to make out the blurry movements of a little sphere bobbing up and down off the ground fighting what appeared to be a green serpent of doom. Dragging myself backwards I glanced up at the health bar to the left and was shocked to see it mostly empty.
1 Lingering Poison damage taken
Well that made it even worse, I barely had a sliver of health left. My body felt warm, my leg burned, and the only thing my eyes could make out was my little buddy fighting off a green monster. Needless to say, this was not the start that I would¡¯ve preferred. Within moment a new window popped up, a window that I thought would surely bring the dreaded news of my familiars demise.
Your familiar (Undecided), has slain a ¡°Lasher¡±. Your proficiency with the Plant Familiar skill has gone up 5%!
As the battle ended, apparently in my familiars favor, I felt a restriction on my body let loose. My heart seemed to settle, my mind cleared, and the pain in my leg seemed to lessen.
Congratulations, you have won your first combat! Out of combat your HP and MP will naturally regenerate at a rate of 1% per minute. Stamina will regenerate at a rate of 5% per minute. Note: This message will not appear again, any further inquires should be made to other people and or resources.
¡°Oh, well that explains why I¡¯m already starting to feel better.¡± I said to no one in particular. Just then a little lump of wood burst into the dead center of my vision. ¡°Well hey little buddy!¡± There definitely wasn¡¯t anything I could call him after he saved my life by literal moments. ¡°You saved me, I don''t think I could''ve survived any longer without you!¡± I said to the little familiar. Checking my status window and pulling up my exact HP values, I learned it was even closer than I initially thought.
HP 2/15 Breakdown: 10 Hp for level 1 combat class (Druid) 5 HP for level 1 non combat class (Farmer)
While in the menus I also pulled up the little familiar¡¯s stats as well.
HP 9/17 Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Breakdown: 15 Hp from lvl 1 bonded Druid 2 (rounded) due to level 1 Bountiful Harvest
¡°AHAHAHA!¡± Laughing hysterically I was dumb founded. Not only was the little guy tougher than me, he actually did get boosted by my, now not so dumb, idea! Now having my full attention, I couldn''t help but stare at him and be amazed with how lucky I got. I mean, I¡¯m sure there could''ve been something better, but things were shaping up to be pretty decent. The little guy was pretty amazing, especially with his spiky fists. (Wind blowing) ¡°Wait what!?¡± I bellowed in disbelief. His little root fists were spiked with dozens of the red needles! My forehead starting to sweat, I noticed that it wasn¡¯t quite right to say spiked, he was carrying them more than anything else. Briefly looking past him I saw the now dead vine on the ground surrounded by needles and ripped off pieces of its fibrous flesh. The little guy had really put in some work with that fight. Speaking of which, some thanks were due. ¡°Thanks for the help a moment ago, I know we started off rough but you really pulled through for me! If there is anything that I can ever do for you, just let me know. We are a bonded team afterall.¡± My only two responses were a flashing smiley face emoji next to his health bar in the top right of my vision and a new pop-up window.
Your Plant familiar has requested a name. Will you name your familiar at this time? Yes or No
Clicking Yes, a new window requesting a name popped up. ¡°What name should I give you?¡± I asked the little creature. The only answer I received was a questioning emoji. ¡°I want to call you ¡°Barry¡±(Berry) but you¡¯re not a fruit familiar. You¡¯re a tree, but I definitely can¡¯t call you Woody. That would not go over well introducing you to others, for you or me. The only thing I can really think of right now if Rumble, mostly because of how you fight and the fact that it sounds like Rum-barrel¡­ Which to be fair is kinda what you are shaped as and made out of similar wood.¡± To my surprise, I was greeted by a laughing emoji and a thumbs up. Inputting the name ¡°Rumble¡± I was greeted by another window.
You have started along the path of raising a Plant Familiar by naming it. Your proficiency with the Plant Familiar skill has gone up 5%! (10% total)
¡°Well that was easy!¡± I said while laughing with the little guy. ¡°We need to celebrate tonight, celebrate to a great start! Grab the rest of the needles and keep a look out for me, we still need more wood cut or else we both will freeze tonight!¡± Rumble quickly threw me a root salute and ran off to grab up some more needles and within moments of me getting to my feet a new window appeared.
You and your familiar have harvested a plant -1 bundle of Lasher needles Lasher needles are of exceptional quality +11% more valuable. Would you like to deposit it to Estate Inventory? Yes or No
Selecting Yes, the bundle of needles disappeared from Rumble¡¯s little roots. ¡°Remember Rumble, keep an eye out for another enemy because I really cannot survive another hit from one.¡± From that point on the wood gathering went well without anything too eventful. We ended up gathering a total of 11 solid logs and further splitting a 12th log we were able to get quite a few smaller pieces to start as kindling. As we were about halfway through taking in the wood, I noticed a stranger coming up the road on horseback. ¡°Howdy neighbor!¡± a cheerful baritone came over the wind. The owner of said voice was a larger man, probably about 6 ft but all of 250 pounds. Clad in a metal breastplate and sturdy leather armor elsewhere, he was quite the tough looking fellow when compared to my frame, almost 100 pounds lighter. ¡°I am lieutenant Dan, a local guard officer for the small town of Westbend just east of your¡­. Farm?¡± he asked that last part quite quizzically. ¡°Haha¡± I laughed. ¡°Ya, it''s not much now but I plan on making it into a respectable farm as fast as I can. Also, I¡¯m Bradford Wallace, but I would prefer if you just call me Brad. Obviously I am new around here but I¡¯m happy to make your acquaintance.¡± "It''s good to meet you too!" The large man cheerfully responded. "To get right down to business though, I am here to give you either an introduction to our community or to purchase your estate." "Why would you be here to purchase my estate!?" I asked. "In case you had chosen a fully adventurer class composition, or if you just wanted to explore. Our billboard in the guard station lets us know whenever a completely new character is made which enables us to go and have this conversation with them, or in this case you." "Oh, well that''s convenient. Does your billboard also help locate criminals or list attacks?" "Everyone asks that, and no it does not. The billboard is a request board for locals to make of us or others, just so happens to also get one time updates on new people that don''t arrive by travel." Lieutenant Dan explained. "Well, no need to purchase my land, I plan on farming and building up a life here. I was a fan of the farming games before graduation. So really all I really need is to know how to keep my house warm long term and if this is fall or spring. Is the cold just starting or about to end." "Well, it''s just the end of winter, should be spring in two days." Dan explained. "As for heat, it looks like you have enough firewood for tonight, but I hope you have made a stone fire pit for it in your home. I know these shacks don''t normally come with one." "I didn''t even think about that. Ugh, looks like I have a bit longer in this cold." I complained. "Look here, I''ll help you out real quick and get you warm for the night and in exchange I want you to come to the town and have a look around tomorrow. We will be having a welcoming celebration for new arrivals." Dan explained. "Deal, but that''s assuming I''m allowed to bring my familiar." "A familiar!? You didn''t pick Laborer as your secondary class? Did you pick hunter or something for ranching?" the large man questioned. "No, I''m a druid and I picked farmer as my secondary. I''m hoping to make use of my abilities to grown better crops." "A druid!? Are you serious!? And Farmer!? You should''ve become a mage or something!" Dan asked incredulously. "Look, I don''t want to go off fighting everyday. My goal is to relax, grow and fight off the local monsters eating my crops. If I wanted to fight I would''ve picked mage, but I''d didn''t. So, could we please keep this between us and let it go?" "If you want to keep it between us fine, but I would recommend not bringing your familiar unless it looks like a normal hunters pet. Speaking of which, were is it?" "Rumble, can you come over here?" I shouted. And within moments the little ball ran down the path out from the shack, where he was piling wood in preparation for the coming night. "Dan, meet Rumble my plant familiar. Rumble meet Lieutenant Dan". "Well ain''t that something. The little bugger sure is cute. He definitely stands out though, I would recommend either not bringing him, or hiding him. I''m curious how big he will get and how long you can hide him though. Hunters often start with wolf pups but within a few levels they out grow all but the biggest of dogs." Dan commented. "Hopefully big enough to kill all the monsters!" I joked. "Ha, true enough. Well let''s head on inside and make you a safe fire pit that won''t lead to a burn victim by morning." Dan said. And so lieutenant Dan helped show me how to make a stone fire pit while he quickly assembled one in the shack using loose stones found outside. And within the hour he was on his way further west in order to greet another new arrival leaving me with Rumble and the cold night ahead. Chapter 4: A weird way to make friends Before night had fully set, Rumble and I managed to get a bit more wood into the home. While dragging in the last piece of wood, Rumble was set upon by a red lizard that gouged up his bark quite a bit but didn¡¯t get him below half health. That little guy is tough, so tough that it made me really wonder what he was capable of. Judging by the damage he took earlier from the same attacker that hurt me, I was able to deduce that he not only had damage reduction but was most likely resistant to the poison. I wish I knew for certain but the information just wasn¡¯t available at this level of the Plant Familiar skill. Having just got all the wood that we were going to get in, I approached the broken door and tried to wedge it into a shut position. The door ended up being more awkward than I had initially thought but with Rumble helping to guide it into place we were able to get it mostly shut. We did have to jam a stick into the frame to help hold it closed, but hey, it worked. With twilight here and about to leave, I quickly started the fire with the flint and knife before it got too dark to see. Kindling and sticks alight, I added 2 larger pieces in order to get an actual source of heat and light going and soon had them catching fire. With the light and heat source acquired, I took time to review all that I had accomplished today and what it would involve tomorrow. First off, I found out that starting today, I am a poor and barely homed wanna be farmer. I also can get my butt whooped by a vine. On the brighter side of things, I have a little pal that seems intent on protecting and helping me. Well helping when it doesn¡¯t involve who gets the most blanket to stay warm¡­ The little guy was really hogging it! But him being wood, he probably isn¡¯t the biggest fan of staying near the fire. So tomorrow, I have the "Welcoming Celebration"... I should probably assume that it will take all day. "Oh crud! I don''t even know how far the town is from me!" I exclaimed to no one in particular. Well, I guess I''ll start walking east along the road right after a quick breakfast in the morning. And so with the night chill being warded off with the blanket and fire, I fell asleep upon the hard dirt floor using my arms as a pillow. After a night of fitful sleep swapping between warm and chill as the fire needed new logs, morning finally arrived. First with light beaming in from the hole in the roof and then from a small gap left by the jammed door. As I stirred awake and Rumble noticed the light he shot up and ran to soak in the rays with his nonexistent leaves. Wait, that wasn''t right. "Rumble you''re sprouting leaves, congrats!" I told the little guy. He beamed back smiling at me, at least the little smiling emoji in my vision did. And having seen him enjoy a morning meal, my stomach started growling. So with that I grabbed the pan to start cooking. With the basic schooling I had received, I knew how to cook some eggs, so that''s exactly what I did. A quarter hour later and two eggs down, I was ready to head for town. Wedging the door closed behind me I set down the road with the knife on my hip and Rumble looking sad in his reluctance to stay. His dedication to staying close to me was admirable and his lack of company pained my heart. I really didn¡¯t want to leave him all alone and bored with only himself as company, but I really shouldn''t bring him to town just yet. So with my mind made up I yelled back at him. ¡°Rumble, can you please clear out some enemies while I¡¯m away? Ill try to pick up some supplies and hopefully tomorrow we can start planting!¡± Immediately his sad face emoji flipped around into a determined smile and he quickly spun around marching off towards the field. Arms pumping as he moved, he reminded me of a bodybuilder hulking off to reclaim his weights after a short break. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. A whole hour later I came within a quarter mile of the town named Westbend, its wall spreading north and south looked like a quite the formidable structure. Even from the distance I was, I knew that the gate would be sizable enough to withstand a small army for at least a day. Wondering why lieutenant Dan considered this a small town, I could only imagine this place having at a minimum a thousand people. ¡°No wonder there are so many surrounding farms, this town alone should be able to use all the produce grown locally, if not more.¡± I said aloud. A little while later the gates loomed large in my vision with two lines stretching out of the town. One line filled with wagons and locals going in with goods and wares, the other filled with raggedy, hungry looking vagrants. As a guard motioned me into the homeless line, I quickly realized two things. 1, I look homeless and probably in need of a shower. 2, this line was for the new arrivals. Joining the line behind two guys holding leashes attached to puppies, I surveyed the line in more depth. It looked like besides myself and a 4 or 5 other guys, that the line was also composed of about 6 or 7 girls. All of us sported the same ragged outfit topped with a rough button up jacket. The thing that stood out the most though was that some people in the group possessed a heavy looking pouch, all of which were kept in tight grips. Within moments of another person arriving behind me in line, a voice rang out loud and deep over the assembled group, a voice belonging to a well fed pompous looking man with a well trimmed mustache and beard. ¡°Welcome newcomers! I am the mayor of the town of Westbend, you can call me Mayor Black. Today we are holding an arrival celebration where you will get a chance to meet the city staff for a tour around the main portions of the town and a career advisor to help you along your way into a profession. Those of you that chose to sell your estates will also be guided to proper stores to buy supplies.¡± After his short introduction, he gestured us newcomers towards the gates with a following motion and started walking into the town. The puppies in front of me being dragged by their owners was quite the funny sight up until the point that my footwear found a way to make a soft squelching noise. Just as I looked down I was greeted by a loud yell of anger next to me. ¡°Are you freaking serious!?¡± a brown haired girl exclaimed. ¡°First I had to spend the night in the cold, then I had to eat a raw egg for breakfast, and now I step in one of the only two piles of dog poo in the road! I should¡¯ve just sold the estate and restarted somewhere else because luck is not here.¡± ¡°Hey it could be worse.¡± I stated. ¡°At least you are not the only person in the group with a smelly shoe.¡± A small dry chuckle tinting my also annoyed demeanor. Staring at me dumbly, the brown haired girl¡¯s green eyes slowly traveled from my face down to my shoe still stuck in dog poo. Within moments a sad chuckle eased its way from her chest as it slowly grew more and more relaxed. ¡°I guess so, not sure this is how I wanted to make my first friend or a first impression, but it''s better than being alone with bad luck.¡± She said in a slightly defeated tone. ¡°My name is Mia, I¡¯m a new Merchant Farmer. What about yourself?¡± Mia asked while extending her arm and hand towards me. Taking her hand with a firm shake I introduced myself as well. ¡°Hi, its good to meet you Mia, my name is Brad. I¡¯m also a new farmer. I will say that my luck has been a bit better but I wont say that it''s been easy. For one, I almost died to a stupid venomous vine monster, so I hope you feel a little more fortunate.¡± Looking at me with a skeptical expression on her softly tanned face, she asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you mean poisonous?¡± ¡°I wish! The stupid monster slapped my leg with its vine and stuck me with dozens of its venomous needles!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Oh my god, I sure hope I don¡¯t have those near my farm.¡± she stated followed by a sudden and awkward silence. A slow question and hesitant question emerged from her lips. ¡°Where is your farm if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± As I explained how to get to my property, her face slowly grew pale. As the realization of her being my neighbor started to become apparent to both of us, we also found ourselves to be the center of attention for the entire newcomer group with Mayor Black staring at us with annoyance as his voice boomed in our direction. ¡°I appreciate that you two are making friends with one another, but I hardly believe that standing in ¡­refuse is a proper way to make introductions. Or for that matter, to endear yourselves to others that most certainly and hopefully do not share your admiration of such simple things. So with that being said, I hope you can pay attention to your surroundings, keep up with the crowd, and not slow down our progress any further.¡± After finishing his deserved scolding of us, Mayor Black continued with his speech about the town as the group finished moving through the gate, Mia and I jogging forward to catch up. Chapter 5: Streets of cheer and the welcoming celebration Passing through the gate I saw 4 metal armored guards checking visitors and wagons entering the town, along with a few on the walls pacing back and forth high above the ground with bows in hand. Once past the guards and entrance I glanced back to view the great door that could be closed to seal out any potential invaders, or trap any potential escapees. Now caught up and moving with the group, Mayor Black¡¯s voice came back into focus ,even as he faced away from the newcomer¡¯s, while he gestured towards various buildings. ¡°This building here is the main gate¡¯s office of the most famous courier service in Westbend, ¡°The Gilded Letter¡±. They have multiple offices throughout the city and quite the reputation to boot. They can handle any size of delivery, any distance, and as expediently as you could wish for.¡± Stopping to let the group admire the scale of ¡°The Gilded Letter¡±, Mayor Black took the chance to wave over a small boy waiting at the door to the building. Upon the boy''s arrival at his side, Mayor Black whispered something in his ear and sent him running down the road further into town. After a moment of letting us admire the complexities of shipping and receiving to be seen at the office, we were once again guided by the mayor further along the road. Being shown and told about the various other shops on the main street. Many storefronts offering a view of exquisite items on display in the windows, and more than a few having entertainers at the door to help draw in customers. Needless to say, the main avenue into town was colorful in not just its products but also in its execution of business. With curiosity filling my mind and without the bravery to interrupt the mayor once again, I turned to Mia. ¡°I wonder if we can actually afford any of these shops, what do you think?¡± Taking her eyes off of a nearby window displaying an assortment of brightly colored textiles, Mia turned to me with a smirk on her face. ¡°I didn¡¯t sell my land and if I¡¯m not mistaken, neither have you. Chances are we couldn¡¯t afford the cleaning fee for stepping into their shops with our smelly shoes.¡± ¡°Fair enough, I guessed as much myself. I am assuming that this part of the tour is for the people planning to move with the money they got. Possibly trying to tempt them into staying in town with shows of wealth, prosperity, and the oh so great shiny wares.¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Mia agreed. ¡°Us farmers, and possibly the hunters, will most likely be passed off somewhere along the way. At least that would make sense. But who knows, the guard lieutenant yesterday told me that there would be festivities.¡± ¡°I wonder how late it''s going to run, we both have a long walk back home so I really don¡¯t want to stay too late.¡± ¡°True, but honestly it doesn¡¯t matter to me. I figure I¡¯m not going to be back in time to build a fire tonight or anything that could keep me warm. My plan for today was to finish this celebration, learn how to make a fire pit, and then hunker down in town with my blanket out of the wind. I¡¯ll most likely head back tomorrow at first light.¡± Staring at my new found friend incredulously I opened my mouth to speak but ran into a stopped person in front of me. Nearly falling over, I was caught by one of the boys standing in front of me earlier. My brain started to wonder why the group was stopped, I looked up to see glittering confetti shooting through the air as music started to blare and the crowd started to cheer. A strong man with a chiseled jaw, that would put statues to shame, was lifting a blonde beauty up into the air, smiles on both their faces. Within seconds of the woman being brought back to ground and sharing a kiss with her lover, the booming voice of the mayor reverberated throughout the street. ¡°Oh what a glorious view! Nothing like seeing true love bloom among the people and the acceptance of marriage! I¡¯m truly happy for you two, may you have strong loving children and a profitable union of your families!¡± the mayor rejoiced. ¡°May the gods bless you and your family be strong!¡± the surrounding crowd cheered. Renewed blasts of confetti further littered the air and music started anew, trumpets and flutes pumping spirits high. Raising an eyebrow I turned towards Mia questioningly. Laughing she said, ¡°Oh, this was absolutely staged, well assuming that was what you were about to ask.¡± ¡°But why?¡± I asked. ¡°So that people don¡¯t leave the area, so that Westbend looks like an idyllic place to settle down. I guarantee that the rest of the town isn¡¯t nearly as glamorous.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Thinking about it for a mere moment, I totally agreed. Something to impress the average resident and thus the average hopeful resident. This was about keeping the newcomers and their money in the local economy. ¡°I cant wait until we actually arrive at the end of this tour, I¡¯m starving! Not to mention that I still need to do a bit of looking around. I really hope to leave first thing in the morning and that requires that I learn what I need to do today.¡± Now being reminded after my brief distraction, I turned to Mia and said, ¡°I can teach you how to make a fire pit. I was in the process of trying to burn down my shack when lieutenant Dan arrived yesterday. Dan, being a helpful neighbor, showed me how to make one and so now I get the opportunity to pay it forward.¡± ¡°Great, I guess more than a little good came from my bad luck earlier. Made a friend and I won¡¯t need to sleep in the cold tonight! It definitely could''ve been worse." ¡°Haha, well it depends on what time we finish the celebration. I actually might need to head back early because I left my blanket at home and I know the jacket alone isn''t enough to keep me warm at night. There is also the issue of my familiar at home needing more warmth too.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s right, I never learned your second class. Are you a hunter or something? Are you planning on raising a herd or turning your land into a hunting lodge?¡± Mia asked with gusto. Immediately regretting my slip but not wanting to alienate my first friend I laid it out as clearly as I could with the little time I had to think, ¡°Yeah, something like that.¡± I said. ¡°Well as soon as we finish eating, let''s head on back down the road and get to showing me that fire pit blueprint. I¡¯m also curious about what kind of familiar you have, seeing as how you didn¡¯t bring it and its vulnerable to cold. I mean the guys earlier had wolf pups, but you probably have a bear or something huh? Don¡¯t tell me, I want it to be a surprise!¡± Mia said, half talking to herself. ¡°Definitely not a wolf, that''s for sure¡± I mumbled. All the while thinking about how she was going to see Rumble and how to best introduce them. Dan saw Rumble and everything was okay, so why not Mia? With such thoughts on my mind and talking to Mia about different things we saw in store¡¯s windows, time was flying by. Noon came and went, with evening well on its way. Before I even knew it, we were to a large square, just up hill from the river and surrounded by vendors of all sorts of foods. There were meat pies, veggies, and fried everything. After a moment of letting the newcomers see the splendor of the prepared festivities, Mayor Black raised his voice loud enough to boom across the square. ¡°Welcome one, welcome all, and most of all lets welcome the newcomers! For today is the last day of Winter, and the first day of the rest of their lives! Lets eat, lets drink, and most of all lets make merry! Let the beer flow and the meals fill your stomachs, enjoy your day and may your future in Westbend be bright!¡± After a collective few moments the group of newcomers realized that they were done with the tour, offered free food and beverage, and had absolutely nothing else to do. ¡°WOOOT!¡± came the collective cheer. I started to ask Mia what we should eat and drink first when I noticed that her mind was whirling with new possibilities. ¡°Whats on your mind? What you want to try first?¡± ¡°No.¡± Mia responded. ¡°I was just thinking how great this is. We finished earlier than expected for one. Second, even though neither of us has any cash we can fill our bellies and possibly leave for home within the hour with a bundle of leftovers.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I haven¡¯t thought that far about what''s going on. But it does sound good, how about we fill up then decide what will or will not spoil over the next few days.¡± ¡°That sounds like a good start, but I recommend that you think a little further from now on, neither of us are in a position that allows too many mistakes.¡± Mia admonished. ¡°Fair enough, but at least I have a new friend that can help me out until I change my habits.¡± Mia look at me thoughtfully and then responded with a smile, ¡°That you do, and I¡¯m glad. Hopefully we don¡¯t become known as the ¡°smelly duo¡±, but rather ¡°the successful growers over east¡±.¡± We ate, we danced, we talked to other newcomers. Not many were interested in the farming life, but many promised to stop by, almost all of which were hunters or healers needing herbs. One thing was for certain, no expense was spared by the mayor in order to make the town seem absolutely amazing. The people were nice, and the free food/beverages did not hurt. In fact the rest of the day wrapped up nicely with no unfortunate events. Over the course of an hour we were able to fill our bellies, use Mia¡¯s blanket to hold enough food for the coming week, and set off back west towards our farms. Along the way we discussed our general likes and what we hoped for in the future, me wanting a slow relaxing life with Mia wanting a crop empire within the decade. As twilight was well underway, we finally approached my property¡¯s gate and it was already getting cold. Having been slowed down carrying the blanket of food, we had decided Mia would stay the night, keeping warm by the fire. In the morning we planned to part ways in order to tend to our own fields, but to meet up at her property within a few days. At least that was the plan, up until a monster started charging down the path towards us. 2 foot tall with red spines sticking out of its wildly flailing limbs, the thing was terrifying. Chapter 6: Busy little buddy ¡°What is that!?¡± Mia was screaming at me while we continued running away. ¡°How am I supposed to know!? When I left, the only things I knew of was the vine monsters that my familiar was hunting and my familiar!¡± I shouted back. As I shouted my response, I got worried. Why was I being chased by a monster? Was Rumble okay!? Glancing up at the top right of my vision I saw Rumble¡¯s health bar full but his stamina bar was draining fast¡­ along with a crying emoji. After a few moments of continued running while processing the situation, I realized that I was truly an idiot. I skidded to a stop and turned to face my familiar. Rumble however, did not stop. Crashing into me and bringing me down to the ground in a tight hug, Rumble was obviously glad to see me. Mia not knowing why I stopped, spared a glance to see me get bowled over by the aggressive plant. Spinning on her heel, trying to save her friend, she swung her leg and landed a solid hit on Rumble¡¯s core. With the mass of roots tumbling away, Mia grabbed me by the arm and started to pull me up. As I awkwardly accepted her help, while still being stunned by what just took place, Mia¡¯s leg gave out under the strain forcing me to instead support her weight as I quickly righted myself. ¡°Ugh, I got the ¡°hamstringed¡± debuff from that kick. I must¡¯ve really hurt my leg hitting that monster. I¡¯m not sure if we can take it though. The thing looks really solid and it easily bowled you over.¡± Mia stated. ¡°About that¡­ thats actually Rumble, my familiar. He has grown quite a bit since I left this morning but there is no doubt in my mind that it is him.¡± I explained ¡°Wait, you have a plant monster!? What kind of hunter are you!? Mia vigorously inquired. ¡°Well, I did¡¯t ever tell you what my primary class was. Frankly I didn¡¯t want word of it spreading until I got a handle on the class and how it synergizes with my secondary farmer class. I replied. Mia still being supported by me leaned back in order to give me a disbelieving stare with one of her eyebrows raised in a look that screamed ¡°are you serious right now? ¡°Looking back I should¡¯ve mentioned it on the way back but now I¡¯ve got to make up for lost time. This plant monster approaching us is Rumble, my tree plant familiar. He is tough, fearless, and will happily snuggle you for warmth. So why don¡¯t we get you into the house, warmed up, and situated before dark. With your leg hurt, you will probably just want to sit by the fire while I prepare for the night.¡± Still obviously annoyed with me, Mia allowed me to help her towards the shack. As we approached, Rumble finally righted himself and caught up to us. As they came closer together, Mia stopped me and bent down towards the familiar. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry for a moment ago. Your partner is a little slow on the up and up, hopefully this didn¡¯t ruin our prospects of being friends though. I would be happy to be friends if you are up to it little guy.¡± Mia sweetly offered. With a smiling emoji in the top right of my vision, I saw Rumble close the final distance between himself and Mia before grabbing her legs, tripping her, and catching her in a sitting position perched on top of his core. With Mia confusedly sitting atop his head, Rumble started off towards the shack. ¡°What¡¯s he doing!?¡± Mia questioned after a moment. ¡°I think he took your offer to heart and now ya¡¯ll are best buds!¡± I replied. ¡°He is probably taking you to get warm inside since he could tell that your leg is not doing so well after ya¡¯lls introduction.¡± Mia looking both surprised and impressed, started to relax and enjoy the ride. ¡°I think we are gonna be good friends Rumble. But you and your partner both need to get better at introductions¡­. You wouldn¡¯t believe how Brad and I met each other, we even got scolded by some snooty politician within moments of saying hi to each other. ¡° She went on to explain. As the two disappeared up the path and into the shack I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head and laugh while picking up all the spilled food. The food now covered in dirt was a lot less appetizing but still essential for our survival. Sure I had eggs but they only last so long. ¡°I wonder if I can buy some chickens of my own soon, I would love to have a steady supply of my own without having to spend precious coin everytime I fried up a few.¡± Having gathered all the food bigger than crumbs, I started to make my way towards the shack. Making my way closer I noticed random chunks of wood and more than a few withered leaves piled in small little neat clusters along the side of the path. Peering closer at them multiple message boxes popped up over them, most of which were describing them as various dead monsters. After having passed over a dozen of them an exceptionally flashy box appeared with a burst of fanfare and sound. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
Congratulations Achievement Earned! ¡°Make notes and learn their names¡± Bestiary Tab unlocked Defeat more unique species to earn their page Defeat more of the same species to unlock more details on their page
Caught off guard, I didn¡¯t actually process what the message meant until my third reading of it.Impressed at the possibilities, I opened up my menu and saw the new tab; clicking on it I was surprised to see quite a few monsters that I had never fought. ¡°Lasher (Vine)¡± was the only one I really recognized but I definitely didn¡¯t remember beating as many as was listed. Apparently I had defeated 19 of them. One thing was obvious, it wasn¡¯t me but rather Rumble had been a very busy familiar with a very zealous work ethic. Curiosity hitting me, I closed the bestiary and opened up my familiars page and found little change in his information. Not one to give up, I continued onto my own status screen and found a massive change. ¡°Plant Familiar Skill¡± had risen all the way to level 2 and was also already 93% of the way through that! ¡°Wow that little guy has been busy! He only got 5% per monster before I left and I bet he gets even less now.¡± Impressed at my little companion I continued up the path making note of all the piles that I would need to comeback to to loot. ¡°I really wonder if he¡¯s that strong because druid is legendary or if part of it is my farming skill having additional effects outside of just HP.¡± Arriving at the door I saw Mia inside on her knees checking out the low quality emergency fire pit that I had. As I approached she turned to me with respect in plastered on her face. ¡°I know Lieutenant Dan helped build the firepit but I doubt he helped gather all the wood. I can¡¯t believe you managed to collect it all yesterday before turning in, or even if you woke up early before needing to leave for the introduction in Westbend.¡± Mia stated with genuine emotion. ¡°Wait, what now? When I left, I had all of like 1 log left, that''s obviously not that much.¡± I replied. Looking over where the log should¡¯ve been, I was surprised to find an unorganized pile of small sticks, nothing large, but a huge pile of loose sticks as thick as my thumb with the occasional thicker piece no longer than a foot long. The pieces in general were better for a quick hot fire, but had just enough to keep a small one going for most of the cold night if rationed. ¡°Rumble, did you do this?¡± I asked already knowing the answer as I saw little happy emojis flashing in my vision with him noticing my reactions. ¡°I should¡¯ve chosen Ranger¡­¡± Mia said flatly. ¡°If I had a familiar half as useful as that, then I definitely wouldn¡¯t have had such a rough night yesterday. I¡¯m guessing he was also the one to kill all those monsters outside?¡± ¡°To my knowledge, yes. I definitely didn¡¯t kill all of those, but I absolutely got credit for them. Rumble leveled my familiar skill and checking the bodies earned me an achievement that unlocked a new menu tab called ¡°Bestiary. I still need to go back and loot them but I wanted to bring in the food.¡± ¡°Well, let''s eat first and hopefully my leg will feel better. Afterwards we can try to get a few thicker logs before nightfall and we can also collect all the loot so that we can appraise it before bedtime.¡± Mia offered. ¡°That sounds like a plan.¡± I replied. After eating a solid meal of bread, cheeses, and dried meats, Mia¡¯s leg was feeling better after having regained health. Making our way outside we approached each fallen monster one by one, gathering them on the makeshift blanket litter we carried the food with. Having gathered all the monsters, we proceeded to chop and collect thicker pieces of wood for the coming night. With Mia¡¯s help I was able to build up a small surplus to help me tomorrow in case I got back late from helping Mia set up her own fire and supply. Rumble meanwhile continued to beat the ever living snot out of random plants, monsters and ugly plants included. After having watched him for a while, I convinced him to gather his kills into a pile along with the others gathered earlier in the corner of our shack. Having gathered wood well into the last stages of twilight, the sky was barely illuminated enough to walk back to the shack safely. With the fire lit and a healthy store of wood for the coming night, I wedged a stick in the door frame to hold the door shut. Mia meanwhile had started to carefully pick up and sort all the monster loot. ¡°Nothing amazing, but for just arriving you are sitting pretty with all this loot¡±! Mia was telling me excitedly. ¡°The most valuable item is still considered trash quality, but piles of trash still mean a heap of copper! It also means a heap of experience for Merchant skill!¡± ¡°What does your skill do?¡± I asked Mia while contemplating what I would want to buy first. Sure, a few chickens would be awesome for my daily breakfast, but with my skills I would be better off investing in some plants to harvest. ¡°¡®Merchant¡¯s Eye¡¯ is the Merchant class skill I¡¯m using here, it lets me gauge an item''s quality and worth. The information is highly limited right now but I bet it will be really informative at higher levels.¡± She said. And so the night continued, bantering back and forth while discussing what each item''s general worth was. Eventually with heavy eyelids we stretched out next to the fire and fell asleep, Rumble positioned right in the nook of my armpit. Chapter 7: Pandora established As the morning light broke into the shack through the large hole in the would be roof, Rumble started to stir and spread his branches. Normally I could sleep through anything, but the whip like motion of green branches spreading out forcefully gave me a sore face. Having at some point in the night moved to use him as a pillow, Rumble had turned into a face punch waiting to happen¡­ which it did. ¡°Ow!¡± I screamed. Bursting onto my feet ready to do battle, I quickly came to figure out the situation. With Mia startled awake not to far away, I quickly started to explain what happen in an attempt to de escalate the now crazy moment. ¡°Sorry for waking you up, Rumble must¡¯ve accidentally hit me in the face as the sun came up. I need to build him a planter or something because I can¡¯t survive with that becoming a regular thing.¡± ¡°HA HA HA!¡± Mia started to laugh uncontrollably upon seeing my face. ¡°You have a huge red mark across your face! I can definitely see his handiwork. So all jokes aside, did he do that yesterday too? Is that how he eats or does he need to consume other stuff too?¡± ¡°Um, I¡¯m really not quite sure.¡± I embarrassingly replied. ¡°He did spread out yesterday morning wanting to soak up some sunshine while I ate breakfast, but I really haven¡¯t noticed too much more about his eating habits. I''m sure he would tell me if he needed anything more. At that moment the top right of my vision lit up with a flashing smile emoji. Upon clicking on it I was greeted by a new message and previously hidden portion of my menu. It turned out to be a nourishment tab. It was dominated by a mostly empty circle that had what appeared to be liquified sunshine sloshing around at the bottom along with a 8 / 100 marking with the words ¡°Accumulated Sunshine¡±. ¡°Apparently Rumble has a Sunshine pool that he needs to refill for nourishment¡±; I told Mia. ¡°There is more to the page, but it is mostly grayed out and not available to select. There seems to be more that needs discovered, hopefully that will come with time.¡± ¡°Well, at least you now know this much. I wonder if there are any more tabs to be unlocked. Heck, there seems to be a near infinite amount of hidden tabs. I unlocked one yesterday when I renamed my farm. It even gave me a reward for it, and gave me a bin for selling things I produce on my farm. It was pretty great, it almost immediately synchronized with my merchant class and started allowing me to set my own prices, within reason that is.¡± ¡°Wait, what!?¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Just renaming your farm did all that!? I gotta rename mine right now! I can¡¯t believe something so important is hidden away. ¡°Settle down Brad, its not like you are that far behind. We¡¯ve been here for a total of 2 days. Besides, even if you had money from selling something yesterday, what would you buy? Your fields are full of monsters and tall grass, so seeds wouldn¡¯t even be useful yet. The best thing would be to settle down, figure out a good name, and start planning out what you will be doing with your farm. You probably already have a plan right? I personally am looking to be a mostly merchant farmer that goes around offering my enrichment services to other farmers. Sure I will have decent soil for good plants, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to compete with a more self-serving farmer that was also purchasing my services.¡± Stunned into silence it took me a moment to respond. ¡°Wow Mia, you plan quite far ahead. I mean you are level 1 Stone rank and you are already planning on running a farming service company? I haven¡¯t even figured out what I¡¯m gonna grow, or how to do it.¡± ¡°Well I would suggest making use of your name to stand apart from the others. Something catchy and meaningful, something like ¡°Rumble¡¯s Domain¡±. ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to pass on that suggestion. I like Rumble, but I am not going to name the land after him. Ugh, these past few days have been too crazy. I swear that ever since the first menu opened up that my life has been full of exhaustion and crazy situations. I really hope this farm turns out to be my calm oasis in the world.: ¡°Then why don¡¯t you call it ¡°Pandora Estate¡± or just ¡°Pandora¡± for short? I mean it fits with what you just asked for. Crazy on the outside, with your future hopes contained within. As for what to do next, I have a proposition. You are not a dedicated farmer and will probably not grow the absolute best produce, but you will most likely have a consistent harvest while protected by Rumble. So my idea is this, you two help me clear my fields too, we grow both sets of fields together and then use my merchant skills to sell everything for a higher price.¡± ¡°As great as that sounds, we just met each other Mia, I¡¯m not sure that''s the best idea for new acquaintances.¡± ¡°Normally I would agree¡±; she went on to say. ¡°But we are both poor with nothing to lose and equally weak prospects alone when considering produce quality. I can sell my stuff for more, but I will most likely spend it all fighting off monsters. Whereas you will be selling produce for market rates without any kind of boost that others would have, be it merchant, rancher, or herbalist secondary classes. So at the very least let''s try a single season''s worth of cooperation. If you don¡¯t like it, then we split what we made and go for it alone from then on out.¡± ¡° I mean, I am not entirely opposed to it¡­ I just don¡¯t want it to go south and risk us now continuing to be friends. We just got here and haven¡¯t met many people yet, but I have a feeling that after that first impression we made in town, we might have limited options without moving.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can disagree with that sadly, but think of this as a potential to become better friends.¡± And worst case, we won¡¯t be too attached if things do go south in our partnership.¡± she added matter of factly. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Fine, let''s do this and hope for the best.¡± I stated. Just then a message popped up outlining our deal and asking if both parties agreed. As I saw Mia¡¯s signature box glow green with a checkmark I hit decline. Puzzled Mia asked; ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I have got to change the name of my farm first, I don¡¯t know how changing it later would affect things in the agreement.¡± I explained. Flipping through the menus I found the section for changing the name of the farm. Entering the name ¡°Pandora Estate¡± I was greeted with a confirmation window that I quickly affirmed my decision with. Following that change I was greeted with an expected window, with an unexpected addition.
Congratulations Achievement Earned ¡°This is my land to name¡± Produce sales Bin unlocked Your druid class has upgraded this achievements benefit Your land is now considered a druids domain Assert your love for the land you control and your dominance over all within in order to unlock further awards
¡°Well, my druid class upgraded my land into a druid''s domain. Not sure what that means, but it probably will be giving me some awesome boosts to crop growth. Hopefully it will help make our first season here more lucrative. I really want a house with a chimney instead of a shack full of tetanus covered loose nails with a hole in the roof.¡± ¡°Thats great! Maybe it will boost Rumble or ward off random monsters.¡± Mia pondered aloud. ¡°Well, I guess we should get back to the agreement, lets see what we can figure out together and split the results 50/50. If we like the outcome, then we will continue it another season. If we don¡¯t, we try our hands independently of one another. Agreed?¡± ¡°Agreed¡±;Mia consented as the deal appeared and we both applied our signatures. So with the deal set and the day just begun, we went about eating a breakfast full of discussing our seasonal plan. We would start of by clearing as much of my field as possible and get it started growing first. Mia would also be staying on my farm this season in order to help facilitate the best growth. We knew that we couldn¡¯t get all 80 acres of a single farm until we were both of the next tier, the stamina and equipment just wasn¡¯t present for us. Having been given permission to use my produce bin by the deal, Mia went about selling the monster loot from the days prior. The plan was to get the coin by early next morning, leaving today open for clearing the fields and learning what quantity of seed we need for tomorrow when we would actually have coins in the bank from the monster loot sale. Picking weeds by hand and moving rocks when encountered, I was able to clear a decent patch of dirt by the time Mia arrived back from the produce bin. Having toggled with all the pricing, she would be able to squeeze out a slightly higher margin than if we hadn¡¯t done anything but put them in the bin. ¡°Where is Rumble?¡± Mia asked. ¡°Is he not going to help clear the land?¡± ¡°No, there isn¡¯t enough cleared space and way too much tall grass. I am hoping he can keep anything from jumping out of the nearby weeds and attacking one of us. Sure we could take a Lasher or two, but I am worried we will get seriously hurt.¡± ¡°You are right, it would be better for him to play interceptor for now. Maybe once we either get a little stronger ourselves, or we get it so we can actually see them coming first. Besides, if we can get the extra loot before midnight, we will have more coin to use come tomorrow¡¯s trip back into town.¡± ¡°Agreed. Who knows, maybe Rumble will level my familiar skill a few more times today!¡± I added hopefully. As noon arrived, we started to eat lunch while discussing the best route for the rest of the day. Mia, having remembered something that we had both forgot about, made a very good point. ¡°I had forgotten that I started with a few seeds! Did you get any?¡± She exclaimed and asked hurriedly. ¡°Thats right! I do have a few, I say we plant those in the morning once we have enough land cleared.¡± I responded. ¡°I think we can do better. You continue clearing the soil, I will run home and empty out my cabinets to bring here. Then tomorrow I will still do a purchase run in the city to buy more seeds using our coin. That way we can plant a second day in a row with a larger yield when it comes time for harvest.¡± She suggested. ¡°Thinking it over, I agree. But I am worried about how much I can actually do tomorrow without your help, much less today while you are gone grabbing the stuff. If you buy more seed then it might take 3 or 4 days to plant everything. Will we be able to grow and harvest everything if we wait until the 6th day to plant some of the crops? I¡¯m guessing Spring capable crops don''t handle the heat of Summer very well.¡± ¡°You may be right¡­ How about we use some of the coin to purchase a crop guide or something similar in function? Does that sound fine with you?¡± she asked. ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± I agreed. So with the next few days mapped out, we finished our lunch and set off and got back to our tasks. One thing was for sure, the next few days were going to be miserable with all the work that had to be done. But in all honesty, I was glad that I had a friend to do it with. Chapter 8: The start of something big As the new day started I was greeted by the hard whack of Rumble feeling the first rays of light making their way into the shack. With a groan of pain that only a fellow man would understand, I was officially awake. ¡°Just a little longer, I bet it''s still cold out!¡± Mia groggily said. ¡°What the heck Rumble!? No more sleeping next to me if thats how you are going to wake up every morning!¡± With an embarrassed and crying pair of emojis I knew he was sorry, but in all honesty I wasn¡¯t about to forgive his wanting to be the worst alarm clock available. But now awake with the pain starting to fade, even if the nausea wasn¡¯t quite yet, I made my way over to the cabinet in order to get breakfast started. Come to find out, when Mia arrived back yesterday evening from her property we realized that we started with different supplies of roughly the same value/usefulness. Instead of an axe and shovel, she had a machete and trowel. Yes, their functions were quite different but they allowed us a bit more ease while working together on the same property. She also had different seeds. Instead of cauliflower and potato seeds, she had 15 green bean seeds and 5 strawberry seeds along with some posts and wire to string them along while they grow. All in all, our seeds selections were pretty well suited to us. Mine were pretty simple in terms of how to grow them. Plant, water, and harvest once. Her seeds needed a few extra steps and even extra harvests. With the eggs starting to cook and the oil to pop, Mia started to stir once more. ¡°Ugh, this dirt floor is definitely needing to be replaced. I wonder how expensive some cheap beds would be. Maybe we can just grab some of the tall grass and make mattresses tonight once the sun starts to go down.¡± Mia commented. ¡°Ya, I was thinking something similar myself. I don¡¯t know much about construction or crafting, but I bet we could figure out something as simple as piles of grass. I was also thinking that maybe we should get a book explaining how to do a few simple crafts to help with farming.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see what I can find in town. I will try to get back as fast as I can, but I may need to hit up a few different shops to make sure we get the best deals for what we buy. Right now our coin is low and Rumble is currently the only profitable part of our business venture.¡± As those last few words were said, a rustle of leaves came from my sleeping area accompanied by an ecstatic emoji. ¡°That he is, but I¡¯m hoping he will be able to help me plant some seeds today. Maybe he can use the shovel or use his roots to stir up the dirt. If I have to do everything then it will be an extremely long day, especially since I still need to cut down the tall grass, expose the soil, and plant the seeds.¡± I said. ¡°Oh! I meant to ask this yesterday, but do you think the plants will be safe from monsters?¡± Mia asked in a fit of worry. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, hopefully they are. Even if its just safe for them at night, then we could do patrols during the day. Ugh, there sure is a lot that we need to worry about. Should we wait to plant anything until we can read up on this stuff tonight?¡± I asked. ¡°I really do not want to wait, but it might be for the best. If we lose all of our seeds because of monsters then we are totally screwed.¡± Mia conceded. ¡°You are pretty good at cooking eggs by the way. You somehow managed to avoid getting the edges burnt!¡± ¡°Haha, I got in trouble a lot during school. I had to work in the cafeteria almost daily for the last few years.¡± ¡°You do not seem like the bad boy type to me.¡± Mia bluntly stated. ¡°I¡¯m not, I just slept in all the time.¡± ¡°Really!? You got up so early the past few days, so I am pretty surprised to hear that.¡± Mia said. ¡°Mia, that''s only because you can sleep through someone screaming in pain. Let¡¯s hope the shack doesn¡¯t burn down at night, because you won¡¯t make it out. I jokingly said. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°Ya, Rumble keeps hitting me awake whenever the sun comes up.¡± I explained. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Oh, well, maybe we can get him his own little blanket to sleep with at night. That way you can sleep in too!¡± Mia suggested. ¡°That can be a long term goal we set. For now let''s focus on getting enough coin before we run out of food.¡± I said. ¡°Agreed, we should focus on knowledge, tools, and food for the foreseeable future. Maybe we can buy a few chicks to raise like you suggested. Anything that can help us become more sustainable and or profitable.¡± ¡°Well, you have our coin. Make sure that you get what you can and get back early. If you can get back early enough then you can help me finish the preparations for planting while Rumble spends more time hunting monsters in order to refill our coffers.¡± ¡°Once again, I agree. I¡¯ll also try out using my farming skill tonight. I¡¯m not sure how much it affects and to what degree, but the time required to use it is 30 minutes and it has a 23 hour cooldown.¡± Mia stated. ¡°What skill is that!? That sounds insane! It better be an awesome skill. I mean, it seems like leveling that would be a huge pain." I said emphatically. ¡°Ya, that is what I thought after I had already selected it. The skills choice menu really doesn¡¯t describe your options well. The skill is Enrich, it enriches the soil and raises the quality of the dirt. Like I had told you before, my goal is to have a ¡®Farming services¡¯ business. I want to go around to other farms, selling services to help their farms become more profitable. I was thinking that if I leveled up Enrich enough that I could surely do a whole farm per day and start raking in some cash without all the hard work of farming.¡± She said. ¡°If you didn¡¯t want the hard work of farming then why did you choose Farmer as you class?¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°Because I didn¡¯t want to live the city life. At least I didn¡¯t think so, and now I definitely don''t want to after seeing what it was like yesterday. I¡¯ve always dreamed of having a house looking over the rolling hills with a pond out back that I could drift in while taking a dip for some swimming fun.¡± She said as she fantasized about it. ¡°Okay¡­ Well, hopefully we can make some good money this season to get us both off of the ground and on our way towards our dreams.¡± ¡°What is your dream? Why did you choose farmer and druid? I get why druid, after entering into our contract I was able to pull up a basic profile on you since we are partners. I saw that it is a legendary class. I didn''t even get an epic option, much less anything so awesome. What are your goals with farming?¡± ¡°Well, I loved farming games in school. I also loved playing tabletop role playing games, so I have a passion for making funny character builds that hopefully are stronger than the summation of the individual parts. I figured a plant focused druid build would benefit greatly from a farming class.¡± ¡°Rumble is great, but did being a farmer actually help him yet?¡± Mia asked. ¡°Ya, it did. So far I only know of his HP being directly affected by my skill ¡®Bountiful harvest¡¯, but I suspect that more of his stats have been impacted as well. I can¡¯t see his full profile yet, so I am still unsure.¡± ¡°Oh, then that worked out!. I am also glad to hear that ¡®Bountiful harvest¡¯ was the skill that you chose!¡± ¡°It has turned out well so far. It probably helped keep him alive through more than one of his battles so far.¡± As I said that Rumble started to rustle his leaves in agreement. Sharing a laugh, we finished our breakfast shortly after and went out and got started with our day. With her blanket tied around her shoulders like a makeshift backpack, Mia set off down the road with a final farewell and promised to return as fast as she could. With farewells said, I turned to the work ahead of me. I figured that I would start cutting the tall grass, in the field, as close to the ground as possible. Having accomplished that, I planned to have Rumble carry the pile of grass into the home while I turned the soil for seeds to be planted in, and hopefully chop up the remaining grass bits enough that the grass stalks wouldn¡¯t regrow. Almost immediately after starting to cut grass, Rumble took of into the grass and a moment later I saw 3 foot long stick get launched through the air and into the road. With Rumble bursting forth after it, the stick sprouted two hooked stick arms and 6 stick legs. As the battle between them raged a description popped up over the creature describing it as a Mantis (branch variant). With its razor like arms it started to slice chunks off of Rumble¡¯s bark. Piece by piece his armor was getting hacked off but in return Rumble was yanking it back and forth and slamming it into the ground. After a few moments more the monster went flying across the road and into a rock sitting at the edge. Before the thing could get back up, Rumble himself was smashing into it and finishing the fight. Running up to help my familiar finish the thing off, I noticed that the thing was already lootable. As I bent over to check what was on the body a notification flashed before my eyes.
Area quest: Survive the swarm
¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me!¡± I screamed out at the floating box. ¡°I literally just arrived here, got a plan together, and was going to plant seeds! Ugh, Rumble we¡¯ve got some work to do. Keep an eye out, we are going to stick close to one another for a bit. If you see anymore then let me know and we will tag team them.¡± With nothing but a bob up and down along with a saluting emoji, we got cautiously back to work in the field. Chapter 9: A successful morning Continuing with our work in the field, Rumble and I managed to clear a decent section of grassland just off of the path up to the shack. Chugging away, the work ended up going a lot faster than I had expected. We had mostly focused on chopping the grass down close to the dirt. While I did the chopping, Rumble kept a lookout for monsters while piling the stalks of grass up into several piles taller than he was. Now standing over two feet tall, he was quite the little defender. With his root like appendages now as thick as my arm, he was starting to shape up as something formidable and terrifying for the local vine lashers. At this point his main attack consisted of charging them and using his momentum to grab them and forcibly yank on them. The momentum usually did one of two things, either rip them up and away from the ground or to yank them apart. Either way Rumble usually slammed what it was holding onto the ground or back onto the main portion of the monster. After having dealt with the threats, they were all then piled onto a separate loot stack to be sorted through by Mia during dinner. As the morning came to an end and lunchtime arrived, I realized that I had never seen Rumble ¡°eat¡± outside of his early morning sunbath. ¡°Rumble, do you ever need to drink water?¡± I asked curiously. Upon the question being asked a box popped up informing me that Rumble¡¯s datasheet had been updated. Opening the menu with an inward groan, I saw that Rumble did indeed have water requirements and that he was mostly full. ¡°How are you mostly full of water? I have never seen you get a drink of water from the well like I have.¡± I remarked. Rumble popped up a laughing emoji while walking over to the monster pile. Upon reaching the pile he picked up one of the thicker vine lashers and ripped its main trunk open. As the wound opened it released a thick sap like ooze which Rumble sipped up with a few of his finer roots. The roots didn¡¯t absorb it very quickly, but they did soak it up all the same. ¡°Isn¡¯t that cannibalism?¡± I asked Rumble. What I got in return was a red-faced steam eared emoji, obviously Rumble thought it was quite different. Having had my question answered, I started up the path towards the shack while yelling back to my familiar. ¡°I am going to get something to eat, do you want to join me for a break?¡± Rumble replied with a quick side to side motion. Upon finishing his obvious negative response, he proceeded to go back to monster hunting the nearby grass. As one of the predators hunting the area, he was well on his way to the apex of the local pecking order. Back at the shack I decided to grab Mia¡¯s pot that she brought with her other starting supplies. Where I had a pan, she had gotten a pot. Not the best for a lot, but much better for boiling than my pan was. Trying to change up the menu I filled it with a few cups of water and placed it over the fire. Once I had a steady boil I threw in a few eggs. After my lunch had finished cooking and cooling down, I sat just outside of the cleared portion of land looking over the morning¡¯s progress. We had cleared a rough square that was about 20 feet per side. Not the biggest plot of land, but I doubted I would ever have to hand clear that much grass again. As my thoughts continued to ponder the remaining work, I saw and heard what appeared to be a large stick tossed up into the air and out into the road. One quickly turned to two, and then suddenly Rumble shot into the road carrying a third in his arms like a club. Glancing up to the right I saw his HP (hit points) were already at half and continuing to fall. Throwing my half eaten egg at the monsters in the road, I ran over to grab the machete and join Rumble in combat. By the time that we had won the battle, Rumble was down to just a few leaves left and a pretty bare trunk that should¡¯ve been covered with bark. As for myself, I had quite a few minor cuts and a fairly large one down my leg. We both ended the fight with less than 15% health left, with my unarmored frame having taken quite a bit of damage from relatively minor wounds. I was however greeted with a great message. My plant familiar skill had reached level 4! With it came a larger pool of hit points for myself and Rumble. He was also visibly larger, now standing at around 2 and a half feet tall and just as wide. As we both remain sitting in the road, waiting to finish healing, we saw a horse drawn cart approaching us from the direction of Westbend. On the cart sat an old man and a young woman. The old man seemed to be healthy, but fairly thin and haggard. Next to him though sat a bright eyed Mia. It was obvious from her expression that good news was abound and that we were going to be doing well in the coming days. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Once the cart arrived where we were laying, Rumble and I had already recovered and were starting to dust off our clothes. With Mia and the old man looming over us from the carriage, I threw up a hand in greeting. With my gestured returned we were formally introduced by my business partner. ¡°This is ¡°Old Sal¡±, he owns a large plot of land a few hours up the road that produces most of the wood used locally for construction. Mia said for the introduction. ¡°Sal, this is Brad. He is the business partner that I told you about. And as you can see, he did just fine this morning with monsters and clearing the area to plant!¡± ¡°You were right, he did indeed handle himself in your absence.¡± Old Sal said. Upon seeing the confused look on my face he continued ; ¡°This little lady and I met in town while we were both shopping for seeds. She had asked me for recommendations on what to buy as a new farmer and upon hearing her out I was quite worried that you were here by yourself during a monster swarm area quest. Obviously you have seen your share of monsters judging by that pile over there, but I can hardly believe such a new farmer is strong enough to fight them all off. I myself have to keep guard dogs around in order to protect my workers from harm.¡± ¡°Well, I am not alone. As you can see I have my familiar to protect me.¡± As realization hit me, I got worried that someone had seen Rumble and about the amount of questions heading my way. With a quick glance at Mia, I saw her motioning for me to quit speaking and to drop the topic. Being confused I looked around and didn¡¯t see Rumble next to me, only a sway in the grass just off the road. Old Sal after having not seen anything cleared his throat and started speaking once more:¡±Ha, they do that quite often from what I hear. Whenever familiars first get to a new plot of land, they spend weeks establishing to the local fauna and wildlife that they are the top of the totem pole.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes a lot of sense actually. He has been obsessing about monster extermination. I¡¯ve already hit level 4 from all of his fighting!¡± I said. Mia with a surprised look exclaimed: ¡°LEVEL 4!? Are your serious? I was so happy to have hit level 3 today. I literally spent hours researching the farming markets, asking around, and haggling for better deals!¡± ¡°Well, it looks like your friend here will help you catch up soon. Look over there Mia, you have plenty of monster drops to haggle with traders about. Y''all will do well with that loot and will have a respectable business in no time.¡± Old Sal said to calm her down. With my curiosity piqued I asked: ¡°So with all that talk about your time in town and how well you did, what did we get!? You¡¯ve kept me waiting to long already!¡± As Mia started to open her mouth Old Sal interjected: ¡°Its been wonderful meeting you two, but I really must get along. I sadly don¡¯t have time to dawdle much longer, but I promise to be back next week to pick you up if you need to go to town again. I usually pass by here an hour before dawn.¡± ¡°Oh! Of course, once again I am super thankful of how much help you gave me! I¡¯m not sure if I can wake up that early, but I will try to be ready at that time!¡± Mia replied as she hurriedly tried to pass off a crate of supplies down for me to grab. Once I had firm control of the crate, she swung around, grabbed 2 small pouches, thanked Old Sal, and jumped down from the cart. ¡°Thanks once again, I hope your ride home goes smoothly!¡± She added. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll be sure to take it easy. I don¡¯t want anything to charge out and catch us unaware.¡± The old man stated as he started his horses back on down the road. Waving goodbye until he was a ways away, we eventually turned to look at each other once again. ¡°What happened while you were in town¡±? ¡°What happened while I was in town?¡± We both asked at the same time. ¡°Well I¡­¡± We both started. After an awkward few moments of going back and forth we decided that I would go first since it was a pretty straightforward story. Having explained my story, Mia was impressed by all that had went on and the fact that an area quest started so soon. ¡°I heard about the quest from some farmers who got to town just after it had started. I was actually worried and tried to come back!¡± She insisted. ¡°The guards wouldn¡¯t let anyone below copper rank leave until it ended, unless they were escorted by someone iron or higher.¡± ¡°Well the quest is still on¡­ so I guess you got Old Sal to be your escort?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°Yes, that is exactly what happened. He was helping me pick out some guides, tools, and seeds when the news broke. With a little bit of asking and a bit of pity on his part, he promised to bring me out here on the condition that we would barricade ourselves in the shack if things seemed to need it. I told him that you were more than able to clear out a few monsters and actually made a small bet with him. If you were barely surviving then I owed him breakfast next time he passed by, but if I won then he would let us have a few planks of wood before he sold the rest at market next week. I¡¯m pretty sure he thought level 2 or 3 stone rankers would make for a safe bet.¡± ¡°He seemed pretty nice, and judging from that bet he is a pretty caring person. If he won, then he would¡¯ve just increased my chances of survival by bringing you here for minimal reward. And if you had won, then that meant I was okay and he just gave away more money than we both have collectively.¡± ¡°I did not think about it that way. I think you are right on that point. We both better thank him when he passes by next week.¡± With a laugh I shook my head no and said: ¡°You think I¡¯m waking up that early? I¡¯ll catch up with him on his way back! So, stop stalling, what did you get?¡± Chapter 10: Never ignore an "Event" Mia excitedly opened the pouches she had purchased while in town while explaining what was in them. ¡°So these two pouches have skill crystals in them! One for me and one for you.¡± As I started to open my mouth to ask about the price Mia hurriedly interjected with: ¡°Oh hush, they are common non class skills. If cheap was made physical, these would be them. Apparently they are only made to sell because it is a way for artificers to level while recouping some cost on materials. The skills are ¡®business management-basic¡¯, and it apparently means the bare minimum needed to manage your business.¡± ¡°Why do we need this so early? We haven¡¯t grown anything yet¡­ I doubt we need menus to keep track of our few coppers.¡± I replied. ¡°See I initially thought the exact same thing, but Old Sal threw them in my shopping basket and said that these were only second to the guides in terms of starting out. And with how much coin that man was spending at the counter, he knows enough to teach us a few things.¡± Mia informed me. ¡°I see¡­ well I guess let''s learn the skills. Did you find out how to use them?¡± ¡°Ya, Sal said to press them against your forehead for 5 seconds. He also recommended that we sit when using them. Apparently it brings up quite a few information panels when first learned at the basic level. When I asked him why he once again brought up that they are always being made by the new and least experienced artificers so they always have issues. Don''t complain though, they were super cheap!¡± Mia said while cutting off my complaints. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to complain. I was uh, just going to ask if there was a difference between the two. So is there?¡± Raising her left eyebrow with a slight tilt of her head accompanying it, Mia said: ¡°No, they both are the cheapest, non trash quality crystals I could find.¡± And with that, we both lifted the crystals to our foreheads and held them for about 10 seconds before they lit up, vanished into dust, and left a flurry of windows flashing through each of our minds. With such a large amount of windows popping up, we both were grateful for the tip to sit down. A final rush of windows cascaded through my vision before a loud ¡°DING!¡± blasted through my ears. With a groggy moan caused from being overwhelmed, Mia said: ¡°Well, I can completely agree that mine did indeed have issues. And looking at you, so did yours. ¡°That''s the understatement of the century. Honestly the worst part was the deafening chime at the end.¡± ¡°You got a chime? I got a gong that went off with every window that appeared! I quite literally feel like a herd of elephants just charged through my head.¡± Mia complained. ¡°Wait what? I only had one ding sound at the end, but it was super loud. Are you saying you had a sound go off with every new window!?¡± I questioned in surprise. ¡°Yes, and it was overwhelmingly a 1 out of 10 star performance. Nothing but rapid hits of the world''s largest gong. I bet the artificer leveled up his combat skills with that one.¡± she joked. ¡°Well, I guess we might as well dive into it to see what it brings up for us. Now that we have the skill, we might as well start using it.¡± I commented in order to move along with the day. Opening our menus, we found that our business was already loaded with a profile. Its tab was above another tab on the left side of my vision. The other tab had a locked symbol covering the entire tab. Opening the tab labeled business, I was greeted by the name slot containing the word ¡°business¡±. ¡°Um Mia, why is our business named ¡®business¡¯¡±? I asked curiously. ¡°Because we made the agreement when neither of us had this skill unlocked. We should be able to change it now. I say we rename it later tonight, we can think on it before bed. Right now, check out the map! It is awesome, we are able to designate different areas for different crops and we can set up a standard pricing catalog that we apply to all of our produce shipments to town! Do you know how much time this is going to save me?¡± Mia exclaimed with joy. ¡°Huh, that''s nice. But it looks like we have to manually input everything. Probably because we are at such a low level with the skill. Overall it is pretty cool, but let''s get those farming guides opened so that we can plant before the day is up.¡± I reminded Mia. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Oh, no need. Sal told me to plant everything as soon as we can and to follow the directions in the bag of seeds. Apparently the seeds are sold with a slip of paper detailing basic care for the crop in question. The farming guides will be useful when we work up schedules for harvesting, enriching the soil, watering, and keeping pests away.¡± Mia went on explaining. ¡°Hrm, okay. Then let''s get back into the field and get everything into the ground before night time. We can plan out the extras tonight before bed.¡± ¡°That sounds like a plan. Do you want me to plant the seeds while you turn the soil before me?¡± Mia questioned. ¡°Excuse me, what do you mean turn the soil? Do you mean break it up?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Yes I do. How do you not know the terminology? Never mind, don''t answer that. Go ahead before me and break up all the soil in front of me in order to loosen the hard packed ground. This will help the roots to grow and hopefully lead to a better harvest. You can also leave the grass stubble in the overturned ground. It would be best to burn it first but we are not quite ready to have fire near our fields. We would really need to invest in safety and fire control equipment first.¡± Mia went on to explain. ¡°Okay, that sounds like a plan, hopefully we can plant everything tonight and work on the posts and wire for the vine crops tomorrow.¡± So off towards the field we went. Upon arriving to the cleared plot of land we heard a hiss. Within moments something lunged out from the grass and time seemed to slow down momentarily. During which my body seemed to freeze and a window came into view followed by some eerily manic music.
Event Mini Boss Encountered Python Lasher
As the music started to fall towards the background ambience, time started to move once more. As the snake barely missed me due to a shocked stumbling dodge to my right, I saw Rumble fly by grasping its tail. ¡°Brad, this is bad! We are definitely not ready for a Mini Boss. Grab Rumble and lets barricade ourselves into the shack until the event ends!¡± Mia was screaming frantically. With my mind whirring with fear and my palms sweaty I nodded my head and agreed. Charging the snake I was gonna give it hell. After having seen Rumble¡¯s S.O.S. and ¡°Battle-Buddies¡± emojis, I couldn¡¯t leave him alone. So with a screaming and unheard Mia behind me, I lunged at the turning snake, ax arcing through my downward chop. Bing! Thunk!
You have struck the Python Lasher You have dealt 0 damage
My axe glanced from the pythons snout and buried itself into the dirt. Stunned less from my attack and more from my ineffectual aggression. As it started to regain its composure, Rumble shot up to its head and buried two of its root-like fingers into each nostril. Outraged beyond all belief the Python¡¯s next lunge hit me square in the chest launching me into a concerned Mia¡¯s chest as she had tried to come help us. ¡°Oof! Ow. Oh, my god Brad! We have got to go! We can¡¯t fight this thing.¡± Mia was screaming as she quickly recovered and started to pull me away from the thrashing Python. ¡°Uh, what happened?¡± I asked while my head was trying to clear, but within moments the situation snapped back to the front of my focus. ¡°We¡¯ve got to help him! Rumble can¡¯t do this without us, we need to save him!¡± I found myself yelling. ¡°Brad, he is holding his own, not winning, but as of now keeping out of danger. We have got to run.¡± Mia said calmly while holding my cheeks to stare me straight in the eyes. Within moments she had me by the arm pulling me towards the shack while running with her. ¡°Rumble, follow us to the shack! We will close the door behind you, but you have to get to safety with us!¡± I started screaming back to Rumble. After reaching the shack Mia headed to the wood pile in order to get pieces to brace the door with. And as Rumble eventually launched himself towards the house after letting go of the Python mid head swinging thrash, he fell just short of the entrance. With a quick dash to grab him and back into the shack we slammed the door and piled logs as quickly as we could move. ¡°The fire!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°We¡¯ve got to stoke the fire! If we don¡¯t, it might come in through the hole in the roof. As we ran over, both poking the ashes with sticks and throwing on tinder, the pounding on the door started. Within minutes of bashing the door, Rumble holding onto large logs being used as braces, the snake realized that the front was a dead end for chasing us. With that realization it started up the wall and onto the roof. Luckily the ashes were still hot from lunch and with all the dry tinder we had the fire blazing hotter that ever before. With a good bit of our wood stock on fire the snake dare not enter. At least that is what we thought¡­ Chapter 11: No where to run We could hear it, the snake slithering across the dilapidated roof shingles. Edging closer and closer to the hole in the roof. Sweat pouring out from us due to a mixture of the heat and fear running through us. With the fire blazing, the light glinted off of its eyes as it peeked over the edge. Tongue licking the flames that reached up towards the hole. As the moments past slowly we could see the calculations passing through the snakes mind. It was going to get in. It was going to reach us. It was going to eat us¡­ With the fire needing constant fuel to keep burning, we didn¡¯t dare to slack in our pursuit of adding logs to the fire. As each log burned we added another with just enough smaller stuff to keep the flames hot. But as twilight came and went, night was in full presence. No light was coming from outside, we were now a lone island in the dark with a shark waiting for the tide to come in. Hours passed, logs went in, flames burned, our stockpile continued to shrink. With only a small amount left all hope we had of surviving started to wane. ¡°Brad, I¡¯m glad I met you. I hope one day we can meet one another again. We have only known each other for a short time but I had fun. Let¡¯s hope we come back as neighbors in the next life.¡± Mia said while struggling to sound cheerful. ¡°Mia, don¡¯t quit on us now. We may still make it! We can make it, we just need to think of an escape plan. Heck, it may be possible to get to town. If we can reach town then the guards will surely help us.¡± I hurriedly said, trying to reinstill hope, not just for Mia, but for myself as well. ¡°Brad, I can¡¯t run that far and neither can you. We are both just st~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The world was filled with a trumpeting sound, cutting out all sound in the area. With a large message box I was greeted with an achievement notification.
Druid¡¯s Domain has leveled up! Went an entire full day from midnight to midnight! Skill granted: Domain Guardian
Skill: Domain Guardian May designate one creature in the domain as its guardian. The Guardian must already be friendly to the Druid and will be considered a familiar while in the domain. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Guardian gains +1 Damage Reduction and will do a minimum of +1 damage while in its designated domain.
As I peered at the windows slack jawed, sound came rushing back into my ears. Sounds that did not bode well at all. Mia grabbed my arm and shook me. ¡°Did you listen to what I said!? We are about out of wood, this is it and we are not running. I say we save the last 2 logs and use them as clubs.¡± ¡°Mia, I think we just got the advantage. We couldn¡¯t hurt it before, but I think we can now.¡± And with that said, I scrolled through my domain¡¯s menu to set the guardian. ¡°Domain guardian has been selected. Please confirm your selection, yes or no. Confirmation accepted, Rumble has been set as Guardian.¡± the menus read. As my selection was made, a green glow began to radiate from within my chest. As the glow grew, it reached out for my familiar as would a branch seeking the sun. As we were connected, the green glowing branch pulsed with energy and life. With each pulse, Rumble grew slightly until he stood a full 6 inches taller. With thorns visible along the ends of his arms, he looked stronger already. ¡°Brad, what just happened? Is this some druid skill that you have?¡± Mia asked with a bit of hope in her voice. ¡°My domain just earned an achievement and skill. Hopefully this will bring their old stalemate to an end and leave Rumble the victor.¡± I reassuringly told her. So with our hope restored, the last two logs in hand as weapons, we awaited the next showdown between the monsters. Python versus Plant, boss versus familiar, this was the first major test of the domain and its capacity for defense. The time came, the flames lowered, and the night air was silent and still. Tonight, not a single gust of wind blew against the shack. The air inside was hot and stagnant from the fire having raged for hours. This was the culmination of fear, hope, and determination. We were ready. Having been coiled since the beginning, the python needed no more preparation. Opening its maw, it launched its mass down through the opening directly at me. Within a second the snake had crossed the distance to have only missed by inches due to Rumble having tackled it mid flight. The two ricocheted off the ground and into the wall with the creaking walls making it well known that they were not fans of the moment. As the two thrashed I shoved the end of my log into the fire hoping that it would light. As the moments dragged into seconds and the seconds into dozens, my log finally started to flame. Running in with a charge brandishing my log I took a swing and landed a blow on the pythons mid section. With extreme relief, I did it. ¡°I damaged it!¡± I yelled with joy. Swinging at the boss during every safe opening I could, its life slowing went down, Rumble occasionally taking a blow himself. We were going to win! With Mia having joined the fight not long after seeing me deal damage, she had her burning log in hand taking pot shots when safe. With the minute threshold coming quick the snake started to glow red with rage. Its thrashing grew more intense and it whipped itself at the ground. With the sudden movement shift catching Rumble off guard he was slammed into the ground bouncing and skittering across the room and out through a wall. With the snake now free of its harasser, it now eyed the closest target with hunger. Mia froze with realization. Instincts roaring with life, I sped the few feet over to the point of contact and led with my shoulder. Catching the snake mid air before it expected to reach anything, I got it on its snout. Snake deflected, its momentum transferred into my body. Sent flying away, my body skittered across the floor until it came to a stop hitting the lone cupboard in the shack. As my vision started to fade, I heard Mia scream before everything went quiet and dark. Chapter 12: Confusing Times I awoke, being jostled back and forth padded from hard wooden planks by blankets below and on my side. Everything was hurting and my vision was still blurred. Seeing twinkles of light playing across the sky, I was not sure if they were stars or little fairies coming to take me away. I hoped for the fairies, considering the pain coursing through my body. Not remembering how I came to be in such a state, I asked Mia. ¡°Mia, why do I hurt?¡± And then it hit me. ¡°Mia! Where are you!?¡± I started screaming as I tried and failed to sit up. With my arms lighting up my vision from the pain, my mind started to fade back into unconsciousness just before I felt something soft touch my face and the sound of a murmur as the day faded away. I next awoke to sunlight burning through my eyelids. As I fluttered my eyes open to adjust, I was greeted by Mia, with her hands bandaged. As tears started to fall from her eyes she let out what seemed like a lot of pent up worry. ¡°What happened, why do I hurt so much?¡± I asked, not quite remembering what happened. ¡°You were hit by a boss monster. Do you not remember? I almost died myself, but luckily the guard arrived from the city to clear up the local farms for novices. They barely saved us, and thankfully, had a healer with them to get you stabilized. They even got Rumble patched up and soaking up the sun in another room. You both were put to sleep in order to recover.¡± Mia recounted. ¡°I¡¯m glad we all made it through, talk about luck. I just wonder how much I will owe from all of these medical bills¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about that, I covered most of them from the funds we got selling all the loot you acquired while I came to town the other day. Add in the fact that we are growing some herbs for the healer, and the bills are paid for. We will be growing her herbs for the rest of this season and the next, but it all worked out money wise.¡± she explained. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®the other day¡¯?¡± I asked. ¡°She means that you have been in a skill induced coma for the past week while I¡¯ve been taking care of you.¡± a young red haired woman explained while approaching. ¡°Hi, my name is Melissa. I am one of the new apprentices here, working for Healer Trent. We just gave you the antidote for the coma today and had asked Mia to be here when you woke up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been in a coma!? How bad was I?¡± I asked with a hesitant voice. ¡°You were barely alive.¡± Melissa explained. ¡°You had cracked ribs, broken arms, and legs. Honestly you wouldn¡¯t have made it here without the guards help stabilizing you. Even then, I heard that~~¡± ¡°The only thing that matters is that you are okay. You¡¯ve left me with the farm and all the work.¡± Mia said. ¡°When you feel better, I will come to pick you up and take you back home to the farm. Our first batch of beans and strawberries will be ready soon!¡± ¡°Really? Man, I can believe that I have pretty much been unconscious for most of my time being here and that I haven¡¯t even been around to grow my own crops¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°It''s fine, you and Rumble can take a break for a few more days ,then we can discuss the plan moving forward when you get back to feeling okay.¡± Mia told me. After a bit more back and forth between Mia and I, she was sent on her way back to the farm in order to get there before night came. With a glance back at me, she strode from the room and out of the building. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°You two sure do make a nice couple.¡± Melissa said. ¡°What!?¡± I exclaimed. ¡°We are not a couple! We are business partners, but definitely not a couple. What made you think that!?¡± ¡°Oh, I just thought she might be because of her being the one that rode in with you. She had also said that you two lived together on your farm.¡± ¡°That''s because we started a business together. We are trying to combine our skills together for our first season in order to maximize profits so that when we each go solo, we won¡¯t be struggling.¡± I explained. ¡°That''s kind of a relief to be honest. I thought she¡­ nevermind. So, not to change the subject too much, but why do you have a plant as a familiar? Are you some rare variant of farmer?¡± Melissa asked sweetly. ¡°Uh, I guess you could say that. I have had him from the beginning. I see that his health is back to full, was he put in a coma too?¡± ¡°No, that little guy was mostly back to full health by the time you got here. I don¡¯t think he would¡¯ve left your side at all if not for Mia. He mostly spends his days soaking up sunlight, but he does come to check up on you several times a day. I must say that he drinks up water like you wouldn¡¯t believe.¡± She said jokingly. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, I don¡¯t think we could¡¯ve survived until the guards got there without him.¡± I said thoughtfully. ¡°So he held off the boss?¡± Melissa asked cautiously to avoid disrupting my thoughts. ¡°Ya, he¡¯s pretty tough. He pretty much spent his entire first three days at the farm just killing monsters for me.¡± I said thinking about how helpful he had been. ¡°So he¡¯s a combat familiar? I mean he must be if he can fight that well.¡± She stated as matter of factly. ¡°Ya, he~~¡± I said before trailing off. I had said too much. Seeing the slip Melissa moved quick to reassuringly say: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell! I just wanted to make sure before talking to you about something. ¡°Talk about what?¡± I asked cautiously. ¡°Well, I¡¯m a healer and alchemist. I can level up working in the clinic, but it will be much faster if I can find a party to hunt in the dungeon with. I don¡¯t plan on becoming an adventurer, but a few trips down into it would make for great leveling opportunities . I would be happy to have such a tough combat pet and its master with me.¡± Melissa said sweetly ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really want to become an adventurer either. I honestly just want to live a peaceful and relaxing life for a while. I just got here, I don¡¯t want to run off already. Besides, I have a company with Mia. I have responsibilities to keep up with and running off so soon would not be a great option.¡± ¡°¡®Golden Tree¡¯ isn¡¯t really requiring both of you is it? I mean Mia has been running it by herself for most of its existence.¡± Melissa said. ¡°What is ¡®Golden Tree¡¯?¡± I asked while already knowing the answer. ¡°It''s your company¡¯s name¡­. Did you not know?¡± She asked incredulously. ¡°We hadn¡¯t really come up with one before the incident.¡± I stated with my thoughts racing. ¡°Well not to get in the middle of things, but my offer still stands. She is doing well solo so far, finish up the season while I find a few more members and then we will go dungeon diving during the summer.¡± Melissa offered. ¡°You don¡¯t want to end up here again, do you? Put on a few levels next season and come back strong.¡± ¡°Let me think about it. I¡¯ve barely been awake for a few hours at this point, so it''s a lot to take in.¡± And not a moment later the door swung open to admit a new guest, Rumble. Within seconds of him seeing me, I had a large chunk of wood flying down the rows of beds in the infirmary towards me. Stopping just shy of leaping onto me, Rumble snuggled up to my arm. With a smiling emoji he looked towards me and gave what I assumed was a thumbs up made of his roots.. ¡°He sure is a large familiar, I would love for both of you to join my team. It doesn¡¯t hurt that he is as cute as his master.¡± She remarked before flashing a smile and walking off. ¡°Rumble, I¡¯m confused as to what is happening right now. I wake up to find myself in the hospital being taken care of by a cute nurse offering to take me out on adventures and my business partner has apparently carried on without me and has even named the business in my absence. On one hand I want to continue farming, but on the other I do agree that we need to level up some first. Right now we are at the mercy of chance and bad luck. If we got caught by another boss, I doubt we would survive.¡± Rumble flashed me a question mark emoji and one of him shrugging. ¡°Well, I guess I have a few days before heading back out to the farm in order to think on it. For now, I¡¯m going back to sleep. Wake me up when lunch comes, okay?¡± Chapter 13: Saved by heroics Waking up to a bright morning sky, I still couldn¡¯t help but to feel tired. My mind had been struggling to decide what I should do about my current situation and the season to come. On one hand, I had a business that I shared with my friend, but she had apparently carried on without me. And on the other hand I had a cute nurse asking me to explore the world, but honestly that wasn¡¯t the life I wanted. So it wasn¡¯t surprising that the answer still hadn¡¯t come to me by the time morning breakfast arrived at my bed. As Melissa arrived with my morning porridge she mentioned something great: ¡°So Healer Trent has given you leave to check out this morning after breakfast. He says that you should go easy with work for the next few days, but that you are good to go over all.¡± ¡°That''s great to hear. I can¡¯t wait to get back out there. As they say, ¡®a guy quickly dies when he isn¡¯t working¡¯. ¡°Ha, my mom always told me that was because they get into trouble when bored. But from what I can tell, that''s you while farming. I¡¯m still serious about my offer to go adventuring¡­ but even if you don¡¯t want to, I wouldn¡¯t mind if you stopped by to say hi the next time you are in town¡± she said mischievously. With my face feeling warm and now completely confident of her intentions, I couldn¡¯t help but stutter out : ¡°Ya, we can meet up then. I don''t know what to do though.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything, although grabbing lunch might be a nice activity.¡± She suggested. ¡°Yes, that sounds just fine.¡± I responded on autopilot, my ears now boiling hot with steam about to burst out. ¡°Melissa, leave the patient alone and keep passing out the food! Make a date on your own time and get him out of here, we need the bed!¡± Healer Trent yelled across the infirmary. ¡°Oops, I¡¯ve got to go, I¡¯ll be back in a bit with your discharge papers!¡± Melissa hurriedly said as she winked goodbye on her way down the row towards the next bed. Looking down at Rumble sitting next to the bed in the sunshine I hesitantly asked with a bit of hope in my voice : ¡°Did healer Trent just suggest that our meetup would be a date? Did Melissa really not correct it?¡± Leaning back in bed onto the pillow propping me up, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how my life could get anymore complicated. And then a mailman entered the building. After briefly talking to one of the nurse and being gestured my way, he arrived at the end of my bed. ¡°Ello, my name is Berkly. You are mister Wallace, correct?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, that is me. How may I help you? ¡°Ats good to ear, I was worried that I was gunna miss you.¡± Berkly said while rummaging through his bag of deliveries. Upon finding what he was looking for, he handed me a letter titled ¡®Summons to guard post 3, west gate¡¯. ¡°There ya go, have a good¡¯n!¡± he said with a thick accent before moving off and back out of the infirmary. Not sure what to make of the letter or the friendly delivery man, I began opening the envelope. Inside was a roughly written letter that read; ¡°Dear Mr. Wallace, Please report to guard post 3 before you leave town so that we may have the opportunity to make an incident report of the attack on your farm and persons. Thank you for your cooperation, Lieutenant Dan¡± ¡°Well that''s not too bad. Definitely not as bad as it could be. I would¡¯ve guessed that they wouldn¡¯t need mine if Mia had already given her testimony.¡± I mentioned to myself aloud. Now with no more visitors, I dug into my porridge. As I ate, it was easy to smile and relax. The porridge was mediocre, but the biscuits and jam were exceptional. It was hard to believe that an infirmary would have such good food¡­ it became even harder to believe as I noticed that no one else had biscuits or jam. With my face lighting up bright red like the evening glow, I finished my breakfast and took a nap. Waking up to my tray being placed on a cart I greeted the girl next to me with handful of papers ready to hand to me. ¡°Are those my discharge papers?¡± I asked the nurse. ¡°That they are.¡± stated the older nurse, that I had only seen in passing. ¡°I thought Melissa was going to check me out.¡± I said. ¡°Oh she did, and that''s why I¡¯m here. You are still new and so is she, you both need to cool down and focus on building up a stable foundation. I know this new found freedom makes it easy, but make sure that you build up your strong points first so that you can rely on them while growing your hobbies.¡± advised the old woman. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I will try to keep that in mind¡­¡± I said while red in the face. After our embarrassing exchange I quickly filled out the portions of paperwork that I needed to and signed when asked. Upon completion the nurse looked it over once more and walked me to the door. Without a chance to say goodbye to Melissa, I made my way over to the guard post specified in the letter. Upon arriving I saw some soldiers marshaling in front of the gate. As they squared up and started out through the city¡¯s exit, I asked a nearby guard what was going on. ¡°They are going out on patrol sir. During the Spring and Fall monsters are the worst. In the Spring you see all kinds of new types and in the Fall they are all leveled up or establishing dens. So we do these patrols in order to make note of what is spawning along with culling the populations before they go crazy.¡± responded the guard. ¡°Oh, thats good information to know! Where abouts do they patrol? Also, Hi I¡¯m Brad, what is your name?¡± I asked the as of yet unnamed guard. ¡°Hi, its nice to meet you Brad, I am Corporal Evans. The patrols mostly visit the newer farms to help limit the monster populations but they do check in on the established estates in order to gather more information from them as well. Also, would you by chance be the Mr. Bradford Wallace that the L.T. is wanting to speak with?¡± Evans asked. ¡°Ya, that would be me, but I would prefer just being called Brad.¡± ¡°Sorry, I have to follow protocols when addressing people for regulatory reasons. When just answering questions I can address you as you want, but otherwise I have to address you by your full name for guard reasons. I don¡¯t want to stay in this rank forever¡­ it''s all the responsibilities of a sergeant without the pay. So if you would Mr. Wallace, let me escort you to see the lieutenant.¡± ¡°Okay, lead the way. I will be right behind you.¡± I replied. And so I followed him into ¡°Guard post 3¡±, a building that was built halfway into the outer wall and opened right out into a courtyard just off of the entrance road. Upon entering I saw several other guards sitting at desks taking care of paperwork and dealing with various villagers with their own various problems. At the back of the room was a staircase and a hallway that led to the left. As we passed down the hallway I saw various doors labeled as offices for various sergeants and at the end I saw our destination. Stopping outside the door labeled ¡°Lt. Dan¡±, the guard stood at rigid attention and knock three times. Upon a verbal response asking whom it was, corporal Evans announced: ¡°Sir, it is corporal Evans, I have Mr. Wallace here with me as per your request.¡± ¡°Great, come on in.¡± the lieutenant replied. Opening the door I was greeted by the friendly lt.Dan from my first day here. Even without his armor on, which was on a rack nearby, he was a well-built and strong man. ¡°It''s great to see you again Mr. Wallace. I¡¯m so glad you recovered so well, you really had everyone worried when you were brought in. In fact, are you aware that it was corporal Evan¡¯s squad that brought you in? I know that you were really beat up when you arrived, so I doubt that you even knew. The corporal here is pretty modest, so I doubt he told you.¡± Turning to Evans I couldn¡¯t help but drop my jaw. Being almost speechless I barely managed to put together a few words: ¡°Thank you! Without you I would¡¯ve died and not just me. You most definitely saved Mia¡¯s life too! Thank you so much!¡± Turning red in embarrassment and with pride in his voice he said: ¡°I only did what I swore to do as a guard. Besides without Ms. Mia we wouldn¡¯t have gotten to you in time. Before we were even engaging the snake she was running over to a pile of burning wood from the wall you flew through. We thought she was just escaping the battle until she was throwing the wood bare handed. She had burns like you¡¯ve never seen. So she was the one that really saved you, we just killed a snake and made sure you didn¡¯t get worse on our watch.¡± ¡°WAIT WHAT!? Is that why Mia¡¯s hands were bandaged!? Has she been working with her hands so injured?¡± I asked, almost screaming with concern. Evans held up his hands in front of him before calmly saying: ¡°She should be fully healed by now. But yes, she was injured trying to save you. She really is quite the girl for fighting through the flames.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe she did so much for me, I have no idea how I will ever pay her back.¡± I said in an unbelieving trance. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sure she knows how much you appreciate it, but I¡¯m sure she feels you saved her too.¡± Dan interjected. ¡°No, I don¡¯t believe I did. I don¡¯t remember everything, but I know Rumble was the one doing most of the work¡­ Crud! I forgot Rumble at the infirmary when I checked out! I was so surprised by the nurse there that my mind was too occupied. I¡¯m not used to having to search or escort him everywhere.¡± ¡°HAHAHA!¡± Dan laughed, with Evans failing to hide a quiet chuckle unto himself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him, we will send you and him back together when Evans¡¯ squad departs. For now, tell me what you remember about the monsters that attacked your farm.¡± the lieutenant requested. And so for the next hour I recounted all of the information I knew concerning monsters on my farm and about the day leading up to my injuries. ¡°Wow, that was quite the day.¡± Dan stated. ¡°That little familiar sure is strong for you being so green.¡± With the end of Dan¡¯s statement , Evans snorted with laughter. ¡°Is something wrong corporal? Whats so funny?¡± the lieutenant asked with an eyebrow raised. ¡°Nothing sir, I just have a weakness for puns.¡± Evans replied. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Sorry sir it was childish to laugh, but you called a Druid green.¡± Evans said seriously and at attention, obviously worried that he would be scolded. After a few moments of awkward silence, Dan replied¡­ With a big bout of laughter himself. ¡°So I did, almost missed that one myself haha. Well, thats as good of a note to end on as any. Mr. Wallace, I wish you a safe journey home. Corporal, if you would deploy when possible and don¡¯t forget to pick up his familiar before you leave town.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± the corporal replied before spinning on his heel and escorting me out of the building. Chapter 14: Not very good with words. As I followed the corporal out of the station we were stopped by a small group of 4 guards that stood up from a bench as we approached. ¡°Sir, are we leaving? Everyone is here and ready to head out.¡± The stranger said. ¡°Almost. Mr. Wallace and I are going to go pick up his familiar from Trent¡¯s infirmary and then we will head out. Be sure to have yourselves formed up and ready to head out by the time we are back. I don¡¯t want to be heading back into the building before leaving. God only knows, I will be caught up in more work if people see me walk back in this early in the shift.¡± Evans said with a bit of hesitance in his voice. ¡°Will do, sir. Honestly we were hoping you would say that. Otherwise we would be on trash duty in a few more minutes. Would you mind if we came to the infirmary as well?¡± The stranger asked. Pinching the bridge of his nose Evans chuckled and then said: ¡°Sure. It wasn¡¯t that long ago that I would¡¯ve asked the same thing haha. Squad form up in the courtyard, we are setting out for local business then for our patrol.¡± Evans¡¯ squad quickly formed up into what I felt was an odd formation. There were two heavily armored men in front, followed by a very lightly armored man carrying a staff, and then finished off with a woman dressed in light leather with a bow in her hand and quiver on her side.. Each squad member also had a backpack and cloak. It was obvious from their packs that they would not be returning today. As the small squad marched down the street with me and Evans bringing up the rear, people slowly and respectfully moved out of the way in order to clear a path. Only once did our small procession come to a stop and that was for a heavily laden wagon with a broken yoke. As the two heavily armored men helped to push the wagon to the side, Evan and I were trying to keep the large beasts of burden out of the way. The beasts looked like extra large bulls that I had seen in classes about ancient times. With the citizenry helped and the downing of a few offered cups of fresh water, the squad was back on its way towards the infirmary. Within a few minutes we were within sight of the two story building and shortly after that the squad was halted at the door waiting for me to return from picking up Rumble. As I entered the building a loud crashing noise could be heard throughout the building along with thumping sounds pounding down the halls. Laughing at the absurdity of it, I just knelt down with open arms to receive my hyperactive companion. Launching me onto my back, Rumble had crashed into my chest with his arms open wide with crying emojis flooding the top right of my vision. For how ferocious the little plant was, he sure was clingy. ¡°Look little buddy, I didn¡¯t forget you¡­ I just had to go give a statement to the guards.¡± I said. After a few moments of looking at me with what I could only describe as a ¡°raised leafy eyebrow¡±, Rumble ended up shrugging and throwing out a few happy emojis. With Rumble¡¯s strong arms helping me to stand back up right, I was greeted with a few laughs from the surrounding workers and a gentle pull on my arm. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Thanks Melissa, Rumble gets pretty excited whenever I am gone too long.¡± I said. ¡°So I see.¡± she said with a smile. ¡°He definitely is a caring little one, but not so great to have around when he can¡¯t find you. You might need to tell Healer Trent sorry for the hassle, Rumble has been flying through the infirmary flipping bed sheets trying to find you. In fact he has lifted the patient out of your previous bed so many times that we had to flat out quit using it until now.¡± Looking down at Rumble in disbelief with my jaw hanging, I could help but feel embarrassed when the story was all but confirmed with ¡°shy and crying¡± emojis being spammed. ¡°Look, I doubt he will entirely blame you. Let''s apologize to him and get this squared away.¡± Melissa said as she took my hand and led me down the hall and to a door on the left. With just enough time between arriving at the door and being shuffled in with the door being left open behind me, I read ¡°Master Healer and Master Alchemist Trent B. Smith. ¡°Sorry to take your time Healer Trent, but patient Wallace wanted to speak to you briefly.¡± Melissa interjected before the healer could even open his mouth. After having taken a quick elbow to the ribs, I hurriedly rushed to speak: ¡°Healer Trent, I just wanted to apologize about the mess that my familiar made in my absence. I hope that all can be forgiven, I will make sure that it never happens again!¡± With his initially annoyed expression softening to a somewhat humored seriousness, the healer said: ¡°Its fine and all forgiven. Apologizing and taking accountability is the first step of correcting bad habits. Don¡¯t make having to have this conversation a continuous situation and all is forgiven. That being said, you should try to knock next time. I wouldn¡¯t want my staff to learn such habits.¡± he said as his eyes locked onto Melissa for the last line. ¡°Lesson learned¡± Melissa and I said in unison. With cheeks red from embarrassment she said: ¡°With your permission Healer Trent, I will escort Patient Wallace back out to the front.¡± With a quick nod from the healer, I was shuffled out of his room with the door closing softly behind me. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for that, sometimes I get so caught up in being proactive that I trip over myself.¡± the pretty blonde with now glowing red cheeks. ¡°It''s fine Melissa, I am just as guilty as you are.¡± ¡°Well, lets get you back on the road. I am afraid that I will be on a tight leash for the next few days and possibly bedpan duty.¡± ¡°For your sake, I hope that is not the case. Before I go though, I want to say thank you for helping me to smooth over any frayed relationships. Upsetting the healer is not something you want to be remembered for by said healer.¡± I remarked. ¡°Well, I will always be happy to have you as my patient.¡± She replied. ¡°I appreciate that but I hope that my need for such services will diminish. It was nice meeting you and I hope to talk in the future, but I do not like the thought of ending up in your bed again.¡± I said good heartedly. With a few loud coughs coming from the surrounding crowd, realization hit me. Melissa quickly spoke up: ¡°I would suggest we leave this conversation behind us and get you on your way. Take this blanket to cover Rumble until you leave town. Also, I will see you in a few days to pick up the healing herbs. Most importantly, please do your best to clear this up with the guards at the door¡­ I don¡¯t want too many rumors running around about me.¡± As she finished her final words, she quickly turned and headed towards the main patient area with a now burning red face. With a hot face myself I turned to leave and walked over to the curious guards. Having seen the blanket fall from my hands and not fully knowing what happened, Rumble shrugged his shoulders, picked up the blanket, and skipped off after me. Chapter 15: Return home As we gathered outside I was still speechless with how badly I had misspoke. Evans, always a dutiful soldier, ordered the bow wielding woman to help cloak Rumble in the blanket. And so within a few minutes the formation was remade, with Evans, Rumble , and myself bringing up the rear. The walk to the gates brought some questioning attention towards the lump of blankets walking through the streets, but nothing that slowed us down. Upon leaving the gates and having made it a few minutes down the road past the crowd, Evans spoke up with a chuckling question. ¡°So are your pick up lines as smooth as your hugs with Rumble?¡± Within moments of Evans even starting his question, the entire squad burst out laughing. I even saw one of the heavily armored soldiers in front wipe his eyes from the laughter. ¡°It was a total slip of the tongue! I didn¡¯t mean anything by it, for god¡¯s sake I just got here!¡± I pleaded. And all I got in return was a pat on the back by Evans followed by a phrase that went on to haunt me for years. ¡°You have lived here for essentially 2 weeks, and yet you live with a pretty girl and have now publicly announced that you used a seconds¡¯ bed¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but you will have to do something really awesome to make people forget about that!¡± ¡°I¡¯m doomed aren¡¯t I?¡± I asked no one in particular. All I received in return was a burst of laughter from the squad. The rest of the march home dragged by slowly with my face hot and my eyes glued to the ground as I thought about how badly my exit from town had played out. Within moments a better than expected trip to town, based on how I arrived there, had turned into one big regret. And so it was no surprise that I was the absolute last one in our group to notice a woman standing in the road up ahead waving at us. With Rumble quickly discarding his cloak, he burst forward along the path towards the woman, whom had now caught my attention. Covered head to toe in dirt, both dry and wet, Mia was smiling and bracing for Rumble¡¯s embrace. Upon reaching Mia, Rumble quickly halted his charge before gently giving her a hug with happy emojis blotting out the top right of my vision. He then proceeded to bounce up and down before charging off again, but this time into the tall grass still common on my land.
Domain Guardian has returned to your domain. Guardian benefits will resume.
Still quite a bit down the road and heading that way, more than one of the guards voiced a comment about how happy Rumble looked to be back, most of which went unheard as I crossed the boundary into my domain.
You have entered your Druid¡¯s Domain. You have important notices regarding your Domain.
Having seen the box pop up in my vision I curiously opened it and was quickly overwhelmed by what I saw. There were notices about having had my domain established for more than a week, and for having an unselected domain trait to assign. Opening the list of possible traits out of curiosity I was surprised to see only a few, all of which were great. With the knowledge that this choice was going to be a very important milestone in regards to my domain, I chose to select it later after having mulled over the options. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. With the boxes minimized and my attention back on the walk, I noticed that we were barely 30 yards from Mia at this point. She shouted her greeting as she stood up from her seat on the small stones marking the boundaries of my land. ¡°I¡¯m glad you are back! I wished Melissa would¡¯ve sent word that you were being discharged today. She had said that she would¡­¡± Mia greeted as we closed the distance to within range of her running up for a hug. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad to be back! I am sorry that you had to deal with the business all alone, and especially since you had hurt your hands saving me.¡± ¡°I am glad that you came out of it okay. I would have been a mess if you had been more seriously injured than what you were! Not to mention that it has been quite the crazy week without my friends present.¡± Mia quickly asserted. ¡°Not to interrupt your reunion, but Ms. Mia, are there any monsters nearby that you know of? We are currently on patrol to help stamp down infestations, and we are more than willing to thin out any swarms nearby.¡± Evans quickly interjected as both mine and Mia¡¯s mouths were open to continue our reunion. As Mia started to speak, a torrent of sound started to crash through the tall grass towards us. As the sounds grew closer and the emojis in my vision started flashing, Rumble emerged carrying piles of dead monsters in both arms. Laying them along the path towards the shack like usual, Rumble turned around and charged back in. ¡°Well, yes there were. Those are the exact monsters plaguing me sir. The nasty creatures are venomous and poisonous! But as for anything that our little friend can¡¯t handle? I do not believe that I have seen any.¡± Mia replied. ¡°I see, well then we better be off. We will head back this way in 4 days. Its our turn to do the long route for our patrol, so be safe and don¡¯t be afraid to retreat towards town. With that said, Ms.Ashford, Mr. Wallace, I hope you both have a great day.¡± Evans said before turning to his squad and ordering his patrol to resume once again. With a final wave from Evans, they were off down the road. ¡°Remember, you are welcome here anytime!¡± I yelled at the unit as they briskly marched off to an unsung cadence. Turning back to Mia, I was surprised by a tight hug and a joyful ¡°I am so glad you are okay. I was really worried that night. You were all battered, bruised, burnt, and missing a significant amount of blood. I honestly thought you were going to die after the seeing the wall collapse onto you!¡± ¡°It still blows my mind hearing about all of the injuries I sustained. I really can¡¯t wrap my head around it, I am glad that I had you to save me though. You really need more praise and rewards than I can offer, because after all that you still kept the farm up and running!¡± ¡°It is the least that I can do for you Brad. We are partners in business, there will be somedays that one of us can¡¯t work and the other will have to bear the burden¡­ It just came a little sooner than expected for my side of things. Besides, it is not like you do not pull your fair share. Rumble is your familiar and he keeps us safe for the most part and you prepared all the fields. All that I¡¯ve had to do is to fight off a few monsters here and there while battling weeds and watering the plants. Our first major harvest is not until tomorrow and Old Sal had swung back by to help with fixing the shack with the boards he promised.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯ve been wondering about the home since everyone had told me that wall collapsed onto me and where you have been sleeping.. We should thank Old Sal later for his help. Its also a relief to know that I didn¡¯t miss the harvest.¡± ¡°There have been small harvests, but this is the first major one. All of the plants will be ready with this one. And as for my sleeping arrangements, the first few nights after the attack I spent at the healer¡¯s just like you did. But by the time I had gotten back, it was being taken care of by Sal. So for the most part I have been pretty safe. I wish we had known this before, but your home is considered a safe zone unless you lure the monster back to your home after having engaged them. There are apparently some exceptions to that, but they are mostly event related like storms.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad it seems that this has mostly worked out for the best, but I still wished we had known this prior to the attack. Well, now we know, and now we can plan better. I have been pretty passive since getting here, but now I have a goal and I plan to do better!¡± ¡°A goal? You mean farming was not your goal from the beginning?¡± Mia asked with her left eyebrow raised in confusion. ¡°Well I had goals, but nothing that really drove me. Now I have something that I must do. You saved me from the fire, so now I want to get strong enough to avoid that outcome in the future. Hopefully it won¡¯t be too long before I can save not only the farm from damage, but to be able to protect you from a larger threat the next time it presents itself.¡± Chapter 16: Emotional reunion ¡°Well you did a good job of protecting us before. You and Rumble did well versus that snake.¡± Mia told me enthusiastically. ¡°No, Rumble protected us. I just got thrown through a wall, heck I don¡¯t even remember being hit by it! I¡¯ve spent my whole time in this place being protected by others, I think I need to start doing it myself. And Mia, I¡¯ve been thinking about it for a while now after having received an offer to do so¡­ Next season I will be going on a dungeon crawl in order to level up some.¡± ¡°A dungeon crawl!? That is really dangerous, especially for a stone tier! And why would you want to do that when you are plenty strong already? Your familiar is pretty much the strongest creature on your property ninety nine percent of the time.¡± Mia argued. ¡°Because when push came to shove, I definitely lost out when it mattered most. I got knocked out while Rumble did all the heavy lifting by himself. And to make matters worse, even though I have a legendary combat class, I had to be rescued by an unarmed tradesman! Do you know how bad it made me feel? I couldn¡¯t do anything but run and hide the entire night.¡± finishing my speech slightly too loud and with a bit too much emotion. ¡°Wait what!? I think you are selling yourself short.¡± Mia tried calming me down. With a shake in my voice, ¡°Mia, you are the first friend I made here and one of the few that I¡¯ve ever had. Growing up I was completely separated from my parents and grew up in the orphan program without any access outside of school and extra required courses to fill my time. So the fact that I couldn¡¯t even defend you was devastating¡­¡± Having said my fill with a cracking voice, the emotions finally overtook me. Emotions that had been a burden on my mind since waking up and hearing the story of what happened. With a long pause for thought and more than a bit of confusion on her face, Mia figured it out. ¡°Brad, you are an idiot.¡± she said with a slight chuckle before approaching me for an embracing hug. ¡°Brad, you did protect me. The snake lunged at me and you literally took the full blow by jumping in front of it. You did get thrown through the wall, but it was because you took the hit meant for me. Without you, I would have died. You only survived because you are a combat class with extra hit points.¡± She said soothingly and thoughtfully, fully aware of my confusion hearing her words. ¡°You mean¡­ I got hit while saving you?¡± a bit of hope flavoring my words. ¡°Yes, yes I do. Rumble had already been thrown off and I was the easiest target. The snake would¡¯ve killed me outright, game over for me. No more partnership.¡± Mia said, ending in almost a whisper with a tear starting to glisten in her eye. Having pulled away slightly to look me in the eyes while speaking, she now was wiping her eyes on the clean portions of her collar. Having tried and failed to hold her emotions, Mia turned towards the field and called over her shoulder with a cracking voice, ¡°We had better get a move on the work, there is still a bit to do in the field before tackling our other tasks.¡± Still somewhat stunned in silence, I stood there for a good few moments before the entirety of what she said hit me like a warm bowl of chili in the winter. With many of the thoughts that had been plaguing me now gone, I felt a cheer spread through my psyche. So after another small pause and feeling my view of the past change, I set off after Mia in order to start back on the farm. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. It was a good bit of time that had passed while working in the fields pulling weeds and watering the plants, before either Mia or I spoke again. And when we did, it was mostly to talk about work on the farm. It was obvious that both of us were still going through the ramifications of what was said. I was focused on weighing my potential reward from going to the dungeon versus the rewards from staying. I hadn¡¯t told Melissa anything about going yet, so I could still decide not to go, which admittedly was a lot more attractive now knowing that I did in fact manage to save my friend. So with these thoughts blasting through my mind, I was caught off guard when Mia finally broke the conversational drought. ¡°Brad, if you want to go to the dungeon, obviously I can¡¯t stop you. But we are doing well enough here on the farm that I do not believe that you need to. You have grown plenty strong and once we hit copper tier life will get even easier. They say it only takes a season or two to do it! And who knows, we may hit it even soon with how fast Rumble is killing monsters and how much loot there is for me to haggle over.¡± Mia said, having started slow and quiet, but gradually getting louder and faster in her speech. ¡°Mia, I know¡± ¡°We will both get another spell when we rank up, and we may even be able to buy a new skill crystal to help round out our abilities!¡± Mia was now once again tearing up. ¡°Woah Mia, woah. What¡¯s wrong? I know this can¡¯t just be about me.¡± ¡°It is and it is not. Brad, you are probably my only actual friend in this world right now. I know people, but I¡¯m mostly that odd girl that stepped in poop and then came to town all ugly and burned. It is not a great reputation to have. If you leave, I am stuck. We have never talked about it before, but since you told me your past here is mine. I started out as part of a rich family, but once ¡­ ¡° Mia paused as her body was wracked with sadness. A sadness that must¡¯ve had deep roots. Having approached Mia to talk more casually, I was able to quickly grab her and guide her towards a stone seat to use while she steeled her emotions. ¡°I was 6 when it happened.¡± Mia said as a few final shudders wracked her spine. ¡°I was with my family waving my father goodbye for the day when suddenly they were all gone. Flames all around me, watching and not understanding what happened as my list of family members got shorter and shorter. I was the only child there that day, so I was the only one to survive. Like you, I was an orphan. I was put through extra training, and I was emotionally dampened for a long time. So I am sorry, when you said that you might leave, it hit me a bit more than most. I am still getting used to unrestricted emotions surging through my mind.¡± Not know what more to say, I just gave Mia a hug while crouching down in front of her. After a few moments passed I felt her hands wrap around me to return the embrace. We held it for a good few minutes before her grip loosened and I pulled away. ¡°Mia don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t leave. I will stay and tend the business with you. Honestly, it sounds like we both have a lot of work to do getting over our problems. There is no need to introduce anything else now knowing what we know.¡± With a whisper barely heard Mia shakily said, ¡°Thanks Brad, it really means a lot to hear that.¡± And with her last few words said, Mia stood up and started walking towards the shack. ¡°I will get to sorting monster loot, if you can finish up in the field before lunch. And so that is how we left the conversation. Her going back to the shack, arms full of loot, and myself going to water plants, both full of thoughts and revelations. Chapter 17: House chef With so much on my mind, work in the fields crawled by without any sort of boredom. In many ways, it would¡¯ve been better to have been bored. But with all the revelations that had just taken place, there was just way too much to be thought about. Deep in thought, I completely missed the signs of the sun starting to set. As twilight was well underway and I was still out in the field with my vision not quite yet failing enough to burden my work. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Mia¡¯s voice rang out from the shack. ¡°Its really late, do you need any help finishing up before coming in?¡± ¡°No, I just lost track of time. I can head up now. Do you want to start dinner or do you want me to? I¡¯m not sure what we have and what we don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I started boiling some eggs. I figured we can eat them with some cheap salted meat that I bought the other day preparing for when you got back.¡± Mia told me as she met me halfway on my way back to the shack. ¡°Sounds good, I can¡¯t wait to try it.¡± ¡°I would not hold my breath while hoping that it is amazing. Remember, we still are not well off. We are not completely broke anymore, but we are definitely still poor.¡± She warned. ¡°That¡¯s fine, I am sure that our business is about to take off with all the loot and harvest that we are about to sell!¡± ¡°The harvest will be a very welcome injection of funds. Do not plan on spending much of it though, we will need to reinvest it for a few short term crops to finish off the Spring season. If we can get a few more short harvests then we will be well set for Summer.¡± ¡°What about the funds from looting, are they not very valuable?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh, they are also a great source of income. I am trying not to factor them in as a primary source of income though. I am treating them as a one time source of money, so that we do not become reliant on them. We do not know if they will continue for long, Rumble is well on his way to exterminating the local population of monsters.¡± Mia happily explained while we made our way into the shack. ¡°That¡¯s a good point¡­ I wonder how many there are and if the depopulation will get filled back in by nearby land. Regardless, I am just happy that he is able to level so quickly while helping to fill our meager coffers.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, what level is he now?¡± She asked curiously. ¡°Not sure, let me check. While I¡¯m at it, I might as well check all of my notifications.¡± I said. Pulling up my menus I first checked my skills and their progress. ¡°Plant familiar is at 6 and Bountiful harvest is at 3. It''s pretty surprising since I haven¡¯t really harvested anything. Do you think it''s because of Rumble? I asked. ¡°Probably, but it is hard to know. I doubt we will meet many Druids anytime soon in order to ask. We might be able to check the library in town though. I heard that they have some literature on it.¡± she responded thoughtfully. ¡°That''s true, I doubt there are many to begin with. I don¡¯t even know how I had the option.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°We will probably just need to read up on it during the winter downtime. I doubt the library will have too much though, otherwise almost everyone would have a legendary class.¡± ¡°Well, we will see. For now, I need to check out what all of these notifications are for.¡± Opening the notification tab I was met with a long list of notices. The list contained what seemed like every possibility imaginable. Notifications concerning the business, notifications containing achievements, and some containing warnings. ¡°Wow, I should¡¯ve probably checked this earlier¡­ I didn¡¯t realize that there were so many.¡± I said. ¡°How many do you have?¡± Mia asked curiously while trying to finish preparing dinner. ¡°Uh-oh¡­ it says 44.¡± I responded as my face started feeling cold from the blood draining. ¡°What? Did you say 4 with a stutter? I really hope that you did, otherwise we will need to talk about being more proactive.¡± Mia said with a voice full of disbelief and hope in equal portions. ¡°No, I said 44. I¡¯m just not sure how I got so many. I didn¡¯t have any until I got back to the farm!¡± I quickly explained. ¡°Do we not receive them away from our home?¡± ¡°No, we definitely receive them outside of our homesteads. I get them here, but that could be explained by our business¡­ Well, I have definitely gotten them while in town too. It must be something specific to you.¡± Mia stated thoughtfully. ¡°Maybe, I guess I just need to check them and find out.¡± As I started to scroll through the list I noticed a pattern, every other notice was a warning notification. The exact message on the warning was the same for all of them.
Warning! Notification Delayed until return to Druid¡¯s Domain due to ability restrictions.
¡°So I found out why I have half of my notifications and also why I got them all at once.¡± I told Mia with a hint of disbelief still flavoring my attitude. ¡°And that reason is what?¡± Mia asked while handing me my plate. Taking a moment to check its contents, I was greeted by a boiled egg, some scrambled eggs, berries, and a burnt piece of meat of a dubious cut. After having stared at it with what had to have been a stupid look I turned to Mia and asked: ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°They said that it is meat from a ¡®tunnel-boar¡¯. Its kind of frightening to imagine a boar running through underground tunnels.¡± Mia said thoughtfully and with a hint of deflection in her attitude while answering. ¡°Honestly I don¡¯t mind what the meat is, I was asking about your cooking.¡± ¡°Well I was not sure what kind of vegetables you liked, but I wanted to fill out your first meal back!¡± Mia answered while desperately avoiding eye contact. Having watched her for a moment, I started laughing. ¡°Thanks Mia. I really appreciate the meal! I know you really tried, and I can¡¯t wait to dig in.¡± And with that said, I started to eat. Within moments I started to feel my gag reflex kick in. The ¡°tunnel-boar¡± meat was charred on the top and near raw throughout the middle. Looking up, while struggling to keep the disgust off of my face, I saw Mia looking horrified at her own plate. ¡°Well, I think I may need some additional practice cooking.¡± Mia said matter of factly. Not quite suppressing my chuckle completely, I added: ¡°Thats fine, I will take over cooking if that is fine with you.¡± With a quick laugh between us, we both choked down the eggs and broccoli before tossing the meat outside. With the meal finished Mia got back to work sorting all of our loot into piles while I started the task of going through the entirety of my notifications. The vast majority of my missed notices were about bestiary entry completion achievements along with a few business related ones. There were two notable exceptions though¡­My Domain had leveled up and a Skill evolution. Chapter 18: So many choices Staring at my two extremely notable notifications, I couldn¡¯t help but to snort out an exclamation of surprise. ¡°What was that about? Is one of your notices good or is it bad?¡± Mia asked while looking at me strangely, loot still in hand having paused her sorting. ¡°Its extremely good! My domain leveled up and I apparently have a skill evolution!¡± I blurted out unrestrained. After a moment of us looking one another in the eyes, Mia asked: ¡°So what are your options? Are you going to check, or are you just going to look at me?¡± ¡°Ya, I was just surprised and elated that I half forgot. I thought you would be more excited though.¡± ¡°I am very excited for you, but I think we can celebrate after you open them up and we know what the choices for them are.¡± Mia replied setting down what was in her hands in order to face me completely. After a quick nod I opened up my menus to see what awaited me. Starting with my domain first I was greeted with the message.
Your domain has reached level 2 A new domain skill choice is available.
Clicking the message box I was greeted by 5 options.
  1. Calm Domain
    1. Domain¡¯s weather is more likely to be calm and negative weather effects will be downgraded with a strength value proportional to the domain¡¯s level.
  2. Bountiful Domain
    1. The domain¡¯s influence allows all life in the domain to be infused with the domain¡¯s power with a strength value proportional to the domain¡¯s level for both better crop yields and rearing of livestock.
  3. Fortified Domain
    1. Wild plant growth encircles the domain providing protection against outside forces. As the domain levels the protection increases.
  4. Quiet Domain
    1. The domain will no longer spawn Stone tier monsters. The restriction on monster spawning will increase as the domain¡¯s level rises.
  5. Shrouded Domain
    1. Disorienting mist enshrouds the domain helping to hide its boundaries. Effectiveness of mist is dependent on domain level and the intruders level.
Having read the options aloud for Mia¡¯s sake, Mia was slow to comment but had a serious expression on her face. ¡°Well¡­ the options are fantastic with strong effects on all of them. There definitely are standouts for us, but I could see a use for each. All except the shrouded domain would be great for our farm though. That particular domain would be best chosen if you went the dark broody hermit route. Seeing as we are in business together, that ship has already sailed.¡± Mia said with a chuckling grin. ¡°Agreed, I wouldn¡¯t choose that route regardless though. Now that I¡¯m out in the World, I want to be more social and to actually live a social life. As for the other four, I don¡¯t think we need the fortified domain. If we were in a hostile territory surrounded by bandits then I would, but out here in the farmland I think the calm, bountiful, and quiet domains are best.¡± ¡°That was along the same line of thought that I was having. From our business¡¯ point of view, quiet domain would keep our business safe from monsters, but Rumble is doing decently well at that already. Bountiful domain would help us specialize further into high quality produce to sell, we could probably center our entire brand around it. And calm would make sure that the weather is always better than our competitors for crop growing.¡± Mia added ¡°I agree with all of that, but I think a bountiful domain is probably the best. Not only will it help our growth, but I am almost certain that it will buff Rumble as well. I¡¯m all about stacking buffs and with Rumble buffed as well, we should be in a solid position to stay safe.¡± I excitedly explained. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°That makes sense, you already said that your bountiful harvest skill buffed Rumble, so it would really make sense for a druid skill by the same name to do something similar. And like I said before, this would help us specialize for quality. Which is exactly what I was planning to sell others on with my farming skills. So it would help our fields be the ultimate form of advertisement!¡± Mia started saying excitedly. ¡°That¡¯s a great point. I¡¯m tempted to choose it now, but I should really check out the skill evolution first. I actually have no idea what to expect though. I heard it happens with most heavily used skills, but I didn¡¯t expect it so soon.¡± ¡°Same, I am really surprised that you got one so fast. It is probably because Rumble spends almost all of his time awake killing monsters.¡± Mia added thoughtfully. ¡°Well no time to waste, let''s check out my options.¡± I said before switching menu screens. With the Plant-familiar skill tab selected I saw and exclamation point next to it with a background of a swirling vortex. Clicking the icon I was presented with 2 different options.
  1. Seedling swarm
    1. Evolves your plant-familiar skill to contain a number of familiars equal to the skills level divided by 2. It is important to note that each individual familiar will be equal to the strength of a plant-familiar, without this evolution, two thirds its level.
  2. Retributive defense
    1. The affected familiar grows an appropriate form of defense that enacts harm upon its attackers.
¡°Well, this one seems obvious to me. Retributive defense seems like the way to go.¡± I said. ¡°I agree as well, but I am curious as to why you think it is so obvious. Seedling swarm would be great at pinning down and overwhelming stronger foes, at least that is what I would guess.¡± Mia stated with a bit of curiosity while probing for my thoughts. ¡°Yes and no, swarms are great for tying up large foes, but not necessarily stronger foes.¡± I told her. ¡°Sorry, I did not really play too many games. Could you explain the exact difference in the differences and how that plays out?¡± She asked, obviously intrigued by the distinction I was making. ¡°Ya, no problem. A larger foe is exactly what it sounds like, larger. It¡¯s size can be a great advantage due to leverage and reach, but at the end of the day, its still the same level as it was before. Swarms can crawl all over them making it hard for the larger creature to target any individual and thus wasting their overall action economy.¡± I excitedly started explaining. ¡°What is ¡®action-economy¡¯?¡± Mia quickly interjected her question for clarification. ¡°Oh, action-economy refers to how many actions something can take in any given amount of time. For individuals we can only do what our singular body can perform. Swarms on the other hand can take massive amounts of total actions.¡± I explained. ¡°So wouldn¡¯t that flip the obvious choice over to Swarm?¡± Mia asked, now confused. ¡°Not necessarily, actions don¡¯t mean anything if you can''t damage the target. Both you and I can take down many weaker enemies and our ability to do so will only grow as we do. What we need is a heavy hitter for the big guys like the snake boss. The swarm option has reduced strength, which may not get past the damage reduction of some tougher enemies that may come to visit our farm.¡± I explained trying to be as thorough as possible. ¡°Oh, that makes a lot of sense¡­. I can hardly believe that you thought all that through so quickly.¡± She said with a tad bit of surprise. ¡°Well, the obvious part was much simpler. There is no way that I could ever risk Rumble getting hurt again. With a swarm I would see them get squished left and right. I¡¯d personally rather get Rumble as strong as possible, you and him are my best friends¡­ who wouldn¡¯t make that choice?¡± I asked rhetorically. ¡°That¡­is incredibly wholesome. I couldn¡¯t agree more, that was more along my line of thinking as well.¡± Mia added with what I could only interpret as a hint of admiration. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think that will affect my domain selection. Do you see any reason to swap our choice?¡± I asked. ¡°No, I think the choice of domain stands. I would recommend we wait until Rumble returns for the night though. We would not want to surprise him in the middle of a fight.¡± ¡°Agreed, we will do it then.¡± And with that we finished the loot sorting together while waiting for Rumble¡¯s return¡­ And what a return it was. Chapter 19: Early morning surprise Out of nowhere with no warning, the shack''s door burst open almost shattering the hinges. In flew a winged snake the length of my leg. Fangs protruding and its mouth open, it barely missed both Mia and I. Landing in the middle of the loot pile it stared down at the gathered items. And as the tense moments continued to pass, Rumble swaggered in, clearly proud of himself. That''s when the situation became clear. ¡°Rumble! You have to be careful and warn us before launching monsters through the air towards us! We could¡¯ve gotten hit!¡± I quickly berated my familiar. With a jolt of shock at my obviously annoyed demeanor, Rumble shrank back from his previously confident attitude. With an embarrassed and crying emoji pair, Rumble hung his head. Instantly feeling regret for my harsh tone I added, ¡°Look buddy, no one got hurt this time so we will let it slide. But in the future we can¡¯t do that because Mia or I could¡¯ve gotten seriously injured.¡± I tried explaining gently. ¡°He is right, Rumble, we could have been seriously injured if your throw was even slightly off. We are happy that you are back and obviously successful with your hunt, but we need to be careful for now on. Do you understand?¡± Mia said gently and with obvious care in her voice. With a vigorous up and down shake of his entire body, Rumble confirmed his understanding and his regret at having put us in danger. Now with a Smiley emoji blasting into my vision, Rumble ran over to his trophy and started trying to show us how it flew through the air, all while tipping over piles of sorted loot. Palm sliding down my face I grabbed Rumble with my other hand while explaining, ¡°Rumble, we just organized this pile. You can show us over there in the clear area next to the firewood.¡± Not to be discouraged from his showboating, Rumble ran over to the indicated spot all the while trying to make the flying snake appear to be flying. As his twirling and jumping came to an end, I examined the dead monster. With more than a little surprise I couldn¡¯t help but comment. ¡°Rumble, that is a rare monster! Apparently it''s called a ¡®winged-snake¡¯, nothing creative with the name but rare nonetheless. Mia, do you think we can get some good money for it?¡± ¡°There is no doubt that we will. I wish we could process it ourselves, but we will probably get more by selling this one whole compared to us trying to process it here.¡± Mia added thoughtfully. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot with how Rumble made his entrance. I need to select my choices from earlier. Rumble, you are about to get a nice little upgrade, are you ready?¡± I asked the little guy. With a quick nod of affirmation, the little guy braced himself. Having made my selection, I watched the choice come to fruition. Rumble quickly sprouted thick thorns all across his body. With his forearms and back the most heavily protected I could only cringe while realizing that my morning alarm was going to get much much worse. ¡°I cannot say that I am a fan.¡± Mia dejectedly stated. ¡°Why? I know that I don¡¯t like it due to his habit of either hugging me in joy, or hitting me while sleeping.¡± ¡°Because, now I cannot hug him.¡± Mia mourned. Upon seeing the sad look cross Mia¡¯s face, Rumble shook his body and somehow retracted his thorns. With the thorns now fully hidden, he rushed over to Mia and gave her a long hug not fully knowing why she suddenly flinched. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Well, it is good to know that Rumble can still hug.¡± Mia said ¡°Let¡¯s just hope that he remembers that while sleeping. I really need to build him a planter or something. I am not sure that I can handle him hitting me every morning for the rest of my life.¡± ¡°I am sure it will help with your advancement. If you get attacked daily, I am sure you will unlock an achievement sooner or later.¡± And with that the night finished in a mostly humorous mood. We finished the loot organization and Mia tagged it for sale with her skill. As we finished and said goodnight, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that the coming days would get even better. ********** The next day we were awakened during the first stages of twilight by a deluge of rain spilling into the shack through the hole in the roof. It had put out the fire, drenched us and the blankets, and yet the worst part was that Rumble was still asleep, shaking with delight as the water was sucked into his roots. Grumbling but leaving him to enjoy his rest, I got up and started securing our loose belongings in the cabinet where they would be able to dry. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this rain, it seems like it came out of nowhere!¡± I yelled over to Mia over the sounds of the storm. Mia, trying to make a makeshift barrier with her already wet towel in order to minimize the splashing, responded with a shake to her voice. ¡°Maybe we should have chosen the Calm domain option!¡± She shouted back. ¡°I just hope that the rain dies down a little and that the sun comes up soon. It''s easy to forget how cool the spring mornings are when the coals keep us warm.¡± ¡°Agreed, the occasional dew was bad enough, but now I am soaked! We need to figure out how to prevent this from happening again. Maybe we ca¡± The world lit as bright as day for a brief moment before a world changing pulse shook the air itself. CRACK! ¡°AH!!¡± Mia started screaming. ¡°Mia, its just thunder and lightning!¡± I told her while running over to embrace her cold cowering form. ¡°I saw it plenty during my free-time activities growing up. As long as we stay in the home, we should be fine, remember that this shack is considered a safe area for the most part.¡± ¡°I know what it is Brad, I just do not like it!¡± She replied, body rigid. As another crack of lightning hit, Rumble jumped up with his thorns bursting forth, looking for what caused Mia to scream what was possibly the loudest sound to occur that night. As Rumble saw us huddled in the least flooded corner, he swept his gaze over the room to check for any monsters. Apparently satisfied with the immediate safety of us, he ran over to the cabinet and grabbed something before running over to Mia, giving it to her with a pat on the head and then rushing outside into the storm. Not knowing what Rumble had given, but seeing the confused look on her face, I asked: ¡°What did he give you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it feels like a sticky rock.¡± Mia said, fear momentarily lost in her confusion. However the calm granted by Rumble¡¯s action did not last long as a new wave of lightning tore the sky open. And so it went on for hours, well into the light of day. Finally the lightning stopped midmorning, allowing us to finally relax and go outside. Upon trying to open the door, we were greeted with a scene of pathway destruction. Not only was the path leading to the shack flooded, it also had deep gouges trenched through it in every direction. Luckily we were not left in confusion for long as we saw large smooth lizard fish creatures both chasing and being chased by Rumble. Everytime he hit one it would run in fear, but that still left a dozen to chase him while he went for the kill. As the comotion played out and eventually made its way onto the main road, Mia and I quickly hurried over to check our fields. It was a muddy mess, littered with blown debris, but it was full of fully ripe crops! ¡°They survived!¡± We both shouted to the sky in delight. ¡°Mia, we did it! They survived and we are going to have our first major harvest!¡± I shouted for joy while grabbing her in a hug. ¡°We did! It was close, but we are going to make it. With a little smart investing, we should be sitting really well off by the end of spring!¡± She continued to shout, unable to calm herself. Chapter 20: Harvesting money! Still jumping up and down with excitement, even after a minute had already past, we were bound to slip and fall. Which we did. Not knowing who pulled who, we both tumbled down into the mud still happy at the morning¡¯s discovery. Our first harvest was ripe and ready to be plucked for sale! ¡°What should we pick first!? The potatoes, beans, strawberries,or cauliflower? Everything looks great!¡± I said while tripping over more than a few words. ¡°Anything and everything! You pick them and I will stack them for pickup and sale. That way I can set the price as we go. In the future I can set a bulk price, but for now doing it individually should earn us one or two extra coins when everything is all set and done.¡± Mia explained. With our eyes shining, we started picking the closest plants to the entrance first, potatoes. Never having had picked potatoes before, I wasn¡¯t quite sure how we were going to dig them up in a timely manner, but that didn¡¯t stop our hands from scooping out the dirt below the stem. As the process was slow, we tried just pulling the stem , but it quickly snapped without much gain. With some trial and error though, we were able to work out a technique of half digging them out and then pulling the potatoes the rest of the way out by its stem. ¡°Wow, these potatoes look really good! Should we keep a few in order to eat?¡± I asked Mia. ¡°No, from the looks of it all of the potatoes so far are stone 8 or 9. They will sell for a decent profit. For now we need to pinch coin and just buy the stone 1 or 2 produce. I know it will not look as appetizing or taste as good, but they will fill our stomachs none the less.¡± Mia responded with a bit of steeled sadness in her voice. ¡°Is the cost really that different?¡± I asked. ¡°Sadly and luckily, yes. Remember, most farmers will be producing stone 1, 2 or 3 produce their first few seasons. The main reason that ours are so exceptional relative to theirs is that we are as you say ¡°stacking a lot of buffs¡± onto our harvest. We have my Enrich skill, your domain, your farming skill, and the fact that most of our harvest is undamaged because of Rumble¡¯s active monster crusade.¡± Mia explained. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that the buffs would put us so far ahead this soon.¡± ¡°Well, we are still stone tier and have 2 separate farming buffs along with a druid perk that is every bit as useful. But as for the cost difference, we are probably one of only a handful that produce high end stone veggies and fruit. There might be a team doing it, but most of our market competition will be the farmers that started last year, of which most would have diversified away from the starting crops.¡± Mia thoroughly explained. ¡°So how much of a difference in cost are we talking about?¡± I asked with excitement in my voice. ¡°I will explain it like this, we can buy cauliflower seeds for 80 cents, at stone one the grown cauliflower will barely sell for 1 copper and 75 cents. At stone 9 we can get 2 copper and 5 cents. If somehow we manage to uncover a copper grade potato then we can get 2 copper and 18 cents.¡± Mia was explaining with a smile twinkling in her eyes. ¡°I thought it would be higher, that isn¡¯t that big of a difference.¡± I said with a bit of my heightened enthusiasm lost. ¡°You probably did not take all the accounting courses that I did, so let me explain something that you are probably overlooking. The difference between stone 1 and stone 9 is only 30 cents, but you need to compare that with our cost of purchasing seeds. When you factor out the costs, we essentially made an extra 31 percent profit! We made a third more than most of our competitors with mostly the same amount of total work!¡± Mia was excitedly saying. ¡°That actually does sound really good!¡± I said as Mia was taking a breath. ¡°That is not even the end of it! Remember, I am haggling up the market price. Until I get a dedicated skill I can only do so much, but we are probably looking at another 2 percent! Just think, we have 45 planted seeds.¡± Mia said ending with a short pause for it to sink in before continuing. ¡°That will get us another free seed for next season¡¯s harvest, which in turn will on paper be an almost entirely profit crop!¡± ¡°Wow¡­ I am speechless right now.¡± my brain barely processing all the information quick enough to respond fully. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°That being said, we need to buy more seeds tomorrow. The beans and strawberries will continue to produce for the rest of the season, but we need to use today''s profits to buy some more short growth crops in order to finish off the season strong.¡± Mia finished explaining. As my brain finally caught up with the information dump that Mia just shared, a briefly weakened smile burst back onto my face with renewed excitement as I restarted my battle with the dirt holding back my access to the potatoes. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to this Mia, I can¡¯t wait to see our first copper grade crop!¡± ¡°Me too, but I am not sure whether it is likely or unlikely. We are still near the beginning of stone tier with our farming skills after all.¡± She said with no small hint of unrestricted excitement. So as the morning progressed we pulled out all of the potatoes from the ground along with having harvested all of the cauliflower as well. As we sat down to eat our lunch on the short wall near the road we saw a wagon slowly approaching from town. With the wagon growing closer and our lunch coming to a quick end, Mia recognized the driver. ¡°Old Sal!¡± Mia shouted towards the wagon with a jumping wave in his direction. ¡°I had completely forgotten that he was heading to town today. I was planning on going into town with him to visit you! I sure hope he did not wait for me too long this morning¡­ especially with all the rain that was pouring.¡± She finished saying with a slightly guilty tone. ¡°I¡¯m sure he will understand. From what I gathered in my short time knowing him, he has been a more than thoughtful man. He took a losing bet with you just to be helpful last time.¡± ¡°That is true, but that makes me feel even worse thinking about it that way.¡± Mia finished saying as Sal pulled up to stop next to us. ¡°Good morning young lady. Well I guess I should say ¡®Good afternoon¡¯.¡± Sal said with a chuckle before turning towards me. ¡°And welcome back to the world of the living young man. I heard that you took quite the beating. Sounded like a good reason to though.¡± He finished saying with a quick wink and laugh. ¡°Sal¡­¡± Mia said while seeming unimpressed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that you are both doing okay. I had figured that you had gotten better though. Every other time that Mia visited you she was waiting on me, so it stood to reason that she either needed the rest or that you were back. And just in time it seems.¡± ¡°Ya, got back just in time to feel the rush of our first harvest!¡± I excitedly said. ¡°I hope ya¡¯ll aren¡¯t going to sell the potatoes. You do know how to split them for replanting, right?¡± He asked with a genuinely curious tone. ¡°You can do what?¡± Both Mia and I said together. ¡°Haha, I guess that ya¡¯ll didn¡¯t read up any on your own crops. You can cut up the potatoes in order to replant them in place of seeds. The new potatoes are limited to a ranking of 1 or 2 higher or lower than the original seed potato , so you will always make money if you have enough time left in the season.¡± ¡°That is awesome! How many times can we do it?¡± I hurriedly pushed for more answers. ¡°You are limited to twice, but the second time is almost guaranteed to lower by 1 rank. You also have a hard limit of cutting a potato as a replant into 3 pieces. Otherwise potato farmers would rule the world quite frankly¡­ its bad enough with some of the high end plants out there.¡± Sal sagely explained. ¡°Is there anything else that we should know about our crops?¡± Mia asked. ¡°No, nothing that will affect this harvest.¡± Sal said as he looked past us to the harvested and still as of yet unharvested crops. Turning to look at me Mia said: ¡°Okay, well that changed the math a little on what we can buy this week. Brad, we can get the essentials without the potato revenue even if it is going to be tighter than expected, but I think we have to after hearing that. I am not sure that we can get all 3 harvests in time though.¡± ¡°Well, very few people can get 3 potato harvests collected in a single season. They are either extremely high level with evolved skills or they spend their entire revenue on consumable growth items.¡± Sal said with a conciliatory voice. ¡°Does not matter, that is our goal Brad. It might not be this season, but we should plan on always getting 3 harvests from them. We might sell them this season since the loss of so much revenue now might cripple us in summer, but starting next year we should plan on holding onto potatoes through the seasons in order to plant them the next time that they come into season.¡± Mia said with an accountant''s conviction. ¡°Sounds good to me, you know the business side of things much better than I do. If you think that it is the best course of action, then that is what we will plan on doing.¡± I responded. With a smile on his face and a shift in posture, Sal said: ¡°Well it looks like the team has a few new ideas to implement. Good luck to ya¡¯ll and with that being said, I need to get back on my way.¡± With a quick exchange of goodbyes, Old Sal started back on his way out towards his home. ¡°Well, are you ready to get back to picking everything or do you want to plant the potatoes first?¡± Mia asked. Doesn¡¯t matter to me, it sounds like that it will be a late night regardless.¡± I said with the joy of the moment filling my voice. Chapter 21: Ahead of the curve, yet behind because of potatoes Having said goodbye to Old Sal hours ago, twilight had been kissing the sky for quite a while now. Light scarce and the winds bringing about sounds of rustling grass and the smell of our fresh harvest. This was the perfect scene. Just staring over the stretching fields, I was reminded of just how recently I had arrived here. Coming up to stand beside me, caked in dried mud head to toe, Mia joined me in staring out at the setting sun. ¡°Do you still want to go fight underground in a dungeon? I could not even imagine giving this up. If I could, I would pause time with this scene every day just so that I could enjoy it a little longer.¡± Looking over with a smile, I was struck by something else. Mia with her cheeks muddy and flushed from a hard day''s work with her eyes glinting in the setting sun gave me pause. ¡°Ya, I could too. It''s a pretty beautiful day¡± I said, turning back towards the horizon. ¡°Well we should finish up what we are doing. We still need to pick the last of the strawberries before going in to eat dinner and sort the loot from Rumble. We are doing great on what we harvested in terms of quality, but we are way behind in total revenue due to the potato replant cycle we want to start.¡± Turning back towards the field I couldn¡¯t help but feel both excited and exhausted from today''s work. Replying to her, with my feelings showing through I said, ¡°Agreed, but tomorrow we don¡¯t have to water the crops. As such I plan on clearing some more of the fields and hopefully find some foraged goods!¡± ¡°I never thought of that. I remember reading about them some, but it usually takes a specialized class to really buff the goods enough. With your druid domain it might make a decent source of supplemental income until our farming becomes a full time operation. We should ask Rumble if he has stumbled upon anything.¡± Mia suggested. ¡°Agreed, he might not be able to tell us anything specific, but he should be able to at least answer that he has or hasn¡¯t. Hopefully he could lead us to a potential patch of stuff.¡± ¡°He might be able to. I think that at this point in time he roams quite a ways from the shack. There are times throughout the day that I stop hearing him and his fighting.¡± Mia reflected. ¡°Well judging by his health going up and down, he definitely takes quite a few breaks throughout the day, but you are right in that he is almost always fighting.¡± I replied. ¡°Do you have any way of calling out to him through menus or is it only by verbal communication?¡± Mia asked. ¡°As of now, my side is purely verbal. He has some cute emojis that he sends me for his end though.¡± I said, replying to her question. ¡°You had mentioned that before, I wish I could see them. He is cute enough already, but those would just make it perfect.¡± ¡°You still think he is cute with all of those thorns poking out?¡± I asked with a hint of humor. ¡°Well no, but when he retracts them he goes back to being as cute as ever.¡± ¡°Ha, well be sure to tell him tonight. I honestly think that he likes you as much as he does me!¡± Laughing at my comment Mia said, ¡°Of course! I am a pretty girl and I always compliment him on his loot.¡± Looking up from the strawberry plant I was at, mid-picking, I looked straight at Mia. ¡°What do you mean? I compliment him all the time.¡± ¡°I guess that I am just better at it.¡± Mia said looking up with a mischievous grin. Still stuck in disbelief, I got hit when Mia tossed a piece of dirt my way teasingly. ¡°Get back to work, I really want to go eat soon!¡± she said. ¡°Speaking of which, what do you want to eat tonight?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I was hoping that you would make an omelet with some of the cheap seasonings that we have.¡± Mia said. ¡°Okay, no problem. Do you think that we can afford anymore seasonings? Don¡¯t get me wrong, I am glad we have what we have¡­ But a few more would help round out our culinary experience.¡± I said with more than a bit of hope. ¡°Without the potato revenue we cannot afford them and still make our summer planting goals. Honestly, I should head into town tomorrow to get more seeds with today¡¯s income.¡± She said while mentally calculating the new planting schedule. ¡°What if I stay out a little later today, while you make dinner? I might be able to forage up something. Who knows, I might find something worth a new cooking spice.¡± The words spilled out of my mouth with more than a bit of hope coloring them. ¡°Haha, fine. If you can get something that I can sell tomorrow, then we will use it on something food related.¡± She conceded. With the last strawberry in hand, I jumped in joy at her concession. ¡°Rumble! Where are you!?¡± I yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t bring him in early, he can still get more loot!¡± Mia chided me. ¡°It''s fine, he can kill what attacks me. I am going to start foraging now.¡± Rolling her eyes, Mia let out a short snort. ¡°Fine, but you should be extra careful. Monsters are more active at night. I heard that they also get a small buff at night.¡± ¡°I should be fine with Rumble guarding me. Worst case I will make a run towards the shack.¡± I reassured her. ¡°God knows that I don¡¯t want to end up back at the healers again.¡± ¡°Are you sure? That healer assistant, Melissa, seemed to really like your company.¡± Mia asked. Without knowing exactly what was going on with the question, I couldn¡¯t help but feel as if a monster was stalking us at that moment. ¡°Ya, waking up from a coma really isn¡¯t pleasant. I mean, it is better than not waking up, but your head hurts for days!¡± I replied succinctly, feeling as if that was my best course of action without knowing exactly why that was. With a rustle nearby and happy emojis blasting the corner of my vision, Rumble ran out of the nearby grass while carrying a large segmented log creature. ¡°What is that!?¡± Mia asked in surprise while examining the creature. ¡°I am not sure, let me check my bestiary entries.¡± I said. Flipping through my menus and finding one of the newest entries to be the monster in question I gave Mia the answer she was looking for. ¡°It says that it is a ¡®Stamp python¡¯, apparently it lifts its body high up into the air and tries to crush its prey. It is also weak towards fire due to it actually being a plant creature.¡± ¡°I hope that was the only one, I really hate snakes!¡± Mia responded. ¡°Same here, but it looks like they live in colonies called ¡®Piles¡¯.¡± With a look of appalled disbelief, Mia asked: ¡°Is that supposed to be a joke name implying them to be ¡®A pile of sticks¡¯? Hopefully for Rumble¡¯s sake, the local ones are not very numerous or in a single large alliance.¡± ¡°Nah, Rumble can obviously handle them. As you have said before, he is the apex predator around here.¡± I said confidently as Rumble made an imitation arm flex with branch arms that didn¡¯t quite bulge up as he obviously had hoped. ¡°Speaking of which, did he make much progress today in terms of leveling? I am sure our farming skills went up quite a bit today and chances are my merchant class will by the end of the night.¡± ¡°Let me check¡± I told her. And upon checking I was more than pleasantly surprised by today''s progress. ¡°Plant-familiar is level 8 and Farming is level 7! That seems really high for such a short amount of time in the World¡­¡± I said with my surprise evident. Matching my tone exactly, Mia had obviously checked her skills and had the exact same reaction. ¡°My farming is level 6 and my Merchant class is 7 as well! From what Sal said in town, we shouldn¡¯t be hitting these levels until near the middle of summer.¡± ¡°Well, my farming has always leveled along with Rumble¡­ Usually it sticks to about half his total level¡­ So our farming skills have probably been constantly boosted by him shooting up in levels and us getting farming experience from his growth. And combined with our awesome harvest, I think I can see why we leveled so much.¡± ¡°That sounds possible, but that would be quite the feedback loop of experience. Thank god I found a druid to partner with!¡± Mia said in wonder. ¡°Thank god you found a druid? Am I not the important part of that thought?¡± I asked with mock hurt. ¡°Haha, just kidding!¡± she responded before her face started to grow serious in the dim light. ¡°Brad, it is already pretty dark,if you want to go out to forage any then you should hurry. I will go get dinner started, but you should be sure to hurry home as soon as you can!¡± Nodding my head and her wishing me luck, we went our separate ways. Mia off to cook dinner while organizing the day¡¯s collected loot and I off with Rumble to forage up something to sell. Chapter 22: Mias bane, Rumbles treasure With darkness all around us, Rumble and I continued to go deeper into the tall grass. With only a dark starless night above me, the sounds of rain on its way, and my familiar leading me to some unknown destination. It had only been a short time since we entered the grass, but with the clouds having moved in quick, the visibility had worsened to a worrying degree. But luckily, or not, it seemed that we were closing in on our destination as my companion started to pat my leg telling me to stop. As I felt him leave me briefly, worry spread throughout my mind at an abnormally quick speed. But the worry was for not, as smiling faces played across my vision and some soft squishy bits started to be pressed into my hands. Wondering what they were, but knowing that no answer was going to come my way until I saw them, I quickly pocketed everything. After having my pants crammed full of something unknown, my hand was taken by a familiar root in order to lead me in another direction. As we made our way over rough uneven ground, I felt my foot catch more than a few rocks along with more than one hole. But in the end it took us only another 2 or 3 minutes in order to stop once more, this time with a faint light greeting me. In front of me stood a short tulip like flower, a flower that was glowing. With it giving a faint ghostly blue light, it was a gorgeous and a stark relief compared to the dark background. As I reached down for it I was stopped by Rumble. Stopping at his insistence, I quietly watched as my familiar extended his arms deep into the soil and slowly started to undulate underground. After a few minutes the soil was completely loosened with the flower uprooted from the dirt. With the utmost delicacy he lifted it from the ground and continued to hold it in one hand while grabbing mine with the other. Now once more being led, but now with a source of light, we quickly made our way out of the grass and onto the main road roughly a quarter mile down the road from my home. Now out of the tall grass, the glow from our nightly fire was a beacon towards home. With a sleepy emoji from Rumble and a few light drops of rain hitting me, it was time to hurry home. Step by step, the rain was crashing upon the ground harder and harder every footfall. With Rumble now completely covering the flower with his bulk, he was lagging behind but still chugging along. Not one to leave a friend, I tried picking him up but found him much too heavy for what I considered toned arms. ¡°Sorry bud, I can¡¯t carry you. Don¡¯t worry though, I won''t leave you out here alo¡­:¡± And then the world turned white before returning to an oppressive darkness, only cracked by our home¡¯s fire. CRACK! Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. And then Mia screamed. With Rumble flashing scared faces and pushing me towards home, I didn¡¯t need to be told twice. I shot off as quickly as my feet could take me. Arriving faster than I had ever ran before, I threw open the door and found Mia hiding behind the blanket that was hung up to dry. With a few steps forward, I felt Mia slam into my chest as she bolted forward lost in fear. ¡°It¡¯s okay Mia, you are safe. I¡¯ve got you and won¡¯t let you be alone until the storm is gone.¡± I promised as we slowly slid to a kneeling position in the cold mud. With her body tense, all I got was a quick and curt nod as she barely relaxed in response. The night continued to be tense for a few minutes more in a slowly dimming home as the rain drenched the fire once more. That is until Rumble entered with his prize, the glorious glowing flower. With it came a faint soothing light that he brought and showed Mia while stroking her leg showing his worry for her. With her eyes still pinched close, she was not able to see the glow but softly touched my familiar¡¯s arm in acknowledgment. Having confirmed her to be okay, Rumble set off towards a corner of the room that often got light at twilight but was currently one of the few unflooded areas. Crouching down at his destination, he reversed his method of getting the flower and instead slowly worked its roots deep into the soil. As the plant took root, its glow brightened ever so slightly, so little in fact that I had probably missed it dimming when we first acquired it. With it being the only light around, a small comfort spread throughout the shack, one that only comes with light. Lifting Mia and coaxing her to stand back up, I slowly led her over to the corner with the flowers glowing light. As she got near, she slipped in the mud and we both plopped in face first with the flower a foot away. Now scrambling to get up, Mia opened her eyes in order to come to terms with her situation and for the first time noticed the beautiful object. ¡°What is that?¡± She asked meekly. ¡°I am not sure, but Rumble seems to take great care of it. He wouldn¡¯t even let me pick it, he had to save the roots and all. And with how he planted it, I don¡¯t think it is something that we should sell.¡± I said, happy that she was opening up even a little. Still hunched, worried about when the next bolt might come, Mia worked her way past the flower and into the very corner of the shack. With her back to it and holding her knees, she gestured to me to come sit with her. As I approached, she commented. ¡°The flower must do something, I have a calming buff on my status and I don¡¯t feel as anxious now that I am staring at it.¡± Sitting down next to her and immediately standing back up as I felt her shiver, I fought away her grasping hand as I walked away towards the blanket. ¡°Mia you are shivering, I need to get us a blanket to keep warm as the night gets cooler.¡± With a brief nod and a gesture to hurry, Mia acquiesced to my short absence. Getting back and sharing the blanket in the corner, we fought through the night of storms. Thunder and lightning rippled the air throughout the night, but sheltered in the calm light of the flower Mia was able to slowly fall to sleep. Chapter 23: Foraging surprise With Mia braced against me in an uncomfortable position and Rumble¡¯s branches squeezing me on the other side, it had been a long tiring night for me. With the morning dawn not quite fully arrived, I was fully awake. Having slept for only a short time, I had awoken to a mind full of thoughts. The most prominent thought was wondering what this glowing flower was and how to get more. It obviously calms nearby people and helps them ignore what would be otherwise crippling afflictions such as fear. But what exactly was it? Did it just randomly appear in the area or was it something rare that we lucked out finding? Why hadn¡¯t Rumble shown me before? He had either cleared the area around it or its growth inhibited nearby plants from growing¡­ and if it was the later, why would he want it here at home? Not knowing what the answers to my thoughts were, I tried easing my way up. Not wanting to let Mia just fall to the ground, I tried gently lifting her up off of me and lowering her to the ground. As I was mid motion to lift her, she stirred awake and gave me a slight smile. Within moments my face was red and embarrassment hit me. Not knowing what to say, I slowly got up as she supported herself and walked over to the cupboard. Reaching the cupboard I withdrew enough food to start breakfast and then realized that the firepit was thoroughly flooded. ¡°Well that isn¡¯t good.¡± I said aloud while staring at the pit. ¡°Agreed, for now lets stack some wood to lift the fire up off of the wet pit. We need to make due until the end of the season. If we can make it through then we will hopefully have enough for not only next season¡¯s harvest, but with foraging we might be able to buy a cheap stove. I think I saw one that vented outside. It was cheap, but we might be able to upgrade it by winter.¡± Mia said as she got up and hung up the dew covered blanket. ¡°How long do you think the rain will continue for?¡± I asked. ¡°Not sure, but it will probably rain off and on until fall or winter.¡± ¡°Ugh, is there anything that we can afford?¡± I wondered aloud. ¡°Haha, we can afford plenty, but not if we want to grow.¡± Mia chuckled. ¡°Well, I guess today I will eat some veggies raw. I really need to get out and search for something to sell before the midday heat sets in. Also, you need to get on your way into town.¡± I mentioned. ¡°Ya, it''s going to be a long walk since Sal isn¡¯t here. I just hope that I can get back before nightfall. It seems as if the rain is mostly at night.¡± Mia said while dusting herself off and moving for some food. ¡°Well, be sure to hurry so that you can make it back in time. Also, Rumble and I got something last night to sell, but they pretty much all spilled out of my pockets while I was running back to the shack. So let''s use a blanket to make you a makeshift backpack and I¡¯ll walk with you until we pick everything back up.¡± ¡°No need to use a blanket.¡± Mia responded, quickly swallowing her mouthful of raw veggie. ¡°Sal had given me a backpack while you were in the infirmary. Nothing special, but it can hold quite a bit.¡± ¡°Why haven¡¯t I seen it?¡± I asked. ¡°It is up above the cupboard and to be fair, you have not been in the shack until quite a bit after the sun is on its way down.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Immediately glancing at the cupboard again, I saw a flat brown duffle bag barely visible on top of the cupboard. Pulling it down I saw that it had 2 sturdy adjustable straps and enough space to fit a small person curled up. ¡°This is nice, well I can tell it''s nothing fancy, but it is awesome that we have it!¡± I commented. ¡°It is, we should be able to fit everything that I will purchase today with some room to spare.¡± Mia said. Nodding in agreement as I finished the last of my cold breakfast, I opened the door to check what the storm had wrought on our field, The grass was still glistening in the morning dew, humidity obvious on the gentle wind, and plants seemingly a few inches taller. ¡°No way! There is no possible way!¡± I shouted out loud as I sprinted off down the path. Mia quickly swallowing her last bite and running out the door behind me shouted her question. ¡°What is it? Did the storm kill our plants?¡± She was about to ask some more until she saw it. Stopping next to me at the edge of our field we both just gazed out onto the road slack-jawed for a minute. There were hundreds of small little brown objects strewn down the road. There were Kiwi fruits! ¡°I think we hit the jackpot last night Mia.¡± I said in disbelief. ¡°Uh-huh, I would have to agree on that statement.¡± she responded, not knowing how to process our good fortune. ¡°Don¡¯t kiwis grow on large vines?¡± I asked Mia ¡°I think so¡­.¡± She trailed off, letting the implications hang in the air. ¡°RUMBLE!!!¡± we both shouted. Within moments we saw Rumble shoot out of the door with his body thorny and ready for combat. With a confused emoji flashing intermittent with a worried one, Rumble caught sight of us before striking a confused pose. ¡°Rumble, where is the plant that you got this from?¡± we both said in sync once again. With a finger like root, he pointed off into the grass while walking towards us at an easy pace. ¡°Can you take us please?¡± I asked my overly calm familiar. With a nod of his head, he led us off into the grass. Within a few minutes of eagerly walking into the grass, we had arrived. Almost tripping over the vines as we literally walked out of the grass and into the fruit. ¡°Woah, there are dozens of them!¡± I said excitedly Matching my excitement, Mia said, ¡°I just hope that they sell for a lot!¡± And so with her backpack open on the ground, we loaded it up with all the kiwis we could grab. ¡°Let''s take them to the shipping bin, can you carry them?¡± Mia asked. ¡°Ya, that''s no problem. Hopefully we can get that stove early!¡± I said with hope in my voice. ¡°If we spend it all on seeds then we can buy more later.¡± Mia argued while we started back into the grass and towards the shipping bin, led by Rumble. ¡°Look, that will be an excuse forever. We need heat and cooked food. If we don¡¯t have those, then our productivity will fall. We will also be able to close the roof once we get a vented stove.¡± I retorted As we made our way onto the road we started collecting all the fallen kiwis from the night before while arguing the merits of buying a stove now. As we made it to the shipping bin we had finally settled the argument. The foraging funds would be diverted away from spices and into a new stove. And so with excitement high, we started loading the bin up with goods to sell and Mia to actually put in the sale order. And oh boy was it a surprise! Chapter 24: Rumbles side hustle The kiwis were way too cheap! Sure we got a lot of them, but they still sold for less than a potato seed each! Only getting 39 cents for the best of them and significantly less for the majority, it was not the windfall that we had first expected. Overall it was still worth it though, we did get just over 12 copper coins from the haul. ¡°I am going to get back a little late, but I should make it back before the nightly storms. I will try to get something on your list though. If we can afford a cheap stove, I will get it. If we can only afford some spices, then we will need to settle.¡± Mia said, holding our coins in her hand. ¡°Sounds good, honestly that was more than I was hoping for this morning.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Just be safe and hurry back. If it looks like you will get back too late, just stay in town for the night.¡± ¡°That will definitely destroy our budget. I will try to run as much as I can on the way there. With all the farming work that we have been doing, my stamina has gotten better.¡± Mia said enthusiastically. ¡°Okay, well just be safe.¡± I told her as Rumble hugged her leg and started off down the lane checking for danger out towards the road. ¡°I will, but it is going to be a long day of running to catch up to all the delays. And don¡¯t forget, you and Rumble need to be careful too! Monsters don¡¯t really attack road traffic, but they will attack you here. If a swarm comes, be sure to hide.¡± Mia told me as we walked towards the road. ¡°I will, I hope to go find more things to sell though. Maybe even find something to plant nearby.¡± I said hopefully As we approached the main road Mia spoke up once again, ¡°Brad, seriously be safe. And thank you for your help all the time.¡± Patting her shoulder I said, ¡°Mia, don¡¯t mention it, remember we are partners! If one of us gets down then the other has to pull them back up.¡± ¡°That we are.¡± Mia said with a smile, as she turned and walked down the road with a wave back over her shoulder. Looking down at my feet briefly and unsure of exactly where to start, I started calling out to Rumble, who turned out to be just behind me. ¡°Hey Rumble, looks like it is just going to be us for the rest of the day. Do you have anything else that you have found nearby that I may want to see?¡± I asked curiously, not knowing what I wanted him to show me. Flashing me a smiley emoji and then tugging on my pant leg, Rumble set off to walk us around to the back of the shack. Making it around back, I noticed a well worn path in the tall grass that Rumble started heading towards. ¡°Rumble, did you make this path?¡± I asked, before receiving a confirmation emoji in return. ¡°So, do you go this way often? What is in there?¡± I continued asking while pointed to the clearly marked path. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. With an emoji of clashing weapons in my vision, it was clear¡­ he had found a lot of monsters. And so we set off towards whatever he had found. We walked for nearly 10 minutes through the tall grass before we crested a hill and came upon a small cliff face overlooking a small valley. Within the valley I could see a tree towering over a sparkling pond of water. And even from a distance I could tell that it was filled with some kind of fish and aquatic plants. Tugging on my pants, Rumble grabbed my attention and popped a ¡®hush¡¯ emoji into my display. Pointing down to our right, he directed my attention to a small washed out section of the valley wall polka dotted with holes. And with that we set out again, using a small path to our left that led us slowly down into the valley. As we made our way down the path I noticed many different types of foot prints, not all of which were from Rumble and his presumably daily trips down here. With a small washed out section nearby I could see a small trail of ants taking advantage of the cleared path. As we neared the base of the cliff and came to the valley floor, I noticed that it was full of life. Bugs everywhere, in the air, on the foliage, and dipping into the water. Leading me over to the water¡¯s edge, Rumble pointed to where the tree met the pond and there I noticed something cute. 5 turtles, each with a frog on top, were resting on a barely submerged root. As the bugs flew past, the frogs would take turns catching them in order to either eat themselves or to pass on to their turtle friends. Not quite sure what to make of it, I looked down at Rumble for clarification where I was met with a shrug. Picking up a stone from near the pond¡¯s edge, Rumble skipped it across the calm water¡¯s surface before rocketing into the pocked cliff face. After which a loud buzzing filled the area accompanied by a few very excited frogs croaking loudly and 5 turtle heads swiveling our way. Within moments, sickly streaks of green and red flashed our way. Flying bugs that were what appeared to be cousins of the old world sea urchin with wings. The thing rocketed towards Rumble as if he was anathema to their existence. With a sense of danger shooting up and down my spine, I stepped back to see what my familiar had planned. And oh boy did he have a plan¡­ he just stood there with his thorns activated. With the first bug splattering into him, I saw that his thorns ripped through their thin carapace spines and shredded the majority of bugs attacking him. As the bugs kept getting slaughtered by their own momentum, Rumble approached their nest and started peaking into different openings and was almost always greeted by a new wave of attacks. This knock and shred strategy of Rumbles continued for a good few minutes until he scooped up a large armful of bugs and walked over towards where the tree met the water. As he approached, the turtles all dropped off of their perch and swam over towards my familiar, with their frog passengers still in tow. Upon meeting each other, they all exchanged some odd yet obviously friendly greeting amongst themselves as if they were long time friends. After the little animals ate the offering brought, a dark speckled green turtle stepped forward and with a small whine urged his frog to retrieve something from their submerged root with its tongue whipping across the distance. Taking the unknown object from the group of 10, Rumble bade them farewell with a wave and ran back over to me. Not yet knowing what he had, he led the way back home. Almost having to crawl back up the path to the top, I realized that I had not noticed how loose some of the soil was. Getting the occasional hand from Rumble, we made our way to the top and back down the well worn path through the grass. With a fight against 3 lashers on the way home, we made it within just a few minutes longer than it took us to get to the pond¡¯s valley. Arriving home, I asked Rumble what it was that he had received. With a big smiling emoji, he led me into the shack and pointed to the glowing flower and then to a walnut sized seed held within his branch like hand. Chapter 25: Field work ¡°Wait, are you serious!?¡± I asked Rumble incredulously. I couldn¡¯t believe that he had gotten another seed of what had to be a rare and valuable plant. With a bob of his body, up and down, he flashed a few confirmation emojis letting me know that he was, in fact, quite serious about this seed being another of the glowing plants that we had in the corner of our shack. ¡°What should we do with it?¡± I wondered out loud. With a quick shrug, Rumble let me know that he didn¡¯t currently have any plans of his own for it. ¡°Well, do you think we can plant a field of them?¡± I asked Rumble, knowing that they would surely become a farm specialty crop and I really wanted to catch up to the amount of initiative shown by my business partner, Mia. And that was without taking into account how happy that would make her, coming back from town with the start of a new valuable crop being grown! With a ¡°I don¡¯t know gesture¡±, Rumble shrugged. He then pointed at the glowing sprout and held up a single finger-like branch, before pointing to the seed in his other hand and then adding a second finger to his count. And with the counting finished he gave me a second more skeptical shrug. ¡°Right, I know that we only have two for now. I was thinking that we could plant that one and get more seeds from it in the future. Do you know how big it gets?¡± I asked my doubtful familiar and was quickly returned a shrug of not knowing. ¡°Fair enough, but that won¡¯t stop us from planting it anyways!¡± I told Rumble and after which watched him do a little dance of joy due to the decision. After letting him do a little jig and settle back down, I decided to have a quick snack before heading back into the field to plant the new seed. And so after finishing off my egg, which has been my meal for way too many times, and set out through the door and down the path towards the crop field. Walking down the path, I couldn¡¯t help but to consider my luck since first arriving in ¡°The World¡±. Sure, half of it was spent in a coma, but as they say ¡°What you can¡¯t remember, doesn¡¯t affect your mood¡±. I mean outside of that extended nap, I met a great friend that I started a business with, had fun with my familiar, and even made a few friends in town¡­ all while having my farm progress ahead of the curve for new farms. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Looking down at my familiar, I couldn¡¯t help from giving him a large smile before saying, ¡°I think I made a good choice coming here Rumble. I couldn¡¯t imagine living without this farm and what has come with it. Good and bad times included, these have been the best few weeks of my entire life!¡± I confided to the little guy. In response to my statement Rumble sent me a wave of joyous emojis along with a quick hug on my right leg with his head top reaching pretty much hip height now. Patting him on the head, I continued on as his grip released. ¡°Thanks Rumble, it means a lot to know that you feel the same. Let¡¯s hope for more good times to come.¡± I finished saying with a smile. With a great mood backing me, I swept my gaze over the prepared field wondering where I could plant the seed with thought towards the future. And not knowing exactly how big it would grow, I decided on a new section of land closer to the house than the existing plot. Needing to clear the grass and plow a section of dirt, I gathered my tools near the picked location and got to work. With Rumble grabbing handfuls of grass and ripping it from the ground, he made quick work of the dense vegetation. Quick enough that I only could keep up plowing the dirt behind him due to the roots of the uprooted grass doing half the work for me. With a square , ten feet per side, cleared and plowed it was now time to plant the seed. Giving it to my familiar, he happily accepted it before walking towards the center and working it down into the soil. He worked it down in the same manner as he did with the sprout, slowly breaking up the soil in a way that loosened the dirt around the seed in a small area. Having finished, Rumble stood up and looked at his handiwork before walking back towards me and then looking at it a final time trying to judge his own work. ¡°I am sure that you did just fine, Rumble.¡± I said while patting his head. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I was reminded how far into the day we already were. ¡°In a few more hours Mia should be getting back. We should probably clear a bit more of the main field to prepare for planting tomorrow.¡± I told Rumble. With a bob of agreement, Rumble and I turned to head back down the path. Having reached the plot I realized that both Rumble and I had forgotten the tools. ¡°Rumble can you start? I need to head back for the tools, we left them by the new plot.¡± I told him before patting him on the back and returning to where I had just left. Having went and returned from getting the tools, I saw that Rumble had wasted no time in starting to clear new areas. With a zig-zagging pattern of clearing clumps of grass one handful at a time, he had already cleared more than I would¡¯ve been able to in ten times the amount of time. ¡°Save some for me.¡± I told him jokingly. And so with a smile on my face, I set to work stacking the clumps of grass to the side and then plowing the worked area left by my companion. For hours we kept up the pace, with only a few water breaks to stop the work intermittently. And so it was no surprise that we had missed Mia¡¯s approach, heading back towards the farm from town. Chapter 26: Mias return ¡°I am back!¡± Mia¡¯s voice reached out to me as she jogged up, brown hair bouncing behind her. ¡°Whew, you look dirty! It also looks like you have been pretty busy.¡± She added while looking over the cleared extension to our current planting field. ¡°Hey Mia, I¡¯m glad that you got back so quick! You must''ve been running the whole trip there and back. Did you get anything good? Maybe a stove?¡± I added hopefully. ¡°Sadly no stove, they only had cast iron stoves in stock and there was no way that I was carrying one back by myself. I do not believe that Rumble could haul it back by himself. That being said, I did get an alternative that was suggested by another farmer buying supplies there.¡± She said as she reached into her bag before withdrawing a stone covered with a few odd marks. ¡°That looks neat, but what is it?¡± ¡°It is a ¡®Hearthstone¡¯, apparently they are extremely popular with people while traveling. Once activated it uses its stored energy to heat itself. This cheap version Is meant for camping, so it gets super hot for about 30 minutes then lowers down to a comfortable temperature until it runs out of energy. And to recharge it, we just let it sit out in the sun all day. The really nice ones you can adjust the temperature by voice commands and they use their energy way more efficiently.¡± She excitedly explained. ¡°That sounds great! I am assuming that we fit it within the budget?¡± I asked, knowing that Mia would never have burned into our seed fund. ¡°Yup! Because they are so popular and easy to make, they are super cheap!¡± She said with her green eyes flashing a smile of excitement. ¡°Wait, are they made the same cheap way as those skill crystals!?¡± I worriedly asked. ¡°Yes and no¡­ They are made by the same people, but due to the risk of bodily harm they get heavily inspected before making their way out for sale. Do not worry, I asked the same question.¡± She explained. ¡°Good, I guess between the stone and Rumble¡¯s flower, we can close up the hole in the roof.¡± I said while trying to think up a way of patching the gap in the roof. ¡°Rumble¡¯s flower? Why do you say that?¡± She asked with confusion evident on her face. ¡°The glowing flower that he found. You know, it gives off a glow, so we don¡¯t need the outside light anymore.¡± I said. ¡°I love that light, but it is not bright enough for us. We sort loot in the evenings and I need light to do it properly.¡± She reminded me. ¡°So what, we just leave the hole for now?¡± I asked. ¡°I did not say that, I just said that the flower would not be sufficient.¡± Returning the stone to her bag, Mia proceeded to pull out a flat square crystal. ¡°This is a touch light. I bought two, and they recharge the same way as the hearthstone. Apparently we will only get about 15 minutes of light for every hour of them sitting in the sun though. That is partially why I bought two.¡± Accepting the offered light, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the tracing across the face of the light. The lines consisted of a carved circle in the center with lines radiating out from it. Running my fingers across the face, the light illuminated the moment my fingers grazed the center. ¡°Wow, that is pretty bright!¡± I exclaimed, having been blinded by the sudden activation. ¡°They can get pretty bright, but we should keep them set to low.¡± Mia told me while showing how the brightness adjustment worked. ¡°This is really awesome! How much did all of this cost?¡± I asked, knowing it was way cheaper than what I would guess if asked. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Just over ten copper coins. It cost two copper per light and six for the hearthstone. The bad thing is that the lights will only last two seasons, they said. These cheap ones burn out quickly. They did say that the hearthstone should last us a few years due to the quality of stone required to make it resist the heat while functioning.¡± ¡°I am not a fan of the lights being so short lived, but we should have a lot more disposable income by the time that they go out.¡± I conceded. ¡°That is what I was thinking. And speaking of future money, I have the seeds!¡± Mia said while now pulling out a small sack full of what I guessed were seeds. ¡°I bought Rhubarb seeds. They were pretty expensive seeds, at one copper coin per seed, but they sell for just over two copper when harvested at a fairly low level. And in a weird way, they are more efficient for us.¡± ¡°How are they more efficient?¡± I asked, curiosity peaked. ¡°Well since we only have the starter tools, our time is extremely limited. With a few expensive crops, we are able to keep up and to properly maintain our field. If we planted a field of a cheaper crop, we could make more money, but there would be no actual way for us to do it time wise.¡± She explained in the same logical manner as always. ¡°Sounds good, it also gives us more free time.¡± I thought aloud. ¡°Exactly! So should we get to planting them?¡± she asked. ¡°We should, but we also need to think about how we will patch the roof in the coming days.¡± ¡°That is true¡­ could we just use the grass as a thatched roof?¡± ¡°It might not be good to have straw up there with all the lightning recently. I was thinking that we would need to patch it with wood then cover the entire thing with a slate roof.¡± With a shadow crossing her face, Mia just shook her head in agreement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, our farm will get easier for you. Rumble and I got another of the glowing flowers! You will never guess how he got it!¡± I said, barely containing my excitement at telling her the story. ********** ¡°Are you serious!?¡± Mia exclaimed while looking at Rumble in amazement. ¡°Ya! Rumble fights these insects and gets paid by frogs and turtles, it was wild!¡± I said while laughing at the absurd story. ¡°Can we go see it before planting the rhubarb?¡± Mia asked excitedly. ¡°Of course.¡± I responded, seeing how happy she was to have another of the calming flowers. ¡°But you should know that it is just a buried seed this time¡­ There isn¡¯t really anything to see.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes sense. Nevermind then, I will see it when it sprouts.¡± She said with some of the excitement gone from her voice. ¡°Well, we should focus on the rhubarb then.¡± She said taking the seeds out of the backpack once more. And so we set out into the field on our knees planting the new crops until an unexpected surprise popped into my vision.
Skill acquired! ¡°Greenthumb¡± gained
¡°Woah! I just gained a skill!¡± I told Mia while pulling up its description, ecstatic at the situation. ¡°What skill!?¡± She asked. ¡°Greenthumb!¡± I said quickly before launching into its description when it popped up. ¡°It says that it increases plant quality of all crops that I grow myself. It also says that I got it from planting and harvesting 15 different vegetables myself¡­ shouldn¡¯t I have already gotten that?¡± I turned to Mia with confusion rampant in my mind. ¡°Oh my gosh, I did not even think about that! I got it when I had my first partial harvest during your coma. It did not even occur to me that you had not planted or harvested enough. With their last harvest I would have thought that you had gotten it, but I am guessing it has to do with you doing the more physically demanding job like hoeing.¡± Mia postulated. Thinking back on planting our first crops I came to a conclusion, ¡° Ya, it was probably because you usually plant the actual seeds instead of me. Well, I guess we need to alternate a bit more from now on then.¡± ¡°I agree, but I cannot commit to being happy about that. That just means that I need to do more digging now.¡± Mia pouted, but failing to look anything but cute. ¡°Haha, I need a break too!¡± I joked. ¡°Hrmph! We should get back to planting. At the very least we need to get it done before dark.¡± Mia said not quite holding back a smile behind her moue. And so the day passed until the fields were finished and we were ready to head back towards the shack. Chapter 27: A trail of tears After having such a crazy morning and then finishing it off with all the planting, I was beat. Mia herself wasn¡¯t in a much better condition. Come to find out, she really had ran to and from town as much as her stamina bar had allowed her. Using a technique we had figured out since the last attack, she would run right up until her stamina ran out and then took a break walking. This allowed us to avoid the stamina drained debuff of completely running out, the debuff itself halting stamina regeneration for a full minute. Now sorting the loot from Rumble¡¯s early morning slaughter, Mia was blazing through the task with her new light brightening the entire room with a nice white glow yet somehow not quite overpowering the much dimmer flower in the corner. Waiting for the eggs to finish frying I turned to Mia and asked, ¡°How can the flower still have such a powerful glow lighting up the room when something else is so much brighter?¡± Tilting her head, she turned around surveying the room, ¡°You are right, the flower is leaving its glow everywhere. I really appreciate it, but it is kind of confusing how that is happening.¡± ¡°Oh, did we ever get a name for it while you were in town?¡± I asked. ¡°How did I not tell you!? We did, I just got too excited with the news of the new seed and being immediately crushed by not being able to see it. The name of it is ¡®Peace bloom¡¯, it is apparently an ¡®Epic¡¯ rank flower! There are very few of them, but they are very slow to grow and usually highly protected against harvesting or moving. Their root networks are extremely delicate and almost all attempts at moving them are lethal to the plant.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked with my head now tilting to the side. ¡°I said it is called a ¡®Peace bloom¡¯, it is an Epic ra¡­nk¡­. Oh¡­. I must have been more tired than I had thought after running so much. I cannot believe I forgot to mention that.¡± Mia sheepishly said with realization of her oversight. ¡°That¡¯s an understatement! How did you forget the EPIC flower that has helped you get through the past week!?¡± I scoffed with a bit of laughter filling my voice. ¡°Hey, I was just glad to be back. Would you rather I hang out in town more next time?¡± ¡°Haha, is that the best comeback that you have? Jeez Mia, for being so business-like you sure do have a few cute quirks.¡± I teased. Immediately blushing, Mia¡¯s eyes opened wide and she spun around to restart her task of sorting loot. With an air of awkward silence filling the room, I lamented my ill-fated attempt at teasing her. Turning back to the eggs I dug into what had prompted me to say those words specifically. With the first batch of eggs almost finished, I spared a glance over my shoulder at the girl focused on sorting loot. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. With her shoulders tense, she was hunched over her task with dedicated focus studying a particularly intact carapace. Her light brown hair up in a short ponytail and a few long side bangs covering her face, I felt my face start to warm. Mia was definitely someone that I liked, not like the cutesy crushes that you had during school, but something different. She had focus and something about her not trying to fake some persona for popularity. She was genuinely kind to me, but I might have been overthinking it¡­ it may be platonic for her and that we were just that, friends. Well it is what it is, one can hope though. She really is a great person to know either way , I thought while turning back to cooking our dinner and barely missing my prior focus glancing back at me. ~~~ My face was burning with a heat that I had felt more than a few times recently. Honestly it was twofold. One was the compliment, Brad was so blunt with his comments that it kept catching me off guard and I was not quite sure that it was given in the same way that I was hoping. The second reason was that I had not figured out what he thought of me! Why did it have to be so easy and yet the hardest experience of my life? I always knew what my goals in life had been and had always taken a methodical approach to every hurdle in my life. And here he was, possibly one of the most easy going people I had ever met, just casually unraveling my entire process. I was not mad, angry, or annoyed¡­ I knew what was happening, my heart rate was proof of that. The question was if the things that I came to adore about him, his kind heart, relaxed nature, and tendency for being over protective, were born of him or of his mutual feelings. Either way, my heart was set, but I could not bring myself to risk finding out the wrong answer. And so with a tear running down my beat red face I started to sadly turn back to my task¡­ the same carapace that I had been staring at with no progress for the past few minutes. Reaching up to wipe my eyes, I was taken off guard when I heard him speak. ~~~ Having finished plating our eggs and vegetables, I turned to Mia hoping that it was long enough for her to potentially forget and move on from what I had said. And that is when I saw the hand, coming from her face on the other side of her head, fall with a glimmering shine¡­ a shine that broke me. ¡°Mia, I really didn¡¯t mean it. It was just a teasing joke, don¡¯t cry, I really didn¡¯t mean to hurt you!¡± I said hurriedly while running over to grab her. Her face jerked around, eyes wide glistening with tears and body rigid as I held her shoulders. And then it happened, my left cheek lit up with pain and Mia jerked away proceeding to run out of the door. Rumble, shocked out of his nap next to the hearthstone, looked between me and Mia¡¯s fleeing form before flashing a shield emoji and running after her. Not quite knowing what was going on I just kept kneeling in place, cheek burning and in pain but forgotten over the tightness in my chest and the nausea in my gut. I honestly just knelt there for long minutes, stuck in the moment of watching her face flash, something that I could only guess was anger, and of her running out of the shack with tears streaming behind her¡­ tears that still stained the dry dirt floor. Falling backwards, next to the firepit, I just stared up at the stars through the hole in the roof. Stars that were slowly dancing through their dimming and brightening cycles. Tears making my vision hazy, I cried¡­ a long hard sobbing cry with dirt turning to mud on my dusty cheeks. This played out for what seemed like an eternity until the tears, now dancing with a partner across my exposed face and the surrounding mud, until my mind sharpened with a horrified realization. The hypnotic thrumming around me and a wide eyed worried emoji flashing in the corner. It was raining with flashes starting to connect the stars in a web,way up in the sky. Chapter 28: A moment of clarity during a rough storm ~~~Brad~~~ Without taking the time to shut the door behind me, I was sprinting down the path towards the main road. Not quite able to see what was ahead in the dim star light half hidden by shadowy clouds, I had stumbled more than a few times and had only barely not fallen over. My feet either sliding uncontrolled across the muddy surface or falling deep within the dips in the path. Unsure of the exact path taken, I could only hope that she had taken the road safely away from the monsters lurking within the grass. ¡°Mia! Where are you? I swear I didn¡¯t mean to offend you! I know that I am dumb sometimes, just come back before the storm comes!.¡± I was screaming at the top of my lungs, hoping to get through to my friend over the now thrumming sound of the drops getting larger. Not knowing where she was or how long we had left before the thunder started shaking the land, I tore off down the path. Reaching the road with a few new scrapes and knots, that would surely be blue by morning, I frantically started scanning the road before setting off towards town hoping that I was guessing right. With a final wipe of the mud out of my eyes from the path I picked up the pace into a full out run, hoping against all odds to beat the timer that was already ticking. ~~~ Mia ~~~ ¡°Why did I do that!?¡± I screamed using my last bit of breath from the run. I knew that I had messed up. Why did I slap him!? Of all the things that I could have done, that was easily the worst thing possible¡­ He had literally just come over to check up on me. If anything, that should have been the time to ask him about what he had meant earlier. Having made it to a junction in the road on the way towards town, I went to lean against a nearby post with my lungs heaving for air. Turning my back towards it I let my feet slide forward on the muddy cobblestone path as I transitioned to sitting on the road. And after a hard landing ,with my feet losing traction during the last little bit, I just stared at the lantern topped sign across from me. ¡°What should I do? How will he ever forgive me? Heck, I am not even sure if he wants to be friends anymore, much less what I want¡­.¡± I quietly discussed with myself, not knowing the answers to such difficult questions. And just as the stabbing within my heart started to peak, I felt a soft tug on my sleeve. ¡°Brad?¡± I softly asked with a shaking voice. Looking up I saw the dark form of Rumble glistening with rain in the faint lamp light. A friend that slowly hugged me as I continued holding my knees against my chest. After a few moments the little guy lifted my face in one of his arms and pointed up with the other. After a moment of not understanding, rain now hammering the ground around me, I figured it out with my stomach instantly dropping. As a bright flash rippled through the drops around me and left the whole world as a background of white for a brief moment, I dropped to the ground. Scrambling over to the lantern post and huddling against it, I closed my eyes and hid within my jacket. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. With Rumble¡¯s protective presence and his embrace around me, I tried suppressing the horror gripping my mind. ~~~ Brad ~~~ Now soaked head to toe and covered with bruises along my entire form, I kept up my calls. ¡°Mia! I swear that I didn¡¯t want to hurt you! Just come back home, we need to get you inside! Please just come back!¡± With so much yelling during my flight into the night, my stamina had rapidly drained and had left me stopping frequently in order to recharge. With nothing left, in my stamina bar to keep going for a moment, I decided to remove my mud laden jacket that had been weighing me down. Regardless of how chill the night''s storm was getting, it was doing nothing except weighing me down. And so when my stamina had topped off, I set off down the road once more with my lungs gasping for air in between the shouts of apology, forgiveness, and worry. With rain pooling across the road and pouring down my face, I was often caught off guard as the wind started to shove me along its own path. And with intermittent flashes of light coupled with emojis of tears, I pushed forward hoping that I would find her. And then there she was, a small figure huddled next to a lantern post clutching her knees with her head buried in fear. With Rumble waving me over to catch my attention, I spared not an instant before rushing over. ¡°Mia! Are you alright, I am super sorry and we really need to get you back home!¡± I hurriedly told her while moving in to embrace her. While holding her I heard a heavy sob, fear and worry evident. With my hug tightening from worry, I felt her start to register my presence. ¡°Brad?¡± A weak voice squeaked out, barely heard over the storm. ¡°Ya, it''s me. We need to get out of this and back into the house.¡± I replied back. ¡°Why did you come for me? I am really sorry, I was so stupid¡­.¡± , she eked out. ¡°What are you talking about!? You are my friend¡­ and honestly, probably a bit more for me. So come on! Let''s get to safety!¡± I yelled back at her over the wind in our ears. With her head snapping up, eyes open, she stared at me for a long moment. Her green eyes ringed with red, hair wild in the storm, she held my gaze. And as the moment passed her expression softened, surroundings temporarily forgotten, she let go of her legs and grabbed my face pulling me into a kiss to the lips. Staring at each other afterwards, not completely sure what was going on myself, we just smiled at one another enjoying the calm that had overtaken us. Within moments and without further mercy, the sky blazed to life with the water jumping from the pools on the ground. And so followed, only a moment later, an ear splitting roar of destruction. Mia rocketed into my embrace, buried her face against my chest and curled up in fear. No longer rational, or able to think outside of the current moment, she was gone from any possible conversation. I knew that we had to get her back quickly. Telling Rumble to grab her jacket off the ground, where she had just dropped it, I worked my way up to my feet while holding her light frame against me. Rumble covered her with the jacket and helped me stand. And so with a brisk walk, careful of dropping my cargo, we quickly set off towards the house, mind racing with what had just taken place. Chapter 29: The journey home Rain and wind crashing their way along the road, I was left fighting my way back towards the home. Face slick with rain and forced to squint against the oncoming torrent, the progress went painfully slow. With my familiar strong arms bracing my legs, I successfully struggled against the gale for quite the distance. Having Mia still frozen in her hug like embrace, had definitely added a bit of difficulty but it was also a welcome source of warmth to my cold body. With my heart pounding and ears burning hot, it was easy to forget how tired my arms were most likely getting. And so it had somewhat snuck up on me, having the low stamina warning start to flash before my eyes. With the need to rest urgent, sitting at just five percent stamina, I scoured my surroundings through squinted eyes hoping to find a source of cover from the storm. Having seen very little with my eyes due to the near pitch black, I could at least be thankful that it was indeed dark out. Having somehow lucked out with an absence of the lightning, the trip so far had been much easier not having to contend with that source of vexation. Starting to sit in the middle of the road I felt a strong tug, along the seam of my pants, and with a umbrella emoji received I let the eager familiar lead me to the side. With an impressive instinct for what I was thinking, Rumble led me towards the edge of the road and to section of broken fence. With the break having been caused by the side of some wooden construct, Rumble gently guided me down to below a section still impaled on the sole remaining fence post in the area. Rumble making sure to brace the section further, he was off to the side gathering additional bits of debris to secure our makeshift shelter. I was finally able to lower Mia to the ground, but was kept from letting go by a soft tightening of her arms. And with a quiet whisper, I was persuaded to finish my rest in this still embarrassing position. ¡°Thank you, I am glad that you came.¡± Mia said into my chest. ¡°Ha, thanks for what? Chasing after the girl that I like?¡± I asked, pulling her face away just far enough to look her in the eyes. And with her eyes not quite meeting mine she said, ¡°I hope you do not hold the slap against me or that I kissed you so unexpectedly¡­ It is just that I have been so confused.¡± ¡°Confused? Oh, I thought that¡­¡± I stammered out, having been caught off guard. ¡°No, not like that!¡± Mia quickly interjected, now staring me straight in the eyes. ¡°I really like you! I just did not know how to approach the subject. I have always known the exact path or method to take in order to reach my goals. So when it came to confessing my feelings, I was quite baffled about how to proceed.¡± Feeling the momentary tension release, I felt the relief spread throughout my tense body. ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± I muttered to myself before giving Mia my response. ¡°Honestly, I have been going through the same thing. When I look at you, I feel my ears and face start to heat, my heart races, and it honestly becomes hard to interact normally.¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. With a small chuckle, her prior focus of fear nearly forgotten, Mia gave her reply. ¡°You were worried about acting normal? I literally slapped you for apologizing during a misunderstanding.¡± Sharing a laugh about the now absurd event we once again met each other''s gaze, only to quickly look away in awkward embarrassment. ¡°Well Mia, I for one am pretty glad that you slapped me. So far the only downside has been being stuck outside in the rain, but even that is seeming pretty nice.¡± I said trying some charm. ¡°I guess so.¡± Mia replied, with a small smile. Worried to ruin the mood and progress, we sat in silence, still in a loose embrace. As the minutes flew by, my thoughts lost in the moment, I was pulled back to reality with an alert informing me that my stamina was now full. ¡°Are you ready to continue Mia? My stamina is full again and it seems that the rain has entered a small lull. If you are up for it, we should get going again.¡± With her face darkening from the previous blush, she gave a hard nod before renewing her hard grasp around me. So with her face burying into my chest I once again lifted her up, with assistance given by Rumble, and walked back out into the downpour. Still fighting the wind, I launched myself into the task of reaching home once more with renewed vigor. So much so that a new icon was flashing above my stamina bar asking for my attention. And upon looking up the icon, I could help but to wear a bright smile.
Motivated Due to a major event, you are extremely motivated Effects: All actions relating to your motivation will consume 50 percent less Stamina Duration: 1 day or until your motivating cause is complete, whichever is shorter
So with my legs pumping against the wind, my eyes barely open against the rain, we made quick progress home. Having stopped only one additional time, to pick up my discarded jacket that Rumble had noticed on the side of the road hung up in a bush, we had made great time for the circumstances. With a sigh of relief, I turned onto the path leading towards the shack. Finding the path exceptionally muddy and hazardous, I gently prodded Mia into walking with me instead of in such a precarious carry. So hand in hand, we slowly made our way up the path and into the shack where we were greeted with a major wave of relief from the Peace Bloom. And quickly combining it with an additional source of light, I was able to leave Mia in the corner of the shack next to the calming flower. Walking over to the forgotten dinner, I attempted to use the hearthstone. With no power left in the stone, I was forced to reheat our food using what little heat still radiated from the tool. And so that is how we ended our night, eating luke warm eggs while huddled in the corner of the shack bathed in a soft blue light. Happy and content without the worry of how to proceed, we both easily slept through the night. Chapter 30: A day of new beginnings With the sun starting to peek in through the weathered hole in the roof, first light peeped into the shack. Upon first contact with Rumble¡¯s leaves they quickly unfurled as the branch like arms whipped out to soak up the sun. And so with a welt starting to form, I opened my eyes quickly dismissing the pain in favor of looking down to my right shoulder, a shoulder that was draped in brown hair. With my arm numb with sleep, I attempted to let the precious woman down gently as I got up. Stretching my arms, I couldn¡¯t help but to smile at the memories made the prior day.. With the memories in mind, I set off to start cooking breakfast while contemplating what would be the best way forward from now on. Obviously I now knew that she liked me, but at the end of the day I was still inexperienced with this sort of thing. ¡°Ugh, what do I say when she wakes up?¡± I quietly asked myself. ¡°Huh?¡± Mia asked groggily. ¡°Uhh¡­ I was just talking to myself! I almost have breakfast ready.¡± I hurriedly said in embarrassment, only to be met with a sleeping Mia repositioning herself on the floor. ¡°Its easy to forget how deeply you sleep sometimes¡­.¡± I laughed. With Rumble and Mia still fast asleep after having finished my breakfast, I decided to leave the finished breakfast near the still warm hearthstone to stay warm for the sleeping girl while I went on my way out into the field. With a gentle repositioning of the door, I made my way out of the shack. Stepping out into the early morning light, I felt the late spring sun start to burn the dampness from the field. With fog only in the far distance, the view was quite beautiful. With nothing but rolling grassy hills as far as I could see, the view really added a sense of scale that was still unbelievable when compared to how my early years were confined. But as confined as they were, the memories were not bad, but honestly not quite as good as I felt the future was going to be. With a quick final peek back into the shack, I set off down the path towards the fields for my daily weeding. As I made my way towards the ¡°profit fields¡± as named by Mia in our business interface, I noticed an unexpected sprout. Our new ¡°Peace-bloom¡± had sprouted! ¡°Awesome! I¡¯m glad the heavy rain didn¡¯t wash away too much soil from it.¡± I said aloud. Having partially forgotten about it after such an eventful night, I was really glad to have seen the two small leaves poking up out of the soil. So with extreme care, I rebuilt the washed away mound surrounding it. Worried that another heavy rain would wash away the remaining soil, I felt it necessary to add a little extra for our ¡°Specialty crop¡± as it was also labeled in our interface. Standing up to wipe the sweat from my face, as the sun had made the whole area one giant sauna, I was greeted by a soft tug on my arm. Looking over with a feeling of awkward bliss, I saw Mia smiling sweetly at me with cheeks colored a soft pink. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Thank you for the breakfast, I really appreciated it¡­.¡± Mia shyly said. ¡°I make you breakfast every morning, you don¡¯t have to thank me everytime.¡± I replied. ¡°I know but I just really wanted to tell you.¡± She quickly responded. ¡°You should not make a girl say so much¡­ I just really wanted you to know that I appreciate it and it is one of the things that I like about you.¡± Mia finished with her green eyes not quite meeting mine. My face hot with embarrassment I said, ¡°I am happy that you enjoyed it, I hope to do it some more.¡± I tried teasing her. With a quick widening of her eyes and a smile crossing her face, Mia nodded and replied smoothly. ¡°I should hope so, you really made a show of it yesterday.¡± she teased me right back. With not a single response within a mile of my thoughts, I just laughed, nodded, and pointed towards our most valuable crop field. ¡°Our peace-bloom sprouted, I just got done shoring up its mound. The rain last night didn¡¯t seem to have harmed it, but I was worried that another might wash it away.¡± Still smiling, Mia stared at the plant for a long moment before replying. ¡°I am not sure how long it will take to bloom, but my guess is that it will take quite a few seasons. The information concerning it was extremely sparse, at least for how much coin we spent on it. But it did mention that it is a perennial that lasts multiple years. How long that may be¡­ your guess is as good as mine.¡± She finished with a look of frustration. ¡°What is wrong? Did you figure something out?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes and no, I just remembered that we do not know how long it will take to actually transform this venture into an actually profitable part of our business.¡± ¡°Oh, well we will find out eventually. There is nothing we can do besides waiting.¡± I told her. ¡°I know, but it is frustrating to plan around.¡± she huffed. ¡°Well, lets forget about it and focus on our immediately profitable crops then. We should get to them before the day really gets hot.¡± I said before turning towards the field. Having started to take a step down the path, I saw Mia still staring at the source of her hope and frustration. Knowing that I had to lighten her mood once more, I decided to seize the chance in a spurt of courage. Grabbing her hand, I led her gently towards the fields. ~~~Mia~~~ This plant is so frustrating! It was both a great boon for the business and a non-performing asset! I loved the plant in the home, but the lack of information was driving my business instincts crazy! And so just about as I was going to huff in frustration, I felt my whole body go stiff at a touch before being led down towards the front fields. Now realizing what was happening, the tips of my ears grew hot and I could not help but smile. Looking up at the man leading me, I worried that he would notice my sweaty palms but quickly relaxed after having noticed how muddy his hands were already. And so our trip down to the front of the farm passed by way too quickly, not having given enough time to really enjoy the moment. ¡°I wonder how much today¡¯s haul will sell for.¡± Brad asked, trying to draw my attention towards the fields. Jerking my thoughts back to business with a sense of bliss still coloring my thoughts, I quickly started to estimate what we were seeing. Chapter 31: Hoping for luck With the fields interspersed with ripe crops ready to be picked, I did a quick stretch and bent down to get started. Picking through the leaves to retrieve the precious source of profit, I was trying to be careful not to hurt the plants themselves. But honestly careful was hard with my mind still buzzing from the walk down to the field, hand in hand, with Mia. Who knew that dirt could be such a blessing? I asked myself, thinking about how sweaty my palms had been while grabbing for hers not but a few minutes ago. Well, at least it had worked out! ¡°This is a small mid cycle harvest, but we should get a good dozen coppers at the bare minimum.¡± Mia said after finishing her quick mental calculations. ¡°All of our bonuses have definitely affected the yields though. We honestly should not have had another harvest until tomorrow. So the fact that we are getting so much today is amazing!¡± She finished, now trying to re-estimate her season¡¯s profit projections with the new information. ¡°Well that is good to hear, hopefully we can get the same luck with some monster loot too!¡± I said with no small amount of enthusiasm showing. ¡°That is quite possible, we still do not know the full limits of what your domain does.¡± Turning to my, now not so little, familiar I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Do you think that you might be able to eek out some more luck? Maybe talk to your little turtle friends again?¡± Rumble twisted his body, seemingly looking up at the sky while thinking, and took a few moments before answering. And then with a kurt nod and a new emoji featuring crossed fingers, the ever diligent familiar threw me a salute before turning to run off into the grass. ¡°Rumble sure is quite the team player.¡± Mia said. ¡°Is it because of your familiar bond, or just how he is?¡± ¡°Honestly, I am not sure. Rumble is quite friendly with almost everyone though, so I am going to guess with it just being within its own personality.¡± I said while wiping the sweat from my brow. Turning fully around to a laughing Mia, I couldn¡¯t help but to raise an eyebrow. ¡°I hate to say this, but you really should have wiped your hands off onto your pants before your face.¡± She said, not quite stifling her laugh while explaining. Rolling my eyes, I shot her a smile. ¡°Well, at least I have been down in the mud working.¡± I teased back. ¡°My job is to sell the produce and to reapply my buff on the soil today.¡± ¡°Well, here is the first bit of it.¡± I said laying a few of the crops at her feet. ¡°I will organize and ship it as soon as you finish. For now I will focus on buffing everything.¡± Mia said with her eyes not quite hiding her excitement for the harvest. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. And so the morning chores finished up, just in time for lunch. Having collected a solid 14 coppers worth of produce, along with completely weeding the front field. ¡°So are you ready to head back up for lunch now?¡± I questioned Mia. Nodding her head she was quick to respond with ¡°Yup, just finished loading everything into the crate for shipping.¡± Waiting for Mia to join me for the walk back up, I started to plan out how to augment our lunch with some of the kiwi fruit that was in our inventory. And so when she arrived by my side, I turned, heading towards the house. Only to be stopped by an audible huff of disappointment. With Mia standing next to where I had just left, her hand reaching out, my mistake hit me before she even spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mia, I am still getting used to this.¡± ¡°I am too, but I really liked it earlier.¡± She said softly. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it in a bad way, I really liked holding your hand too!¡± I said honestly. ¡°Good, then let us go eat!¡± She said closing the distance, slipping her hand into mine before leading the way. The trip taking only a few minutes was much less nerve wracking than it was before, having already passed this milestone twice today. Mia speaking up just before we reached the door asked, ¡°Do you think Rumble is okay? I wonder how the hunt is going. Do you think we will have any significant increase in loot?¡± Glancing up at the top right of my vision, I say his health and stamina bars almost completely full with the exception of it occasionally flickering down a few percentage points. ¡°If I had to guess, I would say that Rumble is demolishing monsters at quite a quick pace.¡± I said confidently. ¡°I am not doubting Rumble¡¯s ability to do so, but what makes you guess that?¡± Mia asked, genuinely curious. ¡°Well, his health is bouncing up and down quite rapidly, indicating constant fighting. And on top of that, it''s never more than a few percentage points, meaning nothing is really a big challenge for him. ¡°That makes sense, but if the only targets are minor threats, then loot won¡¯t be super valuable.¡± Mia stated. ¡°True, but today Rumble really was thinking about our goal. I think we should give it time and see what loot comes back.¡± ¡°That is fair.¡± Mia said, ¡°So have you decided how we will eat the kiwis? I am super hungry right now.¡± ¡°To be honest, no¡­ I was just going to try preparing it in multiple ways, hoping to unlock a recipe or something.¡± I replied. ¡°Do you even know if there are recipes?¡± ¡°There has to be, otherwise there wouldn¡¯t be chef classes that give bonuses for different meals.¡± ¡°That makes sense, I was leaning towards a similar guess. I doubt there will be one just involving kiwis though.¡± Mia said. ¡°Well I have an idea, so just wait and see!¡± I said. And with that, I set out about the shack trying to figure out what the best approach to fulfilling my idea was while using our limited tools. Having settled on just peeling the very end of a few kiwis, I squeezed them as hard as I could, letting the juices collect in a cup below. After having juiced about a dozen kiwis and filling two cups, I was greeted with a message of triumph.
Congratulations! You have discovered a new recipe: Juice (fruit) Increases stamina recovery rate for a short time.
Chapter 32: Rumble finds an opponent
Achievement Unlocked: Culinary Adventuring For discovering 5 unique recipes the cooking skill and tab are added.
¡°Wow, I got a recipe Mia! Heck, I even got a new skill! It seems that I just needed to cook a variety of things.¡± I said excitedly. ¡°What recipes did you discover? Mia asked. ¡°I¡¯m guessing eggs, that juice, some meat¡­.¡± And so having quickly flicked open the new menu, I listed out the recipes that I had acquired. ¡°It looks like ¡®Fried eggs¡¯,¡¯Boiled eggs¡¯,¡¯Scrambled eggs¡¯,¡¯Steak¡¯, and ¡®Juice¡¯.¡± ¡°Wow, I never imagined that our diet was so varied¡­¡± Mia joked dryly. ¡°So what do the recipes and skill descriptions say?¡± ¡°The cooking skill description says that it allows successfully cooked recipes to add bonuses to meals that I make.¡± ¡°What kind of bonuses? I know that they vary, but what can you currently offer with them?¡± She excitedly asked. Hurriedly flipping through the recipes I made a list. ¡°It looks like a quick ¡®stamina recovery rate¡¯ boost with the juice and actual ¡®stamina¡¯ with the egg dishes, with meat providing a small amount of ¡®HP recovery rate¡¯ and ¡®Stamina¡¯ as well.¡± I told her. ¡°The eggs and juice will help working in the field.¡± She commented. ¡°Agreed, but the bonuses seem pretty lackluster though. I wonder if it is because of how common and cheap the ingredients have been. Or it could just be the simplicity of the dishes¡­ I''ll need to experiment some more.`` I pondered aloud. ¡°That would make sense, currently we only use cheap ingredients. Hopefully next year we will be eating much better than we are now.¡± Mia replied. ¡°How about this, every year that we upgrade our average produce quality we start buying the goods of our prior quality.¡± That way we''ll always be making more money selling our goods than we are spending, but allowing us to upgrade our quality of life every now and then.¡± I suggested. ¡°Um, I am excited with the thought, but that might be getting a bit ahead of ourselves.¡± Mia replied with a blush on her face. My face flushing red with a heat for the hundredth time that day I hurriedly interjected. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that! I mean, I¡¯m not opposed to it, but I just was thinking, but not about that¡­.¡± I stopped speaking as Mia¡¯s face went from embarrassed to slightly confused, to laughing all before I had quit my rushed response. ¡°I guess that we should just see what happens¡­ and take it one day at a time.¡± I said softly trying to salvage the situation without further harm. Finishing her little laugh, at my expense, Mia looked at me softly before giving her response. ¡°Well, I am glad that I am not the only one flustered by the past few days. I have been ecstatic with the outcome so far, but we should take it slow to see how it goes.¡± Seeing my face happy but losing some of its excitement from the first part of her statement, Mia quickly added: ¡°That being said, I see a lot of value in preparing a plan to grow our quality of living long term without crippling our future progress. So consider the plan approved!¡± She finished with a smile that lit the softly lit room. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°It is a bit to get used to, but I am glad to have it.¡± I said before pausing in thought. After a moment of thought I couldn¡¯t help but to wear a smile. ¡°Did you think of something?¡± Mia teasingly asked. ¡°You have that grin that I have come to associate with your cute little schemes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I was just thinking to myself.¡± I tried to evasively add. ¡°Do not just think that you can end this whole situation with a lame excuse like that when you clearly have more to add!¡± She replied quickly. ¡°It really is nothing¡­I was just thinking to myself about having a girlfriend now.¡± I stated softly. ¡°Oh!¡± Mia said while holding the ¡®O¡¯ shape with her mouth for a few moments afterwards. And so with a mischievous look crossing her eyes she calmly added, ¡°I guess you could say it that way.¡± ~~~Rumble~~~ Unsure of what to do, Rumble continued on his way further out from the pond. The frogs having given him multiple options for fighting, all having led to weak monsters so far, he was hopefully approaching a stronger den of them. With this being his last chance before dark, the stress was mounting. The fact that Brad, the bonded companion and best friend, was constantly getting buffs and debuffs had Rumble confused. He could understand it if his health bar was moving, but from Rumble could tell, it was all related to speechcraft¡­ something that Rumble barely felt the need to bother with. He knew what was important, and talking sometimes got in the way of the important points to be made! At least that is what Rumble assumed, not being able to speak the human language himself. With Rumble¡¯s thoughts still muddled trying to figure Brad¡¯s situation out, Rumble decided to let them free from mind as the path being traveled opened up into a clearing with a deep depression in the ground leading into a dark tunnel. What could that be? Rumble wondered. Maybe it is the den that I am looking for. Rumble pondered before setting off into the darkness with only a shrug of his limbs to mark his hesitation due to uncertainty. With the path approaching complete darkness, it had started to turn sticky to walk on. The entire thing being covered in what could only be described as soft sticky thread. Following the only way down, Rumble soon sensed the tunnel coming to a dead end, but not before seeing 8 bright eyes, full of thought, staring him down. With only a moment of pause, both parties acknowledging each other and their intentions, the two charged one another. The red eyed behemoth charged straight at Rumble, fangs cutting the dark with their venomous gleam, with its 8 legs holding it centered in the tunnel by grabbing out in every direction the thing would¡¯ve been terrifying to almost anyone else. But Rumble wasn¡¯t just anyone, Rumble was a seedling of the highest order. With dreams of one day rising through the clouds, Rumble made sure to do everything to fulfill those lofty aspirations. And so with a last minute slide along the right side of the tunnel, Rumble passed just between the first and second legs before jumping up and dramatically grabbing the monstrosity¡¯s waist in a strong grip. With the great beast¡¯s momentum carrying them both up the tunnel, Rumble was never even struggling to stay attached due to strong roots holding tight. Having taken a strong hold, Rumble combined his feet into a strong point shaped appendage before driving it up and into the enemy''s rear half. And so with the combination of pain and bursting out into the open, the beast dropped hard onto the ground outside. Having tried to squish the little guy, the beast of the dark was horrified with the realization that the opponent had been driven completely into its abdomen. And so ended the clash of the titans in a completely one sided duel. Rumble having collected more that he could easily carry, returning home, pride evident in his stride but still confused at his partner¡¯s buff/debuff predicament. ~~~Brad~~~ With dinner having become an experiment to discover a new recipe, with a side of him being exceptionally happy with how the day had turned out, Brad was attempting to make a stew with some of the last bits of cheap meat that they had in stock. Having even snuck a few of today''s vegetables, he was feeling sure to make Mia happy with his creation. And so with his mood high and confidence only slightly outstripping his ability, Brad was putting his heart and soul into the meal. ~~~Mia~~~ Not sure what to do with what was presented to her for their meal, Mia was struggling to keep a smile. Brad had clearly given it his all, even having snuck a few vegetables that he was obviously trying to use for a celebratory meal regarding their new relationship¡­ but the smell was something out of a horror story. It looked wonderful, but smelled anything but. So with great effort, she managed to get through the first hurdle of their relationship without hurting her boyfriend''s feelings. Chapter 33: Mias tribulations , "The curse of caring." Having seen Mia struggle through his penultimate failure of a meal, Brad had felt bad that he had had to serve it. He knew it was bad, but had little choice outside of serving it with the message that he had received upon cooking it.
Cooking Attempt Failed Your cooking attempt has failed catastrophically, The meal will taste horrendous If eaten by a friend: 50 experience will be rewarded for lessons learned and motivation If eaten by chef, 10 experience will be rewarded for lessons learned If tossed out, 20 Cooking experience will be lost.
After she finished with a struggling smile on her face, she excused herself to go finish sorting loot. ¡°Mia, I¡¯m sorry it tasted bad but I think I just got too excited with making it.¡± ¡°It was fine, was not the best meal, but I can definitely tell that you tried with it!¡± She tried convincing me with a wince on her face as her belly rumbled uncomfortably. ¡°Sorry, but I really appreciate you eating it.¡± ¡°Say no more, that is part of being together right?¡± She said cheering me up, all the while over talking her gut. And so the moment was broken as the door flew open, a big hairy carapace being carried through the door with Rumble also dragging more loot behind him on a makeshift stick and leaf sled. With both Mia and I shocked by the grand amount of monster loot on display we were stunned into silence for a good few moments with the only movement being Rumble dropping the loot on the floor and walking over to inspect Brad. Questioning emojis flashing, interspersed with confused ones, Rumble was being quite invasive during the pursuit to figure out what had been happening with Brad. Having felt his forehead, checked for obvious wounds and now moving onto checking under his shirt, Brad was forced to stop his companion. ¡°Rumble, I am not sure what you are doing, but I am okay!¡± I emphatically explained to Rumble. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are worried, but it has just been Mia and I here the whole time, no monsters, just chores.¡± With a quick few looks back and forth between Mia and Brad, Rumble understood. With a smack of his arm to his own little head, Rumble flashed a heart emoji and a thumbs up. Leaves rustling in obvious laughter at their own prior confusion, Rumble bounced over to the peacebloom in the corner before planting himself next to it, laughter still present. ¡°Um, that was weird¡­¡± I said looking at my companion ¡®plant-chuckling¡¯ in the corner by himself. ¡°Yes, yes it was¡­¡± Mia said in shock, before moving over to inspect the loot that had just been brought into the home. ¡°Oh my good lord! You need to come check this out, like right now!¡± Mia shouted at me from across the room. Running over to check out what Mia was in a fuss over, I saw her holding the large hairy carapace that Rumble had thrown. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, not knowing what it was outside of obviously more important than what I initially had thought. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°It is a ¡®Unique Drop¡¯!¡± Mia was almost screaming out of surprise, before immediately regretting it as her belly reminded her of the previous meal. ¡°I can¡¯t tell much about it, I don¡¯t have your merchant skill.¡± I kindly reminded her. ¡°It says that it is the carapace of ¡®The Beast of Nightmares¡¯! How did Rumble kill such a thing!? It will apparently guarantee venom resistance or immunity to any armor made from it! This thing will be worth a lot of money. Mia was frantically saying while wincing from her rumbling belly. ¡°That''s great! How much do you think we will get out of it?¡± I asked with no small amount of curiosity. ¡°Well, this one we will probably want to throw up onto the ¡®Auction House¡¯. Which is pretty much what it sounds like, they auction off materials for sellers in return for a small cut of the profit. The benefit of the ¡®Auction House¡¯ is that it will display for sale across multiple cities in the region, so you can supposedly get more competition when trying to sell rare or valuable goods.¡± Mia explained without stopping her continued inspection of the carapace. ¡°That sounds awesome, but you still didn¡¯t answer me about how much money it is worth.¡± I politely added before she got carried away with her inspection. ¡°Well that is the tricky thing about it, it could be worth either a ton of money or almost nothing at all along with the entire range in between. Chances are very good that will be worth quite a bit, but there is the possibility of few buyers competing for it.¡± She explained. ¡°I really hope that it is enough to buy a few upgrades around here.¡± I said wishfully. ¡°Oh, we for sure will get at least one item from our list of desires! This thing is a Copper 2 item level with a unique rarity tag¡­it will definitely pull some interest.¡± Mia reassured me excitedly. ¡°Are you serious!? How in the heck did Rumble fight that thing? I mean, he has always been strong, but Copper 2 is not only double his level but also a whole tier higher!¡± With a thoughtful look pausing her response for a few moments, Mia asked; ¡°It is quite the supposed gap in raw power. Have you by chance checked your skill levels today?¡± Quickly understanding what her point was, I quickly flicked open my menus and the relevant status screens.
Name: Bradford Wallace Age:18
Skills
Druid Farmer
Plant Familiar (Tree) Stone 9 (89%) Bountiful Harvest Stone 8 (21%)
¡°Holy crap! My skills exploded up in ranking!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but shout. ¡°Rumble is 11 percent from tiering up into copper 1 and my ¡®Bountiful Harvest¡¯ passive is not far behind!¡± With a few moments of the words registering, Mia started to go wide eyed and followed up with amazed curiosity. ¡°Rumble must have been way busier than we had given credit for! I am sure that the unique monster gave a level by itself, but it is easier to understand how Rumble took it down. Rumble has been highly effective as a solo fighter so far, so with a 3 level gap it is more understandable.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still pretty surprised with the takedown, but if the venom resistant property of the crafting item is any indication, most likely the monster relied on venom to kill its prey. I honestly don¡¯t think that Rumble is able to become envenomed.¡± I stated. ¡°That is a good point that I had not thought of. If that is the case, then Rumble is well matched against many of the monsters that we have been selling the loot of.¡± Mia pieced together. ¡°So do you think that Rumble has been selectively hunting specific prey?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°I do not believe so, we have been getting all types of monster loot. It is more likely that this area has favorable match ups at the current low area level. Speaking of which, with you approaching Copper tier so quickly, we may bypass some item purchases in favor of upgrading the plot level of the farm. Normally it would not be useful until into our second Spring, but you have made it relevant much earlier, we will need to upgrade it in order to take advantage of Copper tier abilities.¡± Mia explained. Talking over a now continuous rumble of Mia¡¯s stomach I quickly asked; ¡°I¡¯m guessing that you have already got finance projections that factor those in? Will purchasing them now speed up our overall accumulation of money or should we wait a bit more?¡± To her detriment, instead of giving a quick reply, Mia¡¯s face turned green before she expeditiously jumped up and ran outside the door. Chapter 34: Preparations for going to town With the haul of goods needing to be sorted and the excitement of the coming auction slowing it down, Mia had needed to spend all night and the following morning sorting the loot. There were more than a few choice pieces of loot, but nothing else so special when compared to a unique carapace drop. Having finished around noon, Mia had missed most of the harvesting being done by Brad, which was quite a bit. And so by the time she had finished at the home, she was immediately caught up in the sorting of their harvest. Covered in dirt, mud, and bug bites, the couple had made their way up to the house that night exhausted, but ready for the next day. Holding Mia¡¯s hand on the way back up to the home, Brad looked over and couldn¡¯t help but look at her sweaty, somewhat dreading the next day even with the big plans they had discussed. ¡°Are you sure that you will go alone tomorrow? I worry that something may happen..¡± Brad stated with rosey cheeks. ¡°As much as I wish you could go with me, I do not think that we should miss our now daily harvests. With the new cost of potentially upgrading the plot so soon after starting, our budget is suffering from a type of lifestyle inflation. We keep finding new ways that we can make money, but we also keep finding ways to spend it¡­ sadly not so much on comforts this season it seems.¡± Mia said. ¡°If I am working tomorrow instead of going, then at least get us something to enjoy once you get back!¡± Brad hastily responded. ¡°I mean, I am sure that we can spare some cash now that we have the carapace to put up for sale¡­¡± He added with a bit less haste. With an eyebrow raised Mia asked; ¡°Are you trying to make an impression with your new girlfriend?¡± laughing afterwards, with her newfound comfortableness with the situation. Realizing what was going on, Brad interjected; ¡°Well, I just think that we can enjoy ourselves more than what we have.¡± ¡°Oh is that so? I was pretty happy with how sweet you seemed¡­¡± Mia said, releasing a sigh. ¡°I am not going to win this am I?¡± Brad asked with an air of defeat. ¡°No, no you are not. But I am glad that you tried. I can also see what we can spare in regard to our finances. I will try to make it something that we both can enjoy.¡± Mia said with a sweet smile looking up at her blushing companion. And so the night continued with banter back and forth. Supper cooked, Rumble back with loot, and the pair going to sleep under the soft light of the peace-bloom. With Rumble now snuggled up with the peacebloom, the morning light had them both unfurl their leaves, drinking up the morning light. But with it, one of Rumble¡¯s thorny appendages made its way over to smack Brad across the leg. URG! Brad grunted through clenched teeth. With the horrendous routine now seemingly permanent, Brad was awake and about to sit up when he noticed something new. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. With no terrifying storm to speak of, Mia¡¯s presence of resting her head against his shoulder was a new development. Still new to the interactions of being together with someone, Brad was unsure if he should stay where he was or if he should lay her head down off of him. Somewhat stuck in place while thinking, he only barely noticed Mia now looking up at him. ¡°Well good morning, sorry if your arm is asleep. It was quite the surprise for me to wake up without neck pain and it was also quite pleasant figuring out why.¡± She sweetly smiled up at him. ¡°My arm is just fine, but to be honest I doubt that I would admit it if it wasn¡¯t.¡± Brad teased back. ¡°I am still getting used to this though, I was not sure what I should do when I saw you still asleep on me.¡± Brad added. ¡°You could have left that last part out. But being truthful is a good thing, so I will let it slide this time. So what will we have for breakfast today?¡± Mia said moving the conversation along, not out of desire but due to her need to leave for town while the sun was still low in the sky. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to get experimental with you having to walk so far¡­ so I figured that I would just make some juice and eggs. And since I have the bucket for water here, I was going to send you off with my waterskin filled with juice as well. You will also be taking a few boiled eggs for a snack as well.¡± Brad listed off while getting up and preparing the listed meals. ¡°Be sure to include a few extra eggs for my lunch. I will refill my water in town, so I should be good on that front.¡± Mia added to the list. ¡°Okay, will do! With all of the eggs we eat, I sure wish that we had some chickens.¡± ¡°You and me both, eggs are going to be one of our biggest expenses at this rate. But they are way cheaper than other alternative sources of nutrition. They are honestly a great bang for the buck.¡± ¡°Well, see what you can do about some actual meat. I am wanting to try my hand at some barbeque.¡± Brad said. ¡°I will see what I can do on that front.¡± Mia said as her stomach started remembering his last experiment. With preparations and morning routines complete, Brad and Mia set down towards the road hand in hand. ¡°Be safe, I want to see you back here tonight before it gets too late.¡± Brad was telling Mia. With a squeeze of his hand and a bump of her shoulder against him, Mia replied. ¡°I will, I already cannot wait to get back. My feet are hurting just by thinking of the trip there and back.¡± ¡°Well, if you need, then stay in town until tomorrow. Be sure to take care of yourself.¡± ¡°Do not worry Brad, I will be back before you know it. Just remember to think of me today!¡± Mia told her boyfriend as they reached the road. And so letting go of his hand, pecking a quick kiss on his cheek, and running ahead down the road, Mia was off. Knowing that Brad would just talk in circles when he was flustered, Mia had to get on her way. Even so, she wished that he could¡¯ve come with her to town. But she knew that the fastest way back was to leave him quick with something that he really would think about. And a kiss goodbye would definitely have him standing there for the next few minutes. So with a huge smile on her face Mia was jogging down the road trying to make a new record on getting back. Delay on chapters for a few more days Sorry for the delay everyone. My wife had to travel and take care of some things and I am currently trying to shuffle work and a toddler... So I have not had time to do much with the story the past few days. I am still feeling better, so it is not being delayed by the usual problems. I hope to have a new chapter out on Sunday or Monday since Saturday is her return date. That being said, even though I don''t have any time for a long chapter, I can answer any questions you may have on the story. Well anyways, have a wonderful week and leave any comments/questions down below. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Feryr Chapter 35: Mias trip to town Upon arriving at the city gates, Mia could not help but to think back to her first few days in ¡°The World¡±. Things had evolved and developed so fast that she was almost lost. She was lost in joy, but bewildered at what direction her life may take at this rate. She had not told Brad yet, but she was also leveling up, what would be considered, exceptionally fast. With an average of Stone 7 but ¡®Merchant¡¯s Eye¡¯ all the way at Stone 9, she was catching up with the back end of what many people on their second year here. It was no surprise though, between all the loot and harvests to sell, there were plenty of ways to level her merchant skill. In fact the more she thought about it, she was lucky to have found Brad both inside and outside of their relationship. With her mind occupied with her thoughts, Mia had completely missed the guard waving her up past the stopped wagon until one of its passengers helped get her attention. Face flushed, she ran up to the front of the line to be greeted by a familiar Private. ¡°Good morning Edgar! Did you get in trouble again?¡± ¡°Good morning Mia, and you should really call me by my guard title while I am on duty.¡± The bronze skinned man replied with a smile. ¡°Fair enough, but I only really see you when you are on duty, so I just wanted to be friendly when I do see you!¡± Mia good heartedly explained. ¡°Well, I would be happy to take you out after duty one day.¡± Edgar hedged. ¡°I am sorry Edgar, but I am in a relationship already. And I do not plan on being back on the market any time soon.¡± ¡°Really!? Dang, what lucky guy hooked you? Do I know him?¡± The curious guard asked. ¡°You sure are nosey today!¡± Mia said, chuckling. ¡°I am not sure if you know him or not. But so you know, his name is Brad. He is also my business partner, we have a combined farming business that we started pretty early in the season.¡± ¡°Oh, he is another farmer? Well I guess it makes sense, since you both encounter the same experiences.¡± Edgar conceded. ¡°Something like that, but honestly a lot of it was just how it happened to play out. But do not worry Edgar, there are plenty of pretty girls in town!¡± Mia cheerfully told him. ¡°Well if you could put in the word for me, I would be more than thankful!¡± ¡°Come now, you should put in the work before I ever get involved¡­ a girl will not take you seriously if another girl brokers the date. Heck, having your buddy would be more effective than me trying it.¡± Mia said while trying not to fully chastise her friend. ¡°Well then just point me in their direction, that alone would help.¡± Edgar said with determination. ¡°Well, I will keep my eyes open for you.¡± Mia said with a chuckle as Edgar finished the guard post journal entry for her coming into town. And so with a wave goodbye she got on her way down the street with a smile still playing across her face. Passing shop after shop, Mia made her way through the streets knowing exactly where she was heading. Having passed the one of the many opulent storefronts that she had seen during her first visit to the city, Mia turned down a short alley. Ending in a cramped cul-de-sac, the alley was quite boisterous with traffic thanks to the two shops occupying it, ¡°Frank¡¯s tailoring for the working man¡± and ¡°Homestead Tooling and Sales¡±. The former being a very reasonably priced source for clothes that focused heavily on having durable clothes and the later being a somewhat ¡°one stop shop¡± for farmers. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. With a jingle announcing her presence, Mia was greeted with a loud ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you back so early!¡± A smile on her face, Mia shouted back over the crowd at the counter. ¡°Well we had a good harvest and I wanted to get a few more items. Will that be a problem Samantha?¡±. ¡°Oh! You learned to chat the chat way too quickly! I will have to watch out for you a bit more in the future less you take MY customers with your quick wit!¡± The frizzy haired woman replied. ¡°Hehe, It is always a wonderful time seeing you Samantha! But in all seriousness, I will need some help sorting out my purchase this time.¡± With an eyebrow raised, Samantha asked ; ¡°You actually need help ordering something? You sometimes ask for recommendations, but you are always so decisive with what you want.¡± ¡°Oh, I know what I want, I just need your help to order it.¡± Mia responded quickly. Slapping her forehead, the redhead shook her head side to side before responding. ¡°Of course you do¡­ and what is it that you need help with?¡± The older woman asked while finishing her task of checking out the prior customer with almost no effort spent multitasking the situation. ¡°I need to upgrade our plot of land.¡± Mia stated plainly knowing that it would draw more than a few looks of surprise. ¡°Um Mia¡­ I think it might be early to do that. Until you get close to copper tier, it will be pointless. Heck, it might be too dangerous until then as well. I would eve~~.¡± Samantha was saying before Mia cut her off. ¡°Oh, I know. My farming is not quite ready, but my business partner is. In fact, I believe that unless we purchase the upgrade he will stagnate along with my Merchant class.¡± Mia said proudly, knowing that she would cause a few double takes on what she just said. ¡°Your business partner is already hitting copper!? It hasn¡¯t even been a full season yet! No wonder you locked him down and started dating him! I had heard that a few nurse girls thought him cute, but I never would¡¯ve imagined him to be that good of a catch!¡± The older woman went off. ¡°WHAT!? How do you know that we are dating!? It is no secret, but I have barely told anyone!¡± Mia questioned with a feeling of anxiety starting to percolate. ¡°People talk honey. Everyone knows about you and Melissa competing for some boy.¡± ¡°How do people know about that!?¡± Mia¡¯s voice now squeaking. ¡°Because it is not everyday that two of the pretty new girls start a grudge over a boy that barely anyone has met. In fact, from what I heard, you both got in a little peacocking competition while he was bedridden.¡± ¡°WHAT!? I did not!¡± ¡°Honey, you did it infront of bedridden old men. Us women gossip a lot, but two pretty girls prancing along trying to outdo each other in front of injured old men with nothing better to do, is asking for some chatter.¡± The older woman laughed. Her face buried in her hands, Mia just stood there. Not knowing how to proceed, she took a deep breath and tried forgetting what was just said. ¡°So can we get that upgrade registered? I have a few more purchases to make as well¡­.¡± And after a few moments of watching Samantha raising her left eyebrow at her, Mia pouted in frustration. ¡°Please tell me that it is just the old men talking about it.¡± ¡°Old men, old women, young women, and a few others¡­ pretty much most people with nothing better to do.¡± Samantha said laughing loudly. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I will cut you a deal of the purchases today!¡± ¡°Well, if anything is going to make me feel better, I guess a discount will do. But I am still not happy.¡± ¡°Haha, wait until you get older, then you will love it!¡± Samantha said with a smile. Chapter 36: Big purchases Leaving the alleyway market, with her pack full of supplies and a wallet much lighter, Mia was heading towards the more glitzy storefronts on the main road. She would¡¯ve had to stop at the auction house but Samantha had loaned her half the expected value of the unique monster loot to be sold, in exchange for having a 5% share of the total sale. It was indeed a loss of money, but Mia was quite happy with the deal because it allowed her to buy more than was expected now, and hopefully enable her to make an even larger profit because of it. The day was going well to say the least. ¡°Hrm, I got the land upgrade set for tomorrow morning, seeds to plant, and some cheap ingredients. That just leaves the luxury expense¡­. What should I get?¡± Mia quietly thought aloud while walking down the boulevard. Gazing upon the windows bright with wares, Mia became acutely aware of the early afternoon sun beaming down on her, heating up not only her but the street burning her soles. That would be a great purchase! Mia thought to herself before jogging back towards the alley she had just come from. Arriving at the dead end, she faced not the store that she had just left, she faced ¡°Frank¡¯s tailoring for the working man¡±. Going inside, Mia was greeted not by the bustling roar of Samantha¡¯s, but by a calm shuffling of clerks moving from client to client checking out the racks of sample styles. ¡°Good afternoon ma¡¯am, do you know what you are looking for?¡± An approaching clerk kindly greeted her. ¡°Here at Frank¡¯s we strive to make your visit joyfully expedient and complete.¡± A little taken aback at the odd approach to sales, Mia had a brief stutter in her thoughts before replying. ¡°Yes I do, I need a pair of boots for both myself and my business partner.¡± ¡°What is the usage expected out of the boots?¡± The clerk quickly followed up. ¡°Fieldwork on the farm for both pairs, heavier usage on the male pair.¡± replied before following up with an addendum, slightly interrupting the clerks following query. ¡°We are on a budget, but endurance of both the boot and wearer is a necessity.¡± Having quickly gained a small grin with Mia¡¯s added information, the clerk posed another clarifying question. ¡°What tier of fieldwork will the boots encounter? ¡°Come tomorrow it will be copper. Both he and I are Stone averages though, I am not sure if that will limit our options or not.¡± With a slight nod and somewhat disappointed blink that people give right before sad news, the man explained; ¡°So the stone averages will affect the boots if we go with copper tier effects. You will be able to wear the boots either way, and the copper will be more durable, but any copper tier bonuses will not take effect until your average hits the same level. We could make a pair of stone tier boots with bonuses, but they will most likely wear out by year''s end in a copper tier field.¡± Tapping her chin in thought, Mia recognized that she needed more information. ¡°Good to know, I was wondering about gear tiers. What are a few price comparisons? I would prefer a few different options for effects on each tier, and preferably something in stock.¡± ¡°That is easy enough to do, please have a seat and I will go fetch a catalog.¡± the man said while indicating a basic yet comfortable looking bench against the wall. Within a minute the clerk returned from retrieving a catalog and having opened it along the way back. Now standing in front of Mia, he started with showing a few basic stone options and then following up with a couple copper tier.
Work boots Stone tier Boot durability +10% ~These boots were designed for low level workmen to have a strong, durable, yet cheap boot. They do not look good, nor are they very comfortable, but when you are often walking on sharp gravel, looks don¡¯t matter. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Comfortable boot Stone tier -10% stamina drain while encumbered with 90% or more of total capacity ~These boots were developed to help cargo haulers transport loads further on their backs before having to stop.
Farmer¡¯s Boots Copper tier -20% stamina drain while performing farming tasks ~A boot designed to help low level farmers develop their farms more efficiently in terms of stamina. The thought process being that more stamina, meant more work in the fields. But further research has shown that it has led to no measurable increase in production, but rather to a large increase in leisure activities.
Guard Boots Copper tier Walking will not harm feet during normal wear and tear ~Originally designed to help guards during their long patrol routes, the boot design gained world wide popularity among most classes. With many classes needing to walk miles a day, this has become the most widely sold boot of Copper tier.
¡°That is interesting! The Copper tier descriptions are much more in depth when compared to the Stone tier.¡± Mia pointed out to nobody in particular. ¡°You are quite observant, they are indeed more informative. The description of gear gets longer the higher tier it is. Sometimes the descriptions can reveal otherwise hidden information about the item¡¯s capabilities. The ¡®Work boots¡¯ are a fine example. They have added durability, but they are also highly cut resistant, even when compared to the leather used in its construction prior to becoming part of the boot.¡± ¡°Wait, so when the boot is produced, the leather gets stronger!?¡± the wide eye Mia asked. ¡°It does indeed.¡± The clerk responded, not giving any further information freely. ¡°The Guard boots are most likely the best pick from the perspective of usefulness from what I see¡­. Do you have any suggestions?¡± Mia asked. ¡°I would personally recommend the Guard boots. They are popular for a reason, and they are also the cheapest Copper tier boot in our store due to how prolific the design has become.¡± The clerk responded with barely any thought required. ¡°That they are¡­.¡± Mia said, staring at the seemingly expensive figures in the catalog. And so with a grimace Mia asked for two pairs, one for each her and Brad. ¡°Excellent decision miss. I will go get the boots prepared. Will you wear yours out of the shop or is the female pair for someone else?¡± The clerk kindly asked. ¡°I will wear them out, lord only knows how far I still have to walk today.¡± Mia said dreading the walk, but excited for the return home. ¡°Understood, I will be right back with your purchases.¡± The clerk said bowing and then proceeding into the back storage room. With nothing to do but to look around, Mia was impressed by the wide selection that Frank¡¯s offered. Even though it was named as a tailoring enterprise, it was by all accounts a complete outfitter. With everything from thick wool jackets on display down to ear reddening swim outfits. It was not only amazing to her, but extremely inspirational. ¡°One day I will build a brand like this and set the old line behind me for good.¡± Mia told herself. ¡°Excuse me ma¡¯am, your order has been gathered. Would you kindly follow me over to the checkout counter to pay and receive your order?¡± The returning clerk asked kindly while motioning her over towards the sidewall. ¡°Oh, of course! I am excited to get them, I still have a long walk to go. Would you by chance have a catalog to take and order from by mail?¡± Mia asked. ¡°I am sorry to say that we do not. Our stores do not offer many luxuries outside of polite service due to keeping our operating costs low in order to pass on the savings.¡± ¡°That is quite okay, I understand.¡± Mia replied while thinking ¡°I will definitely do mail order, but with Brad, it will be all but impossible to sell anything except specialty or high quality goods.¡± Approaching the counter, Mia was greeted by a new attendant sitting behind a large ledger flanked by sheets of papers filled with notes and scrawls. ¡°Hello miss, I will be the accountant assigned to your purchase. I see 2 pairs of Guard boots, one to go and one to wear out of the store. Do not fret, the price did not change for the difference mentioned. Here is your total, please check to make sure that it is correct.¡± The man in low glasses said, sliding over a sheet of paper with a number that was about to clear out the customer¡¯s anemic bank account. Chapter 37: Stopped at the gate As quick as they had been, all of the stops had pushed Mia¡¯s time in Westbend into being much longer than she had wanted to spend. With the sun already past its zenith and on its way down, She still needed to make the trek to the gate, out through said gates, and then all the way back home. Luckily with the new ¡°Guard boots'''' it would be a much more comfortable journey. Without Old Sal bringing her in today, her feet were already starting to feel worn out and blistered. With the added weight on her back, foot sores would¡¯ve been assured if not for her new purchases. Making great haste down the boulevard she nearly ran over a child that was unexpectedly in her path while chasing a ball, thanks to the weight on her back making it hard to stop and change directions. And so with a few apologetic words from both sides, Mia kept trekking along as quickly as she could. Rounding the final corner before the gates she saw that the traffic was flowing quickly in and out with a few patrols entering and the new patrollers about to leave. Approaching the gates Mia was greeted with a friendly ¡°Hey Mia!¡±, a call that once again came from her friend Edgar. ¡°Hey Edgar! I am trying to beat the dark, so I can not stay long to chat. I am sorry, I do not want to seem rude, but I really can not stop to talk.¡± Mia briskly tried explaining. ¡°Oh, well that makes sense, but you are definitely not going to make it back before dark¡­. How about you go with a patrol heading your way? I believe one of the patrols will be rotating that way within the next half hour after having the current patrol return.¡± ¡°Well that would indeed change things. If I can tag along with a patrol, then that would allow me a bit more comfort on my way back.¡± ¡°Absolutely, things get way worse at ni-¡± ¡°HERNANDEZ!¡± bellowed a gruff voice, echoing between the stone gates of the town. Immediately Edgar straightened to attention while spinning on one foot, in a way that only a soldier in trouble can do, in order to face his superior. ¡°Hernandez, what are you doing!?¡± Yelled a man that clearly matched his commanding voice. ¡°Sir, I was just trying to explain to Mia¡­ I mean Ms. Mia, that she would be smart to wait for a patrol heading her way instead of leaving for home with dark nearing so soon!¡± Edgar managed to get out. The gruff man having approached close to her friend before he even had finish speaking, the man surprisingly took in his statement with a contemplative look in his eyes. Turning slowly towards Mia the man with a much more level and polite tone asked; ¡°Is that so¡­Ms.Mia?¡± Startled by his abrupt change in tone towards her, Mia squeaked out her response. ¡°Yes sir, Edgar, I mean the Private here was just trying to convince me to delay my trip home until I can tag behind a patrol heading my way.¡± With a nod of his head the man continued his polite questioning. ¡°So where is it that you live? The Private needs to get back to work, but I can figure out which patrol you need to go with.¡± ¡°I live on the ¡®Pandora Estate¡¯, I think it was formerly called the ¡®Lytel Estate¡¯¡±. ¡°Understood, let''s go check the schedule. If you would follow me.¡± the gruff man asked of Mia before turning back towards her friend. ¡°Hernandez, you did good. I am not entirely convinced that the talk started that way, but keep up the good work keeping people safe.¡± And with that said, the man waved Mia over to the guard station. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Once inside, the man, clearly someone with authority, indicated that Mia should sit in a chair that was in front of a desk that was clearly his. As the man sat down he politely continued talking to Mia. ¡°Sorry about the gruff introduction, you clearly know the Private so are most likely well aware that he likes to talk. He is a great soldier, but I have to keep him on task and was afraid that the shift supervisor would have come down on him if he had turned that way. Oh, I just realized that I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Sergeant Buzzy.¡± ¡°Oh, well that was nice of you. But wouldn¡¯t it have made more sense to approach more quietly?¡± Mia asked with logical curiosity. ¡°Not really. If he was indeed goofing off then I could decide the punishment since I was clearly taking care of it, and in this case I am able to publicly draw attention to his good deed. Overall that is the best way to handle it¡­. But really we should leave this conversation here and get you on your way.¡± Flipping through a few papers before finding what was clearly a schedule, the Sergeant flipped it onto his desk next to a map that was displayed to the side on a larger parchment. ¡°So it looks like the patrol that you needed was ¡­ number five. Ugh, I think they left about 10 minutes ago.¡± ¡°Oh, well I guess I will - ¡± Mia started to say before being cut off. ¡°No, you will not go home in the dark. This unit has already committed to escorting you, please let us do this for you.¡± And in a much more quiet conspiring tone, he added; ¡°Don¡¯t let Edgar lose this from being added to his evaluation.¡± And with that, he stood and excused himself before walking further into the guard post. Not sure what to do, but definitely wanting to help her friend, Mia quietly waited for the Sergeant to return. Roughly half an hour later the Sergeant returned following with whom was clearly his superior. ¡°Ms. Mia, this is Lieutenant Dan, he is the officer in charge tonight. I explained our circumstances and he would like to talk to you.¡± ¡°Hi, as the Sergeant said, I am Lieutenant Dan. I just wanted to clarify your destination. If I am not mistaken, I saw you during the beginning of the season when you just arrived¡­ am I correct in that?¡± ¡°Yes sir, you are. You had said that I was one of your last stops, and that you wished me well.¡± ¡°If I also remember right, you were not originally at the old ¡®Lytel Estate¡¯, am I also correct on that statement?¡± ¡°Yes sir¡­ I moved to the ¡®Pandora estate¡¯, it was renamed, not long after the welcoming ceremony.¡± ¡°Does Brad still live there? I am sorry if I am prying too much.¡± The man apologetically asked. ¡°Yes he does, we opened a business together. Golden Tree, the future supplier of the best produce in all of the realms!¡± Mia said, using her merchanting skills instinctually in order to advertise the business. ¡°That is good to hear, I am glad that he is doing well. I remember him having had that accident, so I was worried that he had given up.¡± Relief obvious on the man¡¯s face. ¡°Well, let''s get you back home young lady. I am going to send a few guys to help escort you home. I don¡¯t want to risk a repeat of Brad¡¯s injuries if an event starts while you are out on the road. Lord only knows that we are overdue for another one. It''s either now or the next few days before the end of the season.¡± ¡°There will be another one!? Should I go buy a weapon for us?¡± Mia asked, visibly worried having been reminded of that tragic night that had not only really sparked her feelings for Brad, but also the night that had also taken him. ¡°There will be. But like I had said before, stay inside and you will be safe. Your farm may get roughed up, but just stay inside and don''t provoke the monsters.¡± Nodding her head vigorously Mia quickly promised her future compliance with the advice. ¡°Sergeant, relay to the shift lead that we need an escort for the young lady back to her home. Have them do it as an impromptu readiness exercise, it will help us in the coming days for the men to be prepared.¡± ¡°Yes sir, I will go let him know now.¡± the sergeant said before excusing himself in order to relay the orders. Looking back towards Mia, the lieutenant added; ¡°Just give us a few minutes and you will be on your way, can we interest you a warm cup of water while waiting?¡± Chapter 38: "Uh-oh" Part 1, A journey to see Brad The day had been full of work on the farm, some easier than others, but all extremely productive. At noon, another partial harvest was ready, but Rumble and Brad had spent most of it clearing new fields for the new incoming plants purchased by Mia. With any luck, the new produce would set them up for the Summer growing season. By the end of Summer, he hoped that they had new tools, a fixed roof, and possibly a few comforts. It was nice sleeping with Mia snuggled up next to him, but a soft bed for each of them would be even better. And then it happened, Brads mind went to the time. Dusk was approaching rapidly and Mia had yet to make an appearance. With Rumble having spent the day with him, the thought of newly spawned monsters roaming nearby worried him. Not necessarily for his sake, but rather for Mia¡¯s, especially with the night approaching. Brad, pacing back and forth from the fields to pick weeds and down to the road looking for Mia, was stressing out with worry. With the skies already darkening, worrying for Mia was driving him mad. With thoughts of something happening or her getting hurt while rushing back¡­ Brad was slowly driving himself to the brink. The only thing keeping him sane was Rumble patting him on the leg occasionally to help him calm down. ¡°Do you think she is okay?¡± Brad asked of his familiar. With a nod and a hopeful emoji, his familiar failed to fully reassure Brad. ¡°Should we go meet her on her way back? We can head to town and escort her back, just in case.¡± With another nod and a thumbs up emoji paired with a real rooty one, Rumble excitedly agreed to the plan. ¡°Okay, let''s go get one of the lights and head that way. No sense in waiting around!¡± Brad told his buddy while running up towards the house. Grabbing a light, a blanket, and a few snacks, Brad wrapped them all up and slung them over his shoulder to more easily travel. And so with Rumble at his side, they set down the path before turning onto the road. With one last look back at the house, they set on their way home. ~~~Patrol 5, heading towards Pandora Estate~~~ ¡°Young miss, the estate should be just ahead. It shouldn¡¯t be but another 10 minutes ahead, are you sure that you don¡¯t want us to escort you the rest of the way?¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Yes, I¡¯lll be fine. It is not quite fully dark, so I should be fine. Besides, I really would feel awful if you were out all night. I understand that it is close, but hopefully this means you get home a bit sooner tonight.¡± ¡°Well, we appreciate it, but you needn¡¯t concern yourself with us and a few extra minutes.¡± ¡°I insist Corporal, be on your way and know that I hope you have a safe journey!¡± And so with a hesitant look between the patrol members, they said their goodbyes and split from their charge heading West as they went North. Thinking to herself, she couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved to be alone on her final approach towards the farm. ¡°I hope they didn¡¯t take it the wrong way, but I really don¡¯t want them to be present when I get there. A girl needs to make an impression on a guy that she is chasing, not waste the opportunity awkwardly in front of a gaggle of men following her home.¡± And so she continued on her way humming in anticipation, not wanting to delay her reunion anymore. And so it came as a surprise when monsters started dashing at and past her along the road as if they were fleeing some great predator on their tails. Having already traveled most of the way to the farm, the patrol protecting her was long gone. So with no small amount of fear, she dove to the side of the road in order to avoid the fleeing monsters while at the same time hiding from the monstrosity no doubt on their heels. As a minute came and went, the stream of monsters faded into the distance, only to be replaced with a larger more powerfully built form strutting down the road. Tucking her head lower, burying herself in the muddy ditch and hiding among the brush that grew there, she could only hope that it passed her by without noticing her down in her cover. As the seconds passed, she heard steps on the road above her, coming closer then just as they started to pass, they stopped. Stopped right in front of her. Within moments the sounds were rushing towards her and she couldn¡¯t help but to roll onto her feet and to dash off into the weeds. Within moments, she was grabbed from behind with strong vine-like appendages. She was caught. Struggling to get her knife out of its hip sheath, she only stopped as she was forcibly spun around in order to see two familiar faces¡­ one changed, and one healthier than their last confrontation. ¡°Brad! Thank god it was you, I was really worried that I was about to die!¡± ¡°I can see that¡­ let''s get you back onto the road and some more solid ground.¡± And so with Rumble¡¯s help along with Brad guiding her up the bank along the road, arm around her waist to help her stay upright, they made their way up onto the more solid ground. Just as the true encounter was about to set off a firestorm of trouble. Chapter 39: "Uh-oh" Part 2, The scariest question Mia was having a good laugh with her escort on their way back to her shared home living with Brad. Yes, they were only newly dating but life was good. Having not worried about danger on the trek back home due to her escorts, she was free to joke with them while wondering what Brad would think about the gift. She was also looking forward to the meal he had most certainly prepared for her. ¡°Corporal, there is a monster ahead with two people on the road!¡± Shouted the ranger leading the small group. ¡°Cindy, protect our rear along with our guest. Randy, pop off a few shots while me and Gareth close to secure the civilians.¡± ¡°Roger¡± the team shouted in unison while immediately parsing the orders and setting off to follow them. With his first shot flying wide to the left of the monster, the ranger had made sure that the second struck the left appendage of the monster, forcing it to retreat. With the woman screaming hysterically and the man turning with a knife flashing in his right hand aimed at the approaching patrol, the woman grasped in a tight embrace with his left. The guards were still approaching to secure the civilians, but now realized that they must be easy with their approach, else they create a new enemy with the scared people they were trying to rescue. ¡°We are guards from Westbend, are you okay? Do either of you need medical attention?¡± the Corporal asked. ¡°Why did you shoot at us!?¡± the obviously shocked man demanded. ¡°We were shooting at the monster grabbing at your lady friend¡­ was there a misunderstanding that we are not aware of?¡± The military man asked, now confused. ¡°Dang right there has been, that was my familiar! Watch over her, I need to go see if he is okay, he has a bleeding debuff now.¡± the man screamed before tearing off into the tall grass having jumped the ditch entirely. ¡°Brad!? Oh my lord, we have to follow him, we need to help them!¡± Mia screamed, running up and past the now confused guards and into the ditch. The corporal, now very confused, set about giving his orders; ¡°Gareth, protect the lady with Cindy¡± indicating the mud-covered woman still standing confused and in shock on the road. ¡°Randy, let''s go and figure this out. Be ready with a healing potion for when we find the familiar, I don¡¯t want this to end up with us accidentally killing an innocent.¡± ¡°Understood¡± Randy replied curtly while dashing off into the tall grass beyond with his superior hot on his trail. ~~~ Brad~~~ ¡°Rumble! Come back and let me help you!¡± Brad screamed while following the still newly swaying grass left behind in Rumble¡¯s passage. Surrounded now by tall grass it was hard to see and even quite oppressing in its envelopment of anyone running through it and as such any progress made was extremely slow. Wading through the grass and yelling for Rumble, Brad was soon the recipient of a hush emoji. Not sure what to make of it Brad was soon on alert with him automatically hunkering down into a smaller profile while still being ready to react to any danger. This alert status however led to one of his chasers running right into him, leaving him just enough time to spin around and meet it head on before being bowled over by said individual. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ~~~Mia~~~ Running through the towering grass while chasing after Brad¡¯s voice bellowing over the rustles of her passage. She was however not prepared for her boyfriend to suddenly stop yelling for his familiar, nor was she prepared for him to stop and crouch in the grass silently. And so with her momentum carrying her forward through the brush, Mia was carried into and with his face buried into her midsection the whole way to the ground in a spectacularly confused way. ¡°Ugh, my head.¡± Mia moaned. ¡°What the heck just happened?¡± she continued as she rolled off of Brad to the side and onto her back. ¡°Apparently you happened, I didn¡¯t know that you were with that group. I have so many questions. But we need to stay quiet, Rumble sent me an alert and I am not sure why.¡± ¡°OW! Sir, it is attacking me!¡± screamed the man that Mia knew to be Randy. ¡°Subdue it but don''t hurt it if possible, that is someones familiar apparently!¡± the corporal replied, in an equally loud voice. ¡°Well we know what Rumble is doing, let''s sort this situation out.¡± Brad told Mia while shaking his head. ¡°Rumble, leave them be, they are guards and it was apparently a huge misunderstanding!¡± he yelled out while helping Mia to her feet. ¡°Rumble, they are friendly! They escorted me home to protect me!¡¯ Mia screamed towards the loud commotion that her and Brad were currently running towards. Within moments the commotion had started to die down, with Mia and Brad bursting into the area containing a floating Rumble held aloft by one of his feet by a battered and bruised Randy. With a plethora of excitement rocking through Rumbles small body as his two favorite people came into his view, it was obvious that he now understood that he was glad to see them safe. ¡°You can drop him, he should be fine now.¡± Brad told Randy, with a bit of disdain tinting his voice. ¡°Understood, and I really want to apologize. I saw a group of monsters storming down the road a bit ago, but they had disappeared into the grass pretty quickly¡­ so it just happened to look like you and your companion were getting attacked back there. I honestly have never seen a familiar like him before.¡± Randy tried explaining. ¡°Regardless, we do owe you our apologies.¡± the corporal said, now arriving into the clearing having been slowed down by his heavier armor. ¡°Please take this potion as recompense, it is the least that we can do and we hope to make the situation right.¡± he said while proffering a bottle of a red liquid that seemed to glow in the light given off by his light stone. ¡°That doesn¡¯t quit-¡± Brad started to say. ¡°Very well, we accept it and you are forgiven on our end.¡± Mia said, cutting Brad off. ¡°But I do believe that you owe him an apology directly.¡± Mia continued while pointing down to Rumble. ¡°I do believe that we do.¡± the corporal quickly agreed. ¡°Rumble was it? We would like to apologize for our mistake and subsequent shooting of you. We are sorry that you got hurt, but like you, we were just trying to protect people without all of the information available to us.¡± Rumble slowly approached the corporal and shook his hand before walking over to Randy and stomping on his foot, not quite hurting the man through his uniform¡¯s boots. ¡°I guess that settles it then.¡± Brad said with a slight huff of annoyance still present in his bearing. ¡°Mia, Rumble, are you two ready to get back up to the road and head home?¡± Briefly agreeing and having started towards the road with her boyfriend, Mia suddenly remembered an important detail. ¡°Brad, I have a question.¡± Mia asked in a tone that did not quite convey the calmness that her question should¡¯ve given off. Immediately stopping, more at the sound of her voice than the statement itself, Brad responded cautiously. ¡°Uh, okay. What''s the question? Did I do something wrong?¡± ¡°Was that Melissa on the road?¡± ¡°Ya it was, why?¡± ¡°Why were you holding her?¡± ¡°Uh¡­.¡± Brad stammered as the both guardsmen involuntarily winced. Chapter 40: Its simply complicated ¡°Well, we will meet you two back up on the road!¡± the corporal quickly said before rushing himself and his troop back up towards the road. With no good response coming to mind, Brad was helplessly stammering with very little actually being said in response to Mia¡¯s question. ¡°Brad, why were you holding Melissa when we saw you up on the road?¡± Mia asked once more, now with a hint of something painful entering her voice. ¡°I was helping her up. ¡± Brad quickly interjected. ¡°What? Did she fall? Why were you with her to begin with?¡± Mia quickly asked. ¡°Well she kinda was just laying there, so I figured I should give her a hand.¡± ¡°Brad, that makes zero sense. Why would she have been laying on the road?¡± Mia asked a little too desperately. ¡°Mia, you have it all wrong! We were down in the grass!¡± Brad hurriedly added. With eyes going wide, Mia spun around and dashed off leaving Brad with one final word¡­. ¡°Jerk!¡± Left with only his short familiar standing next to him, Brad was struggling to process how complicated the past few minutes had hurriedly made his life. His quest to meet his girlfriend on her way back had quickly left him in a very precarious situation in regards to his standing with her. ¡°Rumble, what just happened?¡± Brad asked without moving his eyes from the spot that Mia had disappeared through the grass. With a combination of question mark and shrug emojis, Rumble was reassuring him that he was just as confused. But true to its nature, Rumble stayed optimistic and tugged on Brad¡¯s pant leg in order to get him moving. ¡°Rumble, let''s go and try to catch Mia before she hits the road.¡± Not quite catching up to Mia before making it to the road, Brad saw her set off towards home followed closely by the corporal trying to get her to go as a group. ¡°Brad!¡± Melissa¡¯s voice echoed through the night. At the sound of the other girl¡¯s call, Mia started to move a bit faster with the corporal finally giving in and having half the squad follow her ahead of the group. Ignoring Melissa¡¯s call, Brad hurried to catch up to his obviously distraught girlfriend. ¡°Mia, wait! I guarantee you that it isn¡¯t what you think it is!¡± I¡¯m not even sure what you think it is, but I know that it isn¡¯t that!¡± Coming to a complete halt and spinning on her foot, Mia stomped back towards him before planting her feet with her face staring up straight into his. Tears peaking from red eyes, Mia was shaking with an aura of barely held fury. ¡°Then what is it Brad!? What led to the events of finding my boyfriend holding another girl after helping her up from where they were lying in the grass? For heck¡¯s sake, I was literally gone for less than a day!¡± Mia demanded of him in an unrestrained tone that slowly tapered off into a tear filled sob. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Reaching out to comfort her, Brad went to hug the obviously hurt girl, but was quickly rebuffed before she straightened her back once again, obviously demanding that he answer the all important questions. ¡°Why? What happened?¡± Mia squeaked past her clenched teeth. ¡°Brad was just help-¡± Melissa started to interject after having approached before being cut off by Mia¡¯s outstretched hand dismissing her¡­ all without ever having the clearly upset girl spare her a glance. With a tense moment of meeting her gaze, Brad spoke in the most sincere voice he could manage. ¡°Mia I don¡¯t know how it looked, but I was worried about you and was on my way to meet you walking back. Rumble and I saw Melissa in the grass hiding from monsters, I''m assuming. We helped her up and that''s when that guard shot Rumble. I¡¯m not sure how everything spiraled out of control, but god only knows that I am the most confused person here. I don¡¯t know why Melissa is here and frankly I don¡¯t care if it makes you this upset. I don¡¯t know what kind of feud you two share, but I¡¯m choosing your side right here and now.¡± With his explanation finished, Brad tried once more to draw Mia into a hug with her not resisting beyond a grumpy slap to his chest before being called a ¡°Dumb Jerk¡± and having her bury her teary face into his shirt. After a few quiet moments, with a set of pursed lips, Mia looked up at her boyfriend before glancing over to Melissa. ¡°So why are ¡®You¡¯ here?¡± Caught off guard by the overall situation and obviously not informed of Brad''s dating status, Melissa was at a loss of words for what she should say. ¡°I was just coming by to see if Brad had thought anymore about my offer. I was hoping that he would join my dungeon party.¡± With both women looking at him Brad quickly answered; ¡°I don¡¯t think I will Melissa. I have the company with Mia and things are going well. I have no plans to leave it anytime soon.¡± ¡°Very well. I am sorry that I was under a faulty assumption. I wish you both well, but just send me a note if it ever changes.¡± Melissa quickly said before turning back towards the now awkwardly waiting guards. Obviously way below a rank paid enough to interject into the current mess, the corporal was more than happy to see it somewhat resolve itself as the woman named Melissa approached him. ¡°Sir, would you mind escorting me back to town? I seem to have gotten lost with my destination.¡± Melissa said politely with a slightly too stiff posture. ¡°Uh, sure. We can head back, its not like I wanted to do a full patrol anyways, this will make a good reason to return early.¡± Glancing over at the cute girl that they had been escorting, he tried to ask in as a professional manner that he could muster; ¡°Will you be needing further escort Miss Mia?¡± ¡°No corporal, I have this dumby to carry my stuff the rest of the way home.¡± Mia said, once again beating Brad¡¯s chest with her hand. ¡°Understood. And sir, we are truly sorry for the violent misunderstanding. Sometimes we don¡¯t get the benefit of waiting in similar situations. Sometimes it is life or death.¡± the corporal finished while holding eye contact with Brad. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I forgive you, but I do understand. But I will say this, thank you for making sure that Mia was safe on her way here.¡± Brad responded to the man. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, it was actually Edgar that got her the escort lined up.¡± ¡°Well, thanks anyways.¡± ¡°No problem at all. Stay safe on your way home.¡± the corporal said before turning towards his troops and starting to issue orders for their return to town. ¡°Bye Brad, Mia¡­. I am happy for you two, even if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Melissa called to the pair before setting off with the patrol. Mia and Brad watched the patrol move off, their light slowly dimming with distance before disappearing behind tall grass after having the road make a gentle turn. Looking up at her boyfriend, Mia couldn¡¯t help but to feel guilty. ¡°Brad, I am sorry. It has been a long day and it just looked really bad¡­. I should not jump to conclusions huh ....¡± Reaching down, Brad cupped his girlfriend''s face in his hand before kissing her softly on the lips. Bringing his face away from hers, he stared into her eyes with a mischievous smile playing across his face. ¡°Mia?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Who is Edgar?¡± Chapter 41: The fields and some teasing The new couple still embracing after their ordeal, Mia was still showing a slightly confused expression as the question finished processing. Knowing that he would have to repeat it, Brad, with a wicked grin on his face, once again asked the question. ¡°Mia, who is Edgar?¡± ¡°Um¡­ a friend¡­.¡± Mia responded slowly, taking a short pause before continuing sheepishly. ¡°This looks really bad after what just happened, huh?¡± ¡°Just a little, but I¡¯m not really worried about it.¡± Brad laughed. ¡°I am just glad that you made it home safe and that we got this whole thing sorted out quickly.¡± He finished with a quick hug before breaking their embrace. With a quick search Brad was able to find the pack that Mia had brought back from town, left at the side of the road after one of the guards had set it there for them. Lifting it up, Brad was surprised by the weight, and gave it a heft onto his shoulder. ¡°So did you manage to get everything that you wanted?¡± Brad asked the still sheepish Mia. Still not quite meeting Brad¡¯s eyes, Mia was only able to give a meek response of, ¡°Yes, I got the land upgrade set for the morning. We really surprised everyone at the store for how fast we are getting it.¡± ¡°Well, that is to be expected. Honestly if it was just me working with Rumble, I don¡¯t think I would be this far along either. It¡¯s been a huge advantage having you take care of a lot of the selling and sorting in addition to helping with the fields. It''s given me way more time to clear fields, farm, and do the normal chores to survive. We more or less have an extra days worth of work between us multitasking what others would struggle with themselves.¡± Nodding her head in agreement, Mia responded. ¡°Agreed. If I had to cook, then I probably would have had to quit working much earlier in the day in order to still sort the produce for leveling my merchant class.¡± ¡°Yup, you probably are eating better food too! I remember the last time that you tried cooking.¡± Brad said teasingly, now having returned to Mia with the bag on his back. Taking her hand, Brad started leading the way home with Mia looking jokingly offended with his quip at her expense. ¡°Well, you also would have had sore feet in the coming days.¡± Mia said stopping Brad and telling him to drop the bag once again now that she had remembered his gift. ¡°Whats going on? What do you need to get?¡± ¡°I got us a matching gift.¡± Mia said giving Brad a smile in return. ¡°A matching gift? What is it? Is it a matching set of plates?¡± Brad jokingly asked. ¡°No, Mr. Smarty-Pants, its a pair of boots!¡± Mia said, straightening her leg in order to model and showcase the new pair of boots that she was wearing. ¡°Cool! They kinda look like the boots that guards wear, but they will definitely do better in the mud than our current shoes do.¡± Brad said with enthusiasm, excited to wear his new boots. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°They are actually the same type of boots that the guards wear¡­ but that is not relevant to why I bought them. They have the trait of keeping your feet from getting sore during normal wear and tear! No more sore feet after a full day in the fields!¡± Mia explained enthusiastically. ¡°In fact, the reason that they all get them is probably because of the trait, with the name coming from them all actually getting them. Watching Mia dig his pair of boots out of the bag, Brad was getting more and more excited with every word describing his new boots. With already sore feet, from having stepped on more than a few rocks while working his field, he was more than ready to swap his already worn shoes in for the new pair. With her having found the new boots in the bag and now presenting them to him, Brad was grinning like a little kid with a new toy. ¡°Thanks Mia! I can¡¯t wait to put them on.¡± Taking his current shoes off, Brad quickly swapped to his new boots. Standing up and taking a tentative few steps, he quickly felt the comfort that they provided. ¡°So, what do you think of them?¡± Mia asked impatiently, hoping that her boyfriend liked the boots. ¡°I like them! They really need to be broken in, in order to feel right. But I can honestly already tell that they will be way more comfortable than my old pair!¡± ¡°Well, that is the plan. I am hoping that the boots can help boost our morale while putting in hard work with our newly upgraded fields. We are not quite to copper yet, but we should both be there within the week, especially with the added difficulty of the fields.¡± ¡°That is something that I wanted to ask you about, in order to clarify. What exactly is going to change with the upgrade?¡± Brad asked while shouldering the pack once more. Taking her boyfriend¡¯s proffered hand, Mia responded. ¡°Quite a bit will change, but nothing majorly difficult at this point. Field fertility levels will now be variable. The minimum and maximum level will be relatively close, but it will now require maintenance in order to keep fertility levels up. It might sound bad, but with effort the maximum level is higher than we could have achieved prior to the upgrade.¡± ¡°So now we have to work daily in the fields?¡± Brad asked. ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°Nice! I like these free bonuses. It¡¯s not like you give me any breaks as is, anyways.¡± Brad added, followed up by a teasing sticking out of his tongue. Sticking out her own tongue Mia finished with a soft smile before laughing along. ¡°Moving along though, we will also start to have monster nests starting to spawn in our lands. There should only be 2 or 3 total at any given time. The nests, themselves, spawn around 4 or 5 monsters per day at Copper, but once it hits a certain population they start rampaging. You can destroy the nests, but a new one will spawn to replace it within a few days. There are a few popular strategies to deal with nests. The first being to keep them trimmed back daily or every other day in order to keep them pacified. Another farming strategy for weaker combinations, like mine, would be investing into a strong fence or wall and hiring help if a nests spawns within the fenced area.¡± Brad seeing where this was starting to go, quickly interjected. ¡°But that isn¡¯t our plan is it? Let me guess, we are going to farm the nests too?¡± Smiling and happy to be on the same wavelength, Mia continued to explain the plan. ¡°You bet, but with some min-maxing of our strategy. Monster tamers and Hunters employ a strategy of killing nests until they get certain types of monster nests to spawn. Hunters usually destroy nests until all nests on the farmland spawn meat bearing monsters, whereas Tamers usually do it until they have a variety of monsters to sell to the market for adventurers or anyone else needing them. For us, I plan on starting slow, but eventually I hope we can curate our nest selection to only include monsters with a high monetary loot drop average.¡± ¡°That makes sense, but we should definitely start a little slow. Well at least until we are sure that we can handle the added challenge.¡± Brad said. ¡°Absolutely, but like I said, Copper should not be that big of a leap in difficulty as long as we keep some variety in the nests. That being said, there is one additional new feature as of now¡­ We can now grow copper ranked seeds! We can even upgrade our current seed stock through selective breeding.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome! Do you think we can upgrade any of our current plant stock?¡± Brad asked excitedly. ¡°Possibly within 1 or 2 more cycles of growth. From now on, any Stone 8 or 9 harvest, we should replant and hope that they produce Copper tier seeds.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy enough.¡± Brad said, surprised at the simplicity of it. ¡°Ya, it is super simple compared to some of the other features to learn. Oh there are other added features, but nothing that you really need to know right now, just minor things like Abilities now having a higher maximum upgrade limit when affecting the fields. But that kind of thing is only really relevant when using Abilities like my ¡®Enrich¡¯ skill.¡± ¡°Wait, wait, wait¡­¡± Brad quickly interjected. ¡°Your skill has a limit? It must be pretty high, because you use it everyday!¡± ¡°Not that kind of limit. My skill level is low enough that I will never hit the hard limit of our fields. The limit is mostly relevant to people whom hire higher level individuals in order to boost their fields. Its too keep Stone tier farmers from getting a Gold tier boost on their fields.¡± ¡°Would that really be a bad thing?¡± Brad asked, not quite seeing the full logic behind it. ¡°For the individual farmers¡­ no it wouldn¡¯t. But it would crash the market for lower level farmers trying to raise their skills. It would also create a monopoly controlled by a few higher level individuals.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes sense. I¡¯m guessing that we should be happy for it then. Once you start offering your services to other farmers, we will be thankful for that limit protecting us.¡± And so the conversation continued on their way home. Chapter 42: A battle of local supremacy with evolution as the prize Bark covered knees hitting the ground and sliding across the dusty clearing, lasher whip barely scraping past the wooden warrior¡¯s up turned face, Rumble sprang up behind the opponent while spinning around with a sharp kick to its stalk. With another lasher down, Rumble turned to stare down the last guardian of the nest, a larger than usual lasher with bright red and blue striping. Slowly they circled, circling the arena full of the guardian¡¯s fallen brothers. With a mutual understanding of what comes next, they both charged at one another, the lashers whip legs carrying it in long strides compared to Rumble¡¯s powerful rocket like launches every time its powerful stumps slammed the ground. The lasher having seen the stumpy enemy topple its brethren; it swung low in order to cripple its opponent. With instincts blaring loud, Rumble front flipped over its opponents low whip attack before slamming a powerful chop kick down onto split where the opponents arm attached to the stalk. Being stronger than its brethren, the lasher did not go down from the blow, but it did lose the appendage when it split off from its main body. Now one branch down, it knew that the duel was getting down to the wire and as such it decided to launch its last ditch attack. Starting to charge back in after having stepped back following its last attack, Rumble was caught off guard when the lasher¡¯s maw split at the seams and sprayed out a cloud of sickly purple spores. The moment the spores made contact, the areas affected started to numb. Not knowing exactly what the attack was, but with a pretty good idea, Rumble slowed and tried reversing course but to no avail. The Lasher whipped out and managed to grapple its pesky opponent. Squeezing hard, it managed to crush one of Rumbles arm joints but was impaled in return by the sharp thorns protruding its target. With the retributive damage insuring a mutual loss of an appendage, the fight became complicated. The lasher was down to only its legs and Rumble was still momentarily frozen in place. As the seconds passed, the lasher failed to crack Rumble¡¯s shell, but as feeling returned, Rumble was able to rip and tear the now weaponless opponent. Standing over the now defeated opponent, drawing in deep breaths of exhaustion, the victor felt a wave of power start to circulate from within before springing forth from the small bark covered body that Rumble called his own, a soft glow that quickly deepened into a dark green that brightened at its edges. With excitement and jumping with joy while one arm was flopping wildly, Rumble ran back home ,excited, to the now aware and mutually excited human friend. ~~~ Brad~~~ ¡°Its happening Mia! Rumble just ticked over the edge! He is heading back now, but lets hurry to meet him around back of the house.¡± Brad exclaimed, having been alerted to the upgraded status from the system menu showing Rumble¡¯s information. ¡°Already!?¡± Mia asked, caught unaware by the extremely quick progress that had been made this morning. ¡°He finished five percent progress with just that nest!?¡± She asked, still not quite believing it. ¡°Ya, it had ticked up about two percent over the past hour, but apparently finishing off the last of it granted him the last three percent that he needed¡­ must¡¯ve been a boss or bonus for clearing it.¡± ¡°That is insane, I wish that my own skills could find huge boosts like that. Five percent at level nine of a tier within just a morning¡¯s work is probably up there with the quickest of them. It is honestly amazing how strong Rumble is, he has barely slowed down at all versus Copper opponents.¡± Mia said, while having finished what she was in the middle of doing earlier and now getting up to follow. Grabbing Mia¡¯s hand to hurry her along, Brad continued in a still excited tone. ¡°That is not quite true, Brad is taking a lot more damage. Right now he is hovering around thirty percent health left while running on fumes for stamina. The status menu also shows that his right arm is broken¡­ he will recover just fine after a few hours, but he definitely is being pushed by them. If the nests were not tied to my overall level, then we would be in trouble.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yes, it is tied to your overall level, but with a minimum of Copper tier. So Rumble just took on an entire nest of most likely ten monsters at Copper tier! Heck, I do not think that we should even call them monsters anymore, Rumble fits that description much better while fighting.¡± ¡°No kidding, I wonder what he would¡¯ve been like if I had went with another combat profession instead of farmer.¡± Brad wondered aloud to Mia, while turning the final corner around the shack in order to meet the quickly approaching ¡®Monster¡¯. ¡°Honestly Brad, I do not think that he would have been as strong. Rumble is the little monster he is because of you being a ¡®Farmer¡¯. We both have seen how ¡®Bountiful Harvest¡¯ has made his stats grow. From what I have gathered from others, companions grow slower than full blown fighters. The only companions that grow similarly to adventurers are the ones tied to master¡¯s that also have a support class in order to boost them. You are more or less a support class as a ¡®Farmer¡¯. Honestly, your two classes are quite the powerful combination. I still cannot help but wonder how you were able to access the class.¡± Mia commented while waiting at the back paths entrance with Brad. ¡°I have wondered that myself. It is probably something that I should look into.¡± ¡°You know what? You are about to get your first skill to Copper¡­ once both are there, you will gain access to your ¡®Bloodline¡¯ menu. I wonder if it is something that is explained there.¡± ¡°What are ¡®Bloodlines¡¯? Is it like a family tree list? Will I be able to find my parents with it?¡± Brad asked hopefully. ¡°No, it will not list any names, but it will have some bonuses listed from your parents that they passed down to you. As an orphan, you probably know nothing about what yours will contain, but most families call it by the slang term ¡®inheritance¡¯ due to the bonuses that they receive and usually know about prior to unlocking it. Even though I was also an orphan, I do know roughly what mine will offer. Coming from a family of ¡®Merchant¡¯ variants, mine will most likely offer bonuses to buying and selling merchandise.¡± Mia said. ¡°Is it possible that I don¡¯t have one? What if it doesn¡¯t line up with being a farmer?¡± Brad asked. ¡°It might now line up, but you can always opt to start a new one and to gain its benefits as you progress down the bloodline upgrade tree.¡± Mia reassured Brad. ¡°Lets talk more about this later, I need to know more¡­ but Rumble is almost here!¡± Within moments the little companion skidded out from around a corner in the tall grass lined path. Lighting the pathway as he ran towards them, Rumble was visibly glowing. Obviously at the peak of his current power Tier, Rumble was overflowing with potential that was only barely waiting to be released. Having been bowled over, Brad was quickly tumbling backwards towards the shack, having already been crouched down to hug Rumble he was not in the most of stable positions prior to the tackle. Upon meeting each other, Rumble dived into Brads awaiting arms, initiating a systems prompt filled with a far distant sounding of a bell ringing a light note.
Congratulations for a achieving Copper Tier on your first skill! Skill: Plant Familiar (Tree) is now Copper 0 Skills required for Copper Tier rank up 1/2
Upon reading the full pop-up and closing it, Brad was greeted with a new skill related prompt with the sound of rustling branches and leaves accompanying it.
Skill: Plant Familiar (Tree) is now ready for an Evolution. Please choose one of the following choices for skill evolution. 1. Hulk: A large variant that possess great strength and durability 2. Adapter: A variant that quickly adapts to new environments and climates. 3. Green Commander: A variant that possess the ability to gather and lead plants 4. Warrior: A variant that excels in close combat using quick coordinated attacks 5. Center Piece: An immobile variant that greatly buffs the local area/domain
¡°Congrats little buddy, you made it to Copper!¡± Brad enthusiastically praised his familiar. ¡°Congratulations Rumble!¡± echoed Mia. ¡°So now the problem is choosing what to evolve you into. Can you see the options?¡± Brad asked Rumble. With a shrug of his branches and an emoji of not knowing, it was clear that Rumble did not see them. ¡°Well, it looks like both Rumble and I are in the same boat. What kind of choices did it give you?¡± Mia asked. ¡°Well, it gave me five total. The first being ¡®Hulk¡¯, which it says is a large variant that possess great strength and durability¡­. And finally the fifth is Center Piece, which is immobile, but buffs the local area and domain.¡± Brad recited off the list for his companions. ¡°Well, I believe that Center Piece, regardless of how good it would be for us, is off the table due to Rumble¡¯s personality. I honestly cannot see him willing to sit immobile for the rest of his life.¡± Mia chimed in. Seeing Rumble agreeing with Mia with a furious nodding, Brad added. ¡°Agreed, Rumble probably wouldn¡¯t even like the adapter variant as much since it would not improve his greatest hobby¡­ fighting. Honestly, even Green Commander and Hulk are probably second tier options for him. He likes fighting from the frontlines too much to command and army, but his current fighting style does not suit a large hulking frame. Warrior seems like it already describes him though¡­.¡± Mia, looking down at Rumble giving a mock thumbs up, quickly agreed. ¡°So I guess that settles it. Rumble is going with Warrior then. Are you ready?¡± Mia finished, looking back and forth between the two. With a spoken ¡°Ready!¡± from Brad and an excited gesture from the little companion, the two started initiating the evolution with their choice made. Chapter 43: Rumbles Evolution The green glow that had been emanating from Rumble shifted to a copper hue as the choice was finalized for the evolution. The overall brightness drastically increased, but not the overall amount of light that touched the surroundings. With a rustle of limbs, branches, and leaves, Rumble slowly sprouted a network of vines that slowly encased him in a cocoon of sorts. And when it was finished forming an unexpected box inserted itself into Brads vision.
Your familiar has entered an evolutionary cocoon. This process will reshape its body and improve its attributes. You may enhance the process by integrating another plant of your choice. Note: Effects will not successfully integrate with a familiar if the traits conflict. You may only integrate a plant during the evolution. Time remaining: 10 minutes
Having stared slack jaw at the start of the evolution, due to the unique brillance of it, the countdown timer on the notification was already down to 9 minutes before Brad had taken notice and read it. ¡°Uh-oh Mia, we need to find a plant to enhance Rumble with!¡± ¡°What? Why? Didn¡¯t the evolution already start?¡± Mia asked curiously, not quite picking up on the slight urgency in Brad¡¯s voice due to having just witnessed the brilliant display. ¡°I got a notification that we have eight and a half minutes left to integrate a plant into the evolution in order to improve it!¡± Brad said with urgency now flooding his voice. ¡°Eight and a half? Then we are fine, we have everything we need right behind us in the shack.¡± Mia smirked. ¡°What? Do you know which plant is best? Did you pick something up in town? Wait, did you know this was going to happen?¡± Brad started spitting out questions, a little surprised with the girl in front of him. ¡°No, in fact I could not even find a single mention of your class. Druids are not so common as to have a step by step skill selection guide like some others have.¡± Mia said chuckling. ¡°Mia! Then which plant are you talking about? Time is running low.¡± Brad said somewhat calmer than before, but with notes of anxiousness still obvious in his voice. ¡°Brad, there is only really one choice. Rumble has been cultivating the peacebloom for a while now. You know how Rumble is, if not out fighting, then the little guy is taking care of that gorgeous flower.¡± Mia reminded Brad. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Brad agreed, but after some thought, followed up with another question. ¡°The peacebloom calms people, obviously not something to enhance a warrior archetype¡­ I¡¯m worried that the enhancement will be negated due to conflicting with the warrior selection and Rumble¡¯s personality.¡± ¡°That is quite the risk¡­. But how I view it, Rumble probably would not accept any other choice. It is up to you though, but that is my thought on it.¡± Mia told her boyfriend. After a moments thought, Brad nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Okay, so how should we do this? I am thinking that we should try moving Rumble to the flower. I am worried that moving the peacebloom will kill it and weaken the effect.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Agreed, let us see if we can move the cocoon though.¡± Upon trying to lift the cocoon, Brad found it to be only slightly heavier than Rumble had been just prior to the start of this evolution. ¡°Its pretty light, I guess Rumble will emerge roughly the same size as before. Must be why the warrior option still focuses on quick hit engagements.¡± Brad theorized aloud while carrying Rumble around to the door of the shack. ¡°Here, let me get the door for you.¡± Mia said while running around Brad in order to open the shoddy door of their home. ¡°Thanks. Now the question is, how do we integrate them?¡± ¡°No idea. Maybe they just need to touch each other.¡± Said while clearly trying to think of ideas. ¡°That is worth a try. Lets sit Rumble down nearby and slightly roll the cocoon into it. I want to be as gentle as possible with it.¡± Sitting the egg shaped form, surrounding his familiar, Brad was able to gently rock it into Rumble¡¯s precious peacebloom plant. And upon doing so he was greeted with a new popup asking his he would like to integrate the flower in question.¡±
You have chosen to integrate ¡°Peacebloom (Flourishing)(Sentimental to target)¡± Do you wish to proceed? Yes or No?
¡°It says that the flower is both flourishing and sentimental to Rumble. I¡¯m hoping that means that it will get a bonus during integration.¡± Brad informed Mia before selecting ¡°Yes¡±. ¡°We will see, but I sure hope so. It is good that the system recognizes that Rumble cared so much for that flower!¡±. With ¡°Yes¡± selected, the flower at the center of attention slowly started to brighten its blue glow. With the glow slowly infusing even its stalk, the flower rapidly started to dissolve into a ghostly mist that absorbed up into the evolution structure touching it.
Warning! Main effect of peacebloom (Calming aura) is incompatible with ¡°Warrior¡± upgrade.
¡°Oh no¡­ it says incompatible! Wha¡­.¡± Brad said worriedly before being stopped mid-sentence due to a new dialogue box appearing.
Secondary trait ¡°Mana Laden¡± found due to status ¡°Flourishing¡± Trait ¡°Mana Laden¡± enhanced due to status ¡°Sentimental to target¡± Trait ¡°Mana Grown¡± available. Do you wish to integrate trait ¡°Mana Grown¡±? Yes or No?
Having seen her boyfriend go from anxious to stuttering without finish his sentence, obviously due to a new popup, Mia needed answers. ¡°Brad! What is happening!? Do I need to grab something else?¡± Mia said, now with worry in her own voice. With a relieved ¡°Huh.¡± Brad felt his entire set of worries instantly vanish upon reading the window before him. ¡°No Mia, we definitely made the right choice. I can¡¯t see what the trait does, but a secondary trait from ¡®flourishing status¡¯ called ¡®Mana Laden¡¯ became available then immediately upgraded into ¡®Mana Grown¡¯ due to Rumble¡¯s bond with the plant.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ well that is good.¡± Mia said, relief quickly flowing throughout her own mind. With a selection of the ¡°Yes¡± button, Brad walked over to Mia, who was still standing next to the door, her having ran there when she thought that they may need another plant. ¡°Well lets see what happens.¡± Brad said squeezing the soft hand cradled in his own. With the selection made, Rumble¡¯s cradle of evolution started to emit a stronger copper glow that soon began filling with ripples of energy pulsing out from the structure itself. Within moments the pulses began carrying hints of a dark green and a pale ghostly blue. The colors not mixing, but obviously in support of one another, the copper aura was quick washed away and replaced with the two newcomers. As it pulsed more, the pressure within the air surrounding the cocoon started to take on an almost physical presence. As it grew solid, it started to form a new barrier roughly five feet across and tall, a barrier of condensed aura. And just as it grew to be completely opaque, the enclosure sprouted branches and leaves across the entire surface, with it also rising up off of the ground a foot due to a great many roots pushing it up. But as amazing and awe-inspiring as it was, Brad and Mia were not ready for what greeted them in the moments ahead. Chapter 44: Testing out the evolution In a third floor office of one of the two prominent merchant guilds calling Westbend home, a large man was reading through a stack of papers detailing the new residents joining ¡°The World¡± this year. ¡°Ugh, quite a few went off and became adventurers outside of the city. They could at least have the manners of staying local for a few seasons in order to pay back the community some for hosting them!¡± The man said angrily to himself. ¡°I swear, the mayor needs to do more, in order to entice them. Doesn¡¯t he know that the town¡¯s gotta grow? Well at least the ones that did stay helped to increase our monster parts acquisition rise. Although, I am curious as to why a significant portion comes from a farmer¡­.¡± He ended softly in thought. After a few minutes of shuffling reports and profile slips, the man yelled out to his secretary. ¡°Margret! Get me the profiles of a ¡®Bradford Wallace and a Mia ¡­¡¯.¡± The man slowly letting his voice fade out upon remembering someone else of the same name. ¡°Well isn¡¯t that interesting¡­.¡± ¡°What? What¡¯s interesting Mr. Gald? Also, I apologize but I didn¡¯t get that last name.¡± The secretary shouted from the adjoining room. ¡°That¡¯s quite alright, I kind of got lost with my train of thought.¡± ~~~Brad~~~ ¡°Woah¡­.¡± Brad and Mia said in almost perfect unison, doing their best to replicate the wonder of small children. ¡°Rumble, you look awesome! Like really awesome! Kind of freaky, but in a good way.¡± Brad eagerly told his companion, now standing before him after his evolution cocoon faded away in a brilliant display. ¡°I agree whole heartedly, Rumble, you look amazingly fearsome! Your retaliation perk from before definitely had an influence if I had to guess.¡± Mia said, agreeing with Brad. Standing before the human couple, stood Rumble, now five foot tall with a strong wooden core with four powerful branches extending out in a humanoid like configuration. With two legs and two arm like appendages, that was where the similarities ended. With a bundle of smaller root like clusters ending all four main appendages, Rumble appeared as if he could really grasp onto things with an almost unrivaled strength. Also near where a humans wrists would be, a single long protrusion exended past his hand-root clusters on both sides. The protrusion came to a single deadly point. With similar looking weapons existing across multiple areas if his body, Rumble now had quite the arsenal¡­. And with the weapons came armor of sorts. The armor came in the shape of thick slabs of bark covering exposed and easily hit areas without bogging him down with the weight that would¡¯ve come with a complete shell of it. But the most striking feature was none of these, it was the glowing ghastly blue and green glows that circulated throughout his body in vein like structures. If they were not striking enough when standing still, they also pulsed whenever a nearby joint moved. It was as if the glowing veins fueled his movements. As the pair watched in amazement as Rumble started testing out his new abilities upon their request, although Rumble seemed to have been happy to see them for itself anyways, Brad received a new popup.
Congratulations! With the added trait ¡°Mana Grown¡± the evolution has been successfully altered! Evolution further altered due to Domain bonuses and prior experiences. Your familiar has finished evolving into a ¡°Mana Strike Guardian¡±
¡°Uh, what? Wow. Mia, you won¡¯t believe what happened.¡± Brad told the girl standing next to him, still not taking his eyes off of his familiar completely. ¡°What? What is so unbelievable? Judging by how he looks, he obviously changed quite a bit from that trait.¡± Mia replied, also focused on Rumbles movements. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Apparently my Domain and all of the things Rumble has been doing affected his evolution.¡± Brad told her. ¡°That makes sense, unexpected but it makes sense now that it has been stated. It would be pretty boring and awful for Rumble if multiple people could have the same familiar. This way, Rumble is quite unique.¡± Mia said ¡°He is most definitely that.¡± Brad agreed. ¡°I wonder how he compares to other familiars though. I¡¯m almost positive that he would be on the stronger side, but I could be entirely wrong since I haven¡¯t actually seen any others fight.¡± ¡°While in your domain, I would almost guarantee that he is beyond anything else his level spawning here. He may run into difficulty with some of the harder nest guardians though.¡± Mia theorized aloud. ¡°Well, what do you think Rumble?¡± Brad asked before being greeted with quite a few new emojis. ¡°It appears that Rumble now has way more emojis to express himself. He seems to be super proud of his new capabilities, along with his new weaponry. I¡¯m not sure if I am reading this right or not, but I think he wants to go fight something and to let us watch.¡± Brad translated enthusiastically, despite his hesitance with a few of the meanings. ¡°Well, where is last Lasher nest? We need to clear it anyways in order to get a better one to fill its place.¡± Mia said encouragingly. With a quick orientation, Rumble had them marching down a new path to the east of the shack. With the tall grass almost parting out of the way for Rumble, the somewhat too narrow path, expanded to fit his new frame comfortably. ¡°What is that about?¡± Asked Mia, while elbowing her boyfriend for his attention. ¡°I am not quite sure to be honest¡­, must be something to do with an interacting with him being a domain guardian. At least that is what I think. It kind of looks like the plants are showing him subservience, as if he was some kind of noble here.¡± ¡°When you say it like that, it does look like the grass is showing him respect as if he was part of some kind of nobility. That being said, he is more or less nobility in regards to your domain.¡± Mia said thoughtfully. ¡°He is the one and only domain guardian, only answering to the druid himself. His sole mission is to protect the fiefdom that is your domain, with him being by far its strongest warrior.¡± ¡°That is true. Honestly, I hadn¡¯t every thought of it that way. To me, Rumble is my friend, nothing more, nothing less.¡± ¡°That does not surprise me. I like you both, but neither of you really sit down and consider your relationships beyond liking someone or not.¡± Mia said half jokingly. ¡°Wait, if the grass is bending for him¡­ why isn¡¯t bending for me, as the druid of the domain? That honestly doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Brad asked confusedly. ¡°Maybe it has nothing to do with your domain then. It might just be that the plants recognize something in Rumble now. I mean, Rumble literally pulses with mana as he walks now. The plants may just be recognizing him as potentially the source of their continued survival or something¡­, but honestly I have no idea Brad. We will probably need to pay more attention to it for now.¡± Mia said with a shrug of her shoulders. ~~~ Rumble~~~ Walking through the tall grass, that was now only a foot taller than himself, Rumble noticed that is was bending away, leaving the path forward clear of obstruction. Not sure why it was happening, but honestly not caring in the slightest, Rumble could only be curious about the battle ahead. Having chosen the last remaining Lasher nest, it would be a good comparison between the current and pre-evolution capabilities. Now walking around the last bend in the game trail, Rumble with eyes on the nest a mere one hundred feet ahead, decided to wait for Brad and Mia to see it before charging ahead in combat. As soon as his companion and Mia laid eyes upon the target and having been given a thumbs up, Rumble charged ahead. Feeling the ground compress slightly as the now explosive foot falls pounded down at it, the new form surged ahead, body rippling with power. The lashers, all being aware, were eagerly awaiting Rumble¡¯s arrival. The first lashing out at the oncoming opponent was met with a block using the new wooden stake on the right, with the left one stabbing forward in a jab that easily pierced its stalk. With a spinning roundhouse kick into the second lasher, the first target flew off from Rumble¡¯s weapon into a third, knocking it over. But all was not perfect, the remaining small lasher along with its nest guardian were able to land strong attacks. Both were injured due to Rumble¡¯s natural retaliation trait, but they both did damage. Knowing that the lashers still posed some danger, Rumble knew that charging in sloppily was still not an option for future fights if improving was the goal. Sure, tanking the hits now was easy with the new body barely suffering much damage, but improvement demanded perfect execution. Grabbing the follow up whip from the smaller opponent, Rumble had duck quickly in order to avoid the guardian¡¯s strike. Knowing the ultimate attack to come, Rumble beat the guardian with its minion before slamming the small lasher into the guardian¡¯s face to prevent the annoying ultimate. With the major attack avoided, Rumble sped through wrapping it up completely. With the new stakes lashing out quickly, they were able to cut deep wounds with the sharp points. And so with a final explosive stab, Rumble¡¯s arm pulsed a powerful green before the stake burst through the guardian¡¯s stalk with enough force to sheer it completely in half. And so the test run for the new evolution concluded. The results being an incredible increase of speed and power, with a slight increase of durability. The lack of solid armor did not bother Rumble though¡­ getting hit just meant that improvement was needed and that a reminder was apparently required . Chapter 45: Talking Tiers and Skills After having witnessed Rumble¡¯s battle with the nest guardian, both Brad and Mia were amazed. Not only with the sheer amount of battle prowess that had been on display, but also with how much stronger the companion had gotten. Sure, he took some damage and his resilience didn¡¯t improve much, but with the familiars fighting style, that was not much of an issue once he practiced some more. ¡°So, do you think we will get that much stronger as well?¡± Brad questioned Mia during their walk back to the shack after having split from the familiar, whom wanted to hunt some more after having received his congratulations from the fight. ¡°Oh, we will definitely get stronger. How much so is dependent on your classes though. Combat classes receive larger bonuses related to combat than farmers do. So as a dual non-combat class combination, I will always be fairly fragile¡­ whereas you will be a nice medium in between myself and a full-blown combat class. Rumble seems to be closer to a full combat class though. He might not be as great in any one thing as a specialist, but that¡¯s because they are specialized. But getting back to your original question, as copper tiers, we will one hundred percent be more powerful. In fact, when we finally get both skills to copper tier, we unlock additional skills to learn! And then you also get a bloodline like we talked about before.¡± Mia explained. ¡°Wait, so Old Sal¡­ hes pretty old, but doesn¡¯t that mean he is probably high level?¡± Brad asked. ¡°That actually did come up on one of my rides into town. He said that he was mid Iron tier roughly. So quite a bit stronger than either of us will be any time soon.¡± Mia said. ¡°That is only two tiers above us! That doesn¡¯t seen that high at all. Is there something that I am missing?¡± Brad asked while quite confused by it. ¡°That is a similar response that I had to be honest. Sal told me that raising your tier is based on your experiences. I initially thought, and most likely how you are viewing it, that experience was just something that you got from doing a task over and over. But it is more than that, it is the improvement that you make while doing the task. As an example, if you plant seeds one at a time by hand every day, you will get faster at that task, but you will never be as good as someone that learns to scatter a dozen seeds into precise locations with a single throw.¡± ¡°If that is the case, then why do people not keep trying new things?¡± ¡°Because learning new things is a hard thing to do constantly. The upper level of Iron tier is actually where most people finish their lives at. Adventurers tend to get one higher at steel, but very few ever go beyond.¡± Mia explained as they passed the shack on the way back to the fields of produce to harvest. ¡°Are there many tiers beyond Steel? I actually never really got to ask anyone that.¡± ¡°Old Sal wasn¡¯t sure on that note, but he did tell me a few. Starting with what you know, it goes Stone, Copper, Bronze, Iron, Steel, and then Silver. He said that he had heard that the king was Gold, but that may have just been a rumor.¡± Mia explained. ¡°I wonder if there are ranks beyond that.¡± Brad pondered aloud. ¡°Maybe but reaching them would require single minded focus and determination. I really doubt that many people have ever reached that far into the tiers. Could you even imagine what those people would be capable of? You saw the huge growth that Rumble got from the smallest jump of any tier evolution.¡± Mia said. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Oh dang, I didn¡¯t even think about that! The copper jump would be pretty small compared to the later ones. Wow, I can¡¯t even comprehend what an Iron tier Rumble could do¡­ at Silver or Gold he would probably be able to kill a dragon huh!?¡± Brad said excitedly, while daydreaming. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Heck, I don¡¯t even know how strong dragons are and neither do you.¡± Mia laughed, knowing how excited her boyfriend was getting with the conversation. Laughing and joking, the day continued on filled with good spirits. But as the day finished and supper was being prepared, the night was graced with further reason for merriment. ¡°I tiered up my ¡®Merchant¡¯s Eye¡¯!¡± Mia exclaimed. ¡°Wow, congratulations! I didn¡¯t realize that it was so close. I thought it usually took much longer to rank up.¡± Brad said, putting down the cooking utensils in order to go hug his girlfriend in celebration of her achievement. ¡°Well, I spend a lot of time browsing new shops every time I visit town and, unlike most new merchants, we don¡¯t just specialize in one type of product. We not only sell our produce, but we also sell quite a few monster parts and forgeable plants. The sheer variety that passes through our home is pretty impressive for our low rank.¡± Mia said with a lilt in her voice. ¡°So will your eyes start glowing or¡­ what is going to happen?¡± Brad asked now remembering what had happened earlier that same day. ¡°I do not know. They might, but I doubt it. I think Rumble glowing had more to do with your situation with him being a familiar getting an evolution.¡± Mia said. ¡°That makes sense. So, what are your options?¡± ¡°Some pretty good ones it seems. Oooo, some really good ones!¡± Mia said teasingly. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t do that. I really can¡¯t handle staying in the dark on this! I mean, how often will we ever tier up?¡± Brad pleaded. ¡°Oh fine.¡± Mia said with a fake exasperated tone. My choices are being able to sense the general amount of wealth someone possess in order to barter, a more detailed report on an items description, a more accurate pricing estimate on items, the ability to identify someone¡¯s affiliation, or to view the current item auction house listing from my menu instead of a posting board.¡± ¡°Oh, that last one sounds useful!¡± Brad said. ¡°Sounds that way, but I do not believe that I ever want to get it. In order to actually order with it, it has to rank up a few times¡­ at least from what the class guides say about that skill path.¡± Mia said. ¡°Wait, you know what each skill leads into!?¡± Brad asked in amazement. ¡°Ha-ha, of course I do!¡± Mia laughed. ¡°I already told you that I had researched my class trees. Both of my classes are pretty well documented. There will be very few surprises until Steel tier.¡± ¡°Oh, well that makes sense. Wait, so you know the farming skills too!?¡± Brad asked in continuing excitement. ¡°Somewhat, I mostly focused on researching the ones that could be made into sellable services.¡± Mia said, calming her boyfriend¡¯s excitement. ¡°Fair enough. So which choice are you picking for this evolution?¡± Brad asked, now satisfied with the answers. ¡°I plan on picking the more detailed item description upgrade.¡± Mia answered. ¡°That sounds like a good one, but can I ask what the long term plan is with it? I mean you obviously have quite a bit of it planned out.¡± Brad asked. ¡°So, with the better descriptions I can somewhat do more accurate pricing estimates on my own with experience, and it allows me to further benefit by dabbling into a variety of items. In my experience, it is the evolution that will lead me to the highest potential long term. The others have always struck me as short term planning upgrades. That is not even mentioning how scummy the ability to check wealth feels. To me, it seems like only the worst of merchants would pick it in order to scam people.¡± Mia said with a bit of revulsion filling her voice and attitude. ¡°It does sound a little sketchy.¡± Agreed Brad. ¡°So are you about to select it?¡± ¡°I will select it now.¡± Mia said. A moment later Mia¡¯s eyes flashed a soft green color, matching her own natural eye color. ¡°Done. And it is as simple as that. I told you that nothing exciting was going to hap¡­pen.¡± Mia trailed off. Turning to Brad, Mia started laughing before adding, ¡°Nothing is simple around you is it?¡± Reason for delay I had some severe medical issues come up along with a hand injury involving a rod piercing my index and middle finger completely and somewhat into my right ring finger of my dominant hand.... It probably sounds outlandish, but I swear life is the wildest series of events for me. I''m still having some issues with my hand but I should have a few chapters out these coming weeks. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Sorry for the delay everyone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~stupid 500 word requirement~~~~~~~~~~~~\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter 46: Bunnies are meant to be spoiled. Having her eyes flash brightly and Mia¡¯s following silence before commenting on the luck surrounding Brad, he was quick to answer.¡°What happened? Did your skill break?¡± Brad asked worriedly. ¡°It definitely broke the standard procedure of evolving, but it did not break in a bad way. It just evolved in an unexpected direction.¡± Mia laughed out. ¡°What do you mean? What happened? Did you get a trait boost like Rumble?¡± ¡°Yes I did actually. It is not unheard of, but trait boosts are usually only given when the individual does something extraordinary while leveling the skill.¡± Mia explained. ¡°Oh, then why wasn¡¯t it expected?¡± Brad asked. Now it was Mia¡¯s time to be confused. ¡°What do you mean by that? Why would it have been expected?¡± Mia questioned. ¡°Because you evolved it within your first season! You have been, by your own words, appraising everything you can find in town, along with everything we sell¡­. Which is quite a bit, let me remind you.¡± Brad told her casually. ¡°How many merchants can also claim that they are already aiming to be a mass producer of an epic plant? Mia, you have been doing just as an extraordinary job as Rumble has. If anyone is behind, it is me personally. I just luck out because Rumble levels both my classes quite effectively.¡± Brad half joked. ¡°Thanks for the words, but do not be so hard on yourself! Remember, you are the one that chose the combination that you did. Sure, a lot of your leveling is passive at this point, but that was due to your own judgement setting it up that way!¡± Mia affectionately reminded him. ¡°Well, I better get back to supper or else we won¡¯t be eating until way past our bedtime.¡± Brad reminded himself aloud. ¡°Before you go¡­.¡± Mia said grabbing Brad¡¯s arm and pulling him down for a quick kiss. ¡°I really appreciate you giving me the compliments, sometimes I forget to recognize my own efforts.¡± With a smile on his face Brad said, ¡°Well if that is the reward, I might need to do it more often!¡± Giving Mia a wink, Brad stood back up and went back to cooking.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ~~~A few days later~~~ ¡°Brad! I just realized that I will hit copper this season in Farmer too! I have not been checking my progress much due to how consistent it is on upgrading, but the upgraded fields along with our epic peacebloom plants must have really boosted my progress! I should just barely squeeze in my evolution.¡± Mia was telling her boyfriend excitedly, not quite helping herself from hopping in joy before finally jumping at Brad for a hug. Now embracing Mia, Brad gave her a kiss. ¡°That will make both of us Copper our first season. I still can¡¯t believe that others don¡¯t do it until their second year.¡± ¡°Oh, quite a few actually do it their second and third seasons, but almost no one buys the upgraded plots until the second year due to low funds and the added difficulty for just one person by themselves.¡± Mia explained. ¡°Oh, I thought you had said different before.¡± ¡°I possibly could have. I might have simply misspoke.¡± Mia said apologetically. ¡°Meh, it doesn¡¯t really matter. Well, let me check my progress real quick.¡± Brad said pulling up his own status menu. ¡°It says that I am at ninety nine percent, so I should level up today sometime. To be honest, I am kinda nervous. Like, what should I pick? I don¡¯t even know what options I will get! Will I get a trait increase for farming? I mean, I probably will, but it still is bugging me.¡± ¡°You most certainly will, bountiful harvest is intricately tied to Rumble¡¯s achievements and that is not even mentioning the fact that it has applied to both of our planted seeds! You are even boosting a small plot with a few epic plants growing in it! I think you will be just fine¡­honey.¡± Brad slowly turned to look at Mia with a raised eyebrow accompanied with a short pause before softly asking, ¡°Honey?¡± Face now burning red, Mia couldn¡¯t quite look up to meet Brad¡¯s gaze before squeaking out, ¡°I heard a few other couples call each other it and I thought that it was cute. If you do not like it, we can just use each others names!¡± Mia finished quickly. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Brad laughed, while pulling Mia into a firm embrace before pulling back his head to peck her forehead before continuing while staring into her eyes. ¡°Mia, I¡¯m perfectly fine with it, but don¡¯t call me honey just because other people call their boyfriends it. If anything, I¡¯d rather have our own names for each other instead of something that everyone calls their partner.¡± ¡°So what do you want me to call you?¡± Mia asked, now staring up to look Brad in the eyes, her own eyes sparkling brightly. ¡°Honestly, it is up to you. If you think ¡®Honey¡¯ fits, then it will do. Just go with whatever you want. Personally, I think I will call you ¡®Bunny¡¯ because of your cute little ears and the fact that you are always sorting vegetables.¡± Brad finished laughing. ¡°Hmph!¡± Mia harrumphed in mock outrage, before kissing Brad¡¯s cheek adding, ¡°It is kind of cute though. I will let it slide, but you better not be lying about the ¡®cute¡¯ part! As for you¡­ you are now ¡®puppy¡¯.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ why puppy? Is it because I am the most loyal and cute boyfriend ever?¡± ¡°Of course not! It is because you always follow me around listening to my orders! Just like a good puppy should!¡± Mia teased. Brad pushing her away in mock outrage, turned and went back to the fields. ¡°Where are you going? Puppy, come back!¡± Mia said jogging to catch up. ¡°This puppy has to swap things up sometimes, I don¡¯t want to be too obedient¡­ my bunny might get spoiled!¡± Brad joked. ¡°Bunnies are meant to be spoiled!!!¡± Mia emphatically urged her boyfriend. Chapter 47: Sharing our past, waiting to discover it ¡°It happened! Bountiful Harvest is ready to tier up! Mia, should I wait till tonight or initiate it now?¡± Brad asked his girlfriend, whom was now running up to hug her boyfriend in congratulations. ¡°Why would you want to wait? You might as well do it now, in order to get all the benefits sooner. It will help our harvest today too!¡± Mia said. ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t sure if there would be side effects to the tier up. Rumble changed a lot, but who is to say that I would be ready to work afterwards without rest or something.¡± With a smirk and a laugh, Mia asked, ¡°What, do you think that you will suddenly burst into a pile of black goop or something? Sure, you might get hungry, but you wont suddenly need to vomit or anything like that. It is an upgrade, not a sickness.¡± ¡°Ya, ya. So should I upgrade it now then?¡± ¡°Of course do it now! It is going to drive me crazy waiting to see what your options are when you tier up!¡± Mia said, almost screaming in impatience. ¡°Maybe we should do it tonight when we have some spare time¡­.¡± Brad teased before letting out a yelp of pain as Mia stepped on his toe out of frustration. ¡°You would not even dare. Puppy! You will be a good puppy and hit that tier up button right now.¡± Mia demanded, with an obvious sense of affection for her teasing boyfriend mixed in. ¡°Okay okay, I will do it now.¡± Brad conceded, before pulling up his menus.
Congratulations for a achieving Copper Tier on your second skill! Skill:Bountiful Harvest is now Copper 0 Skills required for Copper Tier rank up 2/2
Skill: Bountiful Harvest is now ready for an Evolution. Please choose one of the following choices for skill evolution.
  1. Larger Crops: Grown produce is larger
  2. Hardy Crops: Crops are more resistant to outside factors
  3. Plentiful: Crops gain a chance to produce extra yields
  4. Ripe for Market: Plants stay ripe for longer periods of time
  5. Diversify: Allows a small percentage of the skill¡¯s bonus to affect produced animal products.
¡°Well, that is interesting. A few are quite useful for us and Rumble.¡± Brad said before proceeding to tell Mia the options. ¡°¡®Diversify¡¯ is nice and honestly something I would normally want, but with Rumble we should probably consider it a hard no. I would also put ¡®Ripe for Market¡¯ in the same category, with possibly ¡®Plentiful¡¯ joining them.¡± Mia commented after a few moments of thought. ¡°Well that just leaves one actual option in my opinion¡­. We decided that Rumble would probably not be suitable to a super large size, so all that is left is ¡®Hardy Crops¡¯.¡± Brad pointed out. ¡°That is a very fair point. It would have been better to double up if that was the path that we had chosen, but with his current traits, it would most definitely be better to choose the hardy option.¡± ¡°I wonder if that will include a thicker skin or a drought resistant ability? How exactly will it affect our crops?¡± ¡°We will just need to find out, Puppy.¡± Mia said while lightly flicking Brad¡¯s forehead. Letting out a small chort of amusement, Brad chose ¡°Hardy Crops¡±. ¡°Well, it is chosen. Lets see what happens¡±.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Turning towards their fields for a wide inspection of everything, Brad failed to see any meaningful change. After a few minutes of waiting and a tug on his sleeve, Brad excitedly asked Mia; ¡°Did you see something?¡± With a disappointed expression, Mia gave her answer. ¡°No, but waiting for it will do nothing beyond wasting even more time. We will probably need to let the crops slowly change for its results to show. Besides, we really need to finish up before the sun sets.¡± Just as Brad started to move, a new alert popped up into view.
Congratulations! You have progressed to Copper Tier! Your Tier evolution will proceed while you next sleep in a ¡°Safe¡± location. Evolution will include the following:
  1. Access to a new ability from both selected classes.
  2. Access to the ¡°Bloodline¡± menu
  3. Upgraded physical and mental capabilities.
  4. An bonus trait to be awarded for exceptionalism in the newly completed tier.
¡°Awesome! I just got my notification for hitting Copper tier. Apparently it won¡¯t register until I sleep in a ¡®Safe¡¯ location.¡± Brad told Mia after having stopped her to let her know the good news. ¡°Congratulations! And as to the ¡®sleeping in a safe location¡¯ that will not be an issue, our home counts as one. From what I have been told, that mostly just affects combat classes since they mostly tier up in dangerous areas. I have also heard that large dungeons often have designated safe areas, in which monsters tend to avoid you, so that is most likely what is being referenced.¡± Mia explained, being a font of knowledge once again. ¡°That makes sense.¡± Brad responded before commenting more a short pause later; ¡°I kinda want to sleep early tonight and skip dinner now.¡± ¡°You would not dare starve your innocent Bunny¡­ would you?¡± Mia said looking at him with her most pitiful expression that she could muster. ¡°Possibly, but then I probably wouldn¡¯t sleep right.¡± ¡°That is right! The guilt would drive you crazy!¡± She agreed. ¡°I meant the bunny would probably kick me in spite.¡± They can get pretty touchy when it comes to their food!¡± Brad joked while dodging a light jab to his shoulder. ¡°Hmph!!!¡± Mia loudly grunted while turning away from her partner and walking back towards where she was working. ~~~ Sometime later as the twilight passed into dark, Brad put down his plate in order to ask Mia something that had been bugging him. ¡°Mia, are you happy with this situation?¡± Mia not quite sure what her Puppy was talking about asked a question in response. ¡°Am I happy with what situation? Our relationship? Our business progress? There are many things to be happy about.¡± ¡°I meant specifically our relationship. We kinda just jumped into it and it feels like we never really thought about it. We literally started living with each other almost immediately and started dating within almost no time of knowing one another.¡± ¡°Haha, you never really thought about it? I certainly did. Have you ever known me to not think about a decision? Brad, there are things about my past that makes you incredibly comforting to me. The fact that you are so innocent and seemingly just act out of instinct when it comes to interpersonal relationships is what I really lo~ LIKE about you.¡± ¡°Really? Wait, what about your past makes you like me? What happened?¡± Brad asked, now hyper curious and not catching the unusual stutter in his girlfriends final words. ¡°Well, I kind of was waiting until later to tell you everything. But now is probably as good of a time as any to say it.¡± Mia said, sitting down her plate and squaring up to look at her boyfriend directly. ¡°Everyone technically starts with a bloodline, but due to my family I already have a well developed Bloodline. See, I come from a very successful merchant family that was more or less wiped off of the map in one fell swoop. My family specialized in logistics and the dealing of arms for armies. Having lost everyone else in my family, I was put into the orphan program with a mercantile specialized program. Everyone that I have ever known before or even in the program spoke in double meanings and had hidden motives. You are genuinely honest and as easy to read as a picture book.¡± ¡°That is a ton of stuff to unpack and I am not sure that the end was was at all flattering.¡± Brad commented, taking a minute to process what had just been said. ¡°First off, I¡¯m not as bad as a picture book¡­but in all seriousness, I am sorry to hear about your family. I figured you would mention your circumstances eventually, none of us actually wanted to be orphans. So how does that leave you going forward?¡± ¡°Well in terms of our relationship, I am extremely happy so far. In terms of my family? That is more complicated, but I know wholeheartedly that I DO NOT want to deal in anything that endangers my future family. Which also brings up the question of what my Bloodline choices will be. They are usually affected by familial accomplishments. You can start new and forge a new one, but in my case that would most likely be giving up massive boosts. I just hope that they are not all weapons related.¡± ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t know what the Bloodline does?¡± Brad asked curiously. ¡°Not at all. I was too young to understand, when it all ended. Most of my memories involve playing or studying the basics of our family¡¯s trade. Then suddenly one day my entire world ended in fire before I was relocated to the orphanage area.¡± ¡°Oh, that actually sounds very similar to my buddy that I shared a room with on breaks.¡± ¡°It is sadly a very common source of us. That being said, what do you mean by ¡®shared a room with on breaks¡¯?¡± ¡°Exactly what I said. During breaks in curriculum I got to sleep in a shared room. We mostly played farming games together.¡± ¡°What exactly was your training program?¡± Mia asked with quite a bit of curiosity. ¡°A nature program, nothing super special. I mostly just camped outside and up in trees. I got to do stuff like shoot bows, fish, pretty much anything I wanted, assuming that I kept up my grades in the shared classes like math.¡± ¡°So your program was mostly a solo experience!?¡± Mia asked incredulously. ¡°Mostly, but it was pretty relaxing. I did have a wolf pup to keep me company though.¡± ¡°You absolutely had a specialized program! Even minorly specialized programs are usually tied to family bloodlines. That means that your parents most likely passed on a developed bloodline!¡± Mia explained before asking; ¡°What do you know about your parents? Do you know anything about them?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know anything about them to be honest. I was put into the program shortly after birth. Honestly though, it sounds like I will learn quite a bit tonight while I tier up.¡± ¡°Now I will have trouble sleeping! I really wonder what it will be!¡± ¡°Haha, it will be what it already is.¡± Brad jokingly told his girlfriend before continuing to eat and talk to Mia further into the night. Chapter 48: Steward of ones own future ¡°Welcome to your first tier upgrade.¡± a voice echoed across the grassfield in front of Brad. Looking around at the simple rolling landscape with grass swaying in the wind, with a single table and chair breaking the serenity of the location. ¡°Please have a seat Mr.Wallace.¡± said the same disembodied voice. ¡°Sure, but what is going on with this?¡± Brad gestured around to the new setting while heading towards the simple white chair. ¡°This is just a temporary area that we bring people to when they must choose certain aspects of their bloodline and it also allows us to somewhat explain certain relevant facts about them in lieu of a parental figure.¡± ¡°Oh! What are the facts?¡± Brad said, now deeply curious. ¡°You have inherited a bloodline that allows certain nature related benefits, but many restrictions regarding industry. Your parents, in service of their paths, were not able to raise you. The path they follow is also the source of your option of ¡®Druid¡¯ when picking your class. It is reco¨C¡± ¡°Hold up! What about my parents? They are alive!? What are they doing? Where are they!?¡± How¨C¡± Brad started rapid firing questions. ¡°Let us explain Mr. Wallace.¡± The voice said, not showing a single sign of impatience. ¡°Okay, then start explaining! How can I meet them? What was so important that they gave me up!?¡± Brad ask, emotion now starting to color his voice, emotions that had long since been buried. ¡°They did not give you up per se. Your program should be looked at more as a specialty boarding school. They are with and of the forest, in times of expansion they were not able to personally raise you. As such, their pledges ensured a strong appreciation of nature and the tools to greatly affect it.¡± Slamming his fists on the table in front of him, Brad ground out a question. ¡°And that is supposed to make me happy? What kind of backhanded reward is that for spending most of my childhood alone? Mia told me that only seeing others a few times a week is not normal. Why was I so alone!?¡± he screamed the end. ¡°You were not alone, you had your pack. And as for a reward, it was a necessity that your parents were required to take. The system recognizes the penalties that are perceived to have been unjustly doled out to you. That being one of the topics of discussion, that I will go ahead and address now. You, having been put through such circumstances, have been granted the ability ¡®One With Nature¡¯. This has been awarded as part of your prior training. It will prove useful in pursuing your bloodline related goals. That is assuming that you choose to continue your family¡¯s pursuit.¡± ¡°And what are the goals? Seeding the land with nature themed forest babies?¡± Brad asked, barely not screaming his grating reply. ¡°To serve the Nature god ¡®Gaia¡¯. Service comes in many different forms, some pray, some fight, and some build bastions of Nature. Your parents chose to offer you a peaceful life with a home to call your own.¡± Not quite liking the answer, but with thoughts racing in his mind, Brad had one solid question that needed answering for clarification. ¡°And that is why I was offered ¡®Druid¡¯? It was to allow me to have a domain to call home?¡± ¡°Your assumption is half correct. It was to allow you the choice that their path did not offer. You could have chosen to become a fighter and to venture forth from one battle to another. You were the one that chose a peaceful path regarding your class.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t everyone have that choice?¡± Brad asked, knowing that it was pretty much a universal choice.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°To the majority of people that is true, but what do you think the choice is for those coming from great responsibility? How many generational kings view their inheritance as a choice?¡± ¡°What, am I supposed to be some sort of princling?¡± Brad asked, now scoffing at the insinuation. ¡°No, but you would be respected as one in certain circles¡­.¡± The voice trailed off, now showing some semblance of thought trying to find a path forward before resuming its explanation. ¡°Your ¡®Bloodline¡¯ is one of extreme devotion and divine providence. Through service of blood and sacrifice, your family line is in the business of guarding Gaia¡¯s desires. Generations of your family have fought on the front lines and with your parents exceptionalism, your line has been granted a divine boon.¡± ¡°What?¡± Brad asked before being cut off once more. ¡°Your parents made the choice of giving you one. For generations, your family has exclusively taken the class of ¡®Paladin¡¯. With such devotion to a single god, that choice was evolved to Druid at your parents request. They were given a wish, one to reward their devotion and they chose having a child with a choice of choosing his path ahead. Part of said deal, you were to be raised away from their world, away from the wars they wage.¡± ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I know this before? Why wait so long to tell me!?¡± Brad asked, almost hysterical in disbelief, long forgotten questions pressing forward in his mind. ¡°For the same reasons that children are not messengers carrying secrets from one king to the next. You were young and not aware of the secrets that protect you. From this point forward, you are your own guardian. You are the inheritor of the Bloodline named ¡®Gaia¡¯s Will¡¯. Your family only shares this path with three others. Yours is not royal, but is noble, it is one of service but it is below no king. Your parents are those that gave you a choice from a place of love. Love, hope, and devotion to not only their patron, but devotion to their child and what you may become.¡± The voice ended with the softest of tones. The voice having started reverberating through him with the final words, Brad asked softly, ¡°Can I meet them?¡± ¡°You may, but you must make your way there yourself. They cannot be spared, few are the ones to carry their burdens.¡± Looking up from the table, Brad smiled with small tears in the corners of his eyes. ¡°Can you grant me a boon as well? Can you at least deliver a message to them?¡± The sound of elbows leaning on the table across from him, jerked Brad''s face down and to look across from him. A woman with the grace matching the cleanest of river flows and the beauty of the purest snows smiled softly at him, chin resting of her clasped hands. ¡°I may, but such a message is not without consequence nor price. The boon was promised and given, further rewards require additional payment.¡± Gulping, finding it hard to directly face the stranger and fighting the urge to look away, Brad instinctively knew that this was someone above the world he knew. ¡°Are you part of the system? Are you¡­ what are you?¡± ¡°I am the patron for which your parents serve. I came to ensure the fulfillment of my boon. I have a total of eight paladins and three druids. You have not pledged yourself to me, yet you have served my purposes. You are truly one of my precious servants already, just as your family has always been. So child, what do you offer for me to grant such a request?¡± Rising from the chair before kneeling next to the table, Brad raised his head just enough to meet the god¡¯s eyes before asking, ¡°I offer myself to grow my land as much as possible and to offer sanctuary to nature. I am not sure if that is enough, nor do I miss the opportunity to accuse me of doing it regardless¡­ but I ¨C¡± ¡°That is quite the offer and one that you do not understand. This promise would bring you directly back into my service, the service that your parents were giving you a choice out of. If you pledge yourself to me, then you will become a beacon of both my gifts and a signal for my enemies to hunt. Yours is a path that knows no rest once chosen fully. As a druid, you have more ways to serve than most, but serve you must if that is what you choose.¡± ¡°Serve I will, if that is what it takes.¡± ¡°Bradford Wallace, as much as I would love to bring you closer to me, as a service to your parents I will recommend that you consult with your partner Mia first. You may serve in many ways, but this pledge is not one of minor significance.¡± Having been lost in the emotions of it, Brad¡¯s face turned red in embarrassment. ¡°Thank you, my Lady.¡± ¡°We shall continue this tomorrow, until then I shall delay your other choices. Wake, discuss, and plan what you two want to make of your futures. Now go and give it much weight in your thoughts.¡± ¡°Thank you, we will discuss it carefully.¡± Brad said with a serious tone. ¡°Before you go, there is one last thing of note. The final part of my promise.¡± ~~~ Brad awoke next to Mia, tears flooding from his eyes. Still hearing the words and seeing the faces of his parents telling him of their love and their hopes for him so that he could live a life of his own, free of their worries or obligations. Chapter 49: Make them a customer! Having explained in great detail the prior nights events, Brad was surprised by Mia¡¯s absolute determination at figuring out what they had to offer the god in exchange for a message. ¡°Mia, I have never seen you so¡­ I don¡¯t even know what this is and I am not complaining about it. I mean, I really want this to happen, but you have been ripping through your logbooks for the past 2 hours double checking what we have!¡± Looking straight at Brad, with light glistening from the corners of her eyes, Mia said; ¡°Puppy, I lost my parents at a young age. I would literally do anything, outside of giving you up, to tell them one last message. I absolutely l- l- l- like you, so much so that I would give the same to let you talk with them.¡± ¡°Mia¡­ thank you.¡± ¡°Do not thank me yet. We need to figure this out, but I do not believe that pledging ourselves is necessary.¡± Mia continued after a brief hug comforting Brad. ¡°So what are you thinking?¡± ¡°Well, first lets get some facts straight. Are you absolutely sure that she only has eight paladins and three druids? Mia asked, while continuing to ask questions, counting them off on her fingers. ¡°She is for one hundred percent certain that she is at war? That is a grand total of three families even capable of holding such positions? What else?¡± ¡°Uh, ya. She for sure said eight and three. Definitely at war, and pretty sure about the three families. Either three or four, pretty sure three. It was also implied that both my parents had the paladin class, so not sure if they both started with it or not.¡± Looking him dead in the eyes, Mia asked an obviously final time, ¡°Are you absolutely sure that that is all?¡± ¡°Uh, she mentioned that as a druid I have more ways than most to serve. I¡¯m guessing that it just means that I could serve from the backlines as support.¡± ¡°URG!!! I wish that I could have been there!!!¡± Mia screamed in obvious frustration at her lack of information while trying to negotiate a deal with a god. ¡°Its okay Mia. I am sure that there is something-¡± ¡°Brad, quick question. What did the voice prior to Gaia say to you?¡± Mia asked, biting the corner of her mouth with a slight tilt to her head. ¡°He said that I would get a trait named ¡°One with Nature¡±... Thats not right, he said an ability called that. But that is only if I kept my family bloodline path, instead of starting a new one I guess.¡± ¡°Right, but was there not something else he said? You passed over it pretty quick, but now that I am thinking, there might be an answer to our problem.¡± ¡°He talked a lot about my bloodline, how prestigious it is, and how druids can fight, pray, or build a home to relax in.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Is that absolutely it?¡± ¡°Ya, I believe so. I was pretty angry at that time, I even made some quip about the deal having me making forest babies, or some stupid comment close to it. It was pretty¡­¡± Brad trailed off before closing his eyes and breathing in deeply scolding himself internally. ¡°The voice said that you can serve by fighting, praying, or making a fort-santuary-castle? A home to nature, or something like that!¡± What if that is our trade? Would that be valid?¡± Catching onto the thread of ideas quickly, Mia added, ¡°It might not be enough, without a pledge. But remember, they are at war and I come from a bloodline specialized in wartime logistics. I do not want to barter in weapons, but few wars are won on weapons without food to feed the soldiers. We also have proven our ability to grow high end produce, maybe we could specialize in alchemical ingredients or something!? Maybe even offer special rates as a bulk supplier to them.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that just drag us into their war as much as a pledge would?¡± Brad asked skeptically. ¡°Not necessarily, there were many instances of companies and even entire nations supplying both sides of a war. Heck, there were even a few really big ones where one nation supplied the rest of the world fighting itself for years before finally jumping in. Kings never kill the craftsmen or farmers. If you conquer an area, you still need the labor!¡± ¡°So what, supply their enemy too?¡± Brad asked, one eyebrow raised. ¡°No, we sign an exclusivity contract with minimum purchase thresholds. It will trade our exclusive supply for the ability to terminate the contract if minimum orders are not made. It will guarantee us sales, which is not an issue now but will eventually become one. Additionally it supplies us with a very good reason to be exclusive to them.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it be obvious why we are doing it though?¡± ¡°Yes and no. If they know that we are supplying them for reasons exclusive to you, then absolutely. If they know of my heritage, then it becomes more muddled. Not completely in a good way either. In fact, that may make it even more of a reason to target us, but it could also be taken my line moving away from weaponry and into food distribution.¡± ¡°And like you said, food distributors are the people that you don¡¯t attack!¡± Brad said enthusiastically. ¡°For the most part yes. It still happens, and you being a druid will make this whole endeavor even more fishy. But I believe that this is an acceptable angle to negotiate from.¡± ¡°Okay, so what am I going to offer Gaia exactly?¡± Brad asked excitedly. ¡°Nothing. As much as I like you, I do not trust you with this kind of negotiation. You are not dumb, in fact you are quite excellent at what you do, but you are NOT a trader. I will lay out a contract with what I feel are manageable terms with a variable order structure.¡± explained, while excitedly starting to scrawl in her books. ¡°Remember, this is what my heritage is all about.¡± Mia finished with a wide smile looking back over her shoulder towards her puppy. ¡°I doubt that I can take it with me while dreaming.¡± Brad stated frankly. ¡°Brad, we are dealing with a god. A god, that I assume is very powerful and one that told you point blank that she was constantly watching over you.¡± Mia said with a theatrically exasperated expression. ¡°Fair enough, that makes it easy I guess.¡± ¡°Easy? No. Convenient? Yes. Remember, this is still a god that we are dealing with. And do not worry, we will not be losing anything on this deal. The key to successful business is not always about winning big, it is about avoiding a loss... and this deal is a win for both parties, even if it favors them slightly.¡± ~~~ With dinner finished, contract checked over a dozen times, the pair laid down on their makeshift bed. With a final kiss, Brad was off to present their offer. An offer not to avoid regret, but rather an offer to pave the future while finding closure for the past.¡±