《Command Console [4X Fantasy]》 Chapter 1 - A Brave New World Chapter 1 Gerard stood on the hill surveying his farm and couldn¡¯t help but to let out a sigh. ¡°Three generations and it comes to this.¡± A smile touched his lips thinking back on a memory of him as a young boy standing on this very hill surveying the fields with his grandfather. ¡°Did you know this was nothing but trees and rocks only twenty years ago?¡± Grandpa asked after taking a long drag from his pipe. ¡°You see this is a beautiful world full of mystery and magic but also horrible cruelties. Your grandmother and I moved here after experiencing some of that cruelty so we could use that magic to create something beautiful.¡± Gerard asked ¡°Magic? What cruelty? Papa said you and grandma worked on a farm owned by the king. Magic?¡± ¡°Yes, yes Magic.¡± Grandpa said with a chuckle. ¡°As for the rest of that, I¡¯ll tell you when you are at least this tall.¡± He said while holding his hand a foot above Gerard¡¯s head. ¡°Do you see that building over there?¡± ¡°Of course I do, that¡¯s where we live. There¡¯s nothing magical about that.¡± ¡°Ahh but that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong; without that building we would¡¯ve just been a family living in the woods. You see inside that building is our farm¡¯s command Console. With that we can create fields with a thought, hire workers from faraway lands, even improve our attributes and learn skills. With that command Console we are the masters of our destinies.¡± Grandpa said with a huge smile. ¡°Masters of our destinies. Fifty-three years and I stand here alone, the fields are choked by weeds and the old farmhouse is barely standing. Beauty, mystery and magic but also horrible cruelties.¡± The words spin in his mind as he looks into the distance seeing a dust cloud coming down the road. ¡°No time to waste now, I will not let that man take the farm.¡± ////// Lorcus slowly came awake and tried to prepare himself for the day. Another day of work at his great job with great pay and yet it¡¯s not enough. It should be enough Lorcus knows. Thinking about all the people he¡¯s met and how satisfied they are with their lives; striving to get ahead and looking forward to bettering themselves. He was once like that until time slowly wore him down, now he just goes through the motions hoping to find something that will finally make him happy. Cracking an eye open Lorcus sees the sunlight pouring through the window. ¡°Shit, I did it again!¡± Lorcus threw the blanket off him and jumped out of bed. ¡°Why would anyone willingly take a job where they must get up so early. Well, I suppose money and the never-ending want for more things will do that.¡± Picking up a pair of jeans off the floor he quickly slid them on and threw on a new T-shirt. Should I make lunch? No, No time. Checking the pockets of the jeans he picked up from the floor he finds his keys and all the other essentials needed for the day. Maybe I should just call in sick or better yet quit my job, sell everything, and find something that will make this life worth living. After all I don¡¯t lack skills. Pulling out his phone and glancing at the time he thinks, I¡¯ll be late but better late than not showing up at all. Driving perhaps a little too fast, Lorcus thinks. What is the point of all this, I had such big dreams growing up and yet nothing in this world satisfies me. No matter how much money I make it¡¯s never enough. Almost every relationship I¡¯ve had has taught me not to trust, not that I¡¯m some charismatic movie star, but still people suck. ¡°Shit!¡± Violently pulled from his thoughts by a deer running out of the woods and standing in the road Lorcus stomps on the brake and pulls the steering wheel to the right. As soon as the tires leave the road they sink into the soft mud and jerk the truck towards the woods. Trying to maintain control Lorcus pulls the wheel back to the left causing the tires to catch in the mud and puts the truck into a roll. The last thing Lorcus saw was a tree spinning towards him. For the second time that day Lorcus slowly opens his eyes to find the sunlight streaming through the window mocking him. Looking down He sees a tube entering his arm and realizes he is in a hospital. ¡°Well fuck, I really liked that truck. Guess I won¡¯t be going to work today.¡± Just then a beautiful woman comes walking into the room and flashes him a brilliant smile. ¡°Hello Lorcus, I¡¯m Julie and I¡¯m the nurse looking after you. You were in an accident and took a nasty blow to the head. You also lost some blood. How do you feel?¡± ¡°You know I feel much better now that I¡¯m talking to you. Maybe we can share some pudding from the cafeteria and talk for a little while so my condition doesn¡¯t deteriorate.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sweet and that¡¯s good, you shouldn¡¯t experience any complications however we want to keep you overnight to observe you. Other than that, I must apologize they don¡¯t like us becoming too familiar with the patients. Please let me know if you need anything or if the pain worsens and I¡¯ll make sure you get that pudding.¡± Just like that she was gone leaving Lorcus with his thoughts once again. I know that pick up line was cheesy but damn. Oh well another swing and a miss. What am I going to do here all day? Finding his phone on the side table Lorcus picked it up and began playing a game to waste time. Before long he got bored and decided to do a job search online and see what¡¯s out there. Why in the world does every job require years of experience or a degree and in most cases both? I mean how do you get experience if every job requires experience. Here is something, Jack of all trades. Help Wanted: Jack of all trades. Job Description: Console owner in need of a reliable and responsible worker to assume the responsibilities of the Console Commander and to restore a level five farm to its former beauty. Location: Northwest of Terison in the County of Philexei. Greater Berizma. Start Date: Immediately. Salary: Varies on performance. Possibility of becoming the farms heir. ¡°Is this a joke? None of this makes sense; Console Commander, Level five farm, Terison, County of Philexei, Greater Berizma? What the hell, let¡¯s see where this joke leads.¡± Clicking apply Lorcus was shocked again. Attention; Unable to read users personal information including stats and abilities. Please insert manually. It seems like the joke continues considering I¡¯ve never heard of someone having stats and abilities outside of a game. Question one; What is your farmer level? ¡°What in the world is a farmer level? Let me try, in progress of becoming the world¡¯s greatest farmer ever.¡± Error, level must be a numerical value. ¡°Okay I would say out of one and all the numbers I¡¯m a level ninety-nine, hopefully that¡¯s a good level.¡± Question Two; Have you ever been a Console Commander and if so, what was the highest level achieved? ¡°Considering I have no idea what a Console Commander is I¡¯m going to say no.¡± Question Three; Please list all your skills and abilities. ¡°Let¡¯s see here, for skills I would say jack of all trades, skilled with the skills and overall amazing. For abilities that¡¯s tougher, Let¡¯s say¡­ I have the ability to have a good time and all around able. Question Four; Are you willing to relocate to the farm Northwest of Terison in the County of Philexei, Greater Berizma? ¡°Considering I¡¯ve never heard of any of those places let¡¯s say Yes.¡± Question Five; Are you willing to accept a salary based on performance? ¡°Yes.¡± Question Six; Are you willing to start immediately? ¡°Yes.¡± Nothing remained after the sixth question except for a submit button. Letting out a little chuckle Lorcus pressed submit. A new box popped up saying; Your application has been submitted and will be reviewed by the Console Commander. Please stand by for response. With that Lorcus put his phone back on the table and saw Julie walk into the room with a smile and a pudding. Julie said ¡°Things are a little slow right now so I thought I would bring you that pudding. Just don¡¯t tell anyone if I stay a little while to make sure you are recovering adequately.¡± Giving Lorcus a wink. Lorcus grinned and said, ¡°I was really hoping¡­¡±. A ding came from his phone with a message saying, congratulations application accepted. the world went white. ////// Lorcus found himself floating midair in the middle of a run-down hut with an old man staring at him. The old man was wearing what looked like homemade coveralls and a thin brown button up shirt. His face looked like a baseball mitt that was left out in the sun for too long with long white eyebrows that came halfway down his cheeks. They exchanged confused looks before gravity took over and he fell smacking his head on a table before completing his descent to the floor. For the third time that day Lorcus woke up but this time it was because of a bucket of water thrown into his face. His head throbbed from the repeated blows throughout the day. Trying to get his bearings he looked around the room with the hopes of figuring out where he was. He was still wearing the gown from the hospital and nothing else. The rough wood floor was cold under his bare ass, and he groaned as he felt what was likely a splinter. ¡°I knew you were a weird one from the application I received but there is no time. Didn¡¯t you listen to the system when it told you to stand by? That means get your stuff and be ready for transportation, not lay down in your dress. Just my luck I put this off for years and now I¡¯m stuck with a cross dressing lunatic. Well boy we don¡¯t have much time so ask your questions.¡± Lorcus stared dumbly at the old man trying to understand what was going on and deal with his throbbing head. He asked ¡°What¡¯s going on? How did I get here?¡± The old man huffed ¡°It looks like that blow to the head was a little more serious than I thought. Listen they will be here soon, and I have nothing to give them. They will arrest me, even though my family settled this land they think they can come here and take everything then kick me out! I won¡¯t stand for it! Why are you here? You are here to run this place until I can come back, and I will come back so don¡¯t you go putting dresses on all the animals and doing whatever ungodly things you probably do. Put your hand on the Console, I will transfer command to you until I can return.¡± ¡°Listen old man I don¡¯t know where I am or who you are but this is no dress. I was in a hospital before I appeared here.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what a hospital is, but I recognize a dress.¡± The old man then grabbed Lorcus¡¯s hand and put it on a weird table. ¡°As Console commander I transfer command to¡­ What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Lorcus, but what¡­¡± The old man cut him off talking to the table again. ¡°Lorcus until I can reestablish control. I grant him all rights to the Console and name him heir should anything happen to me.¡± As the old man finished a text box opened in Lorcus¡¯s vision. Attention: You have been offered control of this Console as the Console Commander until Gerard is able to regain control. Do you accept? What sounded like a herd of wild horses made the bottles on the shelves rattle. Lorcus turned his head to the dirty window and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on here old man, am I going to be in chains beside you when those horses arrive?¡± ¡°No, No.¡± the old man said while wiping sweat off his forehead. ¡°You will only be a worker here since I will still be the owner of the Console. If I die you will be the Owner and Commander and my disputes go with me to the grave. Now it¡¯s time¡­ please, accept.¡± ¡°What exactly do you expect from me and what do I get in return for doing this?¡± Lorcus asked. ¡°Well¡­ you will have full control as the Console Commander, your task is to rebuild this farm. Do anything and everything you can think of to achieve that. Any proceeds during that time will belong to you. Should I die you will inherit this farm, however when I don¡¯t die and return I will judge you¡¯re performance and decide if I will make you my heir. Trust me I have a plan to get out of this you just need to keep the place running. Now Accept.¡± Just then a fist began banging on the door. Lorcus looked at the old man who was now giving him the most pity filled look he had ever seen. Letting out a deep sigh Lorcus accepted the prompt. ////// Congratulations Console Commander you are now in control of your first Console. To access the Console, place your hand anywhere on it and mentally command engage. Here you can Upgrade, Customize and see the status of your farm. In addition, you can contract workers, purchase Console upgrades as well as personal skills and abilities. The Console provides many more services that you are encouraged to discover. Note that new services become available as you upgrade your Console so remember to come back often. We hope you enjoy your experience as a Console Commander and remember to leave a satisfactory review of your experience in the help and support section. Lorcus had barely finished reading the prompt when the door burst in throwing splinters throughout the room. Lorcus jumped in his skin from the loud noise, shower of splinters, and cool air as his gown blew open. He spun around and couldn¡¯t believe what he saw. Standing in the door was the largest man he had ever seen. His head was eight feet off the ground, however that wasn¡¯t the weirdest part. The man had a normal human face with severe features except for the large horse ears where normal ears should be. He was shirtless with rippling muscles covered by scars. That¡¯s where it got really weird, where his waist should be there was a horse. Not like he was sitting on a horse, instead it was like someone took a horse, cut its neck off and put a human body there. ¡°Look what we have here, Gerard got himself a wife and isn¡¯t she a cute little thing. I like the dress choice, who would¡¯ve thought you had it in you old man? Nice easy access to that plump little ass, maybe we can keep her company while you¡¯re gone!¡± Lorcus was speechless, did he really get transported to a new world by some weird table that supposedly controls everything and now a giant horse man who wants to fuck him. At this point he was considering how to get back home. ¡°Cecrix, the only ass you¡¯ve ever gotten was the donkey that trader had pulling his cart through town a couple years ago, I heard that was a male too. Aren¡¯t you centaurs supposed to be proud creatures, not beast fuckers?¡± Cecrix¡¯s hand shot out and grabbed Gerard by the neck. Before Lorcus could blink the old man was picked up off his feet and thrown into the yard. Five centaurs circled around the old man kicking up dust and stomping their hooves. Cecrix strode out towards Gerard and put a hoof on his chest right above his heart. ¡°Go ahead old man say that again.¡± Cecrix said as he pressed down even harder. ¡°You were given a fair offer for this Console, but you wouldn¡¯t take it. You chose to run this place into the ground rather than to give it to its rightful owner. Now time is up, pay what you owe or die.¡± Gerard coughed out blood before replying ¡°You will never have this property, My family built this farm before Philexei was born. I don¡¯t care if the system says this is part of his county, It¡¯s mine!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, we¡¯ve heard it before Gerard, and we don¡¯t care. The fact is the System rules all, and the System is on our side. You can¡¯t pay the county taxes; you can¡¯t keep the farm.¡± ¡°Unfortunately for you I paid the county taxes this morning.¡± Gerard wheezed out. Cecrix¡¯s ears stood up after hearing that and slowly lifted his head to look around the farm. A vicious grin spread across his face and he began to laugh. ¡°You fool, you lowered the farm to level one to pay us? What¡¯s next in your grand plan? That only buys you six more months until the next round of taxes is due. Better yet you will be spending that time in jail, but don¡¯t worry we will let you see your precious farm one last time before we execute you.¡± Lorcus couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing, he had been given control of a level one farm that was dying and had six months before the owner would be executed and then who knows what would happen to him. Fury burned in his heart, and he marched out into the yard. ¡°Hey donkey fucker, what right do you have to imprison Gerard? He paid the taxes now go to the garden, get yourself a carrot and piss off.¡± Cecrix looked at Lorcus bemused before looking down his long leg at Gerard. ¡°Looks like your woman has teeth Gerard, she keeps getting more and more interesting.¡± Turning back towards Lorcus Cecrix said ¡°You are mistaken, He paid enough of the back taxes to not be in default. That was the third time this has happened and now under the Counts law we have the right to imprison him. Without him here there is no Console Commander and therefore he is as good as dead. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll come back for you when he¡¯s dead.¡± Gerard couldn¡¯t take it anymore and said ¡°you fucking idiot he¡¯s not a woman and he is the Console Commander while I¡¯m away. It became official earlier today, this farm won¡¯t fall to you that easily.¡± ¡°Is that so? He is awfully fair and clean to be a human male.¡± Cecrix said. ¡°In that case you may be sharing Gerards fate soon enough. Let me welcome you to the farm!¡± As fast as any other movement Cecrix snapped a kick at Lorcus. Lorcus¡¯s eyes flew open, and he crossed his arms in front of him to block the kick. The kick still caught Lorcus in the chest and he flew back into the hut¡¯s wall promptly passing out. ¡°That was uneventful, what did you do Gerard get a level one to save you? I didn¡¯t think even you would sink that low. Does he know as the Console Commander he will inherit Ownership if you haven¡¯t specified an heir? If that happens he will be executed shortly after you. After all the count has plans for this Console.¡± ////// A bucket of water woke Lorcus up the next morning. Spluttering Lorcus panicked as flashes of hooves played in his mind¡¯s eye. ¡°You filthy donkey fucker I won¡¯t go down so easily a second time!¡± Lorcus was never a fighter by choice but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t fight. Standing at 5¡¯10¡± he had a slim but fit body sculpted to be lean but powerful in his youth. Unfortunately, the workout routine he developed through hard work and time in the gym fell away over the years. In his early thirties simple joys like food became more important than keeping his body in perfect condition. A woman¡¯s shrill voice sounded out ¡°Who are you calling a filthy donkey fucker?¡± before she punched him in the face. The world went dark. For the second time that day Lorcus woke up but this time it was to the smell of food cooking. He let out a moan and rolled to the side of the bed tossing his legs over the side. The same shrill voice talking way to loud said ¡°Oh dear I¡¯m so sorry I didn¡¯t mean to knock you out! I¡¯ve never heard of a level one at your age! I¡¯m only a level eight and shouldn¡¯t have been able to knock you unconscious that easily. Are you okay? Why are you wearing a dress?¡± A man walked into the hut saying, ¡°Deloris leave the poor boy alone, it¡¯s not enough you knocked him out now you¡¯re screeching at him.¡± ¡°I am not screeching at him Todd, if you want to hear screeching, I¡¯ll screech at you!¡± Todd¡¯s shoulders slumped and he said, ¡°No honey that won¡¯t be necessary, let¡¯s just let the boy come to his senses.¡± ¡°Hmph, well fine breakfast is almost done. Help the boy get ready.¡± Lorcus looked between Todd and Deloris shaking his head. ¡°I would love to know who you two are but first I need to use the bathroom. Where exactly is that?¡± Deloris spun back around and said ¡°What are you some kind of lord with your fair skin, pretty dress and bathroom? This here is a hut, and it has an outhouse. Todd Show him.¡± ¡°Yes dear.¡± Todd said and jerked his head from Lorcus to the door. Lorcus followed but after a few steps he didn¡¯t need a guide, the wind carried the fresh stink of the outhouse. ¡°I have it from here thank you.¡± Lorcus said. Todd nodded and turned back towards the hut. Immediately turning towards the woods in the opposite direction of the outhouse Lorcus pulled up his gown to relieve himself. Looking through the trees Lorcus understood just how much of a mess he was in. There was a field true, or at least there was a field once. The area was covered in weeds and even had saplings sprouting up here and there. Part of the field was flooded, and dead trees destroyed sections of the fence. ¡°This may have been a mistake.¡± Returning to the hut he found the couple sitting down at the table ready to eat. Deloris said ¡°Come, the food is hot, eat now because the shelves are bare. Looks like this will be your last decent meal for some time. Now tell us who you are and why you are here.¡± Lorcus took a bite of the eggs and was pleasantly surprised by the taste. Looks like he would have to get Deloris to cook for him more often. While chewing he thought about what to say. It seemed obvious this wasn¡¯t earth. Who are these people and are there more here like me? He decided to keep it vague about who he is and where he came from. ¡°My name is Lorcus, I saw an ad for a job here and applied for it. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect but I can tell you it wasn¡¯t this.¡± Todd said ¡°I assume when you say you saw an ad that the system paired you with the posting here. Was it the first time you migrated? It¡¯s not common in these parts but has happened before. Too bad you got paired with that Wiley old goat. Might just get you killed before you know it.¡± ¡°Forgive me for the ignorance but what do you mean by migrated?¡± Lorcus asked. ¡°Migrated? You must be from far away. I don¡¯t know what you call it there but when a Console Commander can¡¯t find someone to fill an open position, they can pay the Console¡¯s fees to be matched with a worker anywhere in the world. I assume you know that half of the story since you are here?¡± Todd asked with a crook of his eyebrow. Lorcus nodded his head, remaining silent. Todd continued ¡°Anyway it looks like Gerard really screwed you over to get you here. This place was level five the last time we saw it, it appears he downgraded the Console again to raise the resources necessary to hang onto this place for a few more months.¡± Deloris picked up from there saying ¡°Such a shame, I remember when I was a little girl his grandfather was the commander and got this place up to a level fifteen farmhouse. Then those damn centaurs showed up and ruined everything. You see the count is an ambitious centaur that wants to become a king. This is the border of the county with the great forest. Not many people enter it and survive. Every now and then a beast wave will leave the forest and swarm south.¡± Todd Picked back up saying ¡°And that brings us back to this farm. You may have noticed that hill in the center of the land? That¡¯s where the count wants to build a castle to protect his northern flank before expanding elsewhere. Until he gets that castle built, he has to station a large force here in case of a beast wave or system forgive, the orcs start raiding for slaves. He will stop at nothing to claim the Console here. The only reason he hasn¡¯t killed old Gerard yet is because he fears a rebellion from his new human subjects. Any questions?¡± Lorcus had one pressing question ¡°What do you recommend I do? Seems to me like the best option would be to run far away from this place.¡± ¡°Normally I would say yes, hell I would even offer you a job at my farm. In fact, I still will, we are only a mile down the road towards town. Feel free to come by if you have questions or want to take me up on that offer. However, you have an opportunity here, you see you are a Console Commander and that is an opportunity that very few people get even if it is only a level one farm.¡± Lorcus looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°What kind of opportunity could this place possibly hold for me? The opportunity to toil in the dirt for six months before being executed?¡± Deloris jumped in saying ¡°Yes that is a possibility on top of starving, however Console Commanders have many benefits from increased experience gains to the ability to gain experience from the people working for the Console. On top of that you are in complete control of what happens here; from the direction you take the farm, to what markets you sell to. You can even buy skills and abilities directly from the system market.¡± Todd stood up and said ¡°That¡¯s enough for today, we have work that needs doing. I hope this conversation helps you out kid. My advice, take care of your necessities then start walking. You will find your path, just do me a favor and get rid of the dress. People may get the wrong idea with you flashing your ass every time you bend over.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell him that! I might come cook for him more if I get to see that tight rump.¡± Deloris said while leaning over to pinch Lorcus¡¯s ass. Chapter 2 - Getting Settled In Chapter 2 Lorcus sat at the table that was barely standing and looked around the room. The hut was approximately a twelve-by-twelve-foot room. Todd had leaned the broken door against the frame and Deloris swept up the mess caused by that damn centaur. On the left side of the room was a horrible straw filled mattress, thinking about it made his back hurt and his skin crawl thinking about the bugs that must be crawling in it. Besides the bed was the Command Console, it was by far the nicest thing in the room. Standing roughly waist high it was made of solid oak with thick legs and a flat top that had an almost mirror-like surface. The whole Console was covered with intricate engravings making it look out of place in a rundown hut. On the rear wall was a cupboard filled with various nick knacks that all looked like garbage. The right side of the room held a small kitchen which was made up of mostly cabinets and a sink with a hole in the bottom and a bucket beneath it. Looks like running water is a luxury I won¡¯t enjoy any more. Perhaps I can figure out some way to fix that. Todd told me to take care of my necessities after all. Above the sink was a dirty window with a picturesque view of the hill that overlooks the farm. That must be where they want to build the castle. Honestly It makes sense as a defensive position. Too bad Gerard is so tied to this land. I couldn¡¯t imagine having a government come out of nowhere saying, we will be taking your land. On the other hand, considering all the game like elements of this world if I was the count, Gerard would¡¯ve been long gone. Centaurs and magic, I wonder what else this world holds. Honestly this is exciting, a fresh start in a new world. The only question now is what to do. I can leave and look for better opportunities somewhere else although the fact that I was knocked out twice by a single blow makes that option daunting. Then again, they mentioned this farm is on the front line for beast hoards. Gerard¡¯s family has been here for generations so there must be some way to deal with it. That settles it I¡¯ll stay here for some time and make the best out of this situation. First things first, let¡¯s take stock of what I have to work with. Getting up Lorcus moved to the cupboard noticing a painting on one of the shelves. It was of a family standing on a hill with a flourishing field behind them and a beautiful two-story farmhouse to the left. An old man was in the center of the picture with his right hand on a boy¡¯s head and his left arm wrapped around the shoulders of an old woman. They were flanked by a middle-aged couple all with big smiles. This must¡¯ve been Gerards family, they look happy, and the farm looks great. I can¡¯t imagine what happened to bring this place so low. Looking over the shelves he found several bags of seeds and a book titled A Farmers Guide to Farming volume one. No labels on the seeds and I have no idea what these will grow. Hopefully it¡¯s edible considering the food situation here. This book should come in handy since I have almost no idea how to farm. Opening the cabinets, he found several sets of coveralls and button-up shirts identical to the clothes Gerard was wearing. Not the best clothes I¡¯ve ever seen but at least I won¡¯t be confused with a woman any more or have to worry about a centaur getting the wrong idea when I bend over. No shoes though, that is going to be a problem sooner rather than later. Next, he turned to the Command Console. What I am supposed to make of this, it¡¯s like some 4x world building strategy game plopped into reality. They told me it¡¯s valuable and I don¡¯t doubt that, would¡¯ve been nice to get more information on what it actually does and how to use it. Walking over to the Console he placed his hand on the mirror-like surface and thought engage. Congratulations Console Commander for gaining control of this Console. You now have full access to all available features; you may gain more features by leveling up the Console. I was hoping for some kind of tutorial but congratulations is just as good I guess. Tutorial: the command Console is limitless in its features and abilities. Be warned most features are locked behind requirement so think carefully before choosing upgrades unless you find yourself too far down a path with no easy way to return. To access any of these features simply think about what you would like to do. Please continue by thinking, status. Ask and you shall receive. Lorcus thought with a chuckle. Status. Status: Console Owner: Gerard. Console commander: Lorcus. Console territory: County of Philexei Territory Tax: 30% Territory Tax status: Deactivated Console path: Farm. Console upgrades available: Zero. Farm level: one. Unique upgrades available: zero. Current Unique upgrades: None. Experience to Console level two: zero of five thousand. Maximum Workers: five. Current Workers: Lorcus. Position: Console Commander Worker experience division: 50% Console condition: Poor. That¡¯s a start, there is a lot there to research but there are more important things to do at the moment. How do I gain experience though? Experience is the essence of the world; everything is made of essence and given form. A basic example of collecting experience is when something dies, its essence is returned to the world. If someone is designated as either the owner or worker of a Console and they take part in releasing that essence back to the world a portion is captured by the Console and transformed into experience which can then be used in a multitude of ways. Note: A Console Commander may set the division of experience between the workers and the Console. An example of how a farm may generate experience is through growing crops. A seed will never be anything other than a seed until the world imbues its essence into it. When the crop is finally harvested the link between the world and the crop is broken and a portion of the essence is released which can then be captured by the Console. Another option for gaining experience is to reverse the process by sacrificing anything containing essence to the Console which is then broken down and converted to experience. Be warned essence does not exist equally between all materials of the world. Seems simple enough, just get the essence. Why do we need a Console though? It would be better if people could just absorb the essence directly instead of having it converted into experience first. I feel bad for the people without access to a Console. Where did these Consoles even come from? Looks like no window will pop up from that inquiry, how about skills and abilities. Skills and abilities: As the Console Commander you will have full access to the available skills and abilities for your Console¡¯s current level. A Console Commander may decide which skills and abilities may be purchased by the workers assigned to this console. The Console¡¯s evolution will determine what skills and abilities will be available for purchase. Available experience: zero Farmer level: Zero Skills and abilities available for purchase. One: Farmers Constitution. +5% health. Cost five hundred experience Requirements farmer level One Two: Farmers strength. +5% Strength. Cost five hundred experience. Requirements farmer level three Three: Nimble Farmer. +5% dexterity. Cost five hundred experience Requirements farmer level five Five: Brawl. Learn basic unarmed combat skills. Cost five hundred experience Requirements farmer level one Lorcus¡¯s mouth hung open and drool formed at the corner of his mouth. I want it all! This is great, all I have to do is pick some vegetables and I will become a superhero? Well maybe not a superhero but if those buffs increase with the later levels that will be a huge advantage. I can¡¯t help but wonder what would happen if I already had basic unarmed combat skills. Would I still have to buy the ability to get the later upgrade? Definitely something I want to test, before that, personal status. Personal status: Name: Lorcus Farmer Level: one Skills and abilities: None Owned Consoles: None Console command: Farm level one Progress to next farmer level: Zero of one thousand Health: 100 Modifiers: None Strength: 54 Modifiers: None Dexterity: 30 Modifiers: None Intelligence: 47 Modifiers: None Wisdom: 40 Modifiers: None Pretty sweet numbers if I do say so myself. If only I knew what they meant. I don¡¯t even see any way to increase their value other than modifiers. Then there is the classic wisdom stat. What will I be able to cast spells or something? Lorcus immediately dropped into a crouch bringing both hands to his side shouting ¡°Ka-Me¡­ Ha-Me¡­ Ha!¡± A blood curdling scream rang out in the yard followed by a thump. ////// Lorcus looked down at his hands in confusion. ¡°It didn¡¯t feel like I just shot overwhelming power out of my hands capable of destroying worlds. Maybe my stats are too low?¡± Leaving the Command Console Lorcus walked over to the door to see a furious centauress glaring at him. ¡°Are you out of your mind!?¡± She shouted at him. Feeling slightly chagrinned Lorcus replied ¡°Sorry I¡¯m kind of new to all this and wanted to see if I had any mystical powers.¡± ¡°So, you decide to impersonate a being of myth and legend!? It¡¯s said those beings could destroy worlds with such a devastating spell.¡± She replied while getting up to her hooves and dusting herself off. Lorcus didn¡¯t know how exactly to handle this situation. She was, in a word, beautiful. If he had to guess she was in her late twenties with long black hair tied up in a bandana, fierce black eyes, and a slightly long face that fit her just right. Large breasts barely covered by a cloth chest wrap and then, horse. Well, she is beautiful up to the horse part. It gets slightly weird at that point. Do you think there are centaur human couples? I¡¯m not sure how that would work. ¡°What now? I know you¡¯ve seen a centaur before because I watched Cecrix kick you through a wall yesterday. Maybe he knocked something loose since you have that dopey smile on your face and are staring at me.¡± ¡°What, you were here yesterday? Your one of the counts goons?¡± ¡°I¡¯m no goon! I¡¯m a member of the counts Calvary Console. That old man broke the law, and we had orders to detain him, simple as that!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard the rumors about the count coveting this land for his new castle. I¡¯m sure Gerard¡¯s situation has nothing to do with that.¡± She sighed and slightly lowered her head looking at him from the corner of her eye for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you that the old man was dealt a bad hand, but the count gave him multiple fair offers. He even offered to give him a new Console and upgrade it to level twenty but the old man wouldn¡¯t budge. That¡¯s partially why I came here. Listen, the count is tired of waiting and yes, he is willing to do just about anything at this point to secure this Console. My advice is to renounce command of the Console and to move on. Here.¡± she said as she threw a bag towards him. ¡°There are one hundred experience coins in that bag to help you get a new start. It¡¯s not much but it¡¯s all I can afford to give you.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Lorcus bent down to pick up the bag then took one of the coins out. It was a cerulean blue with streaks of silver running through it. One side had a large house surrounded by a wooden wall and the other held the face of a centaur with big horse ears and teeth. It was obvious that the centaur was trying to look stoic but those features on a human face were just too much. He couldn¡¯t help it and let out a scoff. The woman cracked a smile and said ¡°Yeah, I know it, some centaurs get more horse features than others. That is Count Cimeon Philexei, best not let Cecrix hear you laugh at the Count since they are brothers and can be a little touchy about his appearance. I¡¯m Agarora by the way. ¡°Very nice to meet you Agarora, you probably already know my name is Lorcus. What are these coins though and why is the count the only person that I¡¯ve heard with a last name?¡± Turning her head to the side Agarora gave him a curious look. ¡°Just where are you from? Everyone knows about experience coins. Well, any Console can use stored experience to create these coins. It is then used as currency when trading, you know where it came from because the Console that makes it puts an image of the main structure on one side and a picture of the Console commander on the other side. As for last names, only Governance Console owners with the rank of count or higher are considered nobility. At that point the Console controls such a large area of land that it is given an official name. The Console owners and their family then use that name as a sign of prestige and to showcase their power.¡± Lorcus scratched the back of his head seeing that Agarora was still giving him the stink eye. ¡°Well, my family was very isolated, and I didn¡¯t know about Consoles until recently. Speaking of Consoles, I¡¯ve decided to stay here and take advantage of this opportunity as long as I can. Thank you for the coins but I cannot accept them.¡± ¡°I can understand wanting to take advantage of being a Console Commander just know when to get out, I would rather not see you murdered or have to arrest you like Gerard. If you¡¯re going to stay then keep them, I¡¯m sure that curmudgeon left you nothing but a couple bags of seeds and a book about farming.¡± He barked out a laugh ¡°Not only that but these sexy ass coveralls too.¡± Lorcus said with a wink while pulling at the shoulder straps with his thumbs. ¡°Thank you again for the coins but I can¡¯t accept them as a gift, I will pay you back as soon as I can. I was just about to tour the land and see what there is to work with here, care to accompany me?¡± ¡°I have to get back to the barracks soon, but I can stay for a little while longer, lead the way.¡± The two started walking away from the cottage towards the field. ¡°Do you know anything about this farm?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve only been here for a few months. People around town have talked about this place, mainly things like ¡°it used to be such a beautiful Console¡± or ¡°He used to be such a kind and happy boy¡±. After walking down a path through a small patch of trees they reached the field. Lorcus looked around and thought ¡°This place doesn¡¯t look like a complete loss. Looks like some onions are still growing over here. I can¡¯t imagine how they survived these weeds. Might be best to do an old school burn and replant.¡± Turning his thoughts back to Agarora he said, ¡°Oh yeah where did you move here from?¡± ¡°As you can probably imagine we centaurs aren¡¯t native to woods like around here. Roughly two days run to the west of here the plains of Berizma begins. That¡¯s where most of the centaurs live under the rule of Baron Sofranos. It¡¯s a beautiful place with endless rolling fields and wildflowers. Unfortunately, that¡¯s about it, we centaurs aren¡¯t normally city people and there are few opportunities to contract with a consule. Count Philexei lead a group of centaurs here five years ago looking for opportunities. A few months ago, several returned with news of success and tales about the new count, so I signed up with the hopes of getting stronger.¡± Lorcus was listening intensely to Agarora¡¯s story, considering what it would be like to travel to the plains of Berizma watching beautiful almost naked horse ladies running through fields of flowers. He bent down and picked a carrot they were walking past figuring it would be part of his dinner. ¡°Sounds like a beautiful place I hope to see it one day. What is Berizma? I keep hearing about it; Greater Berizma, Berizma plains.¡± ¡°It really is beautiful. Greater Berizma is the continent we are on. It was named after the Berizma empire, or the empire was named after the continent, nobody remembers since the empire was founded thousands of years ago. They are considered one of the great powers of this world. You should protect your carrot.¡± ¡°What?¡± As soon as the words left his mouth a white flash snatched the carrot from his hand and was running back towards the woods. Lorcus took off in pursuit yelling ¡°You want my dinner you can join it in the pot!¡± Thankfully the rabbit was slowed down by weeds in the field allowing Lorcus to catch up. He lunged forward, arms stretched out for the rabbit. Seeing Lorcus¡¯s jump, the rabbit turned its head and Lorcus could¡¯ve sworn he saw a line of silver trail the rabbit¡¯s eye as time slowed down. The rabbit let out a squeak that sounded way too much like ¡°third kick, devils whirlwind¡± before jumping over Lorcus¡¯s outstretched hands and round house kicking him right in the face. Lorcus flew sideways three feet before landing hard on the ground. By this point Agarora was bent over with an uncontrollable braying laugh. Lorcus had no time to call for help before the rabbit was on him again. Its little claws were scratching at his face relentlessly. Lorcus grabbed the rabbit by the neck trying to get it off him when a slightly choked squeak came out sounding like ¡°world¡¯s end, Leporidae¡¯s palm strike¡±. Lorcus¡¯s eyes flew wide open knowing that was no innocent squeak. The rabbit¡¯s arm pulled back and he saw the muscles bulge beneath the fur. Panicking he threw the rabbit over his head; it spun midair landing gracefully on a tree like a compressed spring before launching itself back at Lorcus, arm still cocked and bulging. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with this demonic rabbit!¡± Lorcus yelled in his panic. Agarora couldn¡¯t answer properly as she gasped out ¡°it¡¯s just a level four rabbit, try this¡± as she threw Lorcus a stick. Lorcus caught it and muttered ¡°Come on you son of a bitch, come on¡± as he prepared to hit the rabbit out of the park. Lorcus swung as hard as he could letting out the fiercest battle roar of his life, in return the rabbit squeaked out ¡°Worlds end!¡± and released the most devastating palm strike ever developed by the rabbits of the Great Forest. Palm met stick and stick shattered, then palm met face and the world went black. ////// Lorcus woke up to Agarora shaking his shoulder. ¡°Are you okay? That was a truly epic struggle of life and death.¡± She couldn¡¯t even keep a straight face while saying it. Lorcus just closed his eyes and laid there. After listening to the still ongoing giggling for some time he noticed some kind of liquid covering his face and licked his lips. He thought, Blood, that rabbit must¡¯ve really done a number on me. He asked, ¡°Am I cut bad? This seems like a lot of blood.¡± ¡°You took a good blow to the head, well, as good as a rabbit can do I suppose. Anyway, you¡¯re fine, the stick shattered and a splinter cut the rabbits throat, it¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°Thank God, I don¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done if that rabbit defeated me.¡± ¡°Thank you, I can¡¯t remember the last time I laughed like that. In return I will give you some advice, advance your Console to level three and buy staves. It¡¯s a basic combat skill that will help you in case any more demonic rabbits try to take your dinner.¡± Just like that she was laughing again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry that was a true battle not funny. Another piece of advice I really shouldn¡¯t tell you is, get a stave and practice. It will lower the experience cost of the skill. Oh yeah you should refresh any other combat skills you have too so the farm¡¯s Console can measure your proficiency.¡± She took the bandana out of her hair, bent down and wiped off his face then leaned in and licked his cheek. ¡°I must go now; good luck and I¡¯ll see you soon. If you come into town come to the tipsy centaur, I¡¯ll buy you a drink.¡± Lorcus leaned on his elbow watching her walk away. It looked like she was swaying her hips a little more than usual which left him hard and confused. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with me, she¡¯s not even human. If this farming thing doesn¡¯t work out, I could become rich by creating centaur pants.¡± Getting to his feet he picked a few more onions and carrots then took the rabbit and vegetables to the shed he noticed earlier while walking to the field. There he found various hand tools and several baskets. I guess a tractor would be expecting too much? After placing his dinner in one of the baskets he began looking for a knife to dress the rabbit before it spoiled. The tools were surprisingly well cared for considering everything else he¡¯d seen until now. There hanging on the wall was what looked like a bowie knife. Picking it up off the wall he adopted an Australian accent and said with a chuckle ¡°That¡¯s not a knife, that¡¯s a knife.¡± Noticing a loop on the back of the coveralls Lorcus put the knife in its sheath and attached it to the loop. He was pleasantly surprised by the fit, the loop was obviously made for the knife. ¡°Rabbit check, vegetables check, knife check.¡± Do the people here believe in hygiene? The centaurs had lustrous fur and clean skin so they must take care of themselves, but I¡¯ve seen no soap around here and the only water was the flooded corner of the field. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll head over there to wash all this.¡± ¡°Okay, the movies made gutting and skinning an animal look easy. I can¡¯t imagine a demonic cultivation rabbit would be any different.¡± Placing the rabbit on the ground and taking out the knife Lorcus said ¡°You were a worthy opponent who taught me a lesson I hope to never forget, this isn¡¯t earth and if I take anything for granted it can easily get me killed. I doubt there are any respawns for me here like some video game. Thank you for your sacrifice, may your soul fly free, your body nourish me and the earth.¡± With that the knife descended cutting the rabbit¡¯s head off, then he cut off the paw that shattered the stick causing the rabbit¡¯s throat to be cut. If that¡¯s not a lucky rabbit foot then I don¡¯t know what is. Finishing the task of gutting the rabbit, he washed off the carcass and vegetables. Now here is a problem, am I supposed to bury all the rest of this every time I cook? I can¡¯t imagine people in the olden days had a pile of guts behind the house. Maybe a compost pile would be good for the field. Will that draw beasts from the forest? With no convenient shovel Lorcus shrugged and began carrying his burden to the woods. While walking through the woods the flooding only got worse and the sound of moving water could soon be heard. Coming into sight was yet another picturesque scene, a stream snaking its way through the forest. Right in front of Lorcus was a bend in the stream where a tree fell, collecting a nest of branches. That explains the flooding, looks like another thing to add to the list. With a heave he threw the guts into the stream and washed up. Remembering Agarora¡¯s suggestion Lorcus picked up a long straight oak branch that fell off a tree. It was roughly wrist thick and seven feet long. ¡°This should do nicely.¡± I¡¯ll just have to take the bark off and smooth it out. I love woodworking but that usually involves power tools. If every day I stay here didn¡¯t involve the risk of sudden death I could set up a sweet gear driven carpentry shop. I can picture it now, a water wheel right here, spinning logs connected to wood peg gears and belt driven machinery. Getting comfortable beside the lake, Lorcus relaxed for what seemed like the first time in a long time and began to carve the staff. A growl snapped Lorcus back to the world. The comforting setting and simple repetitive task put him in an almost trancelike state. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve been at this all day; I¡¯m starving and have no idea how to cook medieval rabbit. A simple fire will have to do. Looking down at the staff he was impressed. The wood was smooth and straight without any splinters. It fit perfectly in his hands and felt natural to wield. Maybe another few hours and this will be finished. My first handmade item in this world, not too bad. Getting close to the hut Lorcus stopped and shook his head. You know it¡¯s really not too bad as a start. It just needs some loving¡­ and a door. Most likely a new roof but that¡¯s a problem for another day. First things first I need to get lucky! Jogging over to the hut and searching through the kitchen cabinets Lorcus found what he was looking for. Hidden on the top shelf was a small bag of salt. Looks like this is precious stuff here. The old man probably kept it for special occasions. No help for it though. Trying hard not to think about a life of food without salt, Lorcus shoved the rabbit¡¯s foot into the jar and sealed it. ¡°That should suck it dry and preserve it. I¡¯m not superstitious but it will make a great memento of my first days here.¡± The corner of the kitchen held a sophisticated fireplace considering the state of the hut. Gerard must¡¯ve cared more about food than the rest of the house combined. The entire fireplace was made of carved stone, its lowest edge was four inches off the floor with a large fire box and the walls had metal hooks for various cooking attachments. Lorcus grabbed some wood from the side of the house and made a fire. Spitting the vegetables and meat on the spit he placed it on the hooks and let it do its thing. Out of curiosity Lorcus went over to the Console to see if he had gained any experience throughout the day. Engage. Congratulations Console Commander you have forty-seven experience stored. That¡¯s not too bad considering I barely did any farming today. It would help me make a plan if I could see an experience breakdown of some sort.¡± Experience breakdown: Please specify the timeframe. Experience breakdown for the last twenty-four hours. Total experience gained forty-seven. Total experience gained by Console Commander Lorcus: Forty-seven 1x rabbit level four. Experience: Forty 4x carrot. Experience: four 3x Onion. Experience: three Not bad for a mornings work. If the last day and a half showed me anything it¡¯s to get farmers constitution as soon as possible. Being knocked unconscious three times in two days is not only embarrassing but closer to dying than I ever want to get again. Killing that rabbit was profitable, it¡¯s not worth my life though. On the other hand, it would be easy to pick two hundred vegetables if they are an easy one-for-one trade. On top of that I should be able to sell them for experience crystals. The only problem there is they take time to grow. Perhaps there¡¯s something more valuable I can grow or a way to speed up the process? Leaving the Console Lorcus spun the rabbit on the spit then walked over to the door to see if it could be fixed. The middle of the door was bent inward but not broken. The hinges were ripped out of the wall and bent while the frame was shattered. Well, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m fixing this without any tools. Deciding there was nothing to be done with the door Lorcus moved it out to the firewood pile. He then hung the hospital gown in the doorway with the hopes of keeping out bugs. After that was finished he got comfortable and continued working on his staff. The smell of the rabbit¡¯s grease hitting the fire soon filled the hut and Lorcus grunted in satisfaction as he finished the staff. Not bad at all, it could use some oil to give it a finish but that won¡¯t be happening any time soon. I¡¯m sure blood and sweat will look just as good. Lorcus thought while leaning the staff against the wall and moving over to the Kitchen. Wood plates, no running water, no dishwasher, no soap, no sponge. I don¡¯t mind putting in some hard work, but I didn¡¯t like washing dishes at the best of times. One of those worker slots will have to go to a housekeeper. Grabbing a thick towel Lorcus decided to simply eat the rabbit directly from the spit before crawling into bed and immediately passing out. ////// The next morning Lorcus awoke in bed gratified to have gotten a full night¡¯s sleep and to wake up without the help of a bucket of water. The farm was quiet with only the sound of birds greeting the day. Feeling content with his current situation Lorcus thought, the first thing I need to do is get that field producing crops. Perhaps the most important step is to clear that log from the stream so the flooding will recede. Picking up his staff Lorcus made his way to the shed to gather an axe and whatever else he thought would be useful. Thankfully the fallen tree wasn¡¯t too large, having a diameter of roughly a foot. Normally I would start by stripping down as much as possible before jumping into that stream but without underwear I fear for my manhood. Who knows what surprise that stream holds for me or have one of those branches catch me in the wrong place. Resigning himself to working in waterlogged coveralls Lorcus got to work. He started by using the axe to cut the branches off the top of the tree and then cutting the trunk back as close to the stream as he could without going in. He then got into the water and started clearing the branches that were blocking the stream. At one point he felt something brush his leg and jumped in surprise expecting some other world tentacle monster to be attacking him. Thankfully it was just a normal fish and he happily started trying to catch one. It seemed there were a lot of fish trying to get downstream that got stuck here thanks to the blockage. After flailing around trying to either grab the fish by hand or scoop them up before throwing them onto the shore Lorcus wound up with three large fish. Content that dinner was once again secured he got back to work. Once the debris was cleared, he moved to the opposite side of the lake and cut the tree just after the stump. Nothing happened, Lorcus was hoping the stream would dislodge the log and carry it downstream, but it just sat there. Grumbling to himself Lorcus found a smaller log lying on the forest floor and lodged it underneath the log. He then put the other end on his shoulder and began slowly rolling one end towards the stream. Finally, it fell into the stream and was quickly out of view. The labor-intensive day left Lorcus drained. Looking up at the sun Lorcus figured it was well past noon, so he decided to take his fish as a piece offering to Todd and Deloris with the hopes of getting more information about this new world. Chapter 3 - Getting To Know The Neighbors Chapter 3 The road toward town was more of a dirt path through the woods. It was wide enough for two centaurs to comfortably run side by side or a cart to pass with ease. Unfortunately, it was poorly maintained with rocks sticking up here and there and trenches carved from heavy water flow. Eventually the woods parted to show a farmhouse surrounded by several fields and a barn. There were chickens scratching the ground and pigs squealing in delight while rolling in the mud. The sight made Lorcus smile, and he was happy the elderly couple had a prosperous little farm. He saw Deloris taking clothes off a clothesline and walked over to her. ¡°Greetings Deloris, how are you today?¡± Lorcus called out while walking towards her. ¡°Lorcus, what happened to that dress of yours? You looked so good in it. Why don¡¯t you take those coveralls off and I¡¯ll hang them up for you, they look a little damp.¡± Blushing slightly Lorcus replied ¡°Sorry Deloris I needed a new door and the dress volunteered to fill the opening. I found a log blocking the stream behind my field and got a little wet but I¡¯m almost dry now. Good news is I was able to catch a couple of fish while clearing it and thought I would share the bounty in exchange for some conversation.¡± ¡°OH, that¡¯s great, I was making a vegetable stew for dinner and those will be a nice addition. We don¡¯t eat fish often and I¡¯m sure Todd will love it. Why don¡¯t you give me that basket and go find Todd, he should be working in the field.¡± Lorcus walked over to the field but didn¡¯t see Todd anywhere, just row on row of wheat. Wandering over to the barn Lorcus heard a cough and walked inside calling out ¡°Todd, You in here? It¡¯s Lorcus.¡± Todd peaked his head around a door in the back and said, ¡°Good to see you Lorcus, Come into my office, I¡¯m in the middle of an important project.¡± Reaching the office Lorcus was surprised to see Todd sitting on a bench with a glass of what looked like whiskey and a pipe. ¡°Come in boy, join me for a glass of whiskey. Just don¡¯t tell Deloris, she thinks I¡¯m still working out in the field.¡± With a smile Lorcus thought ¡°No matter what world or time it seems like all old men are the same.¡± Grabbing the offered glass he thanked Todd. Taking a swig Lorcus winced and said, ¡°Damn Todd, That is a real kick in the pants.¡± Todd let out a hearty laugh and replied ¡°Terison is a small town, and we don¡¯t have a Brewers Console. The best you can find around here is Marvin¡¯s homemade whisky unless you want to pay a fortune to get some from the Trade Console in town. Deloris doesn¡¯t like me drinking so that leaves me trading with Marvin. Don¡¯t worry it grows on you after you drink it for a few years.¡± ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve had much worse and drank a lot more of it. Tell me about the trade Console though. The farm is lacking in many areas and a few necessities will make life much more comfortable.¡± ¡°I keep forgetting you don¡¯t know about Consoles. I think you¡¯re the only person I¡¯ve met who hasn¡¯t grown up around them. A Trade Console is just as it sounds; they are traders. It doesn''t produce anything on its own, but they can connect with other trade Consoles around the world and either buy or sell through the system. It¡¯s expensive to trade like that and the further away the more expensive it is to get. They also gain access to an auction style sales platform at the later levels. Other than that, caravans and traders tend to gravitate towards them in an unspoken experience share agreement.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really convenient. Even better than next day shipping. My understanding of gaining experience involves collecting essence from the world. Why would a trader need a Console and how do they generate experience? It seems unlikely that the system is just handing out experience.¡± ¡°It is convenient, again, if you have the coin. You¡¯re right, they don¡¯t generate experience naturally. Most Consoles don¡¯t; however, every Console will collect experience if you kill something within its range. They get paid with experience coins. It doesn¡¯t matter if they deposit the experience into the Console or not; the Console records the workers exchanges and keeps records. If desired, they can deposit the experience to use it in the Console or they can keep it to buy more goods. Since the Console records all the workers¡¯ transactions they gain experience towards their class no matter what. Trust me they don¡¯t lack for experience.¡± ¡°Interesting. That was another question I had from studying the Console, what the class experience meant. So, I don¡¯t have to spend experience to gain a class level?¡± ¡°Correct, the class experience is more of a representation of the amount of class related experience you¡¯ve gained thus far. And that is where being a Console Commander really starts to shine. You see, as the Commander all workers are considered under your supervision; therefore, you gain class experience for their actions. Hell, there are Console Commanders that have never worked at the Console who have a higher class levels than all the workers there. Now, tell me what brings you here?¡± Todd asked while topping our glasses up with whiskey. ¡°To be honest, cooking has proven to be a larger chore here than I could¡¯ve imagined. I haven¡¯t eaten all day. While working I happened upon a few fish and figured it was a good idea to come here and mine some information from you.¡± ¡°Hah, you¡¯re right there, rebuilding a farm is no job for a bachelor. Maybe you would be a good match for my third daughter. Her older sisters are already married off, but she just came of age and has been shopping for a husband. I don¡¯t know that I feel comfortable putting her between the count and his new castle though. Perhaps you can find a woman to come work on your farm in town. The only problem there is that you¡¯re too far away from everything and will have to provide any workers with housing.¡± ¡°Damn, you¡¯re right, I was considering getting some help, but I didn¡¯t consider where they would sleep. While I¡¯m sure your daughter is a beautiful woman, marriage is a far-off thought for me. After all I just arrived here and my position at the farm is precarious as is.¡± Reaching into his pocket Lorcus pulled out a few small bags of seeds. ¡°These are the only seeds I was able to find on the farm. Can you tell me what they are?¡± Todd grunted as he leaned over to take the bags ¡°Let¡¯s see here.¡± The older man mumbled to himself while looking through the bags ¡°It¡¯s all vegetables. Handy to keep yourself fed but useless if your goal is to get a serious amount of experience quickly. My advice is to prepare the farm for crops and do more research. I¡¯m sure you will find something that suits your temperament. For us we settled on wheat. It doesn¡¯t give a lot of experience at harvest, and you have to get it milled but provides a decent selling price. After all people need to eat and bread is as stable as it gets.¡± The two men began to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various crops until Deloris called out letting them know dinner was ready. Entering the cozy farmhouse Todd called out ¡°Eric, Tamryn come here, there is someone you should meet.¡± A young man in his mid-twenties came walking into the main room followed by a woman perhaps in her late teens. ¡°Lorcus let me introduce you to my youngest son and daughter Eric and Tamryn.¡± Eric held out his hand and grasped Lorcus¡¯s forearm. ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you, my parents have spoken a lot about you since the other day. Good bit of luck to get control of a Console so young.¡± Then Tamryn was wrapped around him with a tight hug, ¡°He¡¯s right, my mom hasn¡¯t stopped talking about your tight butt.¡± she said while slipping her hands down and cupping his cheeks. ¡°Looks like she was right.¡± Todd let out a cough and said ¡°Tamryn, remember yourself and release our guest.¡± She looked at her father sulkily and took a step back from Lorcus while giving him a big smile. ¡°Sorry about that, she gets her nature from her mother. Better watch yourself or she will have you wrapped up in no time like her mother did to me.¡± With a smile and a wink Lorcus replied ¡°Any man would have to consider himself lucky to catch the eye of such a beautiful woman. Deloris¡¯s voice cried out ¡°Dinner is ready you all better come eat or you can go hungry tonight.¡± With that the four moved to the kitchen and took seats around the table. Eric said, ¡°Thank you, mother this looks delicious. Tell me Lorcus, what plans do you have for your farm?¡± ¡°Well, this is my first time working on a farm so I¡¯m feeling it out as I go. I was hoping to get some advice on that topic while I¡¯m here. For instance, I noticed that the field has some vegetables still growing in it but that doesn''t seem like a profitable crop.¡± Todd entered the conversation saying, ¡°Your right, Gerards family was one of the first to settle this land and food was desperately needed. Gerard likes traditions and wouldn¡¯t consider changing what they produce. Although when the Console was a higher level, they had additional fields producing food for their farm animals. As times got harder for him and competition moved into the area the Console levels were sacrificed for experience. The Count used whatever tactic he felt necessary to keep people from buying from him and supposedly lured beasts from the great forest to attack Gerards farm. Fields were abandoned until nothing was left beyond the vegetables.¡± Eric continued adding ¡°Now that the population has grown in this area almost every farm has a personal garden and the extra is sold at the market in town. Between all the farms it¡¯s more than enough for our community. There are few truly profitable crops a Console can take advantage of until the later levels. On top of that, we don¡¯t have a large export market. I would say the first question you need to answer is how long you plan to be here. If you intend to take over the farm and counts ire permanently then go with something like flax which can be used for everything from food to clothes.¡± Tamryn added ¡°You can always grow babies.¡± While she sucked some stew off her finger and looked in his eyes. Deloris hit her with a towel ¡°Get control of yourself, babies cost money and need a stable environment to grow.¡± Lorcus stared at her for a few moments with a small smile before saying ¡°Yes, I think babies would be a good option for the future, however it never hurts to practice the art of making them in the meantime. Just to make sure you know how to do it properly when the time comes. Your right though Eric, I don¡¯t see keeping the farm as a viable option.¡± ¡°In that case my recommendation is to restore the field as best as you can and continue growing vegetables. I assume your goal is to gain experience and they will provide it just fine at the lower Console levels. You won¡¯t be able to sell it all locally, but the trade Console will give you a decent price if you can sell enough in bulk.¡± Gerard said. After chatting for a while longer gaining information about the area and tips for farming Lorcus stood up and said ¡°Thank you for the meal it was the most delicious thing I¡¯ve had since arriving here, but I should be going now. I have a lot of work ahead of me tomorrow.¡± The family in return thanked Lorcus for the fish and conversation before wishing him goodnight. Lorcus was confused that Tamryn was missing while everyone said goodbye, but he shrugged and began the walk back to the farm. Before long he heard a woman calling out his name so he stopped, turned around looking curiously into the darkness. ¡°You left before I could say goodbye.¡± Tamryn said with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, nobody knew where you went so I figured we would meet again sometime soon.¡± Pouting now she replied ¡°But you left before I could give you a gift. Don¡¯t you want my gift?¡± Lorcus didn¡¯t answer, instead he leaned in and kissed her. A few moments later he pulled away and said, I couldn¡¯t ask for a better gift than that.¡± Tamryn smirked and said I had something a little different in mind. You know there aren¡¯t many single men around here and the ones that are, are so plain. With that in mind I wanted to give you something so you will remember me fondly. Would you like my gift?¡± Lorcus was enjoying the direction of this conversation and replied, ¡°I would like nothing better.¡± She put her hands on his chest and leaned in to kiss him again. This time Lorcus wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in tight and deepening the kiss. He felt the buttons holding his coverall straps together being undone then the coveralls dropping entirely. Tamryn broke the kiss and looked down at Lorcus¡¯s stiffening cock. ¡°Wow, your well-endowed aren¡¯t you?¡± She reached down and grabbed his cock before starting to stroke it. ¡°It¡¯s starting to look like this gift is for me. Don¡¯t worry you can still enjoy yourself.¡± Lorcus groaned and pulled Tamryn back into a kiss probing her mouth with his tongue. She obviously wasn¡¯t shy and responded eagerly, stroking even faster. Abruptly she pulled away and dropped to her knees. She looked up and asked ¡°Is this okay? Can I taste your cock?¡± Still holding Lorcus¡¯s eyes she darted out her tongue and licked him from the balls to the tip. Letting out a growl Lorcus answered by grabbed a fist full of her hair while guiding her mouth to his cock. Surprised by his ferocity Tamryn squawked while opening her mouth and accepted him in. At that point she froze with her eyes closed and hands braced against his thighs. Confused by the situation Lorcus asked, ¡°is this your first time?¡± She nodded with his rod hanging out of her mouth and drool leaking around it. ¡°I¡¯m surprised with how forward you have been all night.¡± Relaxing his hand, he began to stroke her hair and said, ¡°start by exploring it, run your tongue around it and suck.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. She was almost timid but soon began to explore him with her tongue. Enjoying the sensation Lorcus grabbed her hair again and started moving her head. Accepting the guidance, she began bobbing her head only getting halfway down. For a time Lorcus enjoyed her clumsy blowjob which was more than satisfying in its simplicity. Lorcus looked down to see Tamryn¡¯s hand under her skirt moving furiously. ¡°Fuck your sexy, that¡¯s it, focus on getting me as slick as possible.¡± Pulling back, she grabbed his cock, stroking it again and spit on it. ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± ¡°OH¡­ that¡¯s great, get up here and give me a kiss.¡± Obediently Tamryn got up and began kissing him. Lorcus dropped his hand and pulled up her dress before rubbing her clit. She had a large bush that surprised him for some reason. Every girl he had been with other than his first had at least been trimmed down there. Tamryn whimpered and said, ¡°We can¡¯t, I¡¯m a virgin and I need to stay pure for my husband.¡± Not responding Lorcus moved his hips forward nestling his cock between her thighs. She was wet and it felt damn good. Lorcus began to thrust against her while sucking on her neck. ¡°OH fuck, you feel so good!¡± Tamryn said while holding on to him tightly. Lorcus grinned while grabbing his shaft and rubbing the head from the opening to her clit. She shivered and clung to him even tighter before saying softly, ¡°please.¡± Lorcus pulled back still rubbing against her ¡°Please what?¡± She bit her lip but didn¡¯t respond. Lorcus growled and spun her around, leaned her forward and pressed her hands on a tree. He then got behind her and lined up to her opening and gave it an experimental push. His head sank in and came to a complete stop against her hymen. Tamryn let out a yelp and said, ¡°You can¡¯t, Please, I can¡¯t stop you, but we shouldn¡¯t.¡± Lorcus stroked her back enjoying the feeling of her wet pussy. He then leaned forward whispering in her ear, ¡°You woke a monster tonight, I won¡¯t take your virginity but¡­¡± He then slapped her ass enjoying how she squeezed the head of his cock. ¡°I¡¯m going to fuck your pretty little ass, would you like that?¡± Her pussy got even wetter and Lorcus had to consciously remember to not push any deeper. With a nod she said ¡°That should be okay, just don¡¯t tell anyone and be gentle. Mom told me that can hurt.¡± Lorcus smiled and spanked her again enjoying her pussy for another moment. He pulled out and rubbed her gushing juices over his manhood. Lining up he pressed his head against her tight ring giving it an experimental thrust. ¡°Just relax, I¡¯ll take care of you.¡± With that he reached around, one hand playing with her breasts and another rubbing her clit. The moment she moaned he pushed forward sinking an inch deep. ¡°Fuck!¡± Tamryn yelled while trying to move forward. Lorcus dropped his arm around her waist holding her still. Her ass kept clutching him in rhythm as Lorcus slowly rocked his hips forwards and back not going deeper but getting her used to him being there. After a minute or two of that Lorcus asked ¡°Are you ready?¡± while licking her neck. She nodded and said ¡°I am. Remember, gentle.¡± With that Lorcus thrust his entire length into her in one smooth thrust. She screamed and stood up straight while trying to move away from him. Lorcus didn¡¯t let her and wound up with the two of them standing straight up and her pressed against the tree. He whispered, ¡°shhh, it¡¯s okay, the hard part is over. Just relax and get used to me.¡± While slowly rocking his hips. He once again reached around and played with her clit. After some time Tamryn said ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready.¡± Lorcus didn¡¯t hesitate and began to slowly pull his cock out of her stopping at the head then slowly working back into her. He kept this pace for a few minutes working his entire length through her. When she began to moan, he picked up speed. Pounding in and out of her while working her clit. she moaned louder and louder. Finally, she cried out and her ass clenched around him. Lorcus tried to pump a few more times but the extra pressure caused him to drive into her as deeply as possible while blowing his load deep in her ass. Breathing heavily the two stood there for a moment recovering from their pleasure while Lorcus groped Tamryn¡¯s body. Finally, he withdrew and took a step back putting his coveralls back on. ¡°That was the perfect end to a lovely evening.¡± Lorcus said while moving back to Tamryn and kissing her on the neck. She was still breathing heavily and holding the tree like it was the only thing keeping her on her feet. ¡°Would you like me to walk you home?¡± ¡°No, thank you, I think I will stay out here for a little while before returning home. I need to collect myself before seeing my parents.¡± Tamryn said, still grasping the tree. Lorcus kissed her neck again and said, ¡°Okay, be safe and I hope we can do this again. It was nice meeting you.¡± Before walking back to the farm, considering how eventful the evening was. ////// Lorcus began the next day by practicing with his staff. Standing feet shoulder width, Left foot forward and the staff angled forward, right hand at the bottom of the staff and left roughly chest height. Getting comfortable with the position and making little adjustments he finally felt comfortable with the position and decided to call it neutral position. From there he started with simple thrusts. After doing that for some time he moved to sweeps and what he imagined would be good blocking positions. Panting in exhaustion Lorcus thought about how out of shape he was. I almost died by being attacked by a rabbit. There are huge centaurs that will do almost anything to get control of the land I¡¯m currently in charge of. There can be no doubt that I am in serious trouble here. Assuming there¡¯s no way to get back home and let¡¯s face it, I¡¯m not sure I would go back if I had the opportunity. That leaves me with one choice, to gain as much power as possible so I can stand on my own in this world. ¡°But how? If I just stumble around, I will wind up dead or imprisoned if not worse. I mean who knows what they do to people in this world. First question; Stay here and make as much from this farm as possible then make a break for it. The old man kept saying that he would be back to take charge of it again. If that happens, he said he would make me his heir if I did well. Considering what I¡¯ve been told, becoming an heir to a Console is no small thing. Honestly, I think I could be happy with that life. Start a family, build and grow as I can and possibly expand into the community.¡± ¡°Both of those options walk the same road up until the next time tax is due. If everything isn¡¯t settled here by that point it will be time to move on. It¡¯s pointless to make plans beyond that since I know almost nothing about this world.¡± While Lorcus was considering his next steps forward he was wandering around the property. Eventually he found himself on top of the hill in the center of the property. Looking around he could see for miles; To the north was the great forest, a sprawling untouched land filled with who knows what and not a clear spot to be seen. Just visible past the forest he could see a mountain range soaring into the sky. While looking at the mountain a sudden burst of fire became visible. The shock of it made him take a step back. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Just then a second burst came, and he thought he saw a black thing flying in the sky. A second burst was followed by a high-pitched scream that just barely reached from the mountain range to him. Knees weak Lorcus just stared at the mountains. ¡°How big would that thing have to be for me to see it here and what on this planet could scream loud enough for me to hear it at this distance? At least now I know when it comes time for me to leave this place, I will not be going in that direction.¡± Trying to act normal and put that sight behind him Lorcus went down the hill to survey the field one more time before heading into town. Making a quick checklist to get started he figured he would need some kind of crop, a more efficient way to cut wood to repair the fence and the cottage, some way to plow the field and water the crops. I wish I had studied the medieval ages. Trying to piece this all together from half remembered books and tv shows will be tough. Hopefully I can find more friendly locals to talk to. Finally, content that he had a good place to start, Lorcus went to bathe in the stream. It was odd though, every now and then Lorcus could¡¯ve sworn that he felt eyes on him. Having enough of feeling like prey Lorcus called out. ¡°Is anyone there?¡± After a few moments of silence, he crept out of the stream and moved his staff closer to the water¡¯s edge just in case. That¡¯s when a white object darted from one bush to another. Just another one of those damn rabbits. Quickly finishing his bath Lorcus got dressed and went back to the hut to grab the experience coins Agarora gave him and headed down the road, staff in hand. Before he knew it Lorcus stepped on a sharp rock cutting his foot open. ¡°Stupid damn world and damn you too Gerard for not having any shoes I could use. Your feet might be leather but mine aren¡¯t. Next time I apply to a magical job posting in another world I¡¯m going to pack a bag instead of coming practically naked.¡± All his shouting had one good effect Eric came bounding out of the woods with his own staff in hand looking like he was ready for war. ¡°What is it? Did something attack you?¡± Eric said while scanning the area. ¡°No, I just stepped on a rock. Don¡¯t you people wear shoes around here?¡± ¡°Oh good, I heard you yelling and thought the worst. You know it used to be pretty bad around here being so close to the Great Forest and all. Even now something might smell your blood and come looking for easy prey. One of the good things about having the centaurs around is their periodic patrols. I can¡¯t say that justifies the taxes and their rules, but they get one piece of praise out of me. As for shoes, we have them but only wear them for special occasions. They are too expensive to wear every day. I¡¯ve heard stories about some of the big cities in the Empire where people wear them all the time. I would love to see that one day. Anyway, I¡¯m out here searching for a pig that ran off into the woods and I have to find it before it gets dark. It¡¯s too valuable to let some random beasts eat. Here.¡± Eric said reaching into a satchel he was carrying and pulling out some rope and a few leaves Lorcus didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°This is Acatanu, when you crumble the leaves the liquid inside acts as a mild pain reducer and helps heal the wound. Just crumble it up then hold it in place with the rope. It¡¯s not far to the farm and I¡¯m sure Tamryn will love to fix you up. Hasn¡¯t stopped talking about you since we all had dinner last night.¡± With that he was gone. Lorcus called out ¡°thank you¡± but there was no response. He took a few moments to inspect the leaves, they were familiar and yet foreign at the same time. The leaves were long and narrow with points sticking out on the sides almost like a two-dimensional Christmas tree. He quickly crumbled some up and couldn¡¯t help but taste it. The flavor was so bitter that he immediately spat it back out and was thankful he didn¡¯t have to chew it into a paste. After hiking for a short time Lorcus arrived at their farm and the first person he recognized was Tamryn who was picking some fruit off a tree. She squealed and ran over to him fruit bouncing out of her pockets as she came to him. ¡°Hello Lorcus, Love, I¡¯m so glad to see you. You know I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about you all day. Well, that¡¯s not hard since my butt is so sore that I feel you inside me every time I move. I¡¯m sorry love but we can¡¯t do that again so soon I need time to rest.¡± In an effort to get her to slow down Lorcus grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her in for a deep kiss. Looks like I¡¯m going to have to be careful with this one, she might be a few nuts short of a bushel. ¡°Tamryn It¡¯s so good to see you, you look very beautiful today. Are your parents around.¡± Tamryn¡¯s face had a deep red blush as she looked at the ground. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t kiss me so passionately where mom and daddy can see. After all we aren¡¯t betrothed yet and they don¡¯t approve of your situation. They think you will be killed by the Count and his men for getting in his way.¡± Not engaged yet? Looks like I may have bitten off a little more than I can chew here. How am I going to get myself out of this one? ¡°I¡¯m sorry Tamryn I got a little to excited seeing you. They are right though, being with a man like me would be very dangerous for you. I¡¯m sure you will find a better man than me who can provide for you and keep you safe. I would understand if you didn¡¯t want to do anything sexual with me anymore.¡± That didn¡¯t seem to deter Tamryn as she quickly replied, ¡°Oh no I¡¯m sure all this stuff with the Count will be sorted out in no time. After all nobody really likes the centaurs. They just showed up one day, plopped down a Console and built a fortified manor. Supposedly he was some big shot under Baron Sofranos and saved up all his experience so he could rule his own lands one day. Daddy says they spent so much experience on the manor since centaurs aren¡¯t good at building that he can¡¯t believe they think they can build a proper castle on your land even if they get it. I¡¯m getting off track though, I love seeing you, but I didn¡¯t expect to see you so soon. What brings you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m heading into town, need to gather some supplies for the farm and thought I could ask your dad some questions since this is on the way.¡± ¡°What kind of questions?¡± Tamryn asked. ¡°For instance, I was curious how you water your fields, or if there was an easy way to cut wood here. I have so many repairs to do around the farm that cutting wood would take up all my time.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Well, we don¡¯t really water the fields here. The rain takes care of that unless it¡¯s a really dry year then we have to carry buckets of water and dump it on the plants. It¡¯s no fun, believe me. Uhm, you could get Nymphs!¡± ¡°Nymphs? What are those?¡± Locus asked. ¡°You know water Nymphs, Wood Nymphs there are all kinds. They have natural magic and can control their elements. Good luck though, they are really rare and expensive to buy.¡± ¡°What do you mean expensive to buy? Slavery is legal here?¡± ¡°Well yeah, they aren¡¯t one of the main races and don¡¯t participate in society even if they wanted to. Anyone can be made into a slave though. How do you not know that?¡± Lorcus could¡¯ve kicked himself for the slip up and quickly replied. ¡°The community I grew up in was very remote and had almost no contact with the outside world. Is there a slave market here?¡± ¡°Oh, I see, that sounds lonely. Don¡¯t worry you won¡¯t have to be lonely anymore.¡± Tamryn replied with a big smile and wrapped herself around his arm. ¡°Not really a slave market, we are too small for that but if you upgrade your Console high enough you can purchase them through the auction platform. It¡¯s one of the perks of the farming Console, you can buy all kinds of creatures.¡± A shrill voice cried out ¡°Tamryn where are you? I sent you for that fruit over an hour ago. Oh, Lorcus is here.¡± Her voice dropped down an octave. ¡°I hope you two aren¡¯t getting to close today, better wait until the limp goes away.¡± Deloris said with a knowing look at Tamryn. Tamryn¡¯s face went beet red, and she stuttered out ¡°well yes, I mean no, I mean we were just talking. Lorcus wants to buy a Nymph.¡± Deloris let out a laugh straight from her gut. ¡°You show up here with no money and a run-down farm and expect to buy a Nymph? Tamryn get away from that man he is crazy.¡± Bewildered Lorcus didn¡¯t know how to respond. ¡°I was just asking for advice and that was one solution we came up with. Not a practical one but who knows maybe one day.¡± ¡°Maybe if you start growing magical ingredients you could afford that someday, but you would need a high level Console specializing in magical crops before you could grow something like that. Well, you could do it now, but the Console wouldn¡¯t be able to process that level of essence on top of the difficulty. Best you don¡¯t get ahead of yourself and stick to simple things like carrots until you gain farming experience.¡± ¡°I thank you for the advice, that¡¯s why I stopped by. I¡¯m on my way into town and was hoping to ask Todd if he had any advice on getting water to the field and an efficient way to get lumber for repairs. Tamryn already explained that you don¡¯t water the fields unless necessary.¡± Deloris looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°You go into town and buy the lumber. It¡¯s not that expensive. Freddy has a sawmill not far from town and supplied the area with wood. Again, you could look into magical solutions, but nobody around here can afford such things. I suppose you could hire a carpenter to work on the farm but that seems like a waste to me. After all, the chances of you being there more than six months are very slim. Anyway, Todd and Eric are out trying to get our pig back so I don¡¯t know when they will return.¡± Lorcus replied. ¡°I know I saw Eric on the way here, He helped me with the cut on my foot.¡± That¡¯s when the two women saw the leaves tied to his foot and quickly ushered him inside. They fussed over him like two mother hens until he had a proper poultice put on. ¡°I can¡¯t thank you two enough for the medical attention and information, but I should really be getting on the road before it gets too late.¡± ¡°Your right Lorcus here, take this food to keep your strength up and be careful. The roads around here can get dangerous. Tamryn why don¡¯t you walk Lorcus out and see him on his way.¡± Tamryn beamed while grabbing Lorcus¡¯s arm and hustling him out the door. When they reached the road, she threw herself into his arms and gave him a deep kiss. ¡°There, that¡¯s so you don¡¯t forget me and come back soon.¡± Lorcus brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and kissed her again. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, there is no way I could forget you.¡± Chapter 4 - Welcome To Terison Chapter 4 Walking down the road, whistling a little ditty, Lorcus couldn¡¯t help but think about Tamryn. Damn that girl is crazy, not bad crazy but there is no way I¡¯m marrying one of the first girls I meet in a new world while a Count and his soldiers are out to get me. She is really hot though. I hope I don¡¯t hurt her when it comes time for me to leave. This world is just too exciting for me to settle down so soon. After all there are Nymphs here! I wouldn¡¯t mind trying the charms of a water Nymph or two. I wonder if the different kinds taste differently when you go down on them. Just like that my list of life goals grew by one. After walking for another half an hour Lorcus noticed the forest thinning out. With that came more houses and people around. The houses were simple affairs, better than his hut but not that much better. He noticed that most had their own garden plot and a few animals around the yard. People waved when they saw him, other than that no one tried to talk to him. Surprisingly he saw no centaurs. I wonder where the centaurs live. It seems like even this is too heavily forested for them. All those small garden plots are going to be a problem. Why would anyone buy vegetables from me if they can grow them themselves? I wonder if they have winters here. They must but who knows what a world with magic does and doesn¡¯t have. If so, I could preserve the vegetables until winter then sell them at a premium. Lost in thought Lorcus almost missed the sound of hooves coming closer. He looked around and realized he was in the town proper. Well, it wasn¡¯t much of a town, it appeared to have the generic main street with various businesses surrounded by houses that wouldn¡¯t look out of place in his hometown. Minus modern glass and asphalt roofs. He thought about hiding but felt ridiculous. My problems won¡¯t go away by hiding from them. That¡¯s when a group of centaurs on a cross street passed by him. Just before going out of sight the centaur in the lead turned his head and spotted Lorcus. Signaling the rest of the group they all wheeled towards him and before long had him surrounded. Of course, the centaur was Cecrix. ¡°Hey donkey fucker, I didn¡¯t think you would be here. Looking for travelers riding your next mate?¡± Lorcus asked with a friendly smile. Cecrix¡¯s eyes flew wide open, and a look of absolute hatred crossed his face. Without saying a word he grabbed his bow, knocked an arrow, and shot directly at Lorcus. Seeing that his insult hit the mark and that he was about to be hit by an arrow, Lorcus dove to the side. Staff in hand Lorcus rolled over his shoulder coming back up to his feet before tripping himself with his own staff. The centaurs all laughed at his current situation. ¡°To bad you got rid of the dress, you would look really pretty right now, bare assed, laying in the middle of the road. Right where you belong!¡± Looking around at all the centaurs Lorcus noticed Agarora was part of the circle. She was the only one not laughing. When they made eye contact, she mouthed the words Tipsy Centaur. Cecrix continued his monolog by saying. ¡°Listen, you saved us some time. The Count has an offer for you. If it was up to me, we would just kill you and move on, but the Count doesn¡¯t want to upset the human population here. Resign your position as Console Commander, then leave the Counts territory and never return. In exchange we will give you one ruby experience coin.¡± Lorcus slowly regained his feet while brushing dust off himself in order to give him a moment to think. What is a ruby experience coin? I really need to find a book about this world. I don¡¯t even know this world¡¯s name yet. Considering the only experience coins I have seen have been blue, this ruby one must be different in some way. I can only imagine that it is worth more since they are only offering me one. I should really take this deal but how can I when I don¡¯t know how much that thing is worth? Lorcus glanced over at Agarora again and she gave him a slight nod. I suppose that means I should take this deal. Too bad I know almost nothing about her either. ¡°Let me get this straight, first you threaten me and now you want to buy me off. Not five minutes ago you shot an arrow at me.¡± Was Lorcus¡¯s response. ¡°If I wanted to kill you, you would be dead. Look I don¡¯t like you and you don¡¯t like me and that¡¯s fine, however, there are good reasons we need that Console. First, we defend this land and that is the best place we can do that from. Have you ever been in the Berizma Forest? Let me assure you it is no ordinary forest. There are true monsters in there that would like nothing better than to kill everyone in this town simply for the joy of doing it. There are monsters that will use the bodies of the people in this town as breeding hosts. Tribes of blood thirsty orcs who would do almost anything to not have to live in there. Help us, help yourself, help this community, take the experience and leave.¡± Lorcus was shocked by the sudden turn around to a heartfelt plea. Can I really trust anything this centaur tells me? The two stared at each other for a long moment before Lorcus responded. ¡°If what you tell me is true then everyone in this town owes you a thank you. There¡¯s just one problem, I don¡¯t trust you. Not only that but from what I¡¯ve heard people have lived here for generations before any of you showed up here. They seem to be just fine without your castle. I was hired to do a job and I will do that job. Now if you will excuse me, I have some supplies to buy.¡± With that Lorcus pushed through the circle heading down the street. ///// ¡°Welcome to Kate¡¯s Console¡¯s Emporium where we sell everything you need and everything you want.¡± A chipper voice called out when Lorcus walked into a promising store where he hoped to buy supplies. ¡°That might not seem like an important distinction, but I assure you it is. Looking at you I would say you are new to town and in need of some kind of supplies. Now, that is very important I¡¯m sure, but what you want is this!¡± She then ripped a sheet off what Lorcus thought was a table. It turned out to be a bed. ¡°What you ask yourself, all of that and she shows me a mattress? Wrong! This is a feather mattress ordered by a wealthy customer who unfortunately passed away before he could take delivery. It was all very tragic; however, his tragedy is your gain, today only, I am willing to sell this mattress for only twenty yellow experience coins.¡± Before Lorcus knew what was happening the girl had him by the arm and was pulling him over to the bed. When they got to it, she hip checked him sending Lorcus sprawling onto the mattress. It was¡­ bliss. Oh God, after a few nights on that straw mattress this thing is heaven. Lorcus couldn¡¯t help it, face down, sprawled over the mattress he let out a long groan. Hearing that Kate smiled to herself. I got him! Now to seal the deal. Kate moved closer to him and started rubbing his back. ¡°There now, just relax, this could be every night for you. What beautiful woman wouldn¡¯t do anything to sleep in such luxury next to such a handsome man with such big muscles?¡± ¡°Would you happen to be one of those beautiful women? If so, here, take my money, I need this.¡± Lorcus said while holding his coin pouch out to her. She ran a finger down his ear saying. ¡°No love, I have one of these myself. You will have to work a lot harder to get me in your bed.¡± Then she scratched his neck with a sharp fingernail and licked his blood, purred, snatched his money pouch, and jumped off the bed. All this happened so fast that Lorcus had no time to react. ¡°What the hell is this? There are maybe one hundred blue experience coins in here. I said twenty yellow.¡± She then took him by the arm and dragged him off the bed. Lorcus stumbled but regained his balance before falling on the ground. She then threw the coins at him and told him to get out. Lorcus was struck dumb. One hand held the coin pouch to his chest and the other went to his neck where some blood was still leaking out. He looked at the woman taking her in for the first time. She was short but beautiful. She had light black skin, curly black hair, and a slender frame. Suddenly he noticed some aspects that were a little on the weird side. Her eyes had a slight amber glow, and her pupils were slits. That was just the beginning, she had long pointy ears sticking above her head and a tail standing on point. To top it all off he could see some of his blood on her lips. ¡°Are you a cat girl?¡± Lorcus asked stupidly. ¡°Of course I¡¯m a cat girl. I have pointy ears and a tail. Given the fact that I don¡¯t smell like I¡¯ve been rolling around in shit I¡¯m obviously not a dog girl. What was that last give away? Oh yeah, I¡¯m drop dead sexy! Everyone knows cat girls are the sexiest creatures walking on Iradas. Okay, you got your eye full, a massage and wasted enough of my time, now get out.¡± ¡°Whoa, hold on. I never asked you to give me that whole routine. I came here to buy supplies for my new farm. You see I just took over as Console Commander for Gerard¡¯s farm. I don¡¯t even know what a yellow experience coin is.¡± ¡°Console save me from idiots. How do you not know what a yellow experience coin is? Are you so poor that you¡¯ve never even heard about large sums of experience? You see when you have a lot of coins it can become a hassle to count it all or transport it, so we have larger denominations. We call it yellow. You get it from Consoles like all other experience coins. Yellows are worth one hundred experience. So, twenty yellow coins are worth two thousand experience. Above that is red or ruby depending on who you talk to. They are worth one hundred yellows or ten thousand experience. As you can clearly see I am practically giving that bed away so either buy it or get out!¡± ¡°That actually does make sense. Guess I never thought anyone would need that many experience coins. The only thing I¡¯m still having trouble with is why did you lick my blood?¡± Lorcus asked while pointing at her blood covered lips. ¡°I thought you were worthy.¡± she said dryly. ¡°Worthy, that¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Well yeah, you aren¡¯t bad looking for a human and you smelled kind of nice and I thought you were going to buy the bed. I couldn¡¯t resist. It¡¯s a shame really, you didn¡¯t taste entirely bad, for a human that is.¡± So, she¡¯s some kind of sexy vampire cat? This world gets weirder every day. ¡°Hopefully I can taste you too someday, In my own way though.¡± Lorcus said with a wink. ¡°Now can I buy the supplies I need.¡± ¡°Yeah, I told you when you walked in that I sell everything you need. It was literally the first thing I said.¡± She said it in such a deadpan way that Lorcus didn¡¯t know what to do. They just stared at each other for a few minutes. `Finally Lorcus explained what he was looking for. ¡°Like I said I¡¯m new to farming and this area. I need some kind of crop that will grow quickly and be profitable. Ideally something that will help me work wood, as well as an easy way to plow the field. It¡¯s in poor shape at the moment and needs an almost complete reset.¡± ¡°Ha, this is great! I have an old plow Gerard sold to me a few months ago that I would be willing to sell to you. Let¡¯s call it two hundred experience coins. I hope you have a strong back though, most people either use slave labor or have a beast pull it. As for crops, I don¡¯t keep any seeds in stock. Most all the farmers around here save a portion of their harvest to replant. I can always order something through the Console but that comes with extra fees. You should be able to buy that yourself through the farmers market in the Console though.¡± ¡°How do I access the farmers market? Just think about it while accessing the Console?¡± ¡°Yup, it¡¯s that easy. Oh wait, I don¡¯t remember what level the Console has to be in order to unlock that feature. Maybe level five? That sounds about right. Well, you can use it but the fees at such a low level are brutal.¡± She looked at Lorcus questioningly with her index finger pulling down her lip showing off sharp fangs. ¡°The farm is only level one. On top of that I can¡¯t even afford the plow. How about the woodworking?¡± ¡°That¡¯s going to be a lot of the same. Basic hand tools will cost more than you can afford. You could get one or two tools but not much more than that. If you could find a mage with wood affinity, they might trade their services in exchange for you performing a task. Too bad we don¡¯t have any here. Or you could buy a Dryad, again that would be too expensive for you.¡± Dejected, Lorcus thought how stupid he was to turn down Cecrix¡¯s offer. This is absolutely crazy. Gerard put me in an unwinnable situation. There must be some way to make that farm profitable again. I can¡¯t give up. This is a new world of magic and I accept this as my first quest. I can¡¯t fail the first quest without even trying. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You know, I think I have an opportunity you may like to hear about. How would you like to get a valuable crop for free?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the catch? People don¡¯t give things away for free.¡± Kate walked around Lorcus to the door and locked it while putting a closed sign in the window. ¡°Come into the back and I will tell you all about it.¡± When Lorcus entered the back of the shop he saw a surprisingly well-furnished room with a figure dressed in all black bent over a safe. The man jumped to his feet producing a dagger in each of his hands. The two stared at each other for a few moments until Kate entered the room. She threw an arm around Lorcus¡¯s shoulders saying ¡°I¡¯m glad you two are already becoming friends. Purrnival this is Lorcus, Lorcus this is Purrnival.¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Purrnival asked with a scowl. ¡°I come here to train in privacy, where no one knows me or what we do.¡± ¡°Oh, relax we couldn¡¯t ask for someone better than Lorcus here to help us with our little problem. The Count already wants him dead, so he has no reason not to work with us.¡± ¡°What are you two talking about? I came here to buy supplies, not be caught up in whatever this is.¡± Lorcus said while sweeping his hand around the room. Kate replied ¡°This has nothing to do with what I want from you. To be honest the less you know the better.¡± Purrnival jumped in saying ¡°I agree entirely, so why did you bring him here?¡± Kate replied ¡°You needed to meet him. If he is going to work with us there has to be some level of trust. At the very least he should know who he is dealing with.¡± Purrnival nodded his head giving a silent approval. She continued saying ¡°We are thieves, Purrnival comes here sometimes when he needs to lay low or train. That¡¯s not what we need you for though. You see we had a little growing operation that made us a lot of experience. The problem is that the crop is what you might call illegal.¡± Lorcus asked ¡°The Consoles make certain items illegal?¡± Kate replied ¡°Not the Consoles but the Governance Consoles over them can regulate what is and isn¡¯t illegal. They hold a great deal of power over the Consoles under their influence. The Berizma Empire set the standard that this particular crop was illegal, and the centaurs are generally goody two shoes, so they made it illegal as well.¡± ¡°What crop are we talking about?¡± Lorcus asked. ¡°Nepeta Cataria, Known by the humans as catnip. It¡¯s,¡± Kate took in a deep breath before letting it out with a shudder ¡°indescribable.¡± Lorcus smiled and said ¡°really, catnip?¡± Purrnival lunged at him knocking Lorcus down to the ground and shoving a dagger under his throat. ¡°You think this is a joke? Let¡¯s just kill him and move on.¡± ¡°Relax Purrny, you know humans can¡¯t appreciate the finer things in life. And this just means we don¡¯t have to worry about him sampling the product.¡± Purrnival nodded and stood up from Lorcus keeping his knife pointed at his throat. ¡°Yeah Purrny¡­¡± Lorcus started before a knife thumped into the floor besides his head. ¡°You don¡¯t call me that!¡± Purrnival said angrily. ¡°Got it.¡± Lorcus said meekly. ¡°Let¡¯s say I¡¯m interested in this proposal, tell me what you expect from me and how I¡¯ll benefit from doing this.¡± ¡°You will grow the catnip, dry it, and bring it to me. From there I will get it to Purrnival who will then distribute it throughout Berizma. You won¡¯t make a lot of experience through the console growing it but you will from your share of the profits.¡± ¡°Wait I thought the Console made it illegal and yet it will give me experience?¡± Kate replied ¡°Like I said the Console doesn¡¯t care either way. Experience is experience, you can¡¯t sell it through any of the marketplaces though. That is why we have to transport it by hand and sell it to our contacts. So, what do you say, you in?¡± ¡°What would my share be and what are the consequences of being caught?¡± Lorcus asked. Kate explained ¡°Well, if you get caught it¡¯s up to the Commander of the Governance console. They can enslave you, kill you or give you a fine. As for your share we would be selling it for a yellow an ounce, that means sixteen yellows a pound. We would be selling it in bulk so one pound minimum. Which puts us at sixteen yellows divided by three, totaling five yellows and thirty-three blues each. If you tend and harvest the catnip properly, we can expect roughly three pounds an acre every month. I had five acres growing in the forest before the centaurs found it. Granted I¡¯m no farmer and could only get to it every now and then so the yield was low. All that to say make us as much as you can.¡± Lorcus said ¡°Well, wow. That would work with my current needs.¡± I¡¯ll need some way to hide it from the centaurs. That will be tough considering they are already up my ass. No matter what I do it will be a risk so this will fall under the go big or go home category. ¡°Alright I¡¯m in. I¡¯ll plant one acre as a test, and we¡¯ll go from there. One condition though, I want my third on delivery. I can¡¯t wait for you to sell it then come back with the coins.¡± Purrsival¡¯s face darkened and it looked like he was going to lunge at Lorcus again. Kate put her hand on his shoulder and said ¡°Very well I¡¯ll pay you on delivery, but your cut will be five yellows a pound. We will keep the thirty-three blues as a, lets call it a convenience fee.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Lorcus said while shaking Kate¡¯s hand and then Purrsival¡¯s. Kate left the room and returned with several items. ¡°These¡± she said while handing Lorcus a bag ¡°are the catnip seeds. There should be enough there for five acres.¡± She then handed him a book ¡°that is a book explaining how to farm the catnip.¡± She then handed him a box filled with glass bottles. ¡°Each bottle will hold one pound of the catnip. Grow it, dry it, bottle it, then bring it to me. If you get caught, you will say nothing about either myself or Purrsival. If you do the Count will be the least of your problems. On the other side if I or Purrsival get caught you have nothing to do with it. Do we have an understanding?¡± ¡°We do. I¡¯m going to need you to provide some more things for me though. First is going to be that plow we talked about earlier. I need it to restore the field then you can have it back. The second item I need is that bed, call it a show of good faith.¡± Kate laughed ¡°Ha! I¡¯m too good a saleswoman and it bites me in the ass. Very well, it was part of a heist anyway.¡± Lorcus looked at her confused and asked, ¡°you stole a bed?¡± ¡°No, remember how I told you about that wealthy client? Well, He wasn¡¯t a client. He was a wealthy individual who died. I couldn¡¯t resist the temptation, so I broke into his house, stole some experience coins, and used it to buy some luxury items to sell in the store. It¡¯s a win, win. I get the money without having to explain why I¡¯m suddenly wealthier. I get luxury items to sell in the store and I get even more once the items are sold. And with a simple bill of sale to the deceased client there is a paper trail for it all.¡± ¡°What if his family show up for the stuff though?¡± ¡°He had no family. He moved here to live his last days in solitude. I know, you can praise me now.¡± Kate said while doing a little twirl. Lorcus started a slow clap which was picked up by Purrsival. ¡°Screw you guys, you know that was a flawless heist.¡± ¡°I really am impressed. Now to other matters. What can you tell me about Agarora?¡± Lorcus asked. ¡°There¡¯s not much to tell, she works for the Count in his Calvery Console. She started there a few months ago and stays to herself. The only time I see her around town is when she visits the Tipsy Centaur. Was there something specific you had in mind?¡± Kate asked. ¡°Nothing specifically, we met at the farm and she invited me to meet her tonight at the Tipsy Centaur. I¡¯m new around here and it would be good to have someone who knows what the Count is up to. An inside centaur if you will.¡± Purrsival jumped into the conversation saying ¡°Don¡¯t trust her, it is very unlikely she will betray her boss for someone she doesn¡¯t even know.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right but that doesn¡¯t mean you shouldn¡¯t meet with her. Go see what she has to say, just remember who puts food in her mouth. If you tell her anything about us or our product¡­¡± Kate trailed off at the end leaving the threat unsaid. ¡°I get it. I won¡¯t intentionally do anything to betray you and if they find out for some reason, you have nothing to do with me.¡± ¡°Very well, I will have the plow and bed delivered to the farm. Keep me informed on your progress and I will keep an eye on Agarora.¡± Lorcus nodded before leaving the shop for the Tipsy Centaur. ////// Walking through a set of saloon doors Lorcus was surprised by the amount of colors around him. It seemed like every surface was a different color. There were no chairs in the entire bar, instead there were pillows strewn everywhere and low tables roughly a foot off the ground. Centaurs were laying on the pillows everywhere he looked, some smoking hookahs and some had exotic-looking drinks. ¡°Lorcus over here.¡± It was Agarora shouting to get his attention from the corner of the room. Lorcus started walking over to her when the centaur behind the bar shouted at him ¡°Clean your filthy human feet!¡± Looking around in confusion he saw a bucket of water and a stiff bristle brush next to the door. This must be for cleaning their hooves. That won¡¯t work for me with this cut on my foot. He sat down and put his feet in the water and picked up a colorful cloth sitting off to the side. The bartender shouted again ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡± His shout trailed off as he started grumbling under his breath about filthy humans. Feet clean Lorcus made his way over to Agarora. Suddenly she jumped to her hooves and pointed behind him shouting ¡°rabbit!¡±. Lorcus flinched and looked over his shoulder. Realizing he had been played he turned back to Agarora saying ¡°ha-ha very funny, you know joking about demonic rabbits could get someone killed.¡± ¡°Relax, you are safe here. Come on sit down, I ordered you a drink when you walked in.¡± ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t order me one of those crazy rainbow drinks.¡± ¡°No rainbows, it¡¯s green, you¡¯ll love it.¡± Just then the bartender walked over with two drinks saying ¡°Two planes walkers, are you sure about this Agarora? There¡¯s no way a human will appreciate this.¡± ¡°Come on Rhalk I invited him here for fun not to be insulted.¡± Rhalk gave Lorcus that look he was starting to associate with centaurs. He grunted and said ¡°fine, you will clean up after him when he makes a mess though. Let me know if you would like another drink or to use the hookah.¡± ¡°Sorry about him, he can be a little overbearing at times. Especially with humans. Go ahead try your drink it¡¯s a specialty from the Planes.¡± Lorcus looked dubiously at the drink. ¡°There¡¯s no grass or anything in it is there?¡± She threw a pillow at his head. ¡°Of course not, just try it.¡± Lorcus took a sniff of the drink which smelled like pure alcohol. Well here goes nothing. Taking a sip, he was pleasantly surprised. ¡°You know, that¡¯s not half bad. Although it does taste a little like grass.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because there is a little grass in there. That¡¯s what gives it the green color.¡± Lorcus grabbed a pillow and threw it back at Agarora. ¡°You¡¯re terrible.¡± They both began laughing. Getting control of herself Agarora asked ¡°Tell me Lorcus did they have centaurs where you came from?¡± ¡°No, only humans. What about you, are there humans who live on the Berizma Planes?¡± ¡°There are a few who live there but most of the humans that we see are from caravans. Other than that, we get the occasional slavers. That¡¯s why Rhalk has such a dislike for humans. I don¡¯t want to tell his story so it will have to be enough to say that someone in his family was enslaved. Rhalk did everything he could to save them but was too late. His family member died in a bad way.¡± Lorcus raised his glass in a toast ¡°To love lost, may we never forget, may we remember the good.¡± With that they drained their glasses. ¡°How am I supposed to ask him for another round after hearing that story?¡± ¡°He¡¯s okay, it was a long time ago. Perhaps understanding why he acts the way he does will be enough. Hey Ralk, can we get another round?¡± ¡°Thank you Ralk.¡± Lorcus said after the man delivered their drinks. Ralk looked at him and grunted before walking back to the bar. ¡°Now don¡¯t get me wrong I enjoy your company and spending time with you, but I doubt you invited me here to try new drinks.¡± Agarora studied him for a long moment while sipping her drink, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to make of you. Most centaurs have limited access to Consoles, yet they all know more than you. From what I can tell you have no levels in any class and yet here you are, Console Commander of a dying farm. Not only that but you willingly put yourself in the middle of a feud with a Count. Cecrix offered you a ruby experience coin today and it didn¡¯t even phase you. You¡¯re like a baby in a new world and I¡¯m afraid for you. I want to help you.¡± Lorcus tapped his fingers on the side of his glass thinking. I should¡¯ve expected this. She¡¯s a little closer to the truth than she can know. How should I play this? ¡°You¡¯re right and you¡¯re wrong, I¡¯ve never worked for a console before. The first time I used one was to accept the position at the farm. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing but I made a commitment and I intend to see that through.¡± Agarora cut in saying ¡°you¡¯re going to get yourself killed! What can you even do there in six months? Basic vegetables will only give you so much experience, then what? Maybe you will be able to afford the skills and abilities at level one and maybe if you work really hard you can upgrade to level two but that¡¯s it. You could do so much more with a single ruby and do it safely.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, the last thing you said was ¡°do it safely¡±. I won¡¯t be threatened or run off by a noble who didn¡¯t get what he wants. I won¡¯t abandon a man who hired me to save him and his families legacy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re willing to die for your pride and an old mans vanity? He doesn¡¯t have any children so his legacy will die with him no matter what happens to the farm.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve given you my answer. If you want to help me than you can keep Cecrix off my back and let me know what the Count is planning.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that. If the Count found out¡­¡± She trailed off at the end looking into her glass and stirring it with her straw. ¡°Tell you what, I¡¯d still like to help you if I can. If you would like I can stop by the farm in my free time and help with knowledge and a willing set of hands.¡± Lorcus smiled and replied ¡°I would like that very much. Listen, it¡¯s getting late, and I need to get back to the farm.¡± ¡°Nonsense, you can stay here tonight. It would be dangerous to walk back in the dark. Ralk has rooms upstairs and we have an agreement that I can stay here when I get a little too drunk. I insist you stay here tonight.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t keep taking advantage of your generosity. First you give me experience coins and now a room.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, the room is free, come on, I¡¯ll show you up.¡± Getting up to his feet he was surprised by how tipsy he was when he staggered back a step before regaining his balance. ¡°Wow, they should rename that the planes crawler since you won¡¯t be able to stand after drinking a few of them.¡± She laughed, ¡°I know right, I¡¯ve been unable to find my bed a time or two while drinking these. You can hold onto me if you need the support.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Lorcus said while draping an arm around her. When they reached the stairs Lorcus said ¡°I didn¡¯t know horses could walk up stairs, how do you do it?¡± Agarora let out a huff, ¡°centaurs are not horses. We are people, we have brains and can do anything you humans can. When it comes to stairs, we just have to be a little more careful of our steps.¡± The two helped each other up the stairs without falling down and opened a door to a modest room. There was no bed, but the same pillows from downstairs. Agarora said ¡°goodnight before collapsing on the pillows.¡± ¡°Wait, we are sharing the room?¡± Lorcus asked. ¡°Yes, unless you are afraid. Don¡¯t worry, come here, I will hold you tight and keep you safe from all the evil demonic rabbits in the world.¡± Agarora said while spreading her arms wide. ¡°Ha, ha, very funny. Be warned I don¡¯t have any underwear and I like to sleep naked.¡± Lorcus replied while getting undressed. ¡°You humans are weird. The only thing I wear is a chest wrap which is coming off too. Just don¡¯t try anything.¡± ¡°Well, you did invite me to sleep naked with you in your room. It would be rude not to assume you wanted a little action.¡± Lorcus replied with a smile. She let out another huff before saying ¡°Good night Lorcus.¡± ¡°Good night Agarora.¡± Lorcus said while crawling into the nest of pillows. Chapter 5 - Pastries And A Plan Chapter 5 When Lorcus woke up the next morning it was to the feeling of fur pressed against his body. He remembered getting a little drunk last night and falling asleep with Agarora but not spooning her. His morning erection was pressed firmly into her back, and he considered just how weird this situation was. Agarora was laying in an almost L position. His face was pressed into her furry back and the top of his head was touching her smooth skin back. Should I cuddle her human half to make this less weird? But then she would be laying on my legs and that would be painful. Being as quiet as he could Lorcus put his clothes back on a snuck out of the room. Making his way downstairs he found Ralk cleaning. ¡°Good morning Ralk, those planes walkers were good last night. I just remembered that I didn¡¯t pay you for them.¡± Ralk replied ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. What does surprise me is that you remembered at all. It doesn¡¯t matter anyway, Agarora paid for everything.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to thank her later but here.¡± Lorcus dug into his coin pouch and pulled out five experience coins. ¡°I hope you will at least let me leave a tip.¡± Lorcus put the coins on the bar before walking out. Once outside he stretched and yawned when a smell caught his attention. Is that pastries I smell? Like a moth drawn to flame he walked down the street until he reached a cute small house with wildflowers growing in the yard. Is this someone¡¯s home or is it a business? He didn¡¯t know but at that moment the wind carried the smell of coffee to him, and he was walking up to the door before he knew it. ¡°Welcome, take a seat anywhere and we will be right over to help you.¡± A young girl called out when Lorcus entered the room. It was set up like a modern caf¨¦, so he sat at a small round table and enjoyed the atmosphere. There were towns people giving him curious glances every now and then but nothing hostile, so he relaxed. The same young girl who welcomed him to the shop came walking over to him with a mug and asked, ¡°Do you like verna water?¡± while she placed the mug in front of him. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you here before so I figured you should at least try it once. Go ahead, take a sip.¡± Deciding he had nothing to lose Lorcus took a sip. It wasn¡¯t quite coffee, but it was close. Close enough for him anyway. I didn¡¯t want to complain about not having coffee because every main character transported to a new world does, but this makes moving to a new world less daunting. ¡°This is excellent, why do you call it verna water though?¡± She looked pleased by his answer and said, ¡°because it¡¯s made from verna root. We take the root and boil it to get verna water.¡± ¡°That makes sense. You know where I came from, we had a drink like this but it was called coffee.¡± Lorcus said. ¡°And where are you from?¡± The girl asked. Walked right into that one. ¡°A small village, you wouldn¡¯t have heard of it. I love what you have going on here but what is it? Is this your home? What do you make?¡± She beamed at him and bounced on her toes ¡°Yeah this is our home, well, it¡¯s grandma¡¯s home. Everyone loved her baking, so she decided to make this room into a caf¨¦. We can bake just about anything but today we have pastry baked with honey and almonds. You can see it over there.¡± She said while pointing at another customer eating what looked like a danish. ¡°That would be perfect, thank you.¡± When Lorcus finished talking she smiled again and practically bounced into another room. The girl came back a few minutes later with his danish and cheerfully said, ¡°enjoy your meal and let me know if there is anything else I can get for you.¡± Happy to have found such a lovely place, Lorcus began eating and planning out his day. It would be great if I could hire someone to cook like this for me but there is no way I can afford to pay someone at this point. I need to find out more about how expensive everything is here. With that in mind, I should visit that carpenter Deloris told me about, then return to Kate to grab those supplies. With her lending me the plow, potentially getting wood and the catnip seeds I should have enough to keep me going for a little while. ¡°How was everything?¡± The server asked when she returned to the table. ¡°It was all excellent. You¡¯re not looking for a job cooking at my farm, are you?¡± Lorcus asked. ¡°No, I¡¯m too young for something like that. Grandma would go crazy.¡± ¡°Do you know anyone who might be?¡± ¡°Umm, Yarva might be. Her husband died and she moved in with her daughter. The only problem is that her son-in-law can¡¯t stand her. Keeps calling her a cock block, whatever that means.¡± Lorcus thought. No food is worth having a cock block around. ¡°I see, well that¡¯s a real shame for the son in law. Just out of curiosity, how much do you think she would want to be paid, and how much do I owe you?¡± The girl thought for a few moments and said ¡°I don¡¯t know. Grandma doesn¡¯t pay me; she just says that I should be happy to have a place to sleep and a full belly. Your meal comes to eight blues.¡± Lorcus reached into his pouch and pulled out ten blues. ¡°I¡¯m giving you an extra two for the great service. One more question though, I need to go see the carpenter. I believe his name is Freddy.¡± ¡°Thank you mister and I know Freddy. He usually comes here on the weekends. Just take the main road east of town until you reach the river, and you will see the mill.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me mister, my name is Lorcus.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m Margarete.¡± She dipped into a little curtsy before running off to the other room. ////// After a short walk out of town Lorcus saw the sawmill. It had a water wheel powering a saw blade that bobbed up and down as a man pushed a log through it. It was a smart design with the log being loaded on a sled before being cut. It was then sent down a chute where a cart was parked. Lorcus waved at the man to get his attention then looked around, waiting for the man to finish his task. There was wood everywhere, different types and sizes were either drying under the sun or stacked neatly in a long open air pole barn. Before he could go any further the man came over and introduced himself, ¡°Hi I¡¯m Freddy, don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve seen you around here before.¡± Lorcus shook the man¡¯s hand and introduced himself. ¡°Lorcus, I took over as Console Commander at Gerards farm.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should congratulate you or give you my condolences.¡± Freddy smiled and slapped Lorcus on the back. ¡°I¡¯m just messing with you, but really that¡¯s an interesting position to be in. What¡¯s this you have? Mind if I look at your staff? Looks like someone did a good job carving it.¡± ¡°Thank you, I had one to many near fatal encounters, so this guy was born.¡± Lorcus said handing over the staff. ¡°Great all-purpose weapon, a pain to carry around all the time though. If you want, I have a few strips of leather we could use to make a sling.¡± ¡°Sounds convenient but wouldn¡¯t that make it harder to use while wielding it?¡± Lorcus asked. Freddy replied ¡°Nah, a few buttons and the sling will come off easy enough. Tell me Lorcus, what brings you here?¡± ¡°Have you been to Gerard¡¯s farm lately?¡± ¡°Yes, I was there a few months ago. Gerard ordered some wood for the Console.¡± ¡°Good, so you know what I¡¯m dealing with. I need wood to repair the fence and a new door for the house.¡± Freddy chuckled, ¡°Yes, I know what you¡¯re dealing with. My advice would be to buy rough wood and sacrifice it to the console. It will lower the price of the repairs then let the console fix everything.¡± ¡°Wait, you mean the console can just fix the farm?¡± Freddy explained ¡°That is one of the benefits of being a Console controlled property. It¡¯s expensive but not prohibitively. After all I would more than likely charge you more to make a door than the console will cost. As for the fence, that¡¯s simple work, all you will need is a saw and you can fix it yourself.¡± Freddy walked over to the pile of wood he just cut. ¡°If you sacrifice a log to the console and it is enough wood to cover the project it will give you a twenty percent discount. This green wood will provide a thirty percent discount. Above that is cured lumber that will provide a fifty percent discount.¡± ¡°What if I didn¡¯t provide any materials to the Console? Would it just create its own wood to use?¡± Lorcus asked. ¡°No, in that case the Console would use raw resources within its range. In this case if there are no trees within the Consoles range than you won¡¯t be able to make upgrades or repairs.¡± ¡°Lay it out for me how much will it cost me for rough and cured lumber?¡± ¡°Just for the door I can sell you rough for forty experience and cured for seventy. The fence is harder since I don¡¯t know the extent of the damage.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say there are five posts that need to be replaced and sixteen rails. I¡¯m just gathering information at this point since Gerard left me no experience coins.¡± Freddy scratched his chin before saying ¡°I tell you what, I will give you enough rough lumber for the job and nails for the fence if you send me five logs.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Lorcus was surprised by the offer but not displeased, ¡°I would have no problem with that, the only problem is that I have no way to get them to you.¡± ¡°Easy, just push them into the creek behind your field and it will get to me. Just carve an L in the wood so I know it¡¯s from you. ¡°And how will I receive the wood? It¡¯s too far for me to carry back to the farm.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you a choice, either give me one more log or pay me forty experience coins and I¡¯ll have it delivered.¡± ¡°Why so much? That¡¯s the same amount that the rough lumber would cost.¡± ¡°You live on the other side of town, in the middle of the woods. It will take at least half a day to load and then transport the material to you. I use a third party and he charges by estimated time.¡± ¡°Alright, I get it. Since I¡¯m low on coins let¡¯s call it six logs, delivered.¡± ¡°Great, I will send the load to you as soon as I receive the six logs. Now that our business is concluded why don¡¯t we put that sling on your staff.¡± ¡°That would be great thank you.¡± The two men started walking over to one of the buildings when Lorcus asked, ¡°You seem to know a lot about Consoles, do you have one?¡± ¡°I do, it was hard to gather enough experience to buy it, but it has paid for itself over time.¡± Reaching the building Freddy started tightly wrapping leather around both ends of the staff. ¡°We will attach the buttons to these wraps then the sling will attach to the buttons. That should allow you quick access to the staff.¡± Lorcus made approving noises and asked, ¡°What kinds of benefits do you get from your Console?¡± ¡°Well, it started as a General-Purpose Console until I took the Loggers path. It gives bonuses to my loggers and speeds up production. I¡¯ve even bought timber strike for some of my workers that allows them to cut a tree down in one swing with an axe. They can only use it a few times a day but that¡¯s enough for us.¡± ¡°Can you tell me any more about the benefits? I¡¯m trying to get a better understanding of what the consoles can do.¡± ¡°As you can probably imagine, a small town like this only requires so much wood but we have a lot of trees. So, I sell a lot of it through the Console¡¯s market. Other Lumber-related Consoles have access to the same market so it¡¯s easy to trade with each other. Trade Consoles can also access the lumber market, but they must unlock it first. They usually don¡¯t bother unless there are no lumber related Consoles in the area. Then there are the usual stat boosts that we can unlock and of course we gain experience from cutting down trees within range.¡± ¡°That should do it.¡± Freddy said while handing the staff back to Lorcus. ¡°This will be a great help, how many coins would you like for the work?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, you can buy me a beer the next time we meet.¡± The two men shook hands and Lorcus left for Kate¡¯s shop. ////// When he arrived, Kate was with another customer, so Lorcus decided to look around the shop. She mostly had everyday items needed for normal life but every now and then he saw strange things. One of which was a small skull. Curious Lorcus picked it up and examined it. Why would she have something like this in her store? One minute I¡¯m looking at pots and the next a skull. ¡°Like what you see?¡± Kate asked, popping up behind him and nearly causing Lorcus to drop the skull. ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t sneak up on me like that!¡± ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s a habit from my old career.¡± Kate said with a smile. ¡°I bet.¡± Lorcus said skeptically. ¡°What is this?¡± he asked while putting the skull in front of her face. ¡°That is the skull of a Seeker Bat.¡± She said while plucking it from his hands. ¡°And why do you have the skull of a Seeker Bat in your shop?¡± ¡°You really are ignorant, aren¡¯t you? If you fuse the skull of a Seeker Bat with your Console it grants everyone associated with it night vision. Don¡¯t worry though this little beauty is out of your price range.¡± Kate instructed while putting it back on the shelf. ¡°Wow that¡¯s amazing, so any Console can be fused with something like this?¡± ¡°Not exactly, you need to unlock a slot for it first. Different Console types unlock slots at different levels. Then some consoles only allow certain types of items to be fused with them. It can be a pain to figure out but it¡¯s worth it for a buff like that if you ask me.¡± ¡°It definitely is. Why do you keep something so valuable out here in the open?¡± ¡°People know not to steal from me.¡± she said with a vicious grin. ¡°If they don¡¯t know that, I like to keep little gems like this out to tempt them and then I smack them with a hammer when they try to take it. After doing that a time or two people know not to mess with me.¡± Ruthless, Lorcus thought to himself. ¡°So, what brings you here today? It would be best if you didn¡¯t come here to often, people might get suspicious.¡± ¡°Suspicious like us secretly fucking?¡± Lorcus asked with a wink. Kate almost threw the skull at him but stopped just in time. She huffed and said ¡°Suspicious like us growing and distributing illegal items.¡± ¡°Right, that¡­ Anyway, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here to pick up the supplies.¡± ¡°I had everything sent to your farm this morning. I didn¡¯t want anyone getting curious about the seeds or bottles, so I packed them with the plow and bed.¡± ¡°That works, there is one more thing I was hoping you could help me with. I need shoes.¡± Lorcus said while showing her his cut foot. She gave him a toothy grin and asked in a baby voice, ¡°are my little Lorcus¡¯s human feetsies getting hurt?¡± Not taking the bate Lorcus responded, ¡°yes, they are. Where I came from people wore shoes and I would like a pair.¡± ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡± She huffed. ¡°Come over to the Console, what kind do you want, wood, cloth or silk?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t have to be pretty just functional and comfortable.¡± ¡°That takes out wood than. I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s not fun wearing them all day. With your budget that leaves cloth wraps.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it? Nothing with a little support that will protect me from sharp rocks?¡± ¡°They sell these.¡± She said while making a hologram appear over the console of a nice pair of shoes. ¡°The soles are made from a special type of bark that is pliable and waterproof and the top is leather.¡± ¡°Firstly, that hologram is awesome! Secondly, how much?¡± ¡°Pretty cool right. I unlocked this ability at level eleven. These cost four yellows. ¡°Ouch, I don¡¯t have four yellows.¡± ¡°No shit, I told you, you wouldn¡¯t be able to afford them.¡± ¡°Fine, at least I know how much I need to save up to buy them. If any pretty ladies walk in here looking to buy me a gift show them that, okay.¡± ¡°You wish, I¡¯ll have them buy you a wooden cup so you can go begging around town for experience. Sorry, that was mean. I can be a little abrasive at times.¡± ¡°No shit, I think you flayed a strip of skin off my back with that one. Well, thanks for showing me. Maybe I¡¯ll buy it when we start making money off the¡­¡± Lorcus looked around suspiciously before continuing, ¡°Product¡±. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t joke about it. If anyone finds out, we will be in serious trouble and the Count won¡¯t go easy on you. You will solve all his problems in one stupid move.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know the stakes are high for me. I have no intention of becoming a slave and turned into the Counts whipping boy. Always leave on a high note my mom used to say, so I will tell you a joke then head back to the farm to get some work done. Do you want to hear a bad cat girl joke?¡± Kate stared at him blank-faced. ¡°Just kitten!¡± Kate rolled her eyes and said, ¡°get out.¡± ////// Approaching Todds farm Lorcus noticed him picking weeds in the fields and yelled, ¡°Oye, Todd!¡± while waving at him. ¡°Lorcus, I heard you were here yesterday. Back from town so soon?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was nice to see the town and get a better handle on what I can do with the farm.¡± ¡°Get any ideas on what to farm?¡± Gerard asked. ¡°Actually, I was thinking about specializing in corn.¡± ¡°Corn, that¡¯s an odd choice.¡± ¡°Yeah well, I saw a lot of vegetable gardens on my way into town, but corn is one of those plants where you need a lot of space to get a decent harvest. I just so happen to have a large field in need of a crop, so it seems like a good fit.¡± ¡°Not the most valuable crop, but a good start. Gerard even left you seed corn.¡± ¡°I was able to get access to a plow and will need to plow the field, but I have no animals to help with that. Could I rent your son and an animal for the day to help.¡± ¡°I have no problem with that, when were you thinking?¡± ¡°I was planning on doing it in two days if you agree. Would that work for you?¡± ¡°That should be fine. Now for the important part, experience. We¡¯ll help you for¡­ three hundred blues.¡± Lorcus spent a moment thinking about the offer knowing he has very few experience coins. ¡°You know I don¡¯t have that many experience coins. If you¡¯re willing, I will pay you one hundred blues up front and another two hundred and fifty by the end of the month.¡± Todd reached out his hand and the two shook. With his business taken care of Lorcus continued down the road to his farm. ////// Laying directly in front of the hut was all the items Kate sent earlier in the day. Lorcus took a running start and leaped onto his new feather bed. Damn, it¡¯s good to be home. Now for some silk sheets and I¡¯ll be living the life of luxury. Enough play lets get this all put away before night falls. Deciding the most important items were the book and catnip seeds, Lorcus moved them into the hut and hid them as best he could in the hutch just in case someone came for a visit. Then he pulled the sheets and blankets off the straw mattress throwing them on the kitchen table before wrestling the straw mattress outside and storing it in the barn. Better to save this rather than burn it just in case Gerard returns. I will not be giving up my new feather mattress. Next, he wrestled the feather mattress into the hut which was surprisingly heavy considering it was made from feathers. There he realized he had a problem; the old straw mattress was roughly the size of a twin mattress back on earth and the feather was approximately the size of a queen. Deciding there was nothing he could do about if at the moment Lorcus moved the bedframe outside and leaned the mattress against the kitchen counter. The plow was exactly what Lorcus was expecting, a metal wedge hanging behind a large wooden wheel and two handles in the back almost like a wheelbarrow. On the ground next to it there were two harnesses, one for a human and one for an animal. It was easy enough to move without having the plow in the ground, so Lorcus moved it close to the field under a tree. With everything out of the weather for now Lorcus looked at the old bedframe. It was simple, four legs and a rectangular box connecting them. Strung between the two long ends of the rectangle was simple rope that held the mattress up. Same as the straw mattress I¡¯d rather not cannibalize this just in case it¡¯s needed again. Searching the shed Lorcus found the same style of rope used in the original bedframe and several pieces of wood stored in the loft. This looks like more than enough rope but not enough wood. I will have to get creative with this if I don¡¯t want to sleep with the mattress on the floor tonight. Searching the shed he found a saw but no measuring tape. Does this world even have a measurement system? They must considering how impossible it would be to build anything if all you have to go by is this big. Lorcus thought while spreading his arms open wide. I have enough wood for the four sides of the frame and two legs. Looks like I will have to nail one side of the frame to the wall. Grabbing two pieces of the wood Lorcus went back to the hut and measured the wood by the expedient way of holding it next to the mattress. Marking the length of the wood with his finger he used the bowie knife to score the length he wanted. A few hours later Lorcus had the frame in place and pressed on the ropes experimentally to make sure it would hold his weight. The end product of his work was a frame with two legs attached to one side, the other was nailed to the wall with several small pieces acting as spacers. Without a drill to make holes Lorcus simply wrapped the rope around the frame. The only issue is that the bed took up almost half the space in the hut. Priorities being what they were he moved the half standing table and questionable chairs out to the firewood pile besides the hut. Perfect, my first construction project in a new world with almost no tools or materials. With that Lorcus placed the mattress on the frame and made the bed with the sheets and pillows then relaxed on the bed eating a carrot and reading his new book on growing catnip. That¡¯s interesting, according to this catnip reaches maturity within three weeks. I don¡¯t know what it would be like on earth, but it can¡¯t be that fast. Curious if this was something plant specific, he grabbed the book Gerard left and skimmed until he found a section about growing corn. ¡° Hmm, corn will grow from seed to maturity within five to eight weeks. I remember hearing that the growing season on earth is approximately three months. Looks like growing here is twice as fast as on earth. This book also says that corn is a high-demand moisture crop requiring a moderate amount of water to grow efficiently.¡± Flipping back to the book about catnip he found that it was a drought resistant plant requiring very little water. That makes my idea of hiding the catnip in the middle of a corn field somewhat harder. That also explains why I haven¡¯t seen any full fields of corn around here with their let the rain water it mentality. Perhaps I would¡¯ve been well off just from the experience gained from selling the corn. Chapter 6 - This Is How Beast Waves Start Chapter 6 Early the next day Lorcus was standing in the field observing its poor condition. Eric will be here tomorrow to help me plow and this field is not ready for that. There are way too many weeds and saplings that the roots will make plowing a nightmare. I see two options; either burn the field or remove it all by hand. I¡¯m too lazy to pull them all up by hand and I doubt I could get all of that done in one day. I should try and save whatever is good first though. With a game plan in mind Lorcus went to the shed and grabbed a few baskets to store the picked vegetables in. ¡°Everything must go, any sapient plants growing in this field be warned this is your last opportunity to leave and escape the fire.¡± He then started making siren noises like he was warning the plants of an incoming bombing. I¡¯ve only been here a few days, but it would seem the solitude of the farm is already driving me crazy. After several hours of picking vegetables and singing songs to himself he had twelve full baskets of assorted vegetables. Last night I only ate a few carrots for dinner and no breakfast today. I think Deloris did it right by making a vegetable stew. ¡°Just throw it in a pot and let it boil all day.¡± Finding a dark and dry section of the shed, Lorcus stored the vegetables then grabbed the pot from the hut. He then filled the pot halfway full of vegetables then walked to the stream in the woods. It was a beautiful day, and the birds were out in force singing. I wonder what kind of birds they are. They don¡¯t seem like the kind of bird you would expect to live in a dangerous forest. Getting comfortable he filled the pot with water then skinned and washed the vegetables with his knife. Again, he felt like he was being watched. This time he didn¡¯t say anything aloud but searched the surrounding area. After a few minutes of that he decided if anyone was watching them, they must be really good at hiding because he couldn¡¯t see anything suspicious. ¡°Probably just another rabbit¡±. Returning to the hut Lorcus stoked the fire and hung the pot over it. Satisfied that dinner was taken care of, he took a burning log from the fire and returned to the field. There he gathered some dead branches and debris to make a small fire so it would be there when he was ready to burn the field. He then went to the shed and grabbed a sickle which he used to cut a five-foot path around the edge of the field. The thicker pieces he dug up using his knife since he couldn¡¯t find a shovel on the farm. ¡°That should keep the fence from burning and the fire from getting out of control. Removing the trees that fell on the fence will be to much work for today, good candidates to send to Freddy though.¡± Feeling that everything was ready Lorcus gathered the broken pieces of fence and threw it on the fire. Before long the brush in the field caught and the fire began to spread. Happy that the fire was spreading slowly, Lorcus grabbed his staff and began practicing the moves he came up with. Roughly an hour later almost a third of the field was burned and the fire was really taking off. The flames rose at least fifteen feet into the air. The heat coming off the flames was getting intense and Lorcus took a few steps back to keep from getting singed. ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting the fire to get that large¡­¡± Birds started flying out of the forest and began playing in the rising heat thermals. Lorcus was mesmerized by the beauty of the birds, so he took a seat leaning against a tree trunk to watch the show. He was surprised when a lizard jumped onto his shoulder. ¡°Hey there little guy, come to watch the birds playing in the fire too? Back on earth people would¡¯ve paid to see a show like this.¡± The lizard jumped off Lorcus¡¯s shoulder and ran towards the fire. ¡°Hey buddy don¡¯t get too close to that, or you will get burned.¡± Lorcus shouted at the lizard as it disappeared in the grass. Then another lizard crawled over his legs running to the fire. What the hell is going on here. This is quickly going from entertaining to weird. When the next lizard attempted to run past him Lorcus grabbed it and studied it. It was just a normal lizard, it wiggled trying to get out of his grasp when Lorcus noticed its eyes trail a red streak. Brought back to the trail of silver from the rabbit¡¯s eyes he dropped the lizard and wiped his hands on his coveralls while the lizard ran towards the fire. ¡°I think this is going to be a problem.¡± Just then one of the birds let out a piercing scream and Lorcus quickly looked up to see it diving into the flames. Are they all going to sacrifice themselves to the great fire? No, the bird came out of the other side trailing flames. Poor thing is burning alive. When the bird failed to die and hovered above the flames looking at them intently Lorcus knew he had a problem. Another piercing scream and the rest of the birds all flew into the fire. ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡± Lorcus said while getting to his feet. Looking down for the first time since the first bird flew into the fire, he saw beetles and ants moving to the flames in droves. Slightly panicked Lorcus grabbed his staff and the bucket he brought just in case the fire got out of control. He looked up and the birds were all on fire now circling the flames. He felt the wind pick up and before long the fire was one big flame shooting up into the sky with the birds circling it. Lorcus imagined this must be what it¡¯s like to be in a desert watching a sandstorm approach. Strong winds and unbearable heat while staring into your doom. Suddenly the birds all flew straight up then curled inward and dove into the center of the flames. It looked like a tower of fire reaching down from the sky. As the birds flew to the ground the fire bulged out then was pulled over the top and into the center. The tower quickly shrank until the birds came within ten feet of the ground then flew parallel to the ground in an expanding circle. Lorcus thought it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. Until he was engulfed in flames. The world turned red and orange, so Lorcus instinctually turned away from the flames and began rolling on the ground. That helped the searing pain, but his clothes were still smoldering, so he hastily took them all off and began doing a little dance while slapping various parts of his body. Regaining his senses he looked around and saw that everything was on fire. Thankfully the grass and small debris was burned up in the initial wave. So, there were clear spaces where he could stand. ¡°You fuckers!¡± Lorcus shouted, no longer considering the birds cute. A small object jumped off the tree next to him which turned out to be one of the lizards he saw earlier. The little lizard landed on his arm, unfortunately it was now on fire like the birds and quickly began burning his arm. Not thinking Lorcus swung his fist and crushed the lizard like a bug. Realizing he was now in a fight Lorcus found his discarded staff and prepared for battle. Another lizard jumped at him, so Lorcus swung the staff connecting with the lizard sending it flying. Soon he was swatting them out of the sky like he was in a baseball batting cage. After doing this for some time Lorcus felt a lot of somethings biting his feet. The lizards were still coming in hot and fast, so Lorcus dove to the side, rolling over his shoulder to gain some distance. That¡¯s when he realized the bites were the ants and that they were on fire as well. He brushed and slapped and stomped the little buggers until a lizard landed on his ass. ¡°Fuck!¡± Lorcus shouted, swiping the lizard off him, and running through the woods towards the still burning field. The fire was going just as strong, and the ground was uncomfortably hot to say the least. It had one good thing going for it though which was no trees for the lizards to jump off. Breathing heavily, the hot air seared his lungs. I¡¯ve got to figure something out, there is no way I can stay this close to the fire for long. ¡°Fuck, you, you, fucking, beetles!¡± Lorcus shouted while crushing the beetles with the butt of his staff. They kept coming like their individual lives didn¡¯t matter as long as they killed him. Then the lizards caught up and jumped out of the flames on the ground aiming for every point on his body. Lorcus turned into a whirl wind dodging, hitting, and crushing for an unknown amount of time. Then the birds joined the fun. Coming in like dive bombers, their claws ripped open his skin. After taking a few good shots Lorcus figured out that the birds were attacking him in a predictable pattern. Soon he was bashing them out of the sky as well while still fighting the lizards and bugs on the ground. Always moving Lorcus bobbed and weaved until he heard a bird make a caw noise that sounded like ¡°Wings of The Inferno¡±. ¡°Oh hell no¡± Lorcus called out seeing the bird in question shoot blades of fire out of its wings towards him. Lorcus ran. He didn¡¯t know where he was running since all the dodging and fighting left him with no sense of direction and all the landmarks he knew were either burned or on fire. He successfully outran the birds attack, but they didn¡¯t give up. The birds still took cheap shots at him, cutting open wounds all over his body. At this rate I¡¯m going to die from blood loss before the fire gets me. Breaking through a set of trees Lorcus saw the stream and dove into it. The cold water was a balm on his burning skin. Sooner than he would¡¯ve liked Lorcus had to come up for air. The sight that greeted him was not comforting. The woods on his side of the stream was completely engulfed in flames and there was a line of burning bugs and lizards arrayed against him. Birds flew through the trees singing to each other while others were perched on branches watching him intently. The stalemate lasted for several solid minutes until Larger burning creatures started showing up. First it was squirrels who threw flaming acorns and various other debris at him. Then snakes slithered up to the battle line, followed by things he didn¡¯t have names for. This doesn¡¯t look good. At this rate I¡¯ll be fighting flame tigers or some shit like that. One of the creatures that looked like a monkey picked up a rock which caught flames in its hands and grunted out ¡°Flames of the Meteor¡±. He then threw the rock in the air, when it reached its zenith it suddenly picked up speed and doubled in size heading straight for him. Lorcus dove beneath the surface of the water again hoping he would be deep enough to not be hit by that thing. With a thump and sizzle the rock hit the water just barely missing Lorcus. Relieved to be alive and unsure how to get out of this situation Lorcus was getting desperate. That¡¯s when he saw a giant frog swim through the water past him. Suddenly there were fish and other aquatic animals all around him. Deciding to go with the flow, he followed his new aquatic friends up to the surface just in time to see the frog pushing its palms out followed by a jet of water. ¡°It¡¯s on now bitches!¡± Lorcus shouted as he climbed out of the stream brandishing his staff and charging the battle line of fire creatures. The jet of water fired by the frog had put the battle line in disarray and extinguished the flames in a path stretching thirty feet into the woods. Just before contacting the enemy dozens more streams of water were shot at the fire creatures and Lorcus grinned as he swung his staff. Just like that he was once again a whirling dervish cutting down anything in his path. As he was reaching his stride a stream of water hit him on the back of the head sending him sprawling on the ground. ¡°Not cool guys. I¡¯m on your side.¡± Raising his head and crushing some fire ants Lorcus saw chaos. Water and fire lizards were fighting like kung fu masters, spinning kicks and palm strikes made him wince at the ferocity. Frogs were eating bugs with their long tongues, while the flame birds swooped in to cut the fish while they shot streams of water at the flying foe. One of the monkey like creatures appeared by Lorcus¡¯s head holding a rock up high. It was obvious that the thing was going to bash his head in, so Lorcus swept his staff around taking the creature¡¯s feet out from under it. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Lorcus quickly got back up to his feet and struck it with the butt of his staff. The staff went through the monster¡¯s eye, and it let out a scream. When he pulled the staff back the monkey¡¯s head came with it like the staff was stuck in the creature¡¯s eye. Lorcus drove the staff back down which split its head open like a melon making a squelch sound. There was no time to celebrate, as a long tongue wrapped around Lorcus¡¯s neck. The frogs grip with its tongue was incredible, quickly cutting off his air. Lorcus swung his staff again, but it just bounced off the tongue. Several more swings provided no better results and Lorcus found himself on his knees while his vision closed in. In desperation Lorcus dropped his staff and grabbed the tongue with both hands. It was no good, he couldn¡¯t break its grip. Lorcus heard someone yelling his name and thought he knew who it was. There, another voice calling him, it was Todd. Lorcus turned his head and saw Eric and Todd fighting with their staffs. They came for me; too bad they were late. Lorcus thought sadly. Fury blossomed in Lorcus¡¯s chest, and he both pushed with one hand and pulled with the other. The tongue snapped like an old piece of string. Gasping for breath Lorcus unwrapped the tongue from his neck watching as a bird completely covered in flames hit the frog beak first, cutting through the frogs entire body and coming out the other side. Grabbing his staff, Lorcus stumbled onto his feet and made his way over to the father son duo. ¡°What the fuck is going on Lorcus?¡± Eric asked angrily. Todd said ¡°We saw that pillar of fire from our farm and rushed over here to see what¡¯s happening. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they saw it in town. Good thing we did, it looks like you won¡¯t last much longer out here by yourself. And why are you naked?¡± Lorcus said, ¡°No time for that now, we need to get out of here. Look, the water creatures are pushing back the fire ones. We should be able to get back to the field. This way.¡± The three of them started fighting their way towards the field and were making good progress until another group joined the fight. Holes started appearing all around the battlefield and moles threw clumps of rock-hard dirt at everything in sight. The three men scrambled for cover when Lorcus heard a squeak. I know that squeak. Lorcus thought. Instinctually Lorcus raised his staff in a blocking position. He was just in time to block a kick from a rabbit. The rabbit rebounded doing a back flip and landing in front of Lorcus. The two stared into each other¡¯s eyes with no love lost. ¡°I won¡¯t go down as easily as last time¡± Lorcus said. Lorcus could see the rabbit¡¯s muscles tense preparing for another leap when a flaming lizard landed on its back. The rabbit¡¯s kinetic energy was used to send it straight up in the air due to it¡¯s surprise. Lorcus didn¡¯t miss the opening, he quickly swung his staff overhead and helped the rabbit find its way back down to the ground. A crunch followed as the rabbit¡¯s bones were destroyed. Looking around Lorcus saw Todd jumping around swatting fire ants off his legs and Eric battling what looked like a very large chicken. Lorcus was impressed, Eric clearly knew what he was doing with the staff, using it like a master. The chicken thing was jumping around like a jedi master scoring cuts here and there on Erics body with its spur. This was no honorable duel, so Lorcus ran over and swung his staff like a pro golfer sending the chicken into a tree. The Chicken¡¯s neck snapped on impact. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here!¡± Todd yelled running past the two men and not stopping to see if they were following. ¡°Dad! Don¡¯t get separated from us!¡± Eric yelled after him. Eric started running after his father when Lorcus saw something big running through the woods. It looked like a deer, but its eyes were glowing green. The deer jumped over the stream trampling down any creature in its way until it headbutted Todd, sending him sprawling on the ground, unmoving. ¡°Dad!¡± Eric shouted again. ¡°Why is there a wood element beast here? They shouldn¡¯t be this close to the forests edge.¡± That¡¯s when Lorcus realized what was so odd about the creature. It was made entirely of wood. The deer had an impressive rack of antlers that were razer sharp at the tip. Its body was made of thick branches that were twisted together. It pawed the ground standing between Todd and Eric. ¡°Get my dad out of here. I¡¯ll take care of this beast.¡± Eric said with bravado while twirling his staff. The deer charged, Eric roared and ran towards the deer. Lorcus took the opportunity to run to Todd. Focused on reaching Todd, Lorcus didn¡¯t see the fight, but he could hear grunts of pain and the sound of wood hitting wood. Finally reaching Todd, Lorcus thought this doesn¡¯t look good. He is bleeding from his ears and his heart rate is low. I¡¯m afraid to even move him in case his neck is broken. ¡°Don¡¯t you die on me old man. I still have a lot to learn from you and your family needs you.¡± Eric yelled and Lorcus turned around to see that he had a large cut across his chest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Todd, your son needs me. Don¡¯t give up old man.¡± Lorcus jogged over to the two combatants asking, ¡°What are we doing here Eric?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. My staff just bounces off it without doing any damage. I¡¯ve only heard about these things in stories, and they were killed either by being cut apart or burned.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have any way to cut it so maybe we can lure it into one of these fires.¡± Lorcus suggested. Eric replied ¡°We can try but they aren¡¯t stupid, and I doubt they will die from a mild exposure to flames. What about my dad?¡± ¡°He¡¯s¡­ He¡¯s not well, I¡¯m afraid to move him in case he has a broken neck.¡± Hearing this Eric yelled and rushed the deer. The deer lowered its head ready to gore Eric. Eric managed to block the attack but stumbled onto his knee. Lightning quick, the deer spun around and kicked Eric in the head. Eric went down like a sack of bricks. This isn¡¯t good. Now I must fight this thing while protecting those two from all the other creatures still fighting around us. It looks like the other creatures are avoiding this one though. What can I use to fight this thing? The antlers must be close to four feet wide, it will be hard to dodge at close range. The deer lowered its head and charged. Lorcus stood firm for a few moments before noping out and jumping to the side. ¡°Fuck that!¡± Lorcus yelled as he started running. I haven¡¯t even bought a single modifier yet. I can¡¯t just leave Todd and Eric to die though. With his newfound morality Lorcus spun back around. The deer wasn¡¯t far behind him, wood antlers lowered and ready to gore him. He leveled his staff with the ground which was caught in the deer¡¯s antlers. The creature was strong enough that the block didn¡¯t stop its momentum and Lorcus was picked up off his feet and carried on its head. Before long Lorcus was bashed against a tree. The force knocked the wind out of him, and he thought he cracked a few ribs. The deer didn¡¯t let up and began thrashing its head back and forth. Cuts were opened all along his arms. In panic Lorcus tried to push the deer¡¯s head away from him when his thumb was caught in the creature¡¯s eye. Not thinking about it Lorcus pushed harder and harder until he felt a squish and the deer let out a howl. Green slime covered Lorcus up to the elbow and splattered his chest. The deer reared back and began to turn around to get distance from him. ¡°OH no you don¡¯t. I got you now.¡± Lorcus pushed off the tree and threw himself on the deer¡¯s back. Soon he was holding on for his life as the deer ran. Trying to stay on the creatures back was difficult so Lorcus put his staff under the deer¡¯s neck and pulled. ¡°It looks like you have to breath, asshole!¡± Lorcus yelled as the deer began struggling for breath. Unfortunately, the deer wasn¡¯t looking where it was going, and the staff got caught between two trees causing the deer to come to a sudden halt. This sent Lorcus flying over the deer¡¯s head and landing painfully on his hurt back. Rolling onto his stomach Lorcus looked back at the deer. It was a mess; green goo was running down its snout and it was obviously trying to keep pressure off its front left hoof. The two stared at each other for a few long moments while Lorcus tried to come up with a plan. I lost my staff and have no other weapons, on top of that I¡¯m naked, bleeding and burned. This doesn¡¯t look good. I have to get back to Todd and Eric. Lorcus began wheeling to the side to get behind the deer. Its head swiveled not letting him out of its sight until it had to move its body. Once that first hoof left the ground it charged again. In a blink it was on him, Lorcus grabbed the deer at the base of the antlers but that didn¡¯t do anything as he was knocked to the ground again. Holding it with one hand to keep its sharp antlers away from him Lorcus groped for something to hit it with. His hand found a rock and Lorcus began bashing the side of the creature with it. ¡°Loose!¡± Lorcus heard before a dozen flaming arrows hit the deer on its side. The wood deer let out a howl and reared back. Not liking the look of this Lorcus rolled to the side just before the hooves came back down where his head was. ¡°Charge!¡± the same voice called. Suddenly it sounded like a stampede and Lorcus looked over to see dozens of centaurs charging the deer. Realizing the situation was now against it, the deer ran away and before long it jumped the stream and disappeared into the forest. The centaurs charged past Lorcus except for one. ¡°What caused this and what happened to you?¡± Agarora asked as she looked down on Lorcus. She was wearing far more than her chest wrap today. She was decked out in leather armor from her human neck to her horse rump. A bow and quiver were attached to her back, and she held a lance in her hand. ¡°You¡¯re a beautiful sight to see.¡± Lorcus said weakly dropping his head to the ground with a thump. ¡°You have a lot of explaining to do. For now, we need to finish the rest of these beasts. Can you stand?¡± ¡°Yeah, just give me a moment.¡± Lorcus said while looking up at a burning tree canopy. ¡°Did you find Todd and Eric?¡± ¡°What? They are out here too?¡± Agarora said with surprise. Lorcus got to his feet and said, ¡°They are, last time I saw them they were both unconscious and Todd was barely alive. Come on they were this way.¡± ¡°Wait, grab your staff.¡± Agarora called after Lorcus before he got a few steps. Spinning around Lorcus scooped it up and began running again. When they reached the two men, they saw Todd covered by fire ants eating his flesh. Eric was still unconscious but thankfully unmolested. Lorcus ran over to Todd and began brushing the ants off him. Blood covered Lorcus¡¯s hands before long, when the ants were gone he checked Todds pulse but didn¡¯t find one. ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡± Lorcus said sadly. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do for the dead.¡± Agarora said while she knelt in front of Eric. ¡°This one is still alive. We should defend them while the centaurs kill the rest of these beasts.¡± Time passed as they defended the two bodies and before long it was over. Lorcus dropped to the ground panting for breath when no more beasts were seen. Cecrix approached him with the rest of the centaurs at his back. His eyes blazed as he went straight for Lorcus. ¡°You filthy, stupid, reckless, human! Do you realize how disastrous this could¡¯ve been? If we hadn¡¯t showed up when we did¡­¡± When Cecrix was a few feet from Lorcus, Agarora stepped between the two and said ¡°Calm down Cecrix, we don¡¯t even know what happened yet. Give him a chance to explain himself.¡± The two stared at each other as Cecrix visibly tried to regain control of himself. ¡°Fine, talk human.¡± Cecrix demanded. So Lorcus did. He started with the field burn then the birds showing up. He told them how they caused the fire to get out of control, followed by the evolving battle. He told them how Todd and Eric showed up with a long pause as he stared at Todd¡¯s lifeless body. ¡°You know the rest of the story.¡± Agarora spoke in a calm voice, ¡°Almost anywhere else what you did would¡¯ve been fine. Unfortunately, we live on the edge of the great forest. Have you ever heard about beast waves?¡± Lorcus nodded his head indicating that he had. ¡°Well, this is how beast waves start. You see for whatever reason a group of beasts get riled up and attract their counter element. When they meet a battle ensues. Before long other elements are drawn into the fight and it grows like a snowball rolling downhill. Eventually a strong enough beast will emerge and take control of the beasts and give them purpose. Usually that purpose is killing sapient species like humans and centaurs. They see towns like ours as targets of destruction.¡± Cecrix cut in saying, ¡°You hear that asshole; you almost caused the destruction of the entire town and everyone in it. Thankfully you only got one of your friends killed.¡± while pointing at Todd. Lorcus couldn¡¯t respond, he just stared at Todds body. ¡°Enough of this, I¡¯m going to drive this lesson deep into him.¡± Cecrix said as he strode towards Lorcus again. Agarora tried blocking him, but Cecrix just pushed her aside. He grabbed Lorcus by the neck and pulled him to his feet. Then he began punching Lorcus. Fatigue, relief to be alive, sorrow for Todd, and shame for almost causing a beast wave left Lorcus in a lethargic state. He didn¡¯t try to resist and before long he was unconscious. ¡°Enough Cecrix, you will kill him!¡± Agarora shouted. ¡°I should¡¯ve killed him the first time I saw him.¡± Cecrix said while still striking Lorcus. ¡°The Count said not to kill him.¡± Cecrix turned to her with fury burning in his eyes. ¡°I know what the Count said. I also know the Count makes mistakes! Maybe if you did your job we wouldn¡¯t be here right now.¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t even been here a week. No one could complete a task like that so soon. I need time! You beating him near to death won¡¯t make that task any easier.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Cecrix said while throwing Lorcus at her hooves. ¡°You can take care of him then. We will patrol the area and put out the rest of these fires while making sure there are no more beasts in the area. Thank the Console I didn¡¯t see any metal aligned creatures, but I need to make sure there are none in the area.¡± He then pointed at two of the centaurs standing close by and instructed them to return Todd and Eric to their farm.