《Baking Bread》 Chapter 0001 - The First Batch With practiced ease, Brad brought down the axe, splitting what must have been the millionth log in his life. [+1 Endurance] Even his stats mocked him. For months he¡¯d failed to gain the necessary spiritual attributes of an alchemist¡¯s apprentice. He¡¯d poured over tomes and tomes of alchemical knowledge, but his Wisdom never budged from a measly four. He¡¯d invested all of his life savings for the chance to work for an Alchemy Master. Day in and day out, for almost a year, he¡¯d followed all of the Capital¡¯s Alchemist¡¯s order to a tee. He¡¯d scrubbed floors, gathered herbs and concocted basic potions, but all he had to show for it was one attribute gain in Intelligence. It was always the stats he didn¡¯t need that advanced. Brad cleared the notification away and brought his axe down on the next log. It was his second physical attribute gain in as many days, bringing his Endurance up to fourteen. The next log went flying when the axe came down with a lot more force than necessary. ¡°That axe didn¡¯t do ye nothing,¡± said a no-nonsense voice, instantly recognizable as Brad¡¯s father. He was a stocky man, probably the largest man in the village; even the blacksmith¡¯s large arms were nothing compared to the tree-trunks the man wielded as arms. ¡°Just chopping wood,¡± Brad said in a tired voice that was almost drowned out by the early morning birdsong. Brad¡¯s father looked the reedy youth up and down in the dim morning light. His coppery red hair was exactly like the boy¡¯s mother has been, but other than that his son was an exact replica of what he had been like at that age. Tall as sin, but skinnier than an unstuffed scarecrow. The older man sighed with a tinge of sadness, the boy had left more than a year ago at least a foot shorter. Pants that had once been too long now exposed the entirety of the boy¡¯s ankles and he¡¯d missed all of it. ¡°That¡¯s enough fer now,¡± the man said, trying to focus on the present. He wasn¡¯t sure yet how he would find his son in this returned stranger, but he would do his damnedest, ¡°let¡¯s git the fire goin¡¯.¡± Misinterpreting his father¡¯s expression for one of disappointment, Brad bristled, stiffening his spine in defense. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± he gritted through his teeth before slamming the axe through one final piece of wood, securing it into the chopping block below. [+1 Strength]
¡°Say what now!?¡± His father¡¯s unexpected exclamation nearly made Brad drop the entire tray of loaves he¡¯d just pulled from the oven. Glancing over to the doorway that connected the bakery to the shop, he almost expected to see his father standing there. Instead he found only an empty doorway that carried bits and pieces of a conversation between his father¡¯s raised voice and what seemed to be like the garrison¡¯s quartermaster. ¡°By tomorrow?!¡± his father was saying. ¡°¡­ finished the wall and¡­ king ordered retreat.¡± ¡°What about the town?!¡± his father asked as Brad approached the doorway in an attempt to better hear their conversation; it was strange for his old man to get this heated up about something, especially when it came to the king¡¯s soldiers. ¡°The town council has already been advised, and from what I¡¯ve heard it seems like they too are retreating behind the wall.¡± ¡°How can ye expect these people to leave their lives behind like that, at a drop of the hat?¡± ¡°Come now Vincent, you know this has been a long time coming,¡± the old quartermaster said in a measured tone, as if he¡¯d already parroted the same line a thousand times. ¡°Less than half the town is left as it is, people have been retreating behind the new boundary for months. The Baron is being extremely generous in providing the refugees with shelter and¡ª¡± ¡°But at what cost?¡± his father cut in, fuming. Brad was standing in the doorway now with a clear view of the two men. His father had a rigid stance, with balled fists at his side, veins bulging at his forehead. He¡¯d never seen his father that upset before, not even when they¡¯d had ¡®the fight¡¯ before he left; the sight caught him off-guard. ¡°He¡¯s not doin¡¯ it out of the pure goodness of his heart now is he?¡± his father asked. ¡°How much he charging on the coin? These people are going to be indebted fer life if not generations!¡± The quartermaster stared him down as if not sure he should pretend to have some kind of allegiance to the Baron. Eventually the old man sighed, apparently deciding it was beyond his pay-grade. ¡°Ye be careful with what you say now, especially in front of that young one of yours,¡± he nodded in Brad¡¯s direction without taking his eyes off his father. ¡°Thing is Vinny-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t Vinny me, I¡¯m not a-¡± ¡°Sht, be quiet and listen for once, ye hot headed oaf.¡± His father glared, but surprisingly kept his silence and the leathery old quartermaster continued. ¡°Tomorrow the garrison is pulling out, that¡¯s final. King¡¯s orders. The border losses have been too many here on the Shadowlands. King has decided he¡¯s got enough problems with his human neighbors, he doesn¡¯t want to deal with the growing unrest of the monsters as well.¡± ¡°But-¡± The old man held up a finger and said, ¡°Not finished.¡± Brad¡¯s father snapped his mouth shut. The old man nodded and continued, ¡°Now. The men are bringing all our grain over today and all I ask is that you bake as much bread as you can in the next two days. We are going to leave in three days and I expect that the rest of the town will want to follow. It¡¯s going to be a long three week journey on foot and we will need as many dry rations as we can get. Of course, you¡¯ll be compensated accordingly¡­ Now, questions?¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°¡­Pa,¡± Brad braved for the first time since the quartermaster¡¯s visit the day before. They¡¯d been baking nonstop, milling the grain, tending the fire, kneading the dough, firing the ovens, chopping wood¡­ Brad was exhausted. ¡°Pa¡­ what is going on? Are we¡­ leaving as well?¡± ¡°NO!¡± his father shouted and the storm clouds that had nearly dissipated from his eyes were back in an instant. Brad shrank back, and the older man realized he had unintentionally leaned forward menacingly. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± the nearly sixty year old man said, wiping a hand over his face. He never looked his age, but in that moment it looked like the years had finally caught up to him. ¡°Sorry son¡­¡± he said grabbing Brad¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ a lot. But I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re here. So glad you¡¯re back.¡± The big man¡¯s voice cracked with emotion on the last word and Brad was completely taken aback. These weren¡¯t the kinds of words his father used¡­ ever, and he wasn¡¯t quite sure what to do with them. Part of him nearly broke down at the words that nighed on approval, but the bigger part was wary and afraid of how often he¡¯d managed to disappoint this man. All Brad had ever wanted was to make him proud. As a boy he¡¯d tried to emulate him as much as possible, followed him around every second of the day. He¡¯d learned all there was to know about bread, people in the town joked that he could bake before he could walk. Growing older though, he became more and more aware of the fact that there was so much more to the world than just bread and one day he realized that he didn¡¯t want to follow in his father¡¯s footsteps; he didn¡¯t want to be a baker. He wanted adventure, like his mother. For years he had to glean information about his mother¡¯s life as an adventurer, and adventurers in general, from others in the town. It wasn¡¯t very hard, the woman was somewhat of a legendary mage and over time he realized he wanted to be exactly like her. It took him months, but when he turned of age at sixteen he finally built up the courage to confront his father about his dreams. At the time he¡¯d wanted the man¡¯s support, but things ended up going a lot worse than he¡¯d expected. In weeks Brad was almost completely estranged from the father he¡¯d once been so close to. It all went downhill from there until the day of¡­ ¡®the fight¡¯. It ended with Brad leaving for the capital. In the end, things didn¡¯t work out as he had hoped. Brad was ashamed of his failure, but with nowhere else to turn to¡­ he came home. He¡¯d come back weeks ago almost certain his father would kick him out. Instead, the big man had broken down into tears and taken him into his arms in a hug so tight he almost heard his bones cracking. Their semi-mute coexistence in the weeks that followed almost had Brad convinced he¡¯d dreamed the encounter, at least until now. It was the first time he¡¯d been welcomed back in words and he was almost unable to hold the emotion that slammed into him back. He wasn¡¯t twelve anymore, he couldn¡¯t cry about things like this. ¡°M-me too pa¡­ me too.¡± They were silent for a moment longer before his dad spoke up, ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet what we¡¯ll do, but we got te finish processin¡¯ all this grain either way. We¡¯ll need the bread if we go and we¡¯ll need the gold if we stay¡­ and if we go.¡± Brad nodded, looking around the bakery he grew up in. It was one of the only stone buildings of the town. His father had once had big aspirations. The shop had seen better days, but it was still a sturdy enough, especially when compared to the other rundown buildings of the little town. Brad sighed, he¡¯d never considered abandoning this place, not even when he¡¯d left a year ago. He¡¯d always known he could come back if he wanted, but now¡­
The next couple days went by in a blur. Brad was hit with a tiredness debuff early on but kept gaining attributes in endurance as a result. By the end of the ordeal he¡¯d gained another three points in endurance, bringing him up to seventeen. It was hard to rejoice in his remarkable growth when the town was in a panic all around him. By now everyone already knew that the garrison was leaving, but most weren¡¯t waiting for them. No one wanted to be left behind and most weren¡¯t sure they¡¯d be able to keep up with the soldiers¡¯ pace. Traveling this close to the Shadowlands, this close to the full moon wasn¡¯t a good idea and everyone knew it. ¡°Everyone but the king apparently,¡± his father muttered under his breath, looking about as tired as Brad felt. They¡¯d never made so many sales in such a short amount of time before, but in the same way Brad found it hard to celebrate his growth, he did not see his father happy about the unexpected windfall. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen if the beasts attack in th¡ª¡± ¡°When. Not if¡­¡± his father said, not taking his eyes off the racks in the oven. Brad¡¯s display still showed him the counter on each of the racks; it was a perk of the Bakery Operations skill-tree. It contained most of the skills he¡¯d learned while baking: Baking, Kneading, Firemaster, Milling, Bartering and even Concocting which he¡¯d learned in the capital but had somehow ended up inside the skill-tree. Brad never told his father about it. At the time he¡¯d only seen it as an anchor, trying to tie him in place when all he wanted was to flee. Now, he wasn¡¯t quite sure how to bring it up or even if he did; he still didn¡¯t want to be a baker. The timers counted down slowly, but his father still refused to look at him while he spoke. ¡°A lot of people are going to die,¡± he said in a slow and measured voice, ¡°all we can do is help as many as we can.¡± His father pulled out a tray and dumped the fresh loaves on a counter before rapidly placing the raw loaves in their place; the tray was out of the oven for less than a minute and forty new loaves were already being baked, his agility had to be at least in the thirties. Brad often wondered what his father¡¯s stats were, but he¡¯d never worked up the courage to ask. ¡°Help?¡± Brad asked with a chuckle, ¡°with bread? What¡¯s bread going to do against a monster?¡± He regretted his words the moment he spoke them, but it was already too late to take it back. He hadn¡¯t slept for three days and the fatigue was catching up to him; he¡¯d never meant to antagonize his father. This was the most they¡¯d interacted with each other in a long time. It almost felt like it used to between them, but then he had to go there and stick his foot in his mouth. He cringed, expecting his father to blow up at him. Instead, the man¡¯s reply came stone-cold, his father staring right through him while he said, ¡°There¡¯s power in bread, don¡¯t forget that.¡± Brad frowned, but his father was already kneading the next batch. He didn¡¯t have time to reply before heading out to mill whatever else the soldiers had brought. The rest of the day continued in much the same way. Any baker would have been envious of the Bakery Operations progressions of that day. He¡¯d have killed for that kind of progression in Alchemy.
Bakery Operations [Novice 04.2%] (+2.9%) -Baking [Beginner 28.1%] - Kneading [Beginner 15.7%] - Fire Mastery [Beginner 59.4%] - Milling [Beginner 63.3%] - Bartering [Novice 55.9%] - Concocting [Novice 08.2%]
[Bakery Menu: UNAVAILABLE] [Requirement: Functional Bakery]
He¡¯d already gained a nearly whopping three percent skill progression. His eyes kept veering to the words ¡®Functional Bakery¡¯ and he knew exactly what it meant. He could never let his father know that he¡¯d acquired the necessary skill-tree. Chapter 0002 - Yeast time for Change A dirt road stretched into the horizon, a small cloud of dust rose up in the distance; it was the only sign left of the retreating garrison. The quartermaster had said three days, but it had taken them five to organize the nearly three-hundred strong battalion for an extended march. Brad and his father had baked non-stop, but it still hadn¡¯t been enough to get through the entire stock of grain they¡¯d been supplied. There were still sacks upon stacks in their warehouse that no longer served a purpose. Shadowbane had been turned into a ghost-town. Save for a straggler here or there, still rushing out to try and catch up with the soldiers, the cobbled streets were completely empty. Not even a week ago, they¡¯d been filled with the hustle and bustle of a normal border-town. Now, Brad could hear a window being smashed in two blocks over; the human vultures had set in. It was pure chaos and yet, his father refused to let himself be influenced by it and continued to operate his store as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening; the sign was still flipped to ¡®OPEN¡¯ every morning at five am sharp. Brad would sometimes open his mouth to say something. He wanted to ask when they should start getting ready; he was worried about staying too long. He¡¯d seen neighbors starting to turn against each other and didn¡¯t want to be around as a potential target for any longer than he had to. Casually, Brad started to gather his things. One day he put a bag to the side, the next he put away a couple blades, an extra pair of shoes, an extra pair of pants and two shirts his father had just purchased for him the week before, and so it went. It took two more days for them to work their way through all the supplied grains; in the end all of the farmers had wanted to exchange grain for bread and his father had refused to turn down a single person. Brad caught himself tapping his foot anxiously and jumping at any unexpected sounds; he was on edge. His anxiety grew throughout the day and the next. He tried to keep as busy as he could, continuing to mill his way through the grain storage. They¡¯d received barley from two years ago and wheat from the year before that. Had his skill in milling been any less, they would have lost most of the product. As it was, they were able to extract plenty of flour which he then stacked up into neat rows for bread he doubted would ever be baked. It served to keep him busy, but it wasn¡¯t enough to keep his worries at bay; it was finally the day of the full moon. Brad¡¯s father was lighting the fire when he walked down into the bakery. ¡°Pa¡­¡± he said, announcing himself when the man finished the task, ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think we will be needing much of a fire today.¡± His dad turned around to face him with a confused look on his face¡°And why d¡¯ye gather that?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± he wasn¡¯t sure how to broach the subject, ¡°there aren¡¯t any customers left for one¡­ and we still have about five hundred loaves left from yesterday.¡± ¡°There are still people out there that need our help,¡± his father said. ¡°Yeah¡­ Vagrants,¡± Brad said, ¡°everyone who was anyone has already left. We¡¯ve done our share Pa, we need to go if we want to survive tonight¡¯s attack. Even the adventurer¡¯s guild packed up shop and left.¡± ¡°You think leaving now will guarantee our safety? You think the monsters won¡¯t take to the road when they notice us gone?¡± ¡°Well I¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± Brad said, ¡°but it sure as goblin meat beats sitting still. At least we will have safety in numbers.¡± ¡°Last of the garrison left yesterday,¡± his father said, ¡°even if we leave now we won¡¯t catch up to them.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got Edmund¡ª¡± ¡°You think that old mule we been workin¡¯ te death this week is going te be able to walk¡­ or even stand in the foreseeable future? We¡¯d be better off carrying it on our backs¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Brad said, running out of ideas, ¡°What do you want then? Why are we still here!? Was it your intention to stay here on a suicide mission this whole time?!¡± ¡°Course not,¡± his father said, turning to his work-station already kneading a new batch of bread. ¡°Well then¡­ then what!?¡± Brad demanded after a minute of continued silence. ¡°I¡¯ma fight them of course,¡± his father said. Brad stood there for a moment, not sure he¡¯d heard his father right. ¡°You¡¯re gonna what now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going te fight them, probably won¡¯t be able to finish them off¡­ but I¡¯ll keep them busy enough te work off the full-moon¡¯s aggro.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Brad said, still not sure he was quite understanding what his father was saying, ¡°you¡¯re a baker! That¡¯s the soldiers¡¯ jobs.¡± ¡°Ye see any soldiers?¡± his father said, looking around at otherwise empty bakery, ¡°I sure don¡¯t.¡± ¡°How are you going to keep off an entire horde!? God knows how many dungeon breaks there will be in the Shadowforest. Last month there were over five hundred class C monsters and even a couple dozen class B monsters! Even the garrison didn¡¯t have an easy time of it!¡± ¡°Bah!¡± his father said, ¡°the Baron¡¯s always used Shadowbane as a depository for his cast-offs. Ain¡¯t no soldier worth his salt that ends up in these parts. When d¡¯ya ever see it take five days for a retreat that should have been possible in hours?¡± His father shook his head in seeming disappointment before turning around to look Brad straight in the eye. ¡°Might not seem like it, but I was once an A class adventurer, I¡¯ll be fine as long as I only have to deal with B classes.¡± Brad gaped. ¡°Now don¡¯t be fish-mouthin¡¯ me like that. Ye think a woman like yer Ma would be with a man such as meself if I did¡¯na have at least some redeeming qualities?¡± Brad swallowed, trying to process it all. He¡¯d often heard about his mother being an S class mage, but he¡¯d never even known his father had gotten a ranking to begin with. ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Nah,¡± his father said, ¡°no buts now. Gotta bake meself some good strengthenin¡¯ bread fer tonight. Why don¡¯t ye do us a favor and round up the rest of the town. Yer Ma left us with some good protective spells on the bakery, guess it¡¯s time to finally put them to the test.¡±
¡°Old man Fergus¡­ we got to go now,¡± Brad said, looking worriedly at the descending sun. He¡¯d been scouring the streets for people the whole day. It was usually the old, sick or poor that had been left behind for one reason or another. Out of the nearly thirty people he came across, twenty one were already in his basement. Most were happy to have some kind of shelter, even as untested as it was, but other had to be coaxed with bread. It had taken over one hundred loaves to get Westin, the cross-eyed homeless man of Rock Orc Street to join them, and it looked like it would take the remaining two hundred and fifty to get Fergus to join them. ¡°No,¡± Fergus said with surprising vehemence for such a spindly old man, ¡°I got to stay with my beetles.¡± ¡°We really don¡¯t have time for this Ferg,¡± Brad said, wondering why he was even bothering with the man, ¡°the moon will be out in less than an hour!¡± ¡°I¡¯m stayin¡¯ right here, nothin¡¯ you can do about it! You go crawl into your little den like the scaredy rattail you are.¡± ¡°Look old man¡­¡± Brad couldn¡¯t help looking at the sun again, ¡°you know what¡­ fine.¡± ¡°Here,¡± Brad said, taking the remaining two hundred and eighty tree loaves out of his inventory, ¡°give these to your beetles. Might give you a fighting chance for the night. Stay put you hear me? I¡¯m gonna go hide in my den¡­ I¡¯ll try to come check on you in the morning.¡± Brad turned and left before Fergus started ranting again, picking up his pace to check on things in the bakery. He¡¯d overestimated how long it would take for the moon to come up and was lucky to make it back to the bakery as the moon¡¯s round red globe crested the horizon.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. [+1 Agility] ¡°Was beginning to wonder if I¡¯d have to chase you down,¡± his father said, strapping on gear Brad had never seen before. It was a full set of metal armor that had obviously seen better days, but Brad had never expected to see that kind of quality craftsmanship from a citizen of Shadowbane, much less his pacifist father. ¡°Old man Fergus¡­¡± Brad said as way of explanation between pants. ¡°I heard,¡± his father said nodding to the pair of orphaned twins beside him. The pair was about his age, but because of a lifetime of malnourishment and neglect, they looked like a strong breeze could carry them and their rags away. They¡¯d been one of his first ¡®recruits¡¯ of the day, running to the bakery at the suggestion of a free meal. The town had been abandoned, but one thing that no one had left behind was food. They knew they would starve if they stayed, but at the same time they weren¡¯t capable of joining the train to Westfall. The rest of the refugees had been in similar if not identical situations, and Brad wondered how much of it had been expected by his father. The silent man worked tirelessly all day, baking tray after tray, accepting and accommodating the refugees throughout the day. In order to occupy their minds his father had them carry out menial tasks, like transferring the few remains of the storage building into the bakery. It kept them busy and gave the prouder ones a peace of mind when it came to accepting charity. Brad himself barely saw his father that day. When he finally had his breath back, the large man clasped the young man¡¯s shoulder. Sensing a private moment, the twins retreated into the bakery, leaving the two Riversmith out in the dwindling evening light. ¡°Proud of ye son,¡± Vincent said with a rare smile, ¡°ye did good today, real good. Yer ma¡¯d have been proud too.¡± Brad blinked at the unexpected words, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go saying things like that. Makes it sound like you¡¯re not coming back.¡± ¡°Well,¡± his father said, looking off into the forest that would most definitely spawn a horde of monsters, ¡°I certainly plan on coming back. But battle is battle, and ye never know. And you have to be ready for that too.¡± Brad crossed his arms defensively; he hadn¡¯t let himself think past sundown throughout the whole day. He had wanted to trust in his father¡¯s abilities. Where had that self-assuredness of this morning gone?! It had been the only thing keeping him going. One step at a time and suddenly they¡¯d arrived, the sun was setting. ¡°Now don¡¯t go gettin¡¯ all worried,¡± his father said through a forced smile, ¡°I¡¯ll be back, and it won¡¯t hurt ye none knowin¡¯ how much I love ye boy.¡± Suddenly they were hugging and then suddenly they weren¡¯t; there was a far-off howl coming from the direction of the woods. Brad and his father both stiffened, but the older man immediately snapped out of it and opened his inventory. He took out a piece of bread and bit into it. ¡°Time for you to go inside now,¡± his father said between bites, ¡°lock up like I showed you this morning and make sure no one leaves. Won¡¯t be able to guarantee anyone¡¯s life if they step out.¡± His father took out a second loaf of bread and bit into it as well. ¡°B-be careful Pa¡­¡± Brad said as his father readied his gear and continued to scarf down bread, ¡°I-I ah¡­ I love you too,¡± he mumbled. His father flashed him a grin before steeling his face and saying, ¡°Come on now, git. Keep them fires burning for me till I get back.¡± Brad nodded, not able to get any words through the lump he¡¯d developed in his throat. More and more cries howled in the distance; they were getting closer, but Brad refused to go inside until his father had disappeared from sight.
It had been hours since Brad had activated the spells. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what powered them, but it didn¡¯t look like they would be running out of power any time soon. In order to keep track of time, Brad baked. It was the only way in which he could accurately tell how much time had gone by outside. He never thought he¡¯d be thankful for his Bakery Operations Skill Tree. By the time his tenth batch of bread came out of the oven, he¡¯d leveled his Kneading Skill by five percent. The bread was coming out as hard as bricks, but he didn¡¯t care if he kneaded the dough to death, he needed to do something. Every time a muffled sound or shudder made it through the countless barriers of defensive and camouflage spells, he¡¯d stiffen worried that it would be the time. It was almost morning by the time he was finally able to relax. For some reason he¡¯d expected the worst. He thought people would run rampant, wanting to claw their way out in sudden attacks of claustrophobia, but instead was met with the most subdued group of people he¡¯d ever seen. He doubted any of them said a word to each other after sundown. He¡¯d worried about the spells crashing down, but that didn¡¯t happen either. He had no way of knowing what was happening outside, but it looked like they were going to survive the night. He was worried something would happen to his father, but so far nothing had; he would know if it did. He was exhaling in relief when morning finally came around; he waited an hour after sunrise just to be sure before he released the spells. The moment he did, it was a communal release of pent up breaths. Brad looked out into the early morning sun and stretched, taking in a deep breath of fresh¡ª He coughed, and spit. The air was acrid and filled with pungent smoke. The miasma filled the entire city¡­ or what used to be a city. It was leveled. The only building left in its entirety was the one they¡¯d just walked out of. Brad¡¯s eyes widened as he took in the extent of the destruction. There were only ruins where houses stood the day before; the ground was carpeted by hundreds of dead monsters¡­ where was his father? ¡°Pa!?¡± he shouted hoping against all hope, ¡°Paaaaaa!?¡± he shouted again and no answer. The small chatter that he¡¯d heard from the other refugees immediately died down with his yells and he listened, waiting for a response. ¡°PAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?¡± Nothing. Tears were coming to his face and he was getting more and more frantic. His father had to be fine, he would know if he wasn¡¯t! He had to! Brad had started running aimlessly, shouting for his father when he finally heard something a couple destroyed buildings over. It was a cough. Brad was there in seconds. ¡°Pa!¡± he said, falling to his knees before his bloodied and ragged father. The man coughed and opened his eyes a fraction. ¡°Oh,¡± he rasped, coughing, ¡°good, you¡¯re here.¡± Brad nodded through tears; he¡¯d never seen his father looking so feeble and worn. ¡°I¡¯ve got to tell you something,¡± Brad kept nodding, not sure what he was going to say. He already knew. They both did. ¡°That monster that killed me was no class B, full on class A to hear me down. Ye got that? Yer pa¡¯s not weak.¡± Brad croaked a laugh through his tears, ¡°Never thought that Sir, never.¡± ¡°Good boy,¡± the dying man said through a bloody smile. ¡°Pa¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­ I don¡¯t¡ª¡± Brad wasn¡¯t even sure what he wanted to say, there wasn¡¯t enough time for all that had been left unsaid. ¡°Shhh.. Shhh¡­ Tis okay. Not really my preferred method of death, but tis life. And I had a good one ye hear?¡± He coughed, nearing his end. ¡°I had a real good one, and that¡¯s what I want for you¡­ so¡­ so if you wanna go mess with them lil potions the robbies make¡­ have at ¡®em.¡± Brad nodded, not knowing what to say. ¡°Just¡­ take ShadowBane with ye if ye can,¡± he said with a complicated expression on his face, ¡°I wanted to but¡ª¡± His bloody cough got worse, with streaks of crimson running down his face. ¡°Well¡­ guess I won¡¯t be able to explain it all now, but I left it all in the logs¡­¡± The man smiled one last time. ¡°Just in case, you know...¡± he closed his eyes, as if gathering the strength to say more. He never opened them again.
[You have inherited Vincent Riversmith¡¯s legacy: ShadowBane Bakery] [Do you wish to accept it as your birthright?] [Yes/No] [Rewards: - Access to the Bakery Menu for full use of Bakery Operations. - Access to the Bakery Logs of Vincent Riversmith. - Access to all associated entities. [Warning: Bakery and its associated entities will be tied to you until death.]
His father was dead. Part of his brain was screaming for him to break down into tears, but the functioning side of him was numb. The sounds of the people around him were muffled and all he could see were the letters in the notification. He read them carefully, trying to prolong the action. As long as he focused on this, he wouldn¡¯t have to deal with his father¡¯s death. He never wanted to be a baker, but that thought didn¡¯t even enter his mind. The moment Brad saw he would have access to his father¡¯s Bakery Logs¡­ his father had mentioned them, he accepted.
[Congratulations! You have inherited Vincent Riversmith¡¯s legacy: ShadowBane Bakery] [You are now the owner of ShadowBane Bakery] [You now have access to the Bakery Menu and full use of all Bakery Operations in regards to the ShadowBane Bakery.] [You have access to the Bakery Logs of Vincent Riversmith. Level Restricted.] [You have been bonded to the ShadowBane Bakery Dungeon Core!] [Congratulations! You have become a Dungeon Master!] [You have learned a new Skill Tree: Dungeon Operations [Novice 00.0%]]
Chapter 0003 - Barley a Day Brad sat, stupefied. His father was a dungeon master, and he¡¯d never known! He opened up his father¡¯s Bakery Logs.
[ShadowBane Bakery Log] Entry #4097 If yer reading this, I went and got myself killed. Sorry ¡®bout that. Now before ye get all in yer head thinking I was some kind of hidden dungeon master¡­ don¡¯t. This here dungeon was left for ye by yer Ma. Was supposed ¡®ta give it ¡®ta ya when yer all done and grown. Yer ma wanted me to wait two years after yer coming of age to give ya some time to really figure out what ye wanted out¡¯a life. She didn¡¯t want ye tied down to some dungeon before ye could decide if ye wanted something else out of life. Now, I¡¯ve got a couple of pieces of bad news fer ya. When yer Ma gave me this dungeon, it was an A-Rank dungeon, but seeing as I retired an adventurer¡­ it was sort of neglected. A dungeon is a lot of responsibility ye see. So over time it shrunk in on itself and well¡­ now it¡¯s an E-Rank. I don¡¯t think the dungeon is very happy with me about that, but what could I do? The next piece of bad news, which ye¡¯ve probably already figured out for yerself¡­ is that the dungeon somehow attached itself to the Bakery. I¡¯m not really sure exactly how it happened, but when the dungeon lost its B-Rank, it changed itself. Guess it was some kind of self-preservation mechanism¡­ that¡¯s also around when it stopped talking to me. Surly one that one. But anywhoo, I¡¯m sorry yer old man squandered yer birthright the way he did, but well. I simply couldn¡¯t keep adventurin¡¯ without yer Ma. She was¡­ one of a kind. I hope ye find someone that completes you like that one day. Find people you want to keep safe. People are what are important in life. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t get to see you grow up son. I know that yer probably rolling yer eyes at me thinking you all grown up by now, but ¡®ta me you¡¯ll always be my boy. Be happy son.
[ShadowBane Bakery Log] Entry #4099 One last thing. If ye want strength, this dungeon can help ye get it, but it is not the only way. If this is the road ye decide to take, there will be many sacrifices ahead of ye. There are easier paths to yer destination, and honestly I¡¯d rather ye take one of them, but yer Ma made me promise I¡¯d pass this on ¡®ta ya.
Tears were rolling down his face by the time Brad finished reading the entries.
Daily Bakery Quest - Feed 10 Shadowbane Citizens Requirement: All Citizens must attain the ¡®Well-fed¡¯ buff. Reward: +5 Oven Capacity
Daily Pantry Quest - Process 10 Weetlizard corpses in the pantry Requirement: All tasks must be completed while under the ¡®Well-fed¡¯ buff. Reward: + 5 Storage Capacity
Daily Dungeon Quest - Channel 100XPs attained with ¡®Well-fed¡¯ buff towards dungeon progression. Reward: + 5 Dungeon Size
Daily Quest Completion: 0/3 Time Remaining: 16:37:54 Penalty: UNKNOWN
Current Dungeon Status: F-Rank Requirements for E-Rank: - 10,000XP Current Progression: 0/10,000 - 15 Fully Identified Monsters Current Progression: 0/15 [Minimum E-Rank] - 5 Returning Customers Current Returning Customers: 0
The notifications popped up as if on cue, and while part of Brad wanted to focus on them instead of his father¡¯s death, he couldn¡¯t put it off anymore. Shrugging the notifications aside and wiping off his face as best he could, he stood up and looked around. Smoke filled the early morning sky, and ash burned in his nostrils. He heard muffled sobs from behind him and turned to see the girl twin, trying her best to be silent. The girl¡¯s brother stood beside her crossing his arms with a frown on his face. The two looked like their skeletons had been replaced by twigs and yet they were the healthiest of all the others; it had been a very harsh winter. It was a miracle any of them had survived in the rags they were wearing. The morning breeze chilled even him, and he was wearing layers of cotton. ¡°¡¯Ye gonna put him ¡®ta rest?¡± Brad flinched at the question and looked at its source, the boy. It caught him off-guard how similar his manner of speech was to his father¡¯s. ¡°¡­ Yes,¡± Brad finally said. The boy nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll help ye,¡± Brad nodded in turn and turned to his father¡¯s body. He wished he could say the man looked as though he were sleeping, but that would have been a lie. The dead man barely resembled his father; the life was completely sucked out of his ghastly white skin. Deep wounds covered his limbs taking any pretense of an easy death with them. He had suffered, but he¡¯d suffered for them; he was a hero. He wanted to carry his father¡¯s body to some place distinguished, a hill or a lake, but the most he could manage with the skinny boy¡¯s help was an empty spot in a newly formed crater around the bend. Finding a casket or appropriately sized crate proved impossible, and they settled on some old and ragged curtains from his home. Brad had wanted to use a blanket, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it after seeing the wistful eyes the silent boy cast in its direction.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. The task took the rest of the morning, by the time they were finished all thirty two refugees had gathered around to say a few words and pile a few stones on his grave. Brad nodded his thanks and turned back to the bakery.
There were only a dozen or so loaves of bread left, so Brad occupied himself with baking some bread for the survivors. It gave him something to do while he considered what to do. The horde was gone and wouldn¡¯t be back until the next full moon, that gave them all three months of relative safety. The monsters went after humans in the dark, but they didn¡¯t stray from their territories unless provoked or aggroed. None of the survivors could make it on foot to Westfall, at least not in the condition they were in. Brad himself wasn¡¯t sure he could survive the journey alone. The year before he¡¯d been accompanied by merchants, adventurers and a mercenary company that had kept him safe from numerous attacks. He was an F-Rank citizen; he could barely hold his own against the common Weetlizard the dungeon randomly requested. Brad sighed; he honestly didn¡¯t want to leave the people huddled in the bakery behind. They¡¯d all followed him inside to hide from the cold and he didn¡¯t fault them for it. The rags they were dressed in barely categorized them as dressed. Yesterday, he¡¯d barely known of their existence. If he¡¯d seen them on the street, he¡¯d probably avoided them as best he could. Now, they were company. It was better than being alone, even if it cost him a full fifty loaves to fill them up.
[Daily Bakery Quest Complete!] 10/10 ¡®Well-fed¡¯ Citizens [+5 Oven Capacity]
He¡¯d almost forgotten about the quests. He wasn¡¯t quite sure yet what he wanted to do about the dungeon, but he would get to it after figuring some other things out first. He flashed the notifications away just as he heard some shrieks from outside. Surprised, he grabbed a staff and headed out. The wards had worn off, he¡¯d have to rely on himself from now on to survive. ¡°What exactly you gonna do with that stick there, boy?¡± Old Man Fergus said as he speared a MossWolf in the throat, evicting another agonized shriek. ¡°Ahm¡­¡± Brad stared in surprise as the old man wandered about, flanked by three of his beetles. The bugs¡¯ antlers reached high above the old man¡¯s crooked form, dwarfing him to a comedic extent. The sight wasn¡¯t within Brad¡¯s expectations, he could do nothing but gape as the man stepped around the monster corpses, looking for more prey. ¡°Git over here boy! I¡¯m not cleaning this mess up by myself!¡± Brad woodenly walked toward the man he¡¯d assumed dead the night before. ¡°You two!¡± the man shouted in annoyance, ¡°What makes you think yer exempt? Now come on, git!¡± Brad turned his head to see the twins scurrying out of the doorway. The boy looked pissed, but he¡¯d done so from the beginning. The girl looked petrified, but¡­ she¡¯d also done so from the beginning. The two jogged past him, and Brad followed. Old Man Fergus distributed three wooden spears in short order and explained to them how to go about finishing off the beasts. ¡°The three of you work together now,¡± he said carefully, ¡°I know they look dead, but we need to make sure. If they still breathing, have each other¡¯s back. Don¡¯t have the time to babysit you, we have a lot of ground to cover before nightfall.¡± The three nodded, still slightly baffled by the sudden turn of events. Catching their expression, the man sighed. ¡°Any other able-bodied people left?¡± he asked, nodding toward the bakery. Brad considered the frail people inside and shook his head, he doubted any of them could even wield a spear. The twins had already shocked him in that regard. ¡°Well, that means we gotta do it. Don¡¯t it?¡± Brad nodded slowly, not wanting to aggravate the old man any further. ¡°If we don¡¯t,¡± Fergus said in a cold voice, ¡°they gonna gather the very last vestiges of their power and they are going to hunt us down. You think you can hold any of them off?¡± A cold shiver ran down Brad¡¯s back. ¡°No,¡± he croaked in response. The old man nodded, moved to the next corpse and continued on his way. Brad looked at the twins with a questioning look and when they both nodded they moved in the opposite direction.
The day had remained cold throughout. At some point Brad had found the twins more appropriate clothes from his closet and they were almost done going through all the monster corpses in town. If they were dead, they had speared them anyway. If they were still alive, the girl -Agatha- would flank the dying creature on one side while one of the boys flanked it on the other. Most final blows were handled by Brad, but as the day wore on Xavier helped more and more. Five hours into their task, Brad had completed the Daily Dungeon Quest. At first he¡¯d disregarded it, but as their task became more and more mindless, he considered it more. How was the dungeon channeling XPs from what he was doing? He was seeing a considerable growth in his own Rank. He¡¯d never killed any monsters other than the occasional rabbit or lizard, so it wasn¡¯t very surprising that he was still F-Rank. The day¡¯s activities had shot him through the mid-Rank and into the high F-Rank. He didn¡¯t receive much XP for the kills; he¡¯d done almost none of the work, but the monsters were simply that much stronger than him. ¡°Wow, I¡­ I¡¯m an E-Rank now,¡± Xavier said suddenly. Brad was shocked for a moment, but then reconsidered it. The boy had probably had a much harsher life than himself, was it really that surprising that he was already at a higher Rank? He couldn¡¯t be jealous of someone for having a harder life, so he congratulated him and moved on to the next corpse. ¡°Hey, Brad¡­¡± the boy said as if uncertain he was allowed to address him, the three of them had barely talked the entire day. ¡°¡­ Yeah?¡± ¡°Do ye by chance have any more¡­ bread?¡± the boy¡¯s face went beet-red at the question. ¡°Yeah, course,¡± Brad said, reaching into his inventory. ¡°I-It¡¯s not¡­ I mean it¡¯s just that the buff makes it easier¡­¡± he said, stumbling over his words. ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Brad said easily, ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ah- I became a Returning Customer so I c-can pay ye back one day! I will, I¡¯m in yer debt.¡± Brad was taken aback at the revelation. ¡°R-returning customer?¡± he asked, uncertainly. ¡°Y-yeah, probably got the prompt from all the bread I ate today,¡± his face went even redder. ¡°S-sorry I¡¯m so weak.¡± Brad merely shook his head in acceptance and handed a bundle of loaves over. ¡°Feel free to eat all of them, there¡¯s a lot more where that came from,¡± something made Brad want to feed these two as much as he could; they were way too thin. Considering Xavier¡¯s words, Brad opened the neglected dungeon menu and was surprised when Xavier¡¯s next lunge resulted in an experience gain for him. [+2XP] Scratch that. [113/10,000] It was the dungeon! The dungeon was leeching off of Xavier¡¯s work.
Current Returning Customers: 2 - Xavier Pyll - Agatha Pyll
¡°Did you become a returning customer too Agatha?¡± Brad asked. The girl shrank back, bowed her head and then quickly nodded. Brad didn¡¯t know what to make of it, but they didn¡¯t have much time until nightfall and they still had a couple blocks to cover. He¡¯d deal with the whole dungeon thing later, there were more important things to take care of. Right now, it was the least of his priorities.
By the time night came around, Brad and the twins were exhausted. Agatha had also become a Rank E, and after their unexpected growth the twins had immediately seemed a little less frail. It was a strange occurrence, but Brad gladly accepted their help when they offered it, to bake some bread. His little army of refugees was going through a surprising amount in a very short span of time. The small batch of fifty loaves he¡¯d baked in the morning proved to be not nearly enough. When he checked, the oven¡¯s capacity was suddenly fifty five. He gaped until he remembered the quest. With a thoughtful look on his face he kneaded the next batch and the one after that. The refugees were slowly beginning to talk more amongst themselves, but conversation was very sparse, especially with him. He traded a couple words with the twins now and then, directing them on how to tend to the fire, but for the most part, he was left to his thoughts. He thought a lot about what his future was going to look like and the decisions he would have to make. Prioritizing things as best he could, he tried to gauge the best course of action, but couldn¡¯t come to a concrete decision with the lack of information he was pitted against. What he really needed was a minute to sit down and think this whole thing through, when was the last time he had slept? His head was all over the place and Brad thought of all possibilities, but they never veered to the potential consequences of not completing all three of the dungeon¡¯s daily quests. When midnight rolled around, he was taking the last batch of golden loaves out of the oven. In the midst of all the chaos, seeing the result of his work brought unexpected joy. The smell reminded him of home, his father and happier times. These thoughts filled his mind with peace and quiet for the first time in what seemed like years. He was caught off-guard when notifications popped into his mind.
Daily Quest Completion: 2/3 Time Remaining: 00:00:01 Penalty: UNKNOWN
[Daily Pantry Quest not completed. Penalty INVOKED.]