Chapter 3

Introductions

Sariel again woke up to the sounds of a far off rooster crowing. Her alarm sounded at 6:00 A.M. She climbed out of bed, got dressed, and made oatmeal for breakfast. The tranquil sounds of birds chirping were faint in the distance.

Once she had finished she stepped outside and noticed the flag on her mailbox was up. She checked the small box and found an advertisement from Pierre's, and a letter from the Fishmonger named Willy, asking her to come by his store.

She stretched a bit and hefted her tools back towards the field where she was attempting to clear out even more of the debris. Hours passed by and she was quite pleased with the results. A few more trees were felled, and she had cleared a larger portion of field out to grow crops in. It was 11:00 A.M. and she decided to make the sojourn to the beach again to enjoy today's lunch. Pomegranates she'd bought back at a farmer's market. She'd kept the delicacies packaged away safely and was pleased they'd survived the trip. They were, without a doubt, her favorite food of all time. She was lucky the market rented out several large arboretums to the clientele, and that one of the growers took advantage of the greenhouse and planted fruit trees.

She stopped by Pierre's first, and purchased a larger backpack for herself. Her pockets just weren't cutting it anymore. Between water bottles needed for hydration, and bits of coal and jars of sap, her pockets were full. The bag was expensive, $200, but it was of a great quality.

She off-loaded some things, and slung the bag onto her shoulders. She wove her way through the cobblestone streets waving to new faces and returning smiles. The air was warmer today, and when her boots hit the sand, she secretly hoped she'd see Elliott again. Something about the man captivated her.

A gruff man called out to her. He was smoking a pipe and looked like he had a story, or forty he could tell. He was holding some pieces of fishing tackle.

"Ahoy there miss. Heard there was a newcomer here. Nice to finally meet ya," Willy's voice was harsh as he spoke.

"I'm just comin' off a month long deep sea fishing trip. Did good. Managed to sell a lot of good fish. I've got a few rods here that I need to get rid of to make some room in my shop, and thought I'd give one to ya. I want to keep the art of fishin' alive, and there's good fish to be had in the waters around here." Willy stated.

Sariel inspected the rod and noted it was of good quality. Bamboo, so it was naturally flexible, yet had a decent rigidity as well. It should suit her just fine for casual fishing. She wasn't the most experienced angler, but she wasn't completely new to fishing either.

"My shop's open now again, so stop buy if you need anything. I'll also buy anything you catch." Willy stated casually.

With that, Sariel departed and made her way closer to the cabin on the beach. She remained on the docks, but pulled a small sketchbook from her bag and her favorite coloring pencils and sat to work drawing the landscape before her, while slowly eating and enjoying herself. She was lost in thought and completely entranced by what she was doing. She captured the undulation of each wave as it flowed in towards land, then ebbed back towards the sea. She was so distracted she didn't hear the footsteps approaching behind her, until Elliott was sitting next to her.

"A great idea can pass through your head when you least expect it… but if your mind is too busy you might miss it." Elliott said softly.

"Would you care for some Pomegranate? They're grown by a vendor at a Farmer's Market in Zuzu City. He maintains trees year round. They're my favorite food. I'd live off them if I could." Sariel stated.

"Ah, yes. That would be lovely, thank you. I often find myself craving Pomegranate in the spring. I'm quite fond of them as well." Elliot replied.

"I've got about 45 more of these at my house. Would you like me to bring you some later?" Sariel asked.

"Oh, I couldn't ask that of you. You should enjoy them, they are yours afterall." Elliott scoffed slightly.

"I don't mind. If you'd like them, they're yours. I noticed Pierre can order Pomegranate Saplings. Once I get the farm under control, I'm thinking about planting some. You'd be welcome to help yourself to their fruit." Sariel replied.

"You are different than most people. You're very kind and compassionate. Those are the most admirable traits to possess as a human." Elliott stated.

"Thank you. Loyalty is very important to me as well." Sariel replied.

"Might I inquire about what brought you here?" Elliott asked gently.

"Several things, ultimately. My grandfather owned Evenstar Farm. I used to visit him as a young girl and spend time on the farm with him. He passed away and left the deed to the farm to me. I worked for Joja Corporation in their Tech and Software department. I realized I hated it. Monday was my birthday, and I felt the happiness inside me die a little while there. I… couldn't do it anymore. It felt like my soul was being torn from my body every day I went to work. So, I threw it all away and moved here." Sariel spoke slowly.

"I see. It is most fortunate then, that you were afforded the ability to come here. I, too, came to Pelican Town under similar circumstances. I'm a writer. All of my family and friends scoffed at the idea. They said there's a thousand young writers that think they're going to make it, and of those, maybe two to three do. I seem to have hit a wall with my writing, unfortunately." Elliott lamented.

"Ah, writer's block? Are your imaginary friends no longer speaking to you?" Sariel teased.

"I… yes," Elliott sighed.

"I had hoped that relocating, and sequestering myself to solitude on the beach would cause that spark to come back, but alas, it has not returned." He stated.

"Well, if there's anything I could do to help, let me know." Sariel smiled at him as she spoke.

She tore the drawing from her sketchbook and handed it to Elliott. She had done an amazing job at capturing what she'd seen in front of her, to the point Elliott thought for just a moment the drawing was really the ocean somehow affixed to the paper. She pulled another Pomegranate from her bag and handed it to Elliott. She bade him farewell and made her way back towards her farm.

Sariel tossed a few things in the bin Lewis had pointed out to sell goods through and slipped out of her boots on the porch. She entered her house and curled up on the chocolate colored sofa with her large sketchbook. She smiled and began drawing Elliott's profile. Her fingers flowed easily over the page bringing exquisite details to the once blank paper.

She finally finished and stashed the private book back on the bookshelf out of view. She fixed herself some spaghetti for dinner and decided to enjoy her night while watching T.V. The news was reporting a storm for tomorrow, so her work would be easier, as she wasn't going to work in a downpour. She finished around 10:00 P.M. and decided to turn in for the evening.

Her alarm went off at 6:00 A.M. and she fought the urge to stay back in bed. The cacophony of raindrops on her ceiling lulled her into a peaceful slumber. She begrudgingly pulled herself from her bed and set a pot of tea on to boil. She was pleased there weren't any leaks in the farmhouse. She opened the fridge and pulled out eggs, milk, and cheese and set about preparing breakfast for herself.

Sariel finished and set her omelet down on her table and began eating her breakfast. She decided to check her eMail for the first time since she'd relocated and was pleased to see Lilly was already checking in on her. She quickly typed out a recap of the events of the past few days. Her heart fluttered when she wrote out the section about Elliott.

She set the phone on the table and cleaned the dishes from breakfast. She decided to dress in a tank top and teal rain jacket, worn over a pair of dark blue jeans and her rain boots. As she left her house, she noticed she had mail again. Upon opening her mailbox she saw the packet of papers from Mr. Gilmore's office, as well as a letter from Joja Corporation explaining they'd cleared a landslide they'd caused and that access to the mines was now available again.

Sariel ran the legal documents back inside and grabbed her pickaxe. Today was a good day to spend spelunking in a cave. She grabbed a flashlight and some water bottles and a few protein bars for energy. Before she departed she emptied the contents of her backpack and left her farming tools behind.

The journey to the mine took about an hour. When she entered the cave, she was greeted by a man named Marlon. He wore a cape and anarchic clothing. His left eye was covered by an eyepatch and there was a scar that ran across his face. His gray hair was cropped quite short.

"Hello there. Name's Marlon. I was going to explore the mines, but with my bad leg, I don't think I can make it down the ladder. The mines have been abandoned for a while, so there's no telling what's down there. If you're going down, you're going to need a weapon. Do you know how to fight?" He asked.

"I'm Sariel. I can wield a sword. Took lessons when I was little." Sariel replied.

"Excellent. It's not much, but you can have this old thing." Marlon stated.

He picked up a sheath propped up on the wall and loosed the blade from its covering. It wasn't much to look at, and it had definitely seen better days, but it was sharp. It was rusty, but it should still work.

Sariel lifted the blade with her right hand, testing the weight. It wasn't horribly unbalanced, which was promising. She gave it a few practice swings and was pleased that it was light-weight enough for her to wield easily.

"Try to get to the 5th floor, if you can. No one knows how deep this mine is anymore." Marlon quipped.

"Interesting. I'll give it a shot. Hopefully I can find some ore and things for upgrading my tools." Sariel replied.

Marlon waved goodbye to her as he exited the cave. Sariel tightened the straps on her backpack and descended the first ladder. She methodically worked her way through the first few floors of the mine, harvesting all the nodes and stones she could. She fought her way through a few Slimes and a couple of flying insects, but nothing too terribly bad.

Around noon she took a break and ate a protein bar before continuing on. Her bag was heavy with unrefined ore and stone. She'd found a few gemstones as well. She reached the 5th floor about 5:00 P.M. Pleased with her effort she took the elevator back to the surface and returned home for the evening.

The following morning Sariel received a note from Marlon asking her to slay 10 Slimes in the depths of the mines, and if she accomplished this task, she'd earn admittance to the Adventurer's Guild he ran. She placed the sheath of legal documents inside the mailbox, having gone through them the night before.

She headed into town towards the Blacksmith's. She took the scenic route, deciding to stop by the Community Center. The building was in shambles. Ivy and weeds had grown all over the exterior. There were several breaches in the walls and roof of the building. Mayor Lewis was standing outside the building, looking at it remorsefully.

"Ah. What an eyesore… This is the Pelican Town Community Center… or what's left of it, anyway. It used to be the pride and joy of the town… always bustling with activity. Now… just look at it. It's shameful. These days, the young folk would rather sit in front of the TV than engage with the community. But listen to me, I sound like an old fool. Joja Corporation has been hounding me to sell them the land so they can turn it into another warehouse… Pelican Town could use the money, but there's something stopping me from selling it… I guess old timers like me get attached to relics of the past… Ah well. If anyone else buys a Joja Co. Membership I'm just gonna go ahead and sell it. Here, let's go inside." Lewis says as he sighs.

Sariel followed him to the door as he fished a key from his pocket and unlocked it. The air inside is stale from apparent years of being forgotten. There are several large holes in the wooden floor where nature herself has burst through and started to reclaim the building. There is a small hut in the left corner and a broken fish tank on the right. The brick fireplace looks to be in excellent condition still.

She walked around the Community Center. She noted the six different rooms. A small children's play area, a kitchen, what could have possibly been a pantry, the large entry opening, a small office, and a run down coal furnace.

In the Playroom she noted an ethereal golden scroll on the floor. The paper shimmered with dark gold writing in a language Sariel had never seen before. She swore she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. A small moving apple-shaped creature of sorts popped up. As she tried to get Lewis' attention, the creature disappeared just as quickly.

"It's probably just rats. Say, I'll leave this unlocked from now on, so if you've got the time, you could maybe help with the rat problem." Lewis called out.

He bade Sariel farewell and departed in search of lunch. Sariel decided to follow suit and made her way to Pierre's to purchase more seeds and supplies. Her grocery stores were running a bit on the low side. Loaded up with her purchases she departed for her farm once again.

She stashed all of her purchases and planted all of the new seeds - a variety of potatoes, cauliflower, and parsnips. It took her a few hours of work to accomplish. Pleased with the day's events she retired for the evening.