Author's Note:

Hello there! I hope you enjoyed the blessing chapter! I know Grimm's Farm was kind of rushed, but I felt that the acquisition was never really mentioned in the game. You just buy it and apparently it runs itself.

Anyways, new chapter, new character!

-Tangent

After making sure that Ivy had enough provisions to last awhile, Rye departed momentarily to retrieve the person he wanted from Ryva. An hour or so later, he returned with a man who was young, almost as young as him.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Mike." He said to Ivy, who shook his hand.

"Glad to see I've got somebody to help out." She said, and Mike smiled.

"I've been wanting a farm of my own for a long time now, and this looks like a good chance."

"Can you acquire livestock yourself?" Rye asked, and the man nodded.

"I should be able to get a couple chickens from Candar, and some feed. We can go from there."

"Well, it sounds like you have it well in hand." Ean commented. He and Iya had spent the time in the forest killing as many monsters as they could, to keep the farm safer. "The creatures don't normally come this way, but just be careful, both of you. I'll send some guards from Thais if I can."

"Thank you very much, Ean." Ivy said, and curtseyed to him. "Please, stop by here any time to rest or eat or whatever you desire. After all, the farm does technically belong to you."

"We'll be by as much as we can." Iya promised, and the party set out from the farm, leaving Mike and Ivy to take care of their new garden.

"They'll be able to handle it." Rye said easily. "Once we've got the farm going smoothly, I wouldn't even be surprised if other people started moving out here."

"Indeed. I think they'll do nicely." Gavin commented. They returned to the teleportation cave, and Ean looked at them.

"Let's go free the boy from his prison." With a flash, they returned to the plains outside of Thais, where they saw that the walls had been fully repaired in the five days or so it had been since they departed.

"They work fast here." Rye said as they entered the city, the guards saluting as they passed. Several people turned to stare as they walked by. Evidently the town had heard of their heroics, as the looks were filled with awe.

"I still can't get used to that." Rye said as he was stopped by yet another giggling girl. Ean grinned at him.

"It's because they think you're single. Gavin looks a bit too old, but you're just the right age."

"Oh, and what about you two?" Rye demanded with a raised eyebrow. "Is your relationship just so obvious?" Despite the words, Iya knew he was just teasing, and she smiled slightly. Ean blushed.

"Well, uh…" He trailed off as they reached the door to the sewers, and he pushed it open. It was just as dark as before, and they followed the path until they reached the room. Thankfully, the strange man was no longer there. The statue of the boy with his hands outstretched still stood, and all was eerily silent.

"Gavin?" Ean asked, and the warlock nodded. Taking the potion from his bag, he poured it onto the statue, and a slow change began to take effect. Color spread from the top of the statue to the bottom, revealing a small, black-haired boy in rags. His eyes fluttered open, revealing the dark color that matched his hair. With a thud, he collapsed to the ground, and when he saw them, he screamed and bolted forwards, past them and out of sight.

"What the…" Rye swore as they kid bolted past. "Hey! Stop!" But he was already gone, and he looked at the others.

"Well, that was kind of expected. He sure is quick, though." Gavin said.

"I mean, I'd run too if I saw me when I woke up from a 200-year nap." Ean said. "Come on, we have to follow him!" They ran from the sewers and emerged into broad daylight once more, looking around. But the boy was nowhere to be found.

"Great, we lost him."

"He was heading towards the main street, I think." Ean said as he closed his eyes and concentrated. "Damn. I can't sense him through all of the other people in the city." They continued searching the city fruitlessly for almost an hour. The thief, whoever he was, had vanished without a trace.

"What do we do now?" Iya asked as she and Ean rejoined Rye and Gavin.

"Hmmm…." Gavin said. "We could try asking one of the guards?" He pointed to the man stationed near the entrance to the castle grounds, and Ean shrugged.

"It's worth a shot." He strode over to the guards. "Excuse me, sir." The guard saluted him crisply.

"What can I do for you, Master Ean?"

"Master?" Vincent said incredulously, but Ean ignored him.

"Have you seen a small boy running through here recently?" The soldier frowned in disgust.

"Black hair, skinny boy?"

"That's him! Where did he go?"

"Well, he tried to steal an old woman's purse, and so we grabbed him and tossed him in a cell. He kept shouting about magic and thieves for some reason." Ean paused, his mouth slightly open.

"Ah… Well, thank you." He walked away from the guard and hissed to the others:

"He got himself thrown in jail?"

"Well, he is a thief, or that's what the warlock in the sewers said." Iya pointed out.

"Yeah, but you'd think he could wait a couple days for grabbing something in broad daylight." He started walking into the castle ground, followed by the others. "Let's go see what he has to say, then."

The prison was quite small, and clearly was mostly unused, judging from the empty cells nearby. Two guards stood watch at either end of the building, staring at the three inmates. The first two were big, with angry looks on their faces. The third cell, however, had a small, dark-haired shape sitting in a corner.

"What's your business here?" Asked the guard nearest them.

"I'd like to speak to one of your prisoners, please." Ean said, pointing to the boy.

"Sure thing, sir. Just be careful. He fought like a wild animal as we dragged him in." The guard moved to the other side of the jail to give them some privacy, and Ean approached the cell.

"Stay back for a moment." He murmured to the others, kneeling in front of the bars and looking at the boy. After a moment, his head turned slowly to look at Ean, and he saw a myriad of emotions in the boy's eyes. Anger, confusion…

"What are you looking at?" He demanded, and Ean smiled.

"You, obviously. You know where you are?"

"No idea. I don't remember anything except for that creepy old man in the sewers, okay?" Ean stared at him.

"Okay. So, why try to steal something then?"

"How else am I gonna survive? You try being homeless."

"That doesn't make it right." Ean said. "Well, I'll tell you what happened if you listen to me for a moment." The kid fell quiet, and he nodded. "That old man turned you to stone for about two hundred years as a curse. You remember what city you were in?"

"Thais, I reckon."

"This is Thais." The boy's head snapped up, and he stared at Ean for a moment.

"Well, so what? I'm still stuck in this jail, aren't I? What am I supposed to do now?"

"Well, considering that we freed you from your prison, can you at least tell me your name?" Ean asked politely. The boy frowned.

"Why's it matter to you?"

"That's my business, I think." Ean said, and he rose from his sitting position. "I'll see what I can do with the guards." He turned to walk away, but the boy spoke:

"… Jack." Ean turned back to him.

"Nice to meet you, Jack." He beckoned to the others, and they moved a short distance away from the cell. The boy's eyes tracked them as he went.

"So, what are we going to do?" Rye asked. "He's obviously a professional thief, so we can't exactly let him out." Ean had a thoughtful look on his face.

"Maybe we should just leave him." Gavin said, but Iya objected.

"That would be too harsh, I think. He was petrified for fifty years!"

"Iya's right." Ean said slowly. "I think we should get him out, btu we don't have to let him go free."

"What do you mean?" Gavin said in confusion."

"Simple." Ean said. "We take him with us." That statement caused open shock among the other members of the party, and Rye was the first to speak.

"What? Ean, he's a criminal! And he's a boy. What could he possibly help us with?"

"I'm not too sure, but I feel like this is something I have to do." Ean said calmly. "Perhaps we can help him break his habits."

"Oh, it's just a feeling?" Rye hissed quietly. "I opposed Gavin, but at least he's proven himself useful to the group! But now you want to take a thieving kid with us? I say no."

"Rye, don't speak like that." Iya chided him. "At least hear him out." Rye opened his mouth again, but Ean spoke first.

"Look, if we leave him here, he'll get out anyways and start stealing again. The only way to prevent it is to have him come with us!" Ean whispered.

"I… I don't like it." Rye said. "He's just a kid."

"So are all of us, really." Ean said. "I was just a farmer when I got sucked into all of this. But we have to make do with what we have." Gavin looked like he had misgivings, but he nodded.

"You're the leader, Ean. Make the call." Iya nodded, and Rye turned away.

"Fine." He said. "But he better not get us killed." Ean grinned and strode over to the guards, aware of Jack's stare on his back.

"I'd like to pay his fine, please." The guard stared at him.

"You sure about that? He's a thief, after all."

"Don't worry, we'll keep a close eye on him." Ean reassured him, and the guard shrugged.

"Sure thing." He named the fee, and Ean paid it. The guard headed to the cell and unlocked it, much to Jack's amazement.

"W-What?" He stammered, and Ean stared at him intently.

"You're free, but you're going to come with us for a moment." As Jack's face grew hostile, he kept speaking. "We won't hurt you, but if you run, we will track you down and throw you right back into that cell. Understood?" The boy stared down at the floor.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Right this way, Jack."

They exited the jail, with both Gavin and Rye keeping a firm eye on the young boy, who kept fidgeting and looking around. Ean led them to the market, where he purchased food for each of them, including Jack. Having done that, the party went to a nearby park, where they sat at a stone table. Jack looked even more suspicious when Iya gave him a sandwich, but he bit into it all the same, looking ravenous.

"So, how old are you?" Ean said after the boy had eaten his sandwich.

"What's it matter to you?" He asked. "What makes me so special?"

"Well, you did steal something important enough to get yourself cursed, so that's probably relevant." Ean said dryly. "Come to think of it, what did you steal?"

"Some old documents." Jack said with a smirk. "Spells, maybe. He deserved it, though."

"Maybe." Iya said. "But that didn't give you the right to steal from him." Jack frowned angrily.

"Don't act like you know me, lady. I've been on the streets since I could walk." Ean was taken aback by this statement.

"You're… an orphan, then?" Jack nodded.

"Yup. I'm 14, for your information." His tone was sarcastic, and Ean frowned.

"You've got quite the attitude for a kid your age."

"Well, how else should I act around you? I don't even know you!"

"Fine, then. I'm Ean." The others introduced themselves as well, and Jack frowned.

"So what do you want with me?"

"I'm getting to that." Ean said. "You're clearly a thief, and you'll get in trouble if we let you free. Besides, you owe us a debt for freeing you."

"I didn't ask you to-" Jack protested, but Ean cut him off.

"Did you want to be a statue?"

"No, but-"

"Then we saved you. And that's why you're coming with us when we leave." Ean said. Jack instantly leapt to his feet, ready to run, but Rye grabbed his arm.

"I won't! You can't make me! I'll… I'll…" Ean looked at him with pity. The kid was clearly opposed to the idea, but he knew he couldn't let him go free.

"We're not going to hurt you, Jack. Rye, let him go." He ordered, and the man acquiesced. Jack rubbed his arm slightly, but did not leave. "The way I see it, Jack, we might need a thief on our adventures, which I'll tell you about later. And you seem small and agile enough to work."

"The best around." Jack said proudly.

"I didn't ask." Ean said pointedly. "Regardless, you need our help, and we need yours. If anything, we're doing you a favor."

"I…" Jack looked at the ground. "You'll let me go when my debt is paid?"

"I promise." Ean said, and the others echoed his statement. With a frown, he sat back down on the earth.

"You do anything to hurt me, and I'm leaving, consequences be damned. Got it?"

"We'll see." Ean said. They finished eating their meal and left the park, heading for the market.

"Steal anything, and we'll throw you back in the cell." He warned Jack, who grimaced but nodded in agreement. They were immediately noticed, and several people came up to them and began thanking them for what they had done. Jack looked on curiously. Iya, who slipped away from them, joined Jack and Gavin at a nearby booth.

"What's up with that?" Jack asked.

"I'll tell you later." Iya said kindly. She had decided to treat Jack as nicely as she could, if only to help the lost boy just a little bit. Ean and Rye came over soon after, and Ean purchased a small pack for Jack, as well as some basic supplies.

"You're just giving this to me?" He said curiously, and Ean nodded.

"You'll need it for the trip. How much do you know about the layout of the land?"

"A fair amount. Why?" Jack asked, and Ean grinned mercilessly at him.

"You'll see."

Later that morning, Ean went to see Uthar before they departed for Seri, just to double check for any new information.

"Hmmm, nothing much. I did make contact with my agent in Seri, named Rip. They'll be expecting you, so keep an eye out." He smiled at Ean. "I'm counting on you, all of you." Ean had already informed him about Jack, and Uthar seemed to understand.

"Your friend Emma is coming along alright too. I believe her initiation is almost complete."

"That's good to hear." Ean said, turning to leave. "Stay safe, Prince Uthar."

"And you as well."

The elf exited the castle and returned to the inn, where the rest of the group, plus Jack, were waiting. The boy seemed nervous, but Ean figured that he would come around given time.

"We all ready to go?"

"We've got 3 days of supplies each." Rye said, gesturing towards the pack on the boy's back, which was now loaded full of things. He evidently was strong enough to lift it, though, and his face barely showed any strain.

"We'll have to get you a magic backpack too." mused Ean. "We bought all the ones in the market here. Come on, let's get on the road!" He led them out of the city towards the gates, where he was surprised to see a small crowd waiting for them.

"Uh…" Rye said. "This is new."

"Good luck!" a man called from the back.

"Thank you for everything!" another voice called. The whole crowd joined in, wishing them well as they strode through the gates and out onto the plains of Thais. Jack, who was evidently still in shock, looked at each of them in turn.

"Who exactly are you?" Gavin shot him a brief grin before turning back to survey the horizon. Taking a breath, Ean told the story from the beginning.

"You're lying." Iya laughed slightly, and Ean smiled.

"Why would I be lying?"

"You're telling me that you can transform into creatures, and she," Jack said, gesturing at Iya. "the elf, can manipulate magic through song."

"Well, to be honest, I only ever heard her sing once, but…" Ean said, and Iya whacked him lightly with her staff.

"You know I don't like that story."

"Fair enough." Ean agreed, rubbing his arm. "But, yeah."

"I still don't believe you." Jack said as they approached the entrance to the Graystone Mountains once again. With a flick of her arm, Iya summoned her storm sphere onto her arm, and the boy's jaw dropped.

"What about now?" She asked quietly. Jack nodded once, evidently intimidated.

"I think I believe it a little more now."

"What about the rest of us?" Rye asked, and Jack shrugged.

"Well, that's not as cool, so I don't really care one way or another."

"Hey!" Gavin protested. "I'm not exactly inexperienced over here. I've been dozens of places." At the mention of this, a shadow passed over Jack's face, but it vanished before anybody saw.

"Whatever." He muttered. "Why aren't we teleporting, then?"

"We haven't activated that teleporter yet." Ean said. "So we're walking."

"Just great." Jack groaned. "My feet are going to be killing me."

"Join the club." Ean said. "It'll probably take a good day to get through the mountains, and another day to arrive in Seri." Jack let out a sigh as the path began to slope upwards through the bushes and rocks.

"I'd rather still be a statue." Ean let out a short bark of laughter. A few minutes later, they entered the mountains proper, and he held up a hand.

"Listen, everybody. Gavin and Iya, take the two sides. I've got front, and Rye covers the rear. Jack, stay in the middle unless you have to run, okay?"

"I know how to take care of myself." Jack muttered.

"Maybe, but not like us." Ean knelt down in front of him. "I'm trying to keep you safe, Jack." The elf reached into his back and pulled out a decently sized steel dagger he had purchased in the marketplace. He offered it to Jack.

"This is only for emergencies, got it? If we get into trouble, I want you to find a place to hide until everything is over. And if we…" He trailed off, looking suddenly much older. "If we die, get back to Thais and Uthar will take care of you."

"I… I understand." Jack said, his mouth dry. He took the dagger and attached it to his new belt.

"Good." Ean said with a smile, standing up. He flicked his hands out, and the claws gleamed in the faint light. "Now, let's go."

Much like the first time, the mountains were full of enemies that the party had to battle before advancing further down the path. As they went further east, they began to encounter more spiders than before. However, Iya and Gavin were more than able to take care of the,. Iya in particular seemed to have learned several new spells, including one that froze their enemies in place using ice.

"Nice one!" Ean called as he slashed at the spider in front of him. Gavin, who had just put down two other spiders, turned to watch as Rye fired an arrow into the remaining enemy, sending the creature to the ground. Jack's eyes were wide as he watched them clean their weapons off and resheath them.

How did they get so good at fighting? It was a fair question to ask, all things considered. Ean kicked the bodies aside and they continued down the road, following the signs that pointed east. As they rounded a corner, the party came face to face with a stone wall that blocked the road completely.

"I don't think this is supposed to be here." Rye said, looking around. To their left was a waterfall that poured downwards, creating a small river that ran to the south.

"Yeah, it seems that the road is blocked." Ean said with a grimace. "Great. And it looks like we can't climb around it either." The elf pointed to the top of the stone wall, which was about thirty feet off the ground.

"What do we do then?" Gavin asked, looking around. "I don't see any other way."

"Spread out and search for another way through. Jack, you're with me." Ean said, and the party split into four groups that moved across the open area. Ean and Jack were searching along the path, looking for a path they may have missed, or some sort of way to get over the wall. They turned up nothing, however, and they rejoined Iya across the small river.

"Nothing?" The elven girl nodded, clutching her staff.

"Damn." Ean said. Suddenly, Rye shouted from somewhere behind them, and they turned to see him emerge from behind a clump of rocks.

"Over here!" The rest of the group ran over to them, joined by Gavin, to see a large opening in the mountain face. It was easily big enough for all of them, and seemed to stretch on into the darkness forever.

"What is this?" Iya asked, but Rye pointed to the ground. There, in the softer earth of the pass, they saw several footprints engraved into the dirt.

"They go in, but none come out. So…"

"There might be a way through." Gavin finished for him.

"Or they all died." Jack said moodily, and everyone stared at him.

"Let's try to focus on the positives, yeah?" Ean said with a slight smiled. "Rye, you have a torch still?"

"Yep. Just give me a moment." Rye said, and he pulled the torch from his backpack and lit it with a smooth motion. He lit another and handed it to Ean, and the party stepped into the caverns beneath the mountains.

As it turned out, there was little need for light. About a hundred feet into the caves, the party noticed that there were torches upon the wall that were already lit. Even more interesting, they seemed to be magical, as they did not sputter or flicker even once.

"Well, that's convenient." Ean said. "I wonder how they work."

"I think," Gavin said. "that they may be drawing their energy from the mountains themselves. Most self-sustaining magics use such a method."

"Interesting." Iya said. "How is it done?"

"I've never studied it, but…" He was cut off by a strange sound that emanated from the rocks in front of them, and everyone stopped in their tracks.

"What was-"

"Quiet!" Rye hissed, placing an arrow on his string. The hissing sound grew louder, and it was Ean who saw it first.

"Move!" He pushed Jack aside as the crimson snake lunged from the shadows, fangs bared. Its teeth sank into the stone, which began to slowly melt. Rye fired and arrow into its skull, and it collapsed.

"Did you see that?" Jack breathed, pointing to the stalagmite. Almost a quarter of it had been melted by the venom, and the rest was still steaming.

"Some sort of deadly poison." Rye said. "Be very careful." He kicked the red body aside, and they continued down the path lit by the torches. They encountered no more snakes, but instead were attacked by massive rats that were, thankfully, not poisonous. Gavin was bitten in the leg, and Jack in the arm, but a few healing herbs closed the cuts quickly enough.

"Stupid things." Jack muttered as he felt his wound close up.

"Stay sharp." Rye said. "I see some daylight up ahead." The party had been inside the caverns for about two hours, by Iya's reckoning. Each of them shielded their eyes as they stepped outside into the sunlight once more.

"Well, this isn't it." Ean said, as he looked down upon the mountains from their vantage point. The caverns had apparently sloped upwards as they traveled, and now he had a good vantage point from which to find the exit.

"Okay, so…. There's the waterfall, and the blocked road." He traced his finger along the path until he found another small clearing. "There seems to be another path there, so I bet that's where we come out." The sun was beginning to get low in the sky, and Ean sighed.

"We'll camp in the caves tonight, I suppose." He turned to lead them back into the darkness, but Jack interrupted him.

"What's that down there?" He pointed over the edge of the cliff, and Ean moved to see what the boy was talking about. His eyes widened as he saw a large, multicolored object sitting upon a cliff face below them.

"What is that?" Rye said as he joined them. "It looks like some sort of egg."

"We can't get down, though." Ean said. "Maybe if we had a rope." The slope between them could be slid down, but there was no way to get back up once somebody had gone down. "I'll jot it down in my notebook in case we come back here." The elf scribbled an entry into his book and placed it back into his bag.

"Back to the caverns, then?" Iya asked, and he nodded. Once inside, they began setting up camp, with Rye and Gavin making sure that there were no more creatures nearby. Ean started the fire while Iya laid her sleeping roll upon the ground. Jack stood near her awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Truth be told, he had never been part of a group quite like this one.

"Jack." Ean said from behind him, causing him to start.

"What?"

"Can you fetch me more sticks like this one?" Ean asked kindly, holding up a dry branch.

"Fine." Jack said, moving around the small cave to pick up the remains of several dead bushes.

I remember something like this.