Casual far Ming

by Taylor and Laura

Farmer

6. Book 6

Chapter One: Back To It

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 1st day of Summer! 90 days until the Summer Festival! Let's get to work, folks! There's loads to do, and not a lot of time to get it done before Fall hits!]

[Obadiah's Almanac: Update: Please stop asking when Paulina will get pregnant. We don't know, and we just got married yesterday! Be patient, and go bother Jason if you want to see a cute baby.]

"No. No, please don't bother Jason." Jason rolled out of bed.

Off down the hall, he could hear Fern babbling and cooing, and a smile broke across his face. Tess rolled out of bed as well, then rose and hugged him from behind. He sighed deeply, then slowly walked up to the window that looked out across his farm.

It was a wonderful thing that little farm. In the brilliant summer light, which was just peeking over the horizon, it simply looked stunning. Prairie grasses waved gently in the wind. Angus and Lady both had their heads sticking out of the stable, eagerly looking for their owners to let them out into the corral. Jason's field was dark and lush, ready to receive whatever seed he decided to plant there for that season. Crabgrasses skittered back and forth, looking for scrumptious crops to tear up and eat. All was right, and he sighed deeply.

"Alright." Jason turned away from the view after a moment. "You get Fern ready and get breakfast on the table, and I'll go do the chores?"

"Work, work, work." Tess walked over to their wardrobe and changed into a blue work dress, even though she had a wide grin spread across her face as she did it. "That's all you ever have me do!"

"Welcome to farm life, my love." Jason leaned over and gave her a kiss as he changed into overalls, then blinked in surprise. "You know what? We've been married for... two years now? Going on three! That's wild."

"I still remember the first time I yelled at you to get out of the guild hall." Tess sighed as she left the room and made her way down the hall to where Fern was eagerly waiting for her parents. "Now get moving!"

Jason chuckled, then jogged down the stairs. At the bottom, he was met by Chance, their eager hound, who bounded about in a circle and began to bark. Jason bent down and gave the dog a few pets, scratched behind his ears, and then pulled on his boots and made his way out into the farmyard.

Lady and Angus nickered eagerly, and Alfred stuck his head out from between them after a moment. He was nearly full-grown, and Jason knew that it was high time to start more intensely training the young horse on proper farm use. He let the three horses out into the corral, poured them some oats, and then leaned against the rails of the fence. Chance raced back and forth, barking at crabgrasses, and Jason sighed in contentment.

"Howdy, neighbor!"

Richard's voice rang across the farmyard, and Jason turned slightly as Tess's father came riding up on his enormous horse. A moment later, Tess strode out onto the porch, Fern was cradled in her arms, and waved at him.

"What's up?" Jason asked, nodding across the road at the rather ramshackle house that Richard had built over the previous year. There were several wagons now standing out in front, and he could see several of Jeremiah's hired hands moving around the area.

"Not much. Just wanted to come say hello." Richard shrugged. "They're moving me down to the ranch so that I can be closer to my new work, so this will be the last time we live quite so close together."

"After the last thirty years, you're still closer than you've ever been." Tess walked up and gave her father a side-hug. Fern reached up and rubbed Richard's grizzly jaw, then drew back in surprise. "We're looking forward to seeing you settle in around here."

"Thanks." Richard took a deep breath and kicked at the ground. "Thanks for giving me a second chance."

Tess merely grinned, then turned and nodded at the front porch. "You want to come in? We're just getting ready for breakfast, and you'd be welcome if you wanted to join!"

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm seeing Daniel and Viola off." Richard shrugged. "They're heading out for the north. I think they said last night that they're going to do their honeymoon in Illumitir. There are some big tourist dungeons up that way that Daniel wants to complete with Viola, and then they'll be heading up to the ice dungeons in the north."

"Bring them along too!" Tess grinned. "I'd love to see my brother off as well!"

"Well... Alright, I'll give them a holler." Richard turned away. "Thanks for everything, Tess and Jason!"

He mounted up and started to ride away, and Jason crossed his arms.

"Inviting the in-laws without asking me first?" He snorted in a manner that he hoped conveyed the fact that he didn't care at all. "Rude."

Tess rolled her eyes. "At least my in-laws didn't try and steal the farm from us. I'll go fix up a bit more breakfast. You think you can keep Fern out here until it's ready?"

"I'd love nothing more." Daniel reached out and picked up Fern, then held her tightly in his arms as Tess started to walk away.

Baby Fern stretched out her arms toward Tess and puckered up her lips. "Mama!"

"Right now, you're with daddy! Or dada. Really whatever's easier for you. I'd also answer to a garbled wail if it meant you were referencing me." Jason walked over to the lean-to where all his equipment was stored. "Want to help me get things ready for the planting today?"

Fern paused in his arms and made a cooing noise that he interpreted as huh? Whatever the case, she said nothing as he set her down on the dusty floor of the lean-to, then grabbed a toolbox and set it down in front of her.

"Alright, Fern." Jason flipped the box open. He fished around inside, then pulled out a wrench. "This is a wrench. Can you say wrench?"

Fern giggled, then reached out and grabbed a screwdriver, which she started waving around like a sword. Jason snatched it back before she could hurt herself, then pushed the toolbox underneath the planter.

"Maybe we'll work on that later." He started running his fingers across the underside of the machine. It wasn't long before he found a loose bolt, which he tightened quickly using said wrench.

[Action Used: Maintain Planter. Remaining Actions: 40]

He moved quickly as he crawled underneath the machine. Fern stayed more or less where he'd put her, though she did certainly start to crawl around a bit. He smiled as he watched her sifting through the dirt, and playing with some of the gravel. Suddenly, though, he saw her eyes widen, and a grin spread across her face.

"What are you..."

She reached out and scooped up a rather brightly colored beetle, looked at Jason, and popped it into her mouth.

"No!" Jason yelped.

He lunged forward, only to whack his head on a support bar as he dove haphazardly from beneath the machine. His head spun as he fell flat on his face in front of Fern, and he rose up slowly to reach into her mouth and pull the bug out. As he did so, though, he realized that his fingers were covered in dirt and grease.

"Hmm." His mind whirled frantically.

Fern simply giggled as he grabbed a rag from his belt and began frantically swiping at his hands, trying to get enough gunk off that he could safely extract the beetle from her mouth. When he had finally succeeded, he reached forward and grasped her jaws, and she happily spit the bug out onto the ground. It slowly climbed to its feet, then shakily staggered off across the dirt.

"Little Farmer? That's not good to feed her."

Jason rolled his eyes as a shadow fell across the opening.

"Unca Dan!"

Fern began to crawl toward Daniel, and Jason slowly climbed to his

feet. His head whacked against the handle of his plow as he did so, and he groaned in pain.

"There's my little niece!" Daniel picked up Fern, then stepped back and tossed her up into the air. Jason's eyes snapped open as she flew up into the sky a good ten feet, though Daniel did catch her perfectly on the way down.

"Awe! Now that's adorable," Tess called out as she appeared on the porch once again. "Jason? What did you do to your head? Were you watching Fern, or were you working on equipment?"

"Why can't I do both?" Jason groaned as his head began to throb.

"The two welts on your skull say that you're struggling with it." Daniel reached out and patted Jason on the shoulder. There was a flash of light, and the headache eased. "There! Minor Heal. It's a skill I picked up while fighting sword-fish out in the western country!" He nuzzled Fern's nose with his own nose. "Are you going to grow up to be a warrior like your mama, or a little farmer like your dad?"

"We'll just let her decide that." Jason's stomach growled, and he started walking up toward the porch. Viola, Daniel's new wife, was already

joining Tess in the house.

"Yeah, but we can give her some hints along the way!" Daniel

tossed Fern into the air again, eliciting an enormous stream of giggles once more. "Now, let's eat! I've got a big wagon to pull up to Illumitir, so I'm going to have to eat lots of food." His voice drifted up into a baby voice as he snuggled Fern. "Maybe all the food in your daddy's pantry! How about that?"

"Maybe not," Jason chuckled. "You're welcome to as much crabgrass meat as you want, though!"

It wasn't much longer before they were all seated around the dining room table. The breakfast itself was a happy one, though Richard had to leave fairly quickly to join Weatherhand and get his new position on the ranch set up. Jason excused himself fairly quickly as well, and went out into the field to get to work. Daniel and Viola, though, stayed and chatted with Tess and Fern until almost halfway through the day.

As it turned out, Tess prepared an early lunch, and Jason came in from planting to join them before they departed. As Daniel set Viola on the seat of their wagon, then took up the harness and started pulling the wagon off down the road, Tess and Jason watched him go.

"Do you reckon we'll ever see him again?" Jason glanced over at Tess.

"I'm sure of it." She nodded. "Don't get me wrong, I'll miss him, but..." She shrugged. "We each have our own lives to live. He's going his way, and we're going ours. Now..." She gave him a kiss on the cheeks. "Go get to work. We've got a farm to manage, and I don't want to miss out on a minute of it.

Chapter Two: A Good Day For Doing

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 2nd day of Summer! 89 days until the Summer Festival! It's looking like a pretty nice day today all things considered! There's a front coming through tomorrow, which will bring a slight drop in temperature, followed by a really big storm, but after that, we should have smooth skies for quite a while!]

Jason sighed deeply as he rolled out of bed. He felt... alive. There just seemed to be something in the air, something that made him ready to get to work. He walked over to the wardrobe and started to change, while Tess propped herself up on one elbow and looked over at him.

"Something happening today that I don't know about?" She flashed a small smile as she swung herself out of bed and slowly walked over to join him.

Jason shrugged. "Not particularly. It just... It feels like a good day to get things done."

"What's your plan for the day?" Tess asked. "Now that you have the field planted?"

Jason pulled the straps of his overalls over his shoulders. "I think I'm going to head out to the Far Eighty. The main field is planted to sunflowers, which take a couple weeks to ripen. In the meantime, I'd like to actually start farming the Far Eighty this year. I think it's actually feasible."

"I'll pack a picnic lunch?" Tess offered. "I'll do some tidying in the farmhouse up there, and Fern can run around as she wants?"

"Sounds like a plan." Jason flashed a small smile. "Catch you down there!"

As he walked out into the hallway, Chance met him with an eager lick, and Jason laughed as he gave the hound his obligatory morning petting. With that, he strode down and out into the farmstead, and threw himself into the morning chores.

It didn't take long to get the horses let out and fed. That done, he waited until Lady had eaten enough, then took her out and hitched her up to

the carriage. Dust had started to accumulate on the vehicle, and he spent a few minutes wiping it down. By the time he finished, Tess had just emerged from the house with Fern on her hip and a lunch basket in her hand. Soon they had mounted up, and Jason started them off toward the Far Eighty.

They had started to make the trip often enough that a proper path was being forged through the prairie grasses. Twin tracks for the two wagon wheels were marked out, and Jason did his best to follow them. Down through the ravines, they went, then up over smooth rises. The wind gusted along merrily as they went, with only the soft creaking of the wagons wheels and the swishing of the grass to keep the company. Overhead, several birds darted back and forth.

"Oh! Here." Tess looked up suddenly, then reached into the basket and pulled out a tortilla wrapped around what looked like a large quantity of eggs and peppers. "I made breakfast to go, but this is just so peaceful that I forgot all about it."

Jason accepted the food and nodded in approval as he ate. "Is this a new recipe? It's amazing!"

"Paulina gave it to me, yeah." Tess nodded. "It's an old one from her family. There's a particular combination of spices that she uses, one of which actually came from overseas."

"Ooh! We're getting fancy out here, now." Jason took another bite. It was both tangy and sweet at the same time.

"No. Not fancy at all." Tess took a deep breath as another gust of wind rolled across the prairie grasses. "And that's just the way I like it."

Jason couldn't have agreed more. Soon they came over the final rise and looked down upon the eighty acres of ground that Jason had been working on for the better part of... four years, now? Success had continually eluded him, first for one reason and then another, but this year... This year, he would make it all work.

A gleaming steel fence surrounded all but a few last sections along the southernmost side. Jason's eyes measured it out, and he wondered if he had enough material to finish it off. He would be close, that was for sure. As he came rumbling up to the farmhouse, Lady came to a stop, and he hopped down and helped Tess and Fern get out. As Tess carried Fern into the house, Jason unhitched Lady from the carriage, then hitched her in turn to the rail. He needed to get a corral built for the ground, but such a thing hadn't yet come about.

Jason spent a few moments glancing in the cabin to make sure that Tess and Fern were all right, then went out to the fence. As he approached, he opened up his farm's inventory, then scrolled through the nigh-endless list of random junk until he came to the metal poles and rails that he would need to finish things up.

When he selected the entry, there was a mighty crash as it all spawned in just a few feet away. He counted three remaining poles, and nodded.

"Jason?" Tess's voice called out. "Is it okay if Fern comes over there? She's standing at the window just watching you."

"Sure!" Jason called back. "Bring her on over!"

Jason opened up the farm's inventory once again, then selected a post-hole digger. He walked up to the last pole he had placed, paced out the distance, and then put the wedge-shaped digger to the soil.

"Here we go!" He grinned as Tess set Fern down about ten feet from him. "Should we do it?"

"Eeeeeet!" Fern agreed.

Jason pushed the digger down, and with a pop, a small pile of dirt was pulled out of the ground and dumped into a pile nearby.

[Action Used: Dig Hole. Remaining Actions: 40]

"And there we go!" He grinned down at Fern. "Do you think you can help me bring over the post to drop in here?"

Fern simply giggled, and Jason smiled as he walked over to the pile and hefted one of the poles up into the air. It was heavy, made of solid steel, and he swayed under the weight of the thing as he pulled it over to the hole. Carefully, making sure that Fern was well out of the way, he dropped it down inside, then opened up the farm's inventory and took out a shovel. He tapped the pile of dirt with the tool, and with a flash, the dirt was teleported back into the hole, making the post stand up a bit straighter.

[Action Used: Refill Hole. Remaining Actions: 39]

"And there we have it." Jason dusted off his hands. He bit his lip as he tried to decide whether or not to dig the other holes first, or to put up the rails first.

"Dada!"

Jason spun to find Fern at his feet, looking up at him with a grin. He bent down and picked her up, then pointed at the pile of metal.

"What should we do first? Should we... plant more posts, or put up the rails?"

"'Aaaaaaaaa!"

"I'm going to assume that you meant something by that, but I don't have the faintest idea what it was." Jason chuckled as he walked over to the newly planted post, then started to pace out the hole for the next one. "I need Tess to translate for me. And... Here we go."

He paused where he needed to dig the next hole, then set Fern down on the ground. "There! Can you stay right there and not move?"

Fern giggled, then started crawling away.

"No, I said stay here!" Jason called out in a rather sing-song voice. He moved Fern back to the place where he needed to dig, and she burst into laughter. The moment his hands left her, she turned and started crawling away again.

"No, silly!" He jumped forward, swept her up, and placed her back in position. "Here!"

Fern continued to burst into laughter, and they played the impromptu game for several long minutes. They finally finished as Jason sighed and turned his mind back to the task at hand, and he kicked a little bit of a scuff mark into the grass. Fern looked disappointed as he walked over to grab the assorted tools, but she only stared up at him as he got to work, and didn't cry.

He soon had the next post planted, and picked up Fern again as he paced out the last one. They played the same game for a few minutes once more, and Jason looked up to find Tess leaning against the wall of the cabin, just watching them.

"You're a good dad." She smiled as he set Fern aside and started to dig once again. "I hope you know that."

Jason shrugged. "Well, you're a good mom. What can I say?"

Tess blushed, and Jason soon had the last post planted. He then started to hang up the rails between them, which was a much harder job. The rails, being metal, were quite heavy, and his muscles strained as he tried to hold them up. There were notches to slide them into on the posts, of course, but they were approximate at best, and then he had to hammer in rivets to get them to stick together. Still, though, it worked out, and by the time Tess called out for lunch, he had gotten up the first section of rails, leaving two more sections to build that afternoon.

Tess had laid out a blanket in the shade of the farmhouse, and already had Fern munching on some crackers. Jason sat down across from her, and she opened up the picnic basket as a soft, warm wind gusted across the prairie.

"How close are you going to get today?" Tess asked as she handed Jason a ham sandwich.

"Close." He sighed and glanced at the last post, which was only a dozen feet from the very first post he had hammered in. "All told, I think I'll need exactly one more post to do it, and then we can start faming this place."

"Excited?" Tess glanced at him, a glimmer in her eye.

"I am, yeah." He took a deep breath, then leaned back.

Beneath the blanket, he could feel the stems of the different grasses

and forbs, and above, clouds drifted lazily across the sun. Every year, it seemed that the world couldn't get any better, and yet, every year, he found new things to get excited about.

"I'll run into town over the next few days, then get this together, and then I think I'll put the first crop in when I re-plant the main field after the first harvest."

"It sounds like a good plan." Tess grinned.

Jason nodded slowly, then closed his eyes. "Yeah, it really does.

Chapter Three: Stay Hyrdated

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 14th day of Summer! 77 days until the Summer Festival! Let's see here... It's looking like a warmer day. Not quite a scorcher, though those will be coming later on this year, but a hot one, nonetheless. Stay hydrated, folks!]

Jason rolled out of bed and yawned, blinking sleep out of his eyes. Nearby, Tess sat in a rocking chair, snoring softly. Her head was resting on a pillow wedged between her head and the crest of the chair, while Fern was propped up on her chest, wrapped and positioned carefully in her arms. Fern drew a deep gasp, then coughed several times before settling back down.

"Poor girl," Jason whispered.

He slipped around the chair and changed clothes. Fern had picked up a cold from somewhere or another, and was struggling to breathe at night. Jason had taken the first part of the night, sitting up with her in his office, and had passed her off to Tess somewhere around three o'clock in the morning.

Carefully, he mounded up some of their pillows to keep her head elevated, then picked up Fern and slipped her over into a somewhat less precarious position. Tess certainly hadn't meant to fall asleep holding Fern, but such things did happen every now and again, and the bed was a lot safer than the arms of a woman fast asleep in a rocking chair. That done, Jason mounded up the blankets around the perimeter of the bed to keep Fern from rolling off, then slowly slipped out into the hall.

He tried to stay as quiet as possible as he made his way down to the kitchen. The cookbook flapped its pages eagerly as he entered, and Jason quickly walked up to the pages and flashed a small smile.

"I know, I know, it's been a while, but I'm sure Tess treats you better than I ever did. Let's see... Tess has only been making me eggs and things. No salads for a while, so that's been nice, but I'd sure love a nice plate of waffles and fried chicken. Think you can manage that?"

[Cookbook: You are currently out of whipped cream]

"Of course." Jason stroked his chin. "Can you just make it without whipped cream?"

[You have not discovered that recipe yet]

"Fine, fine." Jason crossed his arms. "Then make me a plate of ordinary pancakes."

There was a flash of light, and the dish appeared on the table. Before he could move, Chance leapt up and gobbled it down. Jason scowled at the dog, who flattened his ears against his head and opened his eyes wide.

"Oh, don't give me that look. You know I'm not going to punish you, at least not that much." Jason sighed. "Can you make me another one?"

There was a second flash of light, and this time, Jason leapt forward to scoop it up before Chance could get at it. He ate quickly and simply, then made his way out into the farmyard.

As he stepped out onto the front porch, he took a deep breath, then slowly turned and looked across at the field. Beautiful, golden-ringed sunflower heads looked back at him, gazing intently at the morning sun. Jason smiled at the display, then slowly marched down into the driveway. Chance followed, and Jason skipped and kicked a crabgrass as hard as he could. It sailed up and landed on the roof of the corral, then yelped and leapt off as Chance began barking and chasing it.

"You know, they sell pesticides that will keep those things away."

Jason spun as Richard came riding into the yard. Several of his hired hands rode along past on the road up toward town.

"Jeremiah told me those pesticides weren't worth the ink it took to print their labels."

Richard laughed. "Jeremiah didn't bother buying pesticides unless a single whiff would kill everything within a ten-mile radius."

"Very true." Jason let the horses out into the corral and watched as they ran over to their trough and started eating their morning hash. "What brings you out this way this morning?"

"Not much." Richard shrugged. "We're heading up to get things set up for a cattle drive tomorrow. Jeremiah always skirted around the edges of some of the regulations, and I think Weatherhand is trying to change some of those things. We also need to buy some supplies from Paulina."

"Well, it's good to see you." Jason frowned as Alfred ran past, kicking up his heels in the morning sun. "Would you ever consider breaking a horse for me?"

Richard blinked. "What do you mean?"

Jason shrugged and nodded at Alfred. "That one's a good horse, and I think he'll be an excellent animal once we get him trained, but this last year... I dunno, animals aren't really my strong suit. I just don't know how to work with him quite the same way you guys do. If you ran that as a service, I'd pay whatever it was worth."

"At least at a glance, I don't know why we couldn't do it. He doesn't look like a monster; I don't think it would take us more than a few weeks to get him ready for you." Richard shrugged. "I won't make any promises, but I can ask Weatherhand when I get back to the ranch tonight."

"I'd appreciate it." Jason turned toward his lean-to. "Hey, when you're up in town, can you tell Paulina thank-you for that metal she got me? It was exactly what I needed. She managed to get me hooked up with a few grades more expensive than I usually buy, for almost exactly the same price. Some overstock deal she discovered."

"Will do! See you around, neighbor!" Richard spun the horse toward the road, and was soon trotting off into the distance.

Jason watched him go, a smile flickering across his face. The former warrior had been terrified to come to Summer Shandy, and now Jason was fairly certain that he would never leave again. It was a wonderful feeling, and he knew that Tess enjoyed having her father around.

Jason let his horses have a few minutes, then took out Angus and hitched him up to the harvester. The former warhorse was a powerful creature, and monsters scattered out of the way as Jason sent him across the farm. Blades whirred to life, blending anything that wasn't fast enough, and Jason was awarded seventeen more crabgrass meat. Soon they had entered the field, and a proper grin spread across Jason's face.

Harvesting sunflowers was one of the most exciting things that Jason could do on the farm for two reasons. First, they had a rather pleasant sunshine effect that went off as they were cut down, sending sparkling sunbeams across himself and the underside of the harvester. The second reason was that the natural predator of the sunflowers, the butter-fly, spent a good portion of time over the sunflower's development period smearing butter across the plants to make it better for eating. The smell of hot, fresh

butter filled the air along with the sunbeams, making it a sensory delight in so many ways.

Jason harvested all through that morning, keeping an eye on his bedroom. As lunchtime approached, he thought he caught a flash of movement in one of the windows, but he couldn't be certain and just continued onward instead of stopping. Finally, as the sun rose to its pinnacle, he saw Tess appear on the porch and wave at him.

He pulled out of the field and put Angus back in the corral to rest, then walked up to join Tess in the house. She had spread out a lovely meal for them. Baby Fern sat in her high chair, giggling and smacking her practice fork against the plastic.

"Now you're looking a lot better than the last time I saw you!" Jason grinned as he dropped into his chair.

In response, Fern sneezed and blew a massive snot bubble out of her nose, which then dripped down onto her tray. Tess wiped it away within a second, and she sat down across from Jason.

"She's doing all right. Still sick, but better than yesterday." Tess shrugged. "I'm sorry for sleeping so late. Thanks for letting me keep sleeping in any case."

"You're more than welcome." Jason smiled at her. "I just hope you're feeling better."

"I think I am." Tess bit her lip, then narrowed her eyes at Jason. "Now, before we eat, we do need to talk about you leaving Fern on our bed!"

"I propped her up!" Jason shrugged. "And I put out blankets to keep her from rolling off the bed."

"You could have put her back into her own crib, which has walls designed to keep her from rolling away." Tess pointed out. "Also, every expert you ever meet will tell you not to put blankets and pillows and things in with the baby until they're at least two years old."

"It was better than letting her sleep in your arms," Jason protested. "I thought I was doing good!"

"You were... I'm just telling you how you can do better in the future."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Sorry, then." After a moment, he scowled. "If I couldn't have put a blanket or pillow in her crib, she still wouldn't have been propped up, and she would have just woken up after a few minutes

anyhow. Unless..." An idea sprang into his head. "I could put books underneath two of the legs to raise up one end!"

"That's objectively the worst idea of all." Tess chuckled. She reached across the table and pulled a cover off a steaming bowl of mashed potatoes, then off of a matching bowl of hot, white gravy. "We'll have to figure something out, though, if she doesn't get to feeling better by tonight."

"Hmm." Jason took a large heap of mashed potatoes, topped it with gravy, and tucked in. "Maybe we can... No... That would..."

"I'll write to Delilah, I'm sure she has some ideas," Tess offered after a moment. "She ought to have plenty of time on her hands now that Jeremiah is the constable."

Jason laughed. "I'd almost forgotten about that! We need to get up to Summer Shandy one of these days. I'd like to see how he's holding up in that job."

Tess rolled her eyes. "You just want to get permission to legally blow things up."

"If he can manage it..."

They both shared a laughed, then formally tucked into their meal. It was excellent. Even Fern seemed to agree, though she smeared an enormous amount of it across her tray, the floor, her face and dress, and even managed to fling a bit onto the wall. Chance helped clean up everything that landed within his range, and Jason offered to help, but Tess sent him outside to finish up so that he could be inside by dinner.

As he walked out onto the porch, he waved at Richard and the other hired hands, who were on their way back. They all waved back, and he slowly turned to go get to work once again.

The field was waiting for him... And once he got that much done, the Far Eighty would be ready for him too.

Chapter Four: Windy Day

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 15th day of Summer! 76 days until the Summer Festival! Today's going to be a windy one, folks! If you're out in the fields, you're going to have to deal with a ton of dust. A few whirlwinds might spring up here and there, so watch out for those as well! Umm... Yeah, nothing else really of note.]

"Wind." Jason rolled out of bed and groaned. Wind was a killer out on the farm; there was no doubt about that. Just being battered around by it all day could wear you out something fierce. After a moment, though, he grinned. "You know what I always wanted to do as a kid?"

"Something that I'm sure I won't let you do now," Tess answered, before rolling her eyes and shrugging. "What?"

"I always wanted to take a cart or something, with wheels, and hook up a big sheet for a sail for windy days. Go sailing across the land like a ship on the sea!" Jason smiled as he dressed. "There were a few kids down the block who said that they'd done it, and I always wanted to see if it could really happen."

Tess snorted. "I actually knew someone who did that, here in Summer Shandy."

"Really?" Jason beamed.

"That someone would be Jeremiah, and it took Theresa almost a week to fix the bone he broke in his leg."

"You know, that really doesn't surprise me." Jason chuckled as he pulled on his overalls. "Well, what's your plan for the day? I'm going to try to get both fields planted today if I can."

"I'm just going to keep Fern out of the wind, but we'll be here for you when you're done." Tess flashed a small smile. "Go take on the world!" "Is there any way you could pack me a lunch?" Jason asked. "I'd

like to pretty much dig in and keep going, if possible." "I'll have it ready for you as soon as I can!"

Jason flashed a smile at his wife, then turned and made his way down and into the kitchen. He paused for a moment to scoop up a brief meal, then went out into the farmyard. Chance happily raced about his feet, barking at the crabgrasses. The horses all got excited as well, and Jason soon turned them loose in their pen.

Already, the wind was rising, and he found it hard to walk in a straight line. It wasn't simply a little windy, or just a bit gusty, it was getting downright nasty out there. He started to suspect that his idea of getting both fields planted in a single day might not be the most realistic plan in the world, but he still wanted to give it a whirl. Even if it didn't work out in the end, he was determined to see the Far Eighty get planted that day; there was simply no other option to it.

When the horses had finished eating, he took out Angus and saddled him up. He swung up into the saddle, then trotted over to the porch as Tess came walking out. Fern bubbled eagerly in her arms, and she passed him up a small sack lunch.

"You're doing the Far Eighty first?" She raised an eyebrow.

Jason shrugged. "I just can't stand to see it not get done, you know?"

"Well, if you get blown away, know that I probably won't see where you land." She turned back toward the house. "I'm going to start cleaning and dusting the upstairs. Anything I need to avoid in your office?"

"Nah." Jason shrugged. "If you want to get the giant wolf spider out of the back office, though, I'd certainly appreciate it."

"Will do!"

Tess vanished back into the house, and Jason took Angus and rode off across the prairie. As he did so, he was buffeted constantly by the high winds. The breeze lessened as he delved down into the hollows and ravines, but it only picked up again when he topped the ridges. Upon coming out over the Far Eighty itself, where the ground was much more level and flat, he found that the trees to the south actually protected the area somewhat, making for a slightly less intense experience. Still, though, there was quite a lot of wind, and he could see small vortexes forming over on the far side of the field.

Earlier that week, the day before harvesting the sunflowers, he had come out and plowed up the expanse. It was ready for seed, that much was for sure. Angus snorted eagerly as he came up to the secondary lean-to

where all his old, rusty equipment was stored. He knew he likely needed to just sell it all and buy better stuff, but... it was the first line of equipment he had ever purchased, and it just felt wrong to part with it. Tess had a number of words of wisdom for his sentiments, and Jeremiah had offered to have someone smelt them into several new cannons for his farm, but he had turned down all offers.

He was going to put them to use, and that was that.

He quickly hitched up Angus to the old planter, then paused as he scrolled through the assorted seeds available. He had a bit of seed left over from other ventures, but he had purchased something new from Paulina that he was eager to test out. When he found it, he filled up the hoppers with grain, then slowly pulled into the field.

As he pulled the lever to lower the seed disks into the soil, torrents of amaranth seed flowed into the ground. From the pictures on the seed packets, it was a rather lovely-looking sort of a plant, with red tassels that resembled sorghum heads, but more feathery. He wasn't exactly sure what the selling price of amaranth would be, but he was hoping that, being a more specialty grain, it would be a bit higher than some of the more common staples.

In any case, his old planter rattled around violently as Angus made his way across the field, and Jason was reminded exactly why he hadn't been tremendously fond of the machine. With every hole and mound that it struck, it lashed back and forth, threatening to throw him off. Having been over the homestead field so many times, Jason had grown to know and anticipate almost every single hole that had cropped up. Here, he was still utterly unfamiliar with the terrain, and was knocked back and forth something awful. On top of that, the wind was also doing its best to knock him down.

Angus snorted and pushed forward as the wind swept by, blowing dust into their faces. When they got down close to the end, a whirlwind blew up, and within a moment, Jason found himself in the middle of the raging winds.

In that moment, he did have to admit that it was rather impressive. A raging swirl of dust surrounded him, forming a circular wall. Trapped in the middle, the air was still... almost painfully so as he had started to grow accustomed to the raging blasts of winds that buffeted him at every turn otherwise. He held out his hand, letting it drift through the torrents of wind

that formed the edge of the cyclone... And then Angus continued to tug them forward, and they passed through the wall and back into the storm outside.

Back and forth they went, up and down as they pushed themselves forward. Angus snorted, but didn't give up, and Jason gritted his teeth together in determination. He didn't really have a clue how long it would take to get it all done, but he was certainly going to get it finished as quickly as he could.

Around noon, he had finished a little over half of the field, though foamy sweat stood out on Angus's sides, and the horse was breathing heavily. Jason lifted the seed plates and pulled out of the field, then shut up the gates and allowed Angus to lay down to rest while he walked into the house to eat his lunch.

The well-made wooden door clicked shut behind him, and he sank wearily to the table. There was less dust than he might have imagined, given that they only used the house every now and again, but Tess had done a fine job getting it cleaned up. He opened up his lunch and took out a roast beef sandwich, along with a few boiled eggs and some other such things, and ate largely in silence.

As he did so, the only noise came from the howling of the wind over the chimney, and the beating of the grasses against the walls. When he finished eating, he still felt weary, and as he rose and walked over to the window, he could see Angus still lying on the grass, eating on what could be reached without having to move. He squared his shoulders, then walked back out into the raging wind, ready to be done with the day.

"Alright, boy!" He patted Angus on the shoulder, and the horse rose up obediently. "Let's get too it!"

With every ounce of energy they possessed, the two of them struck back out into the field. Angus was a good, solid horse, and as they drove back and forth across the remainder of the expanse, Jason felt his heart swelling within him. They finished somewhere around three o'clock, then unhitched the planter in the shed and struck off for home once again.

Tess met them on the porch as they came staggering back up. Fern was nowhere to be seen, presumably still in the house, but she eagerly rushed down into the farmyard to help him get Angus put away. Neither of them spoke until they were inside the house, and Jason sank eagerly into his favorite chair.

"Dada!" Fern beamed as she crawled over to him. She had a number of blocks spread across the living room floor, and Jason bent over and scooped her up into his arms. She batted at his face, and he grinned.

"She's been dying to see you ever since you left." Tess smiled and sat down next to him. "How'd work go?"

"The Far Eighty officially has seed in the ground!" Jason grinned and thrust up a fist. "Now Angus and I are so sore that I don't know that we'll be able to get the main field planted tomorrow, but..." He chuckled. "I kid, I kid. I'll be fine after a rest and a meal; that was just exhausting."

"Well, you just sit right there and play with your daughter, and I'm going to go get some cleaning done." Tess rose and gave him a kiss. "And maybe we can play a board game tonight once Fern gets to bed."

Jason nodded as she left, then began to tickle Fern. She giggled and kicked around in his lap. Yes, the day had been tiring, but this was simply wonderful... And if this was what he had to look forward to when he got home, he knew that he wouldn't mind even the most stressful of days in the future.

Chapter Five: Close To Harvest

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 30th day of Summer! 61 days until the Summer Festival! That's one month down, two to go! A third of the way through Summer already... Hardly seems like it, but that's the way things go! If you've been procrastinating, folks, now's your chance to get back on top of things!]

[Obadiah's Almanac: Update: Yes, my dad has a permit for his new 'deputy'. He's been cleared to appear in public... Admittedly a bit faster than I'd have liked, those backdate forms are rather overpowered things, but... Yes, he's safe, just don't get close to him when he's hungry.]

Jason yawned as he woke up, then slowly rose and stretched. Tess followed him, and rather on a whim, he walked over to look out across his farm. He had been doing so less and less, but it just felt like a good day to do so. Across the yard, his sunflowers were in full bloom, and would be ready for harvest any day now. Though he couldn't see it, he also knew that the amaranth on the Far Eighty would be getting close to harvest-ready as well.

"You seem like you're in a good mood this morning." Tess gave him a hug.

"I don't know." Jason stretched, then hugged Tess as well. "It just seems like a good day."

"Yeah," Tess agreed. After a moment, she glanced at the almanac entry and laughed. "I can't believe Obadiah is actually letting him use a trained goblin as a deputy."

"I can't believe Delilah is letting him use a trained goblin as a deputy." Jason rolled his eyes. "Now I'll also admit that I'm really looking forward to heading into town to meet him... Gob, that's his name?"

"I think so. I could hear him crashing around the jail the last time I was in town." Tess shook her head in amazement. "You helped him capture it, didn't you?"

"Yeah!" Jason grinned. "I forgot, you were in town helping with the wedding at the time! You get breakfast ready, and I'll do chores, and I'll tell you all about it." He laughed as he started getting dressed. "You should have seen him trying to protect that dungeon core, it was—"

"Dungeon core?" Tess suddenly sounded a great deal more business-like. "Did you just say dungeon core?"

Jason froze. "I... I did mention that I forgot to tell you this story, right?"

Tess's voice became deadly cool. "Did Jeremiah take it?"

Jason bit his lip. "I'm honestly not sure what answer you're looking for."

"Jason?" Tess slowly walked up in front of him. "Is there a dungeon core in our farm's inventory?"

"Ahh..." Jason held up a finger. "Strictly speaking, I stuck it in a box in our basement. I didn't know if it might start corrupting our items, and I didn't want to eat anything that—"

"You know, for a long time now, I've wondered just exactly where the crazy in your family went. Your uncle stored all sorts of wild stuff around here, but you seemed normal! Now I know it's still here, just buried a bit." Tess turned away, snorting. "Dungeon core in my basement. I never..."

She continued to mutter, and Jason made himself scarce. He slipped downstairs, ran outside, and did the chores as quickly as possible. When he came back inside, he found breakfast waiting on the table, Fern in her high chair, and the glittering dungeon core sitting on his chair.

There it was... ruby-red, six inches long, two inches wide, and sharpened to a point on both ends. Jason picked it up to move it out of the way as he sat down, and Tess screamed.

"Don't touch it!"

"Then why'd you put it in my chair?" Jason stuck the thing in his pocket.

"Dungeon cores are extremely dangerous."

"And I kept it out of the hands of Jeremiah. You're welcome." Jason chuckled and tucked into his pancakes. "I just thought—"

"No, you weren't thinking." Tess rolled her eyes. A moment later, Fern threw a large blob of peanut butter at Jason, who only narrowly dodged out of the way. There was a sharp snap as Chance gobbled it

straight out of the air. After a moment, Tess sighed. "And now we're stuck with a dungeon core in the house!"

"You could always sell it to Obadiah." Jason shrugged. "That was kinda my plan, after we ex— After we put it on display or something for a while."

"You were about to say experiment." Tess pointed a finger at Jason. "You were about to say that you were going to experiment with the dungeon core."

"I also do want to put it on display. It'll go great in my office," Jason pointed out.

"I ought to name you Jeremiah." Tess sighed. "Now I know why Delilah is losing her hair. Jason, you're going to drive me crazy."

A light twinkled in Jason's eyes. "You want to help me? I spawn monsters in, and you kill them?"

"No, I..." Tess's voice trailed off, and the corner of her mouth twitched.

"You're not pregnant right now," Jason offered. "And I can try to only spawn in small things."

"You don't have any idea how to work that thing," Tess pointed out.

Jason shrugged and pulled out the dungeon core. He gave it a squeeze.

[Dungeon Core Menu: Miniature Spider Minor Warg

Minor Bat

Minor Skeleton

Minor Dragon

...]

Jason scrolled through the list, then shrugged. "I think I can figure it

out."

Tess gave him a side-eye, then bit her lip. "What would you be

doing today ordinarily?"

Jason could only shrug. "I dunno. Getting things ready for harvest, I

expect. Maybe taking you all out to the Far Eighty?" "So you wouldn't be shirking your duties?" "Nope!"

Fifteen minutes later, Jason sat on the porch with Fern, who was still in her high chair. Tess thought it would be safer for her that way. Jason had his blunderbuss across his lap, just in case things went wrong, while Tess was in her full battle gear out in the front yard. The sun beat down that day, but Tess didn't seem particularly bothered.

"Alright!" Jason called out. "I'm going to try spawning in a... We're going to try one of these miniature spiders! I'm pretty sure these are all ranked based on difficulty to defeat, and that's the easiest."

"I can do better than that!" Tess clapped her hands, then drew her sword. "I'm a warrior!"

"It's been two years since you've been active in the dungeon, and you've given birth since then," Jason pointed out. "Let's take it slow."

He opened up the dungeon core menu, then selected the miniature spider. A mini-map of the area then opened up, and he selected a location just in front of Tess. There was a sharp flash of light, and a smile broke across his face.

As the light cleared away, he found a small, foot-wide spider sitting on the grass. It had long fangs, and hissed and charged at Tess straightaway. Tess whistled as it came.

"I forgot how high the stats on these old monsters were. This thing alone has more health than some of the wyrms in the Summer Shandy dungeon." She lunged forward and cut the thing in half, and the monster vanished in a burst of blue sparks. "Not enough, though!"

"Alright! Let's try something a bit higher, then." Jason scrolled down for a few moments, then nodded. "Here we go! Animate vine! And... Go!"

A rumble shook the ground, and with a flash of light, a large pot appeared in the middle of the yard. It was covered in beautiful stucco decorations that gleamed in the morning light. Of course, the vines that waved out of the top of the pot like tentacles gave off a far more menacing appearance. With a flourish, a bud rose up from the center, then bloomed into a tooth-filled flower. Tess laughed and raced forward, leaping into the air, and the creature attacked with all its vines.

In an instant, Tess found herself wrapped in vines, but she cut her way out within a mere moment. With that, she landed next to the creature and kicked the pot with all her might, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

Dirt and pottery rained down across the area, only to vanish in a whirl of sparks as well.

"Again! Harder!"

Jason grinned, and even Fern seemed to giggle as he spawned in a small mammoth. It had four tusks and fire in its eyes, and charged headlong at Tess with a trumpet blast. That one took Tess almost a full two minutes to defeat. As it dissolved, Jason tucked the core into his pocket, and Tess came walking back up.

"Alright," she admitted. "That was fun, but that last one also probably alerted Obadiah. He'll be out this way in a few minutes."

"Then I'll go get to work," Jason laughed and tossed the core to her. "Go put it away somewhere."

"And then we are going to turn it in," Tess admonished him, though even she didn't sound nearly as convinced as before.

"We'll get around to it." Jason nodded. "I'm sure... I'm sure we will!"

They both laughed, and Tess scooped up Fern and made her way back into the house. Jason strode down and started saddling up Angus to go ride out to the Far Eighty to check things out, and was still working there when Obadiah came riding by.

"Hey, Jason." Obadiah gave a lopsided sort of wave. "You... You all okay over here?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah! Why do you ask?"

Obadiah turned and cast a look across the front yard, which, Jason belatedly realized, was covered in mammoth footprints.

"If Tess approved of it, I suppose no reason in particular." Obadiah sighed and turned around. "Catch you around, Jason!"

Obadiah rode off at a trot, and Jason stifled a laugh. That hadn't worked out quite the way he'd expected, but he supposed that it worked. A few minutes later, he had saddled up Angus, and rode off toward the Far Eighty. He really did have a few minor things to do to prepare for the land's first harvest, and he was eager to see the amaranth come together.

Yes... Things were working out well for him, and he hoped to see them only continue to get better as time went on.

Chapter Six: Hot Summer

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 32nd day of Summer! 59 days until the Summer Festival! Let's see... Honestly, not that much to report on the weather front. Clear skies, no real wind for the next few days, so you should be clear for whatever you're planning on doing. Now, that said, we are seeing a slight uptick in certain monster spawn rates around the area. Nothing terribly dangerous, mostly small predators and things that live on rodents and such, but I do want to warn people before it gets dangerous.]

A smile split Jason's face as he rolled out of bed and climbed slowly to his feet. Tess looked up from the bed and frowned at him, confused.

"Something I missed? You don't like swarms of small predators spawning in, do you?"

"Not at all!" Jason laughed. "That said, today's the day we're planning on harvesting the Far Eighty! It's a great day!"

Tess laughed along with him. "That's fair, that's fair. You mind if Fern and I tag along with you?"

"Go for it! Picnic lunches are always fun." Jason nodded, then paused. "I just hope the two of you don't get bored waiting on me."

Tess shook her head. "We'll be fine. I'm thinking about taking Fern down into the old dungeon. We can scope things out, see about getting it set up for our purposes."

"And what exactly are those purposes?" Jason queried. "We've talked about a whole bunch of different things we may or may not use it for, and I don't think we've actually settled on anything yet."

Tess shrugged. "I dunno. We'll figure that out once we're sure there are no more monsters."

"Fair enough! Well, I'll go get things ready, and we'll get to work just about as quick as we can."

Jason dressed, then went downstairs and did their chores. When he finished, he hitched Angus up to the carriage, and sat back to wait for Tess. She wasn't long coming, and Jason smiled as she approached. She was

dressed in a tight, brown dress that looked good for exploring, while Fern was dressed in a onesie that was styled to look like little armor. It was all soft, not actual metal plates, but the effect was still adorable. Jason helped them both up, then snapped the reigns.

They ate their breakfast as they went. The breeze was soft, and the sun warm. As they went up and down over ridges and through gullies, they didn't talk much. When they came over that last rise, though, Tess gasped in amazement.

"Jason... It's beautiful!"

Jason had to agree wholeheartedly. The field of amaranth spread out before them in all its glory. Red tassels erupted from brown stems, while the dried leaves waved about in the wind. Birds darted through the stalks, taking snips of the grain here and there, and Jason waved his hands.

"Haw! Away!" The birds took no notice of him, and he scowled. "We need to buy a scarecrow. Or make one. You think you could make a scarecrow?"

"With the right tools, I could make one that shoots fireballs at the birds." Tess flashed a small grin. After a moment, she paused. "Now, that runs the risk of burning the field down, but you do have to admit that an automatic turret disguised as a scarecrow does sound cool."

"That sounds like something Jeremiah might have cooked up," Jason laughed. "Let's do it! I don't know if we'll actually put it out into the field, but we should do it anyway!"

Tess smiled broadly, and in all reality, Jason wasn't sure if he would wind up getting the fancy field protector or not, but it did sound like a lot of fun. Soon they came down the slope and up to the cabin. Jason hopped down and started getting Angus hitched up to the harvester, while Tess slung Fern onto her back and started off for the forest.

"I'll see you at lunch!" she called over her shoulder. "High noon!" "See you then!" Jason called back.

With that, he climbed up onto the old harvester, held on with all his

might, and snapped the reigns to send Angus rumbling toward the entrance of the field.

Where the old planter was sometimes annoying, the old harvester was downright dangerous. Right underneath his body, blades whirled around in an endless dance that threatened to chew him to bits if he were ever to slip. That said, a smile came to his face as he entered the field. It

was a bit of nostalgia, in a strange sort of a way, and he held on tightly as they tore into the amaranth. Almost instantly, a thick, red dust exploded upward, and he held his breath as best he could.

All things considered, the amaranth wasn't nearly as unpleasant to harvest as sorghum. They both produced a reddish dust, but where sorghum itched something fierce, this dust was mostly just slippery. His feet struggled to stay put as the dust accumulated, but he managed it somehow, and felt a grin growing across his face as they lumbered across the field.

He couldn't really keep track of the yield while they were moving, but it seemed to him that the crop was yielding quite a bit. The grain, from what he could see, was small and yellow, like tiny little round soybeans. A bit of it sprayed up into his face, a side effect of the old harvester not really having any guards or shields, and he laughed.

Back and forth they went, making far better time than when they had planted. A little over half of it had been done when they came back to the entrance, and Jason hopped down as Tess came walking up from the forest. Fern was slung on her back, and giggled wildly at seeing Jason.

"Dada!" she laughed, pointing.

Jason chuckled and looked down at himself. He was solid red, from head to toe.

"Here," Tess laughed, then pulled a towel out of her inventory and threw it at him. "Dust yourself off before you sit down!"

Jason quickly ran the towel over as much of his body as he could manage. By the end of it, the towel had turned bright red as well, which he rather hoped would wash off. He sat down with Tess and Fern, who immediately crawled over to him and up into his lap. He picked her up and gave her a small toss, then caught her and twirled her around through the air.

"Jason!" Tess scolded as she opened up the food. "Be careful!"

"Sure, you tell me to be careful, but Daniel can toss her over the moon and everyone thinks it's cute." Jason set Fern down, who then started waving her hands back and forth in a silent dance.

"Daniel has the Boomerang skill, which makes thrown objects, including people, return to his hands."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Is there any skill he doesn't have?"

"For starters, he's not nearly as charming as you." Tess batted her eyes as she set a plate down on the ground and put a large dill pickle on it.

Fern immediately grabbed the object and bit down, then screwed up her nose and spat it back out. "Yeah, I didn't think you'd like that. Here."

She passed Fern a small, boiled egg, which Fern happily began to gnaw on. She then handed Jason a small pile of pulled pork, which he began to eat happily.

"You seem to be having a good day," Tess offered. "Is the field harvesting well?"

"Better than I could have ever dreamed of." Jason nodded. "How about the dungeon? How's all that?"

Tess shrugged. "All things are good there, it looks like. Not a monster in sight, and we went all the way down to level 12. It's still gross and disgusting since there were goblins living there, but it doesn't look like anything's changed since we cleared it out."

"So when are we moving in?" Jason's eyes twinkled. "You know you'd love to live in an old dungeon."

"I would, I would," Tess laughed, then shook her head. "That's a long climb every day, though. The goblins strung up a ladder, which is a good deal better than that old rope, but not by much, and not something I'm going to do once I get pregnant again."

"That's fair." Jason nodded. After a moment, though, he smiled. "Aren't you glad we own a dungeon, though?"

"I am!" Tess squealed.

They shared a laughed and soon finished up their lunch together. As they began to pack things up, Jason rose and started walking back to the harvester. Angus, aware that his rest was over, climbed back to his feet and backed up to the machine.

A few minutes later, Jason was off once again, tearing through the field with a purpose. Tess and Fern went back into the forest to keep exploring, and he watched them until the vanished amidst the trees. He simply smiled and shook his head, then went back to focusing on the harvest.

Once more, the red dust came roaring up, and he gritted his teeth and forced his way through it. It really wasn't unpleasant in the slightest, just like before; though by the end, he found that he was growing more and more and more tired. Finally, as he came to the end of the field and put the harvester away, he dusted himself off and sighed deeply.

"A job well done." He poked a finger at the Far Eighty. "Consider yourself an active field! It's certainly been long enough."

The field didn't respond, but then, he didn't really expect it to. With that, he opened up his inventory and transferred almost all of the amaranth to the collection bin. The next morning, he would wake up to his profit, which he was quite looking forward to.

He now had two fields, which filled him with a joy that was difficult to express. It felt like he had passed a milestone that he had been so long looking toward.

Now he simply had to find the next milestone... and then figure out how to conquer it.

Chapter Seven: Family matters

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 60th day of Summer! 31 days until the Summer Festival! Alright, folks! It looks like there's a storm coming through, and a big one at that! Should hit mid-day today, so if you have anything to get done, do it this morning!]

As Jason rolled out of bed, he could hear the wind already beating against the house. Off in the distance, Fern gave a cry, and Tess leapt out of bed with a practiced spring.

"I've got Fern. Meet you downstairs?"

Jason nodded, and quickly got dressed. He went to the kitchen and had the cookbook prepare a quick meal of eggs and sausage, then sat down as Tess appeared, holding a tear-stained Fern. Her eyes were red and bleary, and she stretched out her hands for Jason.

"What's the matter?" Jason picked her out of Tess's hands and cradled her in his arms. "Everything okay?"

Tess nodded. "The window got left open the tiniest crack last night, and one of the toys in the corner blew over. Must have scared her. I got it closed now, but I understand being a bit startled by that."

"Poor Fern." Jason bounced her in his arms for a moment, then puffed out his cheeks and crossed his eyes. Fern looked at him for a long moment, then giggled, and he swept her up and placed her in her high chair. "Now, let's eat!"

Tess nodded as she picked up a fork and tucked into her own meal. "What's the plan for today? It really is looking like a nasty one."

Jason frowned. "I was thinking about heading into town. I need to talk to Paulina about some farm supplies, and it would be nice to catch up with everyone. I haven't seen Jeremiah in... Pfft, I couldn't tell you how long."

"If we hurry, that shouldn't be a problem." Tess nodded. "Obadiah has turned the Guild Hall into more of a community center, so we'll have a nice place to stay if we wind up getting stuck there."

"Good!" Jason smiled as he finished up his meal. "I'll go get the animals taken care of, and then we'll be off!"

It took a bit longer than normal to get everything together, as the animals were a bit skittish from the dark clouds rolling across the sky, but Jason soon enough had everything in line. With that, he hitched up Lady to the carriage, and they went off as quickly as they could.

The trip in was a rather marvelous one, all things considered. The wind was blowing stiffly across the prairie, but not so much that it was unbearable. Off in the distance, dark clouds streamed over the horizon, and just barely visible were flashes of lighting. No thunder could yet be heard, but the smell of rain was in the air. It felt as though the whole of creation were preparing to burst forth, and it made Jason happy.

When they came rumbling up into town, he sighed in contentment. The town was just as it always had been. Obadiah sat at the town well, smiling and waving to the women who were rushing out to get water before the skies opened. Jeremiah was nowhere to be seen, but Ex-constable Hank was leaning against the wall of the jail smoking a pipe.

Jason waved at the two of them, and they waved back. As they pulled up to Paulina's store, Obadiah came walking over, his armor clicking merrily along the pavement.

"Howdy, neighbors! I think that's right, isn't it?" Obadiah flashed a crooked sort of grin. "Hey, if y'all are going to be here for a little while, I just wanted to let you know that we have a public stable now. Just go run around the Guild Hall; Jeremiah built it where that fancy new guild hall was built... Well, that was back before my time. Anyhow, he finally managed to get the thing demolished and put up a proper stable using the debris."

"That'd be great!" Jason beamed. The lack of a public stable had been one of the biggest downsides to Summer Shandy, especially during storm seasons. "Tess, why don't you go ahead and take Fern inside, and I'll be along in just a moment."

Tess nodded, then climbed down and slipped into the store. Obadiah hopped up with Jason as he guided the carriage around the Guild Hall to where a lovely new barn stood.

"How have things been?" Jason glanced over at Obadiah. "The new marriage, the dungeon, everything?"

Obadiah simply shrugged and smiled. "They've been great, really. Marriage has been wonderful, though having my dad in town to give me

advice sometimes gets a little old. Nothing of too much importance with the dungeon. New rooms have stopped spawning in since we sacked your old dungeon, so that's positive. Umm... Yeah. That's really about it."

He tapped his fingers together, and Jason's eyes narrowed. "About it? You seem like you have something more to tell me."

Obadiah bit his lip. "I... I'm not supposed to say yet."

"Is Paulina pregnant?"

A smile cracked across Obadiah's face. "I'm not supposed to say

yet."

"Congratulations!" Jason held out his hand, which Obadiah happily

shook. "That's amazing! When is she due?"

"Next season. I don't know the exact date. We still don't even know

if it'll be a baby boy or a girl." Obadiah hopped down as they pulled up to the door, and helped Jason unhitch the carriage, then bring Angus into an empty stall. With that, the two of them left the barn and started walking back toward the town.

"Honestly, I was hoping you'd be able to give me some advice. You've just gone through this, so you're a heap more prepared than me."

Jason just laughed. "Ahh... Keep lots of pickles on hand."

Obadiah screwed up his nose. "Paulina hates pickles."

"In a week or two, she won't," Jason assured him. "I'm happy for

you, I truly am! Any ideas on names?"

"Yes, but we're not telling until the baby is born. Or at least until we

know the gender." Obadiah chuckled. "Paulina will have my hide if she finds out that I spoiled even that much."

Jason was grinning from ear to ear when he pulled open the door to Paulina's store. Tess was standing by the counter, chatting with Paulina, and the two women glanced over as the men entered.

"Obadiah! You told him?"

"Is it really that obvious?" Obadiah crossed his arms, then shrugged. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I told her too!" Paulina and Tess both let out high-pitched squeals that rather hurt Jason's ears. Obadiah winced visibly.

"You know, I went up to a conference in Illumitir and fought my way through a dungeon filled with shrieking eels." He winced. "Not pleasant on the ears, I'll tell you that much, but they were actually more pleasant than listening to Paulina get excited."

A can of barley sprouts flashed across the store and whacked Obadiah in the head, and Paulina snorted. "That'll teach you to make fun of a pregnant woman."

"If he's anything like his father, no, it really won't." Jason smiled as he walked up to the counter. "Do you ladies mind if I actually do some business for a minute?"

"Sure thing," Paulina answered for Tess. "What can I do for you?"

Obadiah picked up the can and came walking over as Jason crossed his arms.

"I was just wondering about the amaranth I sold you the other day. I don't remember the exact rate of exchange, but I want to say that I was only given one Shandy per... fifty kernels of grain? If that's the rate of exchange, that's the rate of exchange, I'm not complaining, but it wound up with a pretty low profit compared with what I've been turning."

Paulina grimaced. "Sorry about that. I would have warned you, but I didn't know about it until... I guess it would have been a few days after the start of summer. Somehow, and I honestly don't know how or why, there was an 'Amaranth Craze' that went through Illumitir. It's in high demand there, everything thinks it's the next big health food or something."

"Right." Jason nodded slowly. "You told me that in the spring when I bought it."

"What I didn't know at the time was that there was, in conjunction with that, a... Jeremiah could probably tell you the exact law that was passed, but an Amaranth Incentive Act or something that gave local Illumitir farmers government subsidies to grow the crop. Just about every farm north of the Snowcreek switched over to it, which kinda flooded the market. They're still getting paid just fine, but it's kinda hurt all the farmers growing it outside of the area that can qualify for the subsidy."

"I don't really want government money, anyhow." Jason shrugged. "Thanks for the answer. Like I said, I wasn't upset, just confused. It's a bummer, too, that stuff was fun to harvest. I've got another crop that will come off here in just a few days, but after that, I think I'll switch to something else."

"You might try switching to... Let me look for it." Paulina reached under the counter and dug around for a moment, then pulled out a small flyer. "Scientists up in Illumitir have been trying to cross wheat and barley for years. I mean, I think the ultimate goal is to blend wheat, barley, and

rye, but they want to start with barley and wheat. I got this in the mail last fall; it's a hybrid that one of the laboratories up there is trying to field-test. It would be a gamble, but it might be worth a whirl."

Jason nodded and glanced over the flyer. "Variety X-87. Not a terribly creative name, but I'll give it a whirl."

"Great! I'll let them know that you're interested, and you should get a shipment in a week or so." Paulina scribbled down a few notes. "Now, to get back to important things... Baby stuff! Tess, what do I need, and what can I pass on?"

Before Tess could answer, the door to the shop burst open, and a familiar, lanky figure appeared in the doorway.

"Jason! I thought that was you I saw!"

Jason smiled broadly and spun around as Jeremiah came sauntering into the shop. His constable's badge gleamed on his chest, while, just next to him, a goblin dressed up in a matching uniform snuffled and stomped along.

"Jeremiah!" Paulina pointed at him. "I told you to never bring that thing in here again if you valued any time at all with your future grandchild."

"Mon-ey!" Fern squealed.

"No, that's not a monkey." Tess shook her head. "That's—"

"His name is Gob, and he's very sensitive." Jeremiah bent down and

put his hands over Gob's pointed ears, even though he had a wide smile across his face the whole time. "I don't appreciate you insulting him like that!"

"Jeremiah, are you really going to try to argue with a pregnant woman?"

Jeremiah rolled his eyes. "She takes after her mother-in-law, I'll give her that. Jason, let me know when it's a good time, and I'll bring Gob down to your place. He's great with kids! Maybe he can give Fern a piggyback ride."

Jeremiah made a quick exit from the store, and Jason simply laughed and shook his head. After a moment, he jogged after Jeremiah, and caught him standing just outside.

"How have you been?" Jason asked as Jeremiah leaned against the wall of the store and pulled out his pipe. "Feels like it's been ages since I talked to you."

"You're not kidding. Two months." Jeremiah sighed deeply, then patted Gob on the top of the head. "Things have been good. It's been an adjustment moving off the ranch, that's for sure, but I think it's been a good one. I get to be close to my son, close to a lot of people really, and let's be honest, I'm a pretty social guy."

"That's a fact," Jason chuckled. "Gob certainly seems to be enjoying himself."

"He does!" Jeremiah grinned. "I have one of the jail cells made up as a kennel for him. Every now and again, we'll get prisoner transfers from one place or another, and I'll dress him up like an inmate and let him howl and run around, and it scares them something awful."

"You're just cruel sometimes." Jason laughed and shook his head. "You should come out to the farm sometime, you really should. I'd love to get caught up a bit more."

"I'll do that, Jason, I will." Jeremiah flashed a small smile at his friend. "Until then, though, I think I'm going to have to get inside. I've got some... And by some, I mean a stack about three feet tall... of paperwork that Hank and I have both been avoiding."

"What's it like having to enforce the law instead of breaking it?" Jason asked as Jeremiah started walking across the cobblestones.

"Awful!" Jeremiah called back, though he had a grin on his face as he did so. "Now I actually understand why some of these laws are in place! It's miserable!"

Jason laughed, then ducked back inside the store as raindrops began to fall. He enjoyed the farm, and wasn't planning on moving away anytime soon, but he did have to admit that times like this, times to just sit around and enjoy time with friends, were welcome. Soon there would be more children for Fern to play with, which would make trips into town even better!

Yes... His life in Summer Shandy was just what he wanted it to be, and that was all there was to it.

Chapter Eight: The Day After

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 63rd day of Summer! 28 days until the Summer Festival! Everything's finally dried out after that storm, so get out there and get to work! I don't want to get any more requests to 'extend the season'. Sorry, folks, I just give you the weather, I don't control it!]

"Is that actually a thing?" Jason asked as he rolled out of bed and climbed to his feet. "Was that something you got asked?"

"All the time." Tess laughed as she stood up after him. "They'd ask me to hold off a storm for a birthday party, or they'd ask for a few extra days in the season, and so on. I think a lot of them were genuinely shocked to learn that I don't actually control any of that."

"Interesting. Now I know how I can pester him the next time I go into town." Jason chuckled, then slowly got dressed. As he walked up to the door and pulled it open, he found Fern sitting on the ground in the hall, looking up at him.

"Dada!"

"Fern!" Jason jumped slightly, then bent down and scooped her up. "Seems like we need to add a few extra inches to the sides of your crib, doesn't it?"

"And maybe consider locking her door a bit tighter," Tess murmured from behind. She strode up behind him in a brilliant sundress, then plucked Fern out of his arms and cradled her softly. "Well, you go do chores, and I'll get breakfast on the table?"

Fifteen minutes later, the chores were done, and Jason walked back inside to find Tess and Fern waiting on him. He dropped into his chair and scooted himself in, and they all tucked into a lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs and sausage.

"What's your plan for today?" Tess asked after a moment.

Jason only shrugged. "I got everything harvested yesterday, so now I think I'll head out and re-plant the homestead field again."

"You're putting sunflowers in there again?" Tess asked.

Jason nodded in agreement. "They work well, and they turn a nice profit. One of my favorites."

"Then why not put the Far Eighty into sunflowers, too?" Tess asked.

Jason could only shrug. "I dunno. Seems like it'll be more fun to spread things out, mix it up. Maybe I can find a new favorite!"

At that moment, something clattered outside the house, and Jason rose and peeked through the kitchen window. A large wagon was being pulled into the drive by a team of four horses, and Jason lit up.

"And that new favorite might just be arriving. Gotta run."

"I'll bring Fern along in a bit."

Jason nodded, then jogged to the front door, pulled on his shoes, and

bolted outside. Chance, who had stayed outside when Jason had come back in for breakfast, was barking wildly as he raced around the unfamiliar wagon. A man in a black suit climbed down, looked distastefully at the hound, then turned to Jason.

"I presume that you would be the aforementioned Jason Hunter?"

"That'd be me." Jason nodded. He held out his hand, which the man shook firmly. "Are you here with the X-thing? The wheat-barley cross?"

"Indeed. The variety is X-87. X for cross, and 87 for the 87th batch that has been attempted."

Jason whistled in surprise. "Paulina wasn't kidding when she said that you'd been trying for quite a while to get this stuff to work."

"Unfortunately, we're getting fewer and fewer people who will take us up on our offer." The man pulled a clipboard out of his pocket. "If you wouldn't mind signing this, it's a simple liability waiver. You're buying the crop from us at a quarter of the standard price for wheat or barley, but we cannot guarantee that you will be able to sell it for any sort of a significant profit."

"Understood," Jason murmured as he scanned the rows upon rows of fine print. "All this looks in order. And... signed!"

The man took the clipboard back from Jason and made a few marks of his own. There was a loud ka-ching as the money was transferred and the X-87 was dumped into the farm's inventory. With that, the man climbed back up into the wagon and drove away, and Jason stroked his chin as he watched him leave.

"Everything okay?" Tess asked as she came walking out with Fern on her hip.

"Yeah! Everything's wonderful." Jason turned around and shrugged. "Just trying to figure out where to put this X-87. My original plan had been to put it in the Far Eighty, but now I'm sorta wondering if I should put it up here in the main field."

"Up to you." Tess shrugged. "I wouldn't mind seeing what it looks like!"

"Then I'll put it here." Jason nodded. "You just sit back and grab a glass of sweet tea, and I'll get this seed in the ground!"

Tess laughed as she turned away. "I've got too much work to sit, and I don't like sweet tea, but have lots of fun!"

Jason turned toward the corral and soon had Lady hitched up to the planter. She snorted and stamped her feet, and Jason climbed up onto the shiny piece of equipment. With a snap of the reigns, she lumbered forward, and a few minutes later, they were in the field.

Jason watched closely as the seed flowed down from the seed boxes and into the soil. It was a large grain, larger than what he remembered seeing from either wheat or barley, though a good deal smaller than corn. The color was brown, almost black, which he thought was odd. It didn't look like a cross between wheat and barley, that was for sure, but... What could he do? Well, strictly speaking, he didn't have to plant it at all, but he was having fun trying something new, so there was that.

Down and back he tore through the field. Lady was a solid horse, and didn't stumble once. He didn't know how old she had been when he had first come to Summer Shandy, but he imagined that she had probably been around three or four. If that was true, it placed her around ten years old at that point, right in the prime of her life. He wasn't going to need to replace her for a good, long time, and that was something that he was quite fond of.

The seed continued to rattle in the seed box as he drew near to the halfway point. The soil, loosened by the rain, was as easy to plant through as butter, and when he came to a stop for lunch, he hardly felt like he'd been working at all. Lady trotted back into the corral with a spring in her step, and Jason wandered up into the house, where Tess had prepared a small meal for them.

It wasn't much, just some roast beef sandwiches, but Jason's stomach growled, and he tucked into the meal eagerly. Fern threw some sliced tomatoes at him, and he laughed.

"How's it planting?" Tess asked as she sat down across from him.

Jason shrugged. "As good as any other crop, really. We'll have to see how it grows, but I sure don't anticipate any issues."

"That's good." Tess breathed a sigh of relief. "After the amaranth didn't really work out, I was starting to worry that this might be a flop too."

Jason shrugged. "Even if it does flop, the sunflowers are more than making up the difference. We'll make it through all right, and hey, if it happens to grow loads of cool monsters..." He chuckled. "All the better!"

"No, not all the better." Tess shook her head, though he saw a smile on her face. "You don't think that would happen, do you?"

"He did say that they were struggling to find people who would accept their offer." Jason grinned, then sobered. "No, I expect that it would mostly just not grow well, if something does go wrong, but we'll have to see. Now, if you ask me, spending time and effort developing a wheat- barley cross isn't really where they should be focusing. What would really be nice would be crops that were monster-resistant. Something that you could just plant without having to worry about fences. Maybe they made their own repellant or something."

Tess grimaced. "And you'd eat that?"

"Sure! It could just be something in the leaves, not the grain," Jason explained. "I mean, it's not like you eat corn silk, just the kernels."

"I suppose." Tess raised an eyebrow. "Are we about to pack up and leave for Illumitir so that you can start an illustrious new career as a crop developer?"

"Not on your life." Jason shook his head firmly. "It would just be nice if someone else did it."

"Ahh..." Tess rolled her eyes.

Even as she did it, though, an idea began to percolate in the back of Jason's mind. He didn't have a laboratory... But he did have a greenhouse, an abundant supply of monsters, and a dungeon core that would let him generate even more. Maybe he could toy around with crop development on the side! Nothing serious, of course, but something to have fun with... And if he succeeded, he would be known throughout the land as the inventor of a brand-new strain of crops!

Stars twinkled in his eyes as the meal finished, and he rose and made his way back out into the field. He didn't have a clue if the

hairbrained idea would go anywhere, but it was certainly something to toy with, in any case.

And, thankfully, as he drove back out into the field, he had hours of time on his hands to ponder just how it would work.

Chapter Nine: Crawl To Walk

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 85th day of Summer! 6 days until the Summer Festival! Alright, folks, you've got less than a week left to get those last summer projects in! It looks like this last week is set to be the hottest of the whole summer, so if you do go outside, make sure you take along plenty of water!]

Jason yawned as he sat up in bed and looked around. There was a small scratch-scratch against the door, and he slowly stood up and walked over to let Fern crawl inside. She bolted across the floor as soon as she had a path, and he smiled as he watched her race over to the bed.

"You know, you can walk. I've seen you do it." Jason chuckled as Fern reached the bed and raised her arms for Tess to pick her up.

"Yeah, but she's smart enough to know that walking is slower than crawling. Once she gets to the point where walking is faster, she'll make the change overnight." Tess nuzzled Fern's nose to her own. "Isn't that right? Yes, it is! Yes, you're a smart one."

Jason chuckled, then when Fern wasn't looking, changed into overalls and walked up to the window. As he looked out across the farm, he sighed deeply, and not in contentment.

The field was an absolute mess, there was just no other way to describe it. It seemed to him—and he had spent a decent amount of time walking around in the field to try and figure it out—that each kernel of hybrid grain had sent up two stalks: one wheat, and one barley. As a result, instead of growing in nice, neat rows, the competing stalks pushed each other around in a battle for supremacy. The wheat was a lovely white-cream color, the barley a deep brown. In some places, the wheat stuck up higher than the barley; in other places, the barley stuck up higher than the wheat. It could have been a rather pleasant mosaic, but given the utter chaos of it, it just looked like a weedy mess.

"What are you going to do about the field?" Tess asked as she walked up behind him, holding Fern.

"I'll harvest it in the next few days." Jason shrugged. "Honestly, I ought to get a fairly good price for it. Wheat and barley are both good crops. On the lower end, certainly, but I also got the grain for dirt cheap, so the overall profit will be good. I'll get a small dock for having it all mixed together, but there are still plenty of places that will buy it. I'm not upset, or really even that annoyed." He chuckled slightly. "It just looks like a snarled mess, while my nice, pretty field is out across the prairie where no one can see it."

"Then next time we do an experimental crop, we'll just have to make sure we tuck it out of sight!" Tess declared.

"You think we'll do it again?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Pfft. I know you, Jason. We'll buy every variety that company puts out, from X-88 all the way through X-547 if that's what it takes."

"I don't know if I'll still be farming by the time X-547 comes around, but I'd probably give it a whirl if I could!" Jason chuckled. "Yeah, you're probably right. It was a fun sort of experiment, and I have loads of ideas to try out this winter in the greenhouse."

"Of course you do." Tess rolled her eyes. "Well, you head down and do chores, and I'll get some breakfast on the table."

A short time later, they all sat down for breakfast. Jason was doing his best not to think about how ugly the field was, while Tess was busy trying to get Fern to eat some caramelized onions.

"What's your plan for the day?" Tess asked after a moment. "How hot is it actually getting?"

In response, Jason wiped off his forehead, which already sparkled with beads of glistening sweat. "It's pretty intense out there. Obadiah wasn't kidding, that's for sure."

Tess frowned. "Will it be safe for you to be out there?"

"Safe enough, yeah." Jason nodded to assure her. "It's mostly just uncomfortable. In answer, I don't have a lot to do. I was thinking of going around the fence on the homestead field. I'm starting to get some notifications that things are wearing down, and especially when we get into smut season, I'd like to make sure we have everything on lockdown."

Tess nodded slowly. "Sounds good, then. I have to make a trip into town to buy some fabric to make up some fall dresses, and I'd love to chat with Paulina about how her pregnancy is going. I'm thinking about heading in today, if that's okay."

"Go for it." Jason nodded. He wiped his brow again. "Whew! It's getting hot even in here. Makes me want to go jump in the creek, or something."

Suddenly, a grin began to spread across Tess's face. "Why don't we do just that?"

Jason blinked in surprise, and then began to smile as well.

About twenty minutes later, they rumbled off across the prairie, with Angus tugging the carriage along with a purpose. Jason wore a red-and- white striped swim suit that went from his neck all the way down to his knees. Tess wore a similarly colored swim dress that sparkled in the sun. Fern, meanwhile, wore a matching swim dress with a sunbonnet that kept sliding down over her eyes.

When they came rumbling up to the Far Eighty, Jason gazed with delight at the rows of nice, neat sunflowers. Swarms of butter-flies zoomed over the field, and he waved his hand to scare them away, then sent Angus rumbling down to the hitching post.

The moment Angus was hitched up, they struck out for the stream. It didn't take them long, as they were coming to know the forest quite well. There, the gently flowing water carved a deep gorge through the soft soil, making a trail lined with tree roots and limestone shelves. Jason sat down on the edge of the slope and slid down to the narrow bank, which was muddy and covered in raccoon and opossum tracks.

"Coming down!" Tess called out as she slid down, holding Fern.

They smiled as they looked about the area, and Jason gauged the stream. It was about twenty feet across and was so muddy that the bottom couldn't even begin to be seen. All three of them were quite sweaty from the ride, and Jason slowly stuck a toe into the water.

"Ahh! Now that's nice." Jason slowly slipped into the waters.

The bottom of the river sloped steadily downward, as well as growing cooler and cooler. When he reached the middle of the stream, he found that the water came up to his chest. At the bottom, his feet felt ice- cold. At the top, the water was pleasantly warm. He smiled and flopped onto his back, floating there for a long moment.

"Jason! Don't go floating away!"

Jason's eyes snapped open, and he laughed as he righted himself, then swam back up the slowly running creek. As he splashed up onto the bank, Fern giggled and clapped her hands.

"Shall we get the two womenfolk down into the water?" Jason scooped up Fern in his arms, then strode toward the river.

"No one gets me into the water!" Tess took a running leap and performed a perfect cannonball into the waters.

Muddy water exploded up into the air, and Jason and Fern were both showered. Fern was delighted and clapped her hands all the more, and Jason slipped into the water after Tess. When Tess came back up, her hair was plastered down against her back, and mud streaked her face. Still, though, she had a wide smile upon her face.

"This reminds me of the tar pits of Dartonia!" she exclaimed, the paused. "Without all the giant worms, of course."

"Tar pits?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"They had a whole bunch of mud pits you had to go through first." Tess shrugged, then dove under the water once again. When she popped back up, she had large scoops of mud in both of her fists. "Dodge this if you can!"

Jason didn't have time to blink before a giant patty of mud struck him in the face. He was knocked backward under the blow, landing with a thud on the back. Fern was splashed with both mud and water, and she grinned widely.

"Muuuuu!" she cried out.

"Yep! Mud!" Jason carefully set Fern down on the bank, wiped the mud out of his eyes, then quickly scooped up two fists of mud and threw them at Tess.

Quick as lightning, she dove under the water, dodging both of them. When she came popping back up, Jason was once more knocked flat under a barrage of mud strikes. He laughed heartily, then sighed as he sat back up.

The small family spent the rest of the day there, happily playing in the mud and warm, gentle waters. They took a break only for lunch, and Fern took a nap inside the picnic basket once she'd eaten. Tess and Jason wound up sitting on the bank next to each other, dangling their legs into the water, sighing deeply in contentment.

"This is nice." Jason glanced over at Tess. "Thanks for suggesting this."

"Strictly speaking, you were the one who mentioned it. I only agreed that it was a good idea." Tess flopped back on the bank, keeping her legs in the water. "But... Yes. This is wonderful."

Jason lay down next to her, then rested his head on her arm. "Makes you wonder if the real world even exists, you know?"

"Because the real world is so much worse than this?" Tess raised an eyebrow.

"That's a fair point," Jason acknowledged. After a moment, though, he paused. "Can I say something to you?"

"Sure." Tess nodded.

"I..." Jason paused, slowly stretching out his right hand to grasp hold of the bank. "I really..."

"Yes?"

With a single movement, Jason scooped up a large blob of mud, spun, and whacked Tess dead in the middle of the face.

"I really want to beat you in a mud fight!"

Tess reacted instantly, and Jason felt himself knocked backward off the bank and into the water. When he came spluttering back up, they were both laughing, and he ducked out of the way as a flurry of mud balls streaked at him.

Yes, indeed... Real life, such as it was, wasn't much worse than this.

Chapter Ten: last Day of Summer

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 91st day of Summer! It's the day of the Summer Festival! It's another scorcher today, folks, but don't be deceived! Tomorrow, we might actually be looking at a frost as autumn comes roaring in. Come out and have fun, and we're looking forward to an amazing time this evening!]

Jason's eyes flickered open, but as he rolled out of bed, he found that Tess was missing. He frowned for a moment, then heard things clattering around down below. A smile broke across his face, and he changed quickly into town clothes and jogged down the stairs as fast as he dared.

Spread across the kitchen table was a proper birthday display. A cake sat at the very center, with a single candle rising up from the middle. Stars and confetti had been sprinkled over the rest of the table, while several plates of bacon and eggs—to supplement the cake—had been set out on the counter. The cookbook waved its pages eagerly, and Tess beamed.

"Do you think Fern will like it?" She asked nervously.

"She's a year old. She'd love anything you put in front of her that tasted good." Jason chuckled as he sat down. "But yes, I think she'll love it."

From upstairs, a distant cry echoed, and Tess turned and bolted upward. "Then sit tight, and I'll have her down in a jiffy!"

A few moments later, as Tess appeared in the doorway holding a beaming Fern, Jason and Tess both began to sing.

"Happy Birthday!" they finished with a flourish. "Happy Birthday, dearest Fern."

Tess sat her down in her high chair, then cut out a large chunk of cake and passed it to her. Jason couldn't keep a smile off his face as Fern leaned forward and slammed her face into the food, smearing frosting across her cheeks and forehead. When she finally pulled back to breathe,

Jason simply laughed and wished there had been a way to preserve that moment.

"I love you, Fern." Tess leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead, then flicked a plate of eggs and bacon to Jason and herself. She cut out a bit of cake for them as well, and the three of them tucked in.

Jason did offer eggs to Fern, but she refused in lieu of the cake, and given that it was a special day, Jason wasn't inclined to force her to eat healthy—at least for that meal. As they slowly finished eating, Tess rose, then ran to the dining room.

"And here's your present!" She presented Fern with a wrapped package. "Just for you! You won't know what it is, of course, but..." She put it in front of their daughter, then peeled back the paper. As she finished, Fern giggled wildly, and Tess pulled out a small rag doll.

"This is your very own doll!" Tess explained. "Mommy always wanted one of these growing up, but I never got one. It can grow up with you, and you can love it just like a little sibling."

"I mean..." Jason cut in. "I really hope she loves her real siblings a little bit more than a doll."

"You know what I mean." Tess turned and scowled at him. "I'm being cute. Deal with it."

They both laughed, and Tess set the doll down on the table, away from Fern's sticky hands. Jason leaned forward after a moment.

"What should we name the doll?"

"Take!" Fern exclaimed. "Take, take, take!"

She scooped up another bite of cake and munched down on it, and

Jason laughed.

"Cake it is, then."

"Alright, little Cake." Tess patted the doll on the head. "We'll formally unite you with your owner once you've been cleaned up a bit."

Jason scooped up the last few bites of his food, then stood up. "I'll go get things ready outside."

Tess nodded, then grabbed a washcloth and started cleaning off Fern's face. A few minutes later, Jason had the horses turned out and the carriage cleaned, then went back inside. The three of them spent the rest of the morning around the house, mostly just hanging out. At noon, they ate a small lunch, then loaded up into the carriage and made their way into town.

Jason did his best not to think about the farm as they meandered up toward Summer Shandy, but he did find his thoughts turning back to the field, specifically to the X-87 grain. The yield had actually been excellent, and he had been able to sell it for slightly higher than usual, due to a specialty flour producer that had opened up in Illumitir. The company had been annoyed with the result, given that it hadn't actually produced a hybrid, but Jason had been thrilled, and asked for more seed as soon as they had it available.

When they came rumbling up into town, he was snapped out of his reverie by the general hustle and bustle of the area. It was always exciting to see Summer Shandy on a festival day, that was for sure. People raced back and forth, setting out tables across the town square, racing food from house to house, stringing up banners, and more. Jeremiah was sitting at the town well, an unlit pipe in his mouth, while Gob stood on the well's small wall. To Jason's amazement, the goblin deputy was actually doing tricks. It stood on its head, then began to dance a jig. One of Obadiah's page boys came out to drive the carriage over to the town stables, and the family dismounted.

"Now that's impressive," Jason remarked as he walked over to the new constable.

"Isn't it?" Jeremiah turned and grinned down at his prized pet. "He's just getting better every day. You'd never know he wasn't raised in captivity. I hired an actual monster trainer to come down from Illumitir, and wouldn't you know, he was able to get him worked right up. Ooh! Check this out."

Jeremiah blew through the pipe, and a sharp whistle echoed through the air. Gob froze and stood still, and Jeremiah winked at Jason. "Speak!"

"I am Gob," Gob croaked out in a grating, rough sort of voice. "I am here to serve you."

"Good boy!" Jeremiah pulled a strip of bacon out of his inventory and threw it to the goblin, who snapped it out of the air and then went back to doing a jig.

"Impressive." Tess clapped her hands, then started walking across the town square. "I'm going to go see how Paulina's getting along. Jason, have fun, and don't blow anything up!"

Jason laughed as she walked away. "How is Paulina doing?"

"She's as round as a ball and doing wonderful." Jeremiah sighed and shook his head. "My first grandbaby. I can hardly believe it, really." A tear trickled down his face. "Seems like only yesterday I was coaxing Obadiah how to walk, and now he's a successful man and having kids to boot. Beats all I ever saw, you know?"

Jason could only chuckle and shake his head. "I'm glad you get to see it."

"I am too, my dear boy." Jeremiah blew through the pipe once more, this time making a lower whistle. Gob immediately stood on his head again, then did a flip to land on the ground.

"Give up smoking?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Nah, but walking around with a whistle that looks like a pipe is a heap more dignified than walking around with a whistle that looks like a whistle." Jeremiah chuckled. He crossed his arms after a moment. "I'm trying to work on training Gob to tackle criminals, but he keeps just eating the targets instead of pinning them down, which does make things difficult."

"Well, you certainly seem like you're enjoying yourself," Jason laughed and started to turn away.

"I am!" Jeremiah grinned. "I do have to admit, it's weird actually being able to do something about the things I always used to complain about. Now, if something gets in my craw, I have to do something about it. Keeps me awful busy, I'll tell you that, more than I ever was on the ranch." He patted Jason on the shoulder. "Now, I don't mean to cut and run, but it looks like the delegation from Illumitir just got here, so I've got to go make my pitch for why I think we deserve to get put on the... Well, it's complicated, but it would mean a whole lot more traffic through here if I can work it out."

"Best of luck!" Jason waved as Jeremiah strode off to the north, where a small, black buckboard wagon had just driven up. It was filled with men in long, dark suits and white gloves, who all waved merrily at Jeremiah as he approached.

With that, Jason started lazily walking around the square, looking for conversations. He spoke with Obadiah and Hank for a while, then wound up chatting with Richard for quite some time about the different weather patterns and how it was affecting their various farms. Finally, as evening began to come around, things really began to kick into high gear.

The sun lowered in the sky, stars began to appear, a bonfire was kindled, and the feast began. Platters of food were placed all across the tables, and Jason sat down with Tess and Fern, along with their closest friends. Paulina had grown so large that she could barely squeeze into the benches, though she had a glow about her face that Jason remembered seeing on Tess when she had been pregnant. Theresa, the town healer, was there alongside the bald, round-faced Donald. Townsfolk and farmers alike filled the seats, and Jason sighed in contentment.

The festivities continued well into the night. Jason feasted on roasted turkey and hog, mashed potatoes and green beans, cranberry sauce, and a whole host of other foods that he could hardly remember afterward. When the meal was finally done, music began to play, and all the tables were shoved aside to make room for a dance floor.

"Do you want to walk again?" Tess set Fern down on the cobbles as people began to swish and sway across the town square.

Fern giggled and held to Tess's hands, standing shakily on her two legs. After a moment, though, Gob came running past holding a turkey leg, and she screamed in delight and fell flat on her backside.

"Not tonight, I suppose," Tess sighed, and Jason scooped her up. "We can still dance, though!"

"After you!"

Jason and Tess whirled onto the dance floor, with Fern clinging tightly to Jason's neck as he spun in circles and danced about. When they finally came to a stop, she swayed dizzily, then screamed for more.

"Not tonight," Tess sighed. "It's already past your bedtime, I think."

"Best of luck to you!" Jeremiah clapped Jason on the shoulder as they started walking over toward the stables. "Thanks for coming!"

Jason grinned back. A few minutes later, he and Tess were rapidly rolling off down the road toward home. A faint hint of cooler air drifted across the prairie, and Jason smiled and leaned against Tess.

The only sound was the faint swish of grass in the wind, the clatter of Angus's hooves against the road, and the distant music that rapidly faded as they slid off into the countryside.

Summer had ended, and fall was about to begin. With it, all new sorts of things would certainly arise... And Jason couldn't wait to face them all as they came.

Chapter Eleven: First Day of Fall

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 1st day of Fall! 90 days until the Fall Festival! Like I said yesterday, it's going to be a chilly one today! Thankfully, after this, it should warm up a bit for a week or two, though expect some pretty cold showers before too much longer. Happy Autumn, in any case!]

[Obadiah's Almanac: Update: Happy Fall. Sorry I used the word Autumn. Won't happen again, apparently]

Jason shivered as he rolled out of bed, then slowly stood and stretched. Outside, the day looked rather dreary, as a thick layer of gray clouds stretched across the entire sky. He walked up to the window and risked a quick glance across the landscape, then slipped back to the wardrobe and changed into a heavy, fall flannel shirt and warm pants.

"It's almost cool enough to break out the firewood," Jason chuckled. "Not quite. I've only had to burn wood prior to winter once or twice, and I don't intend to do it unless necessary, but..."

Tess smiled as she rolled out of bed behind him. "Fern will be cold, in any case. I'll go get her some snuggles, and you go get things ready on the farm?"

"As per usual, of course!" Jason smiled. He quickly tromped down the stairs, tugged on his boots, and made his way out into the chilly air.

Lady and Angus were both snuggled up in their stalls. They could handle the cold weather well enough, of course, but the sudden change must have thrown the off. Alfred was still holding his head high and tossing his mane about with a look that made Jason nervous. Richard still hadn't gotten back to him about breaking in the horse, so he resolved to begin working on training the beast just as soon as he had a free moment.

In any case, he soon had the horses turned out into the corral, poured their feed, and then started musing about what to do around the farm. A few smuts oozed out of the dried prairie, extending their pseudopods across the ground with a sickening squelch. As Jason watched, he saw one of the creatures ooze across an unfortunate crabgrass in its path. A moment later,

the crabgrass staggered out the other side of the smut monster, unstable on its own legs and dripping black goop.

"I wonder if my blunderbuss would be able to take on that thing?" Jason reached into his inventory and pulled out the old weapon. It was heavy in his hands, and he slowly raised the gun to point at the monster. "Smuts react to fire, and this is... well... sorta like fire?"

He squeezed the trigger, and smoke and flame erupted out of the barrel. To his delight, the smut exploded into an enormous spray of black goop, which subsequently rained down across the surrounding area. Several bits of the goop landed on Jason's outfit, and he grimaced.

"Bleh. Tess will have my hide for that one," Jason grumbled, but couldn't really complain, since it had been his own fault. He shrugged it off, then strode up to lean against the fence.

He wasn't sure exactly what to do with the field, if he was being honest. Fall crops were a bit more limited in scope than the spring or summer crops; that was the simple reality. Sorghum was a solid staple, as were various sorts of corn, but he had done all of those before. What he really wanted was to test out an experimental variety of some sort of fall crop, but he supposed that he couldn't have what wasn't available. After a few moments of contemplation, he made his way back up into the house, where Tess had breakfast prepared.

"Any ideas what you're going to do?" Tess asked as he tucked into a plate of pancakes.

Jason shrugged, then shook his head. "I'm thinking of going sorghum for this closest field. It looks nice and pretty, and then I'll go head into town and see what Paulina has for the Far Eighty. I should have stocked up yesterday when I was already there, but you know how that goes. Woulda, coulda, shoulda, and all that."

Tess chuckled. "I actually forgot to buy a few things while I was in town, too, so I could use a trip as well. Maybe we'll go tomorrow?"

"Works for me." Jason stretched as he finished. "Do you think you'll bring Fern outside, or will you two just stay hunkered down in here?" "I think we'll come out, at least for a bit," Tess assured him. "I

bought some warm-weather clothes from Paulina that I'd like to try out." "Great! See you there." Jason stood, then strode back outside. He watched the horses frisking about, then slowly walked over to the planter. It

took him a few minutes to make the necessary adjustments from sunflowers to sorghum, then hitched Angus up to the machine and started for the gate.

The planter rumbled as he drew closer. Off to one side, he saw Tess emerging from the house, a red-covered Fern in her arms. He waved at them, then entered the field and pulled the lever to lower the disks into the soil. With a rumble, they started forward, and he whistled softly.

The ground was a bit harder, toughened from that first freeze, but was nothing that he couldn't handle. Angus simply braced himself and lumbered forward, and the crust across the surface was broken into bits. They soon made it down to the far end, where they turned around and came swiftly back.

As they neared the side closest to the road, though, Jason heard a piercing scream echo across the farmstead. He tugged Angus to a halt, then leapt from the planter and raced across the ground. Tess was near the stable, charging a ball of smut with a blazing torch in her hand. As she touched it to the gelatinous mass, it exploded... revealing a goop-covered Fern sitting on the ground, crying.

"Ahh!" Jason leapt over the gate in a single motion, and a moment later, he was at Tess's side as they picked up their wailing baby. "What happened?"

Tess sighed. "Chance started chasing one of those things, so I went after him, and then I glanced over my shoulder to see her walking straight into it. I don't think the monster itself had any interest in her; she just decided to try out walking and thought it would be fun to touch."

They swept up into the house, where Tess grabbed the washbasin and began to run some water. Jason stripped off Fern's red outfit, then set her down in the water. They threw in a bit of soap, and within a few minutes, Fern was happily splashing about, enjoying her bath as if nothing had happened. Jason let out a sigh of relief and sank backward slightly, and both he and Tess began to chuckle nervously.

Fern was a mess. Her hair, normally a dirty-blonde, was plastered to her head by the jet-black smut goop. Her face, hands, and feet were also covered, along with a few other parts of her body that had been splashed here and there.

"I will never appreciate those things," Tess muttered as she grabbed a washcloth and started to scrub at Fern's tender skin. "This stuff is like ink. It's not just gooey, it's downright permanent."

"On the bright side, if you were wanting a black coat for her instead of a red one, you've got it!" Jason chuckled. He bent over and helped Tess scrub their daughter, but it was looking like it was going to be quite the job.

"Well, now we have something else we need to buy from the store," Tess whistled softly. "Soap powerful enough to wash this off is going to be expensive."

"We can afford it," Jason chuckled, then took Fern's left hand and scrubbed away at the stain as best he could manage.

"I've got this," Tess assured him. "You go and get back to work." "Are you sure?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah! Go get the field planted. That's more important now that I'm

a bit more calm," Tess chuckled. "Come in for lunch, and if I have her clean by then, there will be something on the table."

Jason laughed, gave her a kiss on the top of the head, then turned and strode out onto the farm once again. Angus, obedient as ever, stood exactly where he'd left him. Soon Jason had climbed up onto the planter once more, and they got back to work.

Due to the interruption, he hadn't quite gotten half the field planted when lunchtime came around. Angus happily went back to the corral for his break, while Jason strode up into the house. Fern sat in the middle of the living room floor in a pink onesie, her face and hands still a pale shade of grey. She giggled and held out her hands for Jason, and Jason quickly scooped he up.

"Does this mean that I'm going to starve for lunch?" Jason rubbed his nose against Fern's. "Does this mean that mommy didn't get you clean, and so there's no lunch?"

"There's something." Tess stuck her head through the kitchen door. "Just nothing fancy."

Jason smiled, then carried Fern into the kitchen. There, several ham sandwiches had been piled up, and Jason carefully set Fern in her high chair before settling into his own.

"Well, we can cross terrifying, potentially life-threatening disaster off our list of things to happen to Fern," Jason remarked as he picked up his sandwich.

"That's really not funny." Tess frowned as she started to eat as well. "It worked out well this time, but... Realistically, I can't keep my eyes on

Fern every second of every day, and you've seen what can happen in only the span of a second."

"That's true." Jason frowned. "What's the option, then?"

"We just have to baby-proof the whole farm." Tess nodded. "Maybe monster-proof would be the better word, I suppose. Make sure that she, and any future kids we have, don't have to worry about getting eaten by monsters."

Jason whistled. "That's a lot of fence."

"It'll be worth it if it keeps our kids safe."

Jason closed his eyes, imagining all his pet projects going down the

drain as he tried to fence in the entire farm. After a moment, though, he nodded.

"You're right. You're right, and I'll start buying fence as soon as I get the profits from this first harvest."

"Thank you, Jason." Tess flashed a small smile. "You really are a great dad."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Jason leaned over and nuzzled Fern again. "I do have a cute daughter, though!"

Fern responded by throwing a fistful of ham at him, then giggled loudly. Jason laughed, and soon finished eating and rose to head back out into the farm. His mind spun with possibilities and plans.

He didn't know how exactly he would get it done... But hey! Now he had a project to complete by winter. It was something to keep him motivated, and with luck, it would keep his children safe, too.

Chapter Twelve: Far EIghty

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 16th day of Fall! 75 days until the Fall Festival! Looks like that warm stretch is here to stay, at least for a few days! Big storm at the end of this week, so make sure you're prepared for that! Otherwise, settle in and get your work done!]

Jason smiled and rolled out of bed, his feet hitting the floor with a satisfying thud. As he stood up, he strode over to the window and looked out across the farm, yawning slightly.

The sorghum had just come out of the field a few days earlier, and a new crop of corn had just been planted. The Far Eighty, which had been planted to popcorn, would be ready for harvest in a couple more days, but hadn't quite matured yet. The tiny little sprigs of green stalk were slowly rising out of the ground, ready to grow into fine, tall stalks.

"Morning!" Tess beamed as she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "What's up today?"

"Measuring. Lots of measuring," Jason chuckled. He took her hands in his own, and gave them a squeeze as he looked out across the ground. "With the money from the sorghum sale, I should be able to buy plenty of fence. Right now, I'm just trying to decide exactly what to fence."

"The whole farm, right?" Tess frowned. "That's what we decided."

"Right." Jason raised a hand and pointed. "The problem is that... strictly speaking, the border of the farm itself extends around the complete eighty-acre field. Well... Do we actually need to fence all that in when it already has a fence around most of it? By the time we're willing to let Fern wander that far away from us, she'll be able to handle the little monsters around here. Don't get me wrong, I see the need for safe areas for those few-second incidents, but that's a pretty major jaunt that she'd have to complete."

"Then what are you thinking?" Tess raised an eyebrow.

"If we start from the two corners of the existing fence..." Jason pointed as best he could. "We run new fence from there over to the edge of

the property, in both directions. That closes off the entire back half of the farm. Then we run fence down toward the road along both sides of the property, and then close off the front. It'll give us a solid... probably two full acres around the house, and that way we don't have to spend so much extra time working on an area that Fern likely won't use much, anyway."

Tess nodded slowly. "I think I like that idea. What sort of fence are you going to use?"

"For the back, I'll use the same metal fence as the field itself. Keeps the same material, so it preserves the aesthetic." Jason nodded. "Coming up the sides, and for the front, I'm thinking of doing a reinforced white picket. Classic, and it'll look good as people come up to us."

"I like it!" Tess beamed. "How much is reinforced picket?"

"Don't have a clue. We'll have to make a trip into town to ask Paulina. For the time being, I need to pace it out and figure out just how much we actually need." Jason turned back toward the wardrobe. "Catch you downstairs!"

They both changed, and Jason headed down to do the chores. The horses were eager to see him, and Chance bounded about eagerly in the yard. It was a beautiful day, of that there could be no doubt. The autumn air was filled with the sharp scent of leaves and hay, but it was still warm enough that a light flannel shirt more than sufficed to keep him comfortable. Once he was done with the chores, he headed back inside, and found Tess just sitting Fern into her high chair.

"Dada!" Fern grinned as Jason walked over and sat down.

"Fern!" Jason kissed her cheek, then turned to the table as Tess set out an egg salad. "Now this isn't something I've seen in quite a while. Takes me back to the first year or so of our marriage."

Tess laughed softly. "I've been nice to you for a while, but I thought it would be high time to break out one of my old recipes again."

Fern took one bite of the spinach leaves and spat it out, and Jason chuckled. "Well, I'll certainly eat it. Thank you, dear wife, for this wonderful breakfast."

Tess rolled her eyes, but they all tucked in and soon finished. Jason rose and, after kissing Tess and Fern on the cheek, made his way out into the farmyard once again. There, just as planned, he walked over to the edge of the fence and began pacing out the necessary perimeter they would need to close off.

In one sense, pacing things off was a tricky sort of work. In other senses, it was pretty easy. After all, all he had to do was walk in a straight line and count footsteps. On the other hand, he had to make sure that all his steps were exactly the same length, which was a lot harder than it sounded. He then, naturally, had to convert the paces over to a proper length in feet and yards. Nevertheless, it was relatively accurate, and it was heaps easier than trying to stretch out a measuring tape over that whole distance.

Jason counted five paces (about fifteen feet) from the corner of his fence to the north side of his property, then about thirty-four paces from that location down to the road. He was just starting to pace across the front of the property when he saw a small, black horse come trotting up.

Now, that in and of itself was hardly anything remarkable. There were a number of towns down to the south that were decently large, so there were, at least once or twice a day, people who would ride up or down the road passing through as they went to or from Illumitir. Today, though, the obviously urban individual slowed, and Jason looked up as he came to a stop.

"Is this the Hunter residence?" the man asked in a crisp Illumitir accent. He was dressed spectacularly, in a tweed suit and crowned with a top hat. A wispy, white beard stuck out haphazardly from his chin, and thin strands of white hair curled from underneath the hat.

"It is." Jason nodded. "What can I do for you?"

The man swung down from the horse and held out a white-gloved hand. When Jason shook the hand, he couldn't help but notice that there were dirt stains on the glove, but the man didn't seem to mind terribly.

"My name is Milligan, and I represent Illumitir Genetics Corp. We received a notification that you performed an experiment on the X-87 wheat-barley hybrid, developed by our competitor, Illis Plains?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah, I did." He wasn't exactly sure how the conversation was likely to go. Would Milligan be upset that he had worked for a competitor, or...

"Excellent. Then, as the regional coordinator for this area, I've been sent to ask you if you would consider contracting with us instead. We offer excellent prices on initial seed, one tenth of the market price, and will buy anything you produce if you cannot find a suitable market."

Jason raised an eyebrow. Truth be told, he hadn't had a lick of contact with the previous company since he had sent in the report on the X-

87, but Milligan seemed to think that he was working a regular contract with them.

"I'm listening." Jason nodded.

"What I'm seeking is a two-year exclusive contract." Milligan folded his hands. "You'll be under no obligation to actually buy our seed if you deem it unsuitable, but the contract does stipulate that you won't buy experimental seed from other companies. There are a number of bonuses, which are detailed in the contract under Section D, Subsection A."

"Can I see the contract?"

Milligan produced a small clipboard, which held about five sheets of paper in all. A quick glance at the document revealed something that seemed to be fairly simple, which Jason appreciated, given how wild binding documents could sometimes be.

"Look this over. We don't need an answer right at this moment. You might also like to take a look at our seed catalogue, which details the different offers we have on the table right now." Milligan pulled out another document, which he passed to Jason. "I will note that the offers in this catalogue are not guaranteed. We produce limited quantities of each experimental seed, so once they're gone, they're gone. If you sign with us, though, you'll receive a new catalogue every season with our updated offerings for the following season."

"Do you have anything left for fall?" Jason asked as he flipped through the pages. There were a handful of winter plants being advertised, mostly things to grow in greenhouses, along with a smattering of spring crops.

"Only a small amount," Milligan apologized. "We do have a large number of farmers working for us, though admittedly no one this far south. I believe that we still have a variety of sorghum that still has enough in stock, and maybe a bit of corn, though I would honestly have to go back and check our numbers to see if we had enough to plant a full eighty acres, which is what it looks like you have here."

"I actually have a hundred and sixty," Jason murmured as he continued to look through the pages.

"One hundred and sixty?" Milligan blinked in surprise. "How much would you be willing to put into our crop? Hypothetically, of course?"

Jason shrugged, then folded up the catalogue and tucked it into his inventory. "At least in theory, if I can turn a profit, all of it. I enjoy mixing

things up, you know?"

A grin spread across Milligan's face. "My boy, you and I will get

along just fine if you do decide to work with us. Just mail that contract to the address listed at the bottom if you do decide to sign up, and we'll get everything else taken care of. In the meantime, should I put a hold on that sorghum for you?"

"Please do." Jason flashed a small smile. "Even if I don't contract for some reason, I'd love to give it a whirl. Go ahead and deliver it, for that matter."

"I can, if you'd like, but you will get a better price if you're contracted." Milligan paused. "Like I said, I'll put a hold on it, but why don't you read over that contract and get back to me, one way or another? Then we can deal with transactions."

Jason nodded, and they shook hands once again. With that, Milligan mounted up onto his horse and rode away, leaving Jason with a wide grin across his face.

Yes... This was the sort of thing that he loved about farming. The unknown, the thrill... And he didn't have the faintest idea what any of this would bring, but he did know that, unless he found something particularly awful buried in the contract, he already knew what his answer would be.

Chapter Thirteen: Rolling Sky

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 18th day of Fall! 73 days until the Fall Festival! Alright, folks, that storm will be here any minute! It ought to hit... well, the forecast says it should already be here, but I don't feel anything wet outside, so use your best judgement!]

Jason rolled out of bed and stretched, feeling the chilly air nipping at his feet and hands. Tess came up after him, and gave him a small hug.

"You didn't sleep well last night," she murmured.

"I know. Just anxious." Jason walked up and looked out across the prairie. Dark, though not quite black, clouds were rolling across the sky. The wind was gusting across the grasses, not quite to the point of being miserable. "My hope had been to get the Far Eighty harvested yesterday, but then life got crazy, and now... I'm pretty sure that today is the last day I can get it done without the crop spoiling, but the weather just looks awful."

"Go get to work, then," Tess urged him. "Get to it while you have the chance. I'll take care of Fern, you just get moving."

"Will do, then." Jason strode over to the wardrobe and changed into thick, almost wintery clothes. "You know what we should get for Fern sometime?"

"What?" Tess glanced over at him. "What should we get her?"

"A pony." Jason shrugged.

Tess snorted. "Jason, she can barely walk. We'll talk about it again

when she's older."

"Fine, fine." Jason held up his hands in surrender. "I just think it

would be cute. Then maybe we can get her some farm equipment... Make her a little plow, and a little—"

"Jason! You apparently had way too much time on your hands last night to think about all this," Tess laughed and waved him away. "Get moving before the rain hits."

Jason laughed and turned, jogging down the stairs. He grabbed a quick breakfast in the kitchen, then raced out into the yard. The horses all

galloped about eagerly in their pen as he poured their oats, and he leaned against the fence while they ate.

The previous day had, indeed, been a bit of a wild one. Fern had fallen and split her lip open on the stairs—though how she had gotten past the baby-gate to even get to the stairs, neither Tess nor Jason knew—so they had rushed her into Theresa's healing den. She had been patched up just fine—and Jason had been able to purchase all the fence he needed—but it had still been terrifying in the moment.

When Angus finished eating, Jason led him from the pen and saddled him up. With that, he charged off across the prairie, moving as quickly as he could under the darkening skies. The wind whipped a bit harder, and he held on tightly, struggling against the encroaching cold.

The field of corn waved gently in the wind as Jason came over that final rise. The stalks looked gray in the faint light, but he knew that they were doing just fine. It was his first time planting popcorn—he had eagerly made the purchase when he had found it listed in Paulina's catalogue— and he had been shocked to realize that the kernels of corn on the cobs were... really... just about like ordinary ears of corn, except a bit rounder. It had been somewhat of a disappointment, really, but he supposed that some things couldn't be helped.

In any event, he quickly hitched Angus up to the harvester, then whirred off into the field just as quickly as he could. Angus seemed to sense the urgency of the day, and tugged it along a bit faster than he usually did. The blades of the machine whirled through the stalks, sending bits and pieces of cornstalk and cob flying up to whack Jason in the face. None of it really hurt him, and it was almost kind of funny to watch from a distance. He held on tightly as the machine rumbled on forward, carving its way through the long field.

The wind continued to pick up as they went along, and soon, raindrops began to fall. They were light and scattered, nothing that would prevent him from remaining in the field, but they were also quite cold. He shivered under the barrage, but could do nothing except push forward. Angus was remarkable in that regard, plodding along without a care in the world.

Down and back they went, down and back, until they came to the midpoint. Angus was breathing heavily, but didn't seem nearly as exerted as

he often did. Jason pulled to a stop and hopped down, then slowly walked up next to the great beast.

"Hey there, Angus." Jason patted the horse on the neck. "How are we doing?"

Angus snorted and bent his head, and Jason fed him a few sugar cubes.

"Do you want a short break? Get some food and water?"

Angus snorted again, and Jason unhitched him and led him over to the prairie. While Angus began to chomp at the grasses, Jason walked up and leaned against the wall of the house as the rain continued to fall. It was getting a bit heavier now, more like a strong mist, which Jason didn't particularly appreciate.

"Alright, Angus!" he called after a few moments. "You ready?"

Angus snorted once more. The horse, he had noticed, was already starting to shiver as it was standing still, and Jason himself was feeling the chill more while he was just standing there, as opposed to moving about in the field. He soon had Angus hitched back up, and they whirled back into the harvest once more.

Just like always, the blades whirled through the crops with ease, but as he went along, messages began to appear.

[Notice: Harvesting crops while rain is falling will reduce the yield by 5%]

"Nothing I can do about that." Jason shrugged and urged Angus onward.

[Notice: Water saturation is growing. Yield is now reduced by 6%]

Jason sighed, but nodded. Angus was soon moving slower as well, a consequence of both the ground starting to grow more sticky, and the stalks becoming harder and harder to cut. Still, though, he was a good horse, and they pushed their way onward.

When they finally came to the end of the field, both horse and master were exhausted and freezing. The rain still hadn't actually solidified into an actual rain; it was still just a soft, gray mist, but it just had a way of seeping into them. Water trickled down Jason's nose as he unhitched the harvester in its shed, then climbed up onto Angus's back.

"That's going to need some serious servicing in the next couple days." He frowned at the machine as they rode away, back toward the

farmstead. "I think I can fit it into my schedule. I'll have to if I want to avoid it turning into a giant pile of rust."

He was growing more dejected as he rode over the final rise and came up toward their home. His spirits rose, though, as he beheld the lights flickering from the farmhouse windows. The other horses were back in their stable, which meant that Tess had been able to take care of them. Jason soon had Angus back in the stable as well, fed him an apple as a treat, and then trudged up to the house.

When he came walking in through the front door, Tess met him and, with a broad smile, threw a blanket around his weary shoulders. A fire crackled in the fireplace, and she led him over to sit down before it. He smiled gratefully and sank down on the couch, and as he pulled the blanket a bit tighter around him, Fern came toddling out of the kitchen.

"Fern!" Jason grinned.

"Dada!"

She rushed over to him, and he helped her scramble up onto his lap.

She leaned into him, and Tess smiled as she brought a bowl of warm soup in from the kitchen.

"She's been dying to see you ever since you didn't come in for lunch."

Jason grinned and nuzzled her. "Well, I've been dying to see you ever since I didn't come in for lunch!"

Tess handed him the bowl, then plucked Fern off his lap so that he could eat. "How is everything? You look miserable."

Jason chuckled. "I'm cold, but... I couldn't be farther from miserable." He gave Fern a quick kiss on the cheek, then leaned back into the couch. "Everything is harvested, and... Yeah. Everything is good.

Chapter Fourteen: A Good Morning

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 30th day of Fall! 61 days until the Fall Festival! It's looking like a bright and clear morning, folks! Partly cloudy toward the afternoon, but that'll be cleared up by tomorrow. Certainly no precipitation expected for quite some time, so get outside and enjoy the weather!]

Jason's eyes snapped open, and he rolled quickly out of bed. Tess laughed as he jogged to the wardrobe and started dressing.

"You're in a hurry today."

"You know why." Jason tugged on his fall clothing, then snapped up his buttons. "They're coming today!"

"And you're like a kid in a candy store over it." Tess just smiled and slowly stood up, herself. "What time is it supposed to arrive?"

"Anytime now." Jason jogged to the door. "Catch you at breakfast!"

He opened up the door to find Fern standing on the other side, and bent down to scoop her up in his arms and plant a resounding kiss on her forehead before passing her off to Tess. With that, he jogged down the stairs, passed the kitchen, and tugged on his boots as he burst out into the yard.

Right on schedule, Milligan pulled into the driveway, driving a standard box wagon being pulled by two horses. He smiled as he climbed down from the wagon seat.

"And here you go!" Milligan patted the wagon. "Ready for transfer upon payment."

Jason held out his hands, and Milligan passed him a small clipboard. A few moments later, he had made the purchase, and a torrent of experimental sorghum was added to his farm's inventory. Milligan simply smiled and tucked the clipboard away again, then shook Jason's hand.

"You know, I don't think we've had a single other client quite as eager about this prospect as you are."

Jason just shrugged. "I like a new challenge, you know?"

"Indeed I do! That's how I wound up working here in the first place," Milligan chuckled happily. "Well, it's all yours, and you look ready to plant it!"

Jason turned and nodded toward the field. He had harvested the last crop only a day prior, leaving plenty of room for the experiment. It was something called Alpha-12 Sorghum, which had immediately peaked his interest.

"Before you go, I was wondering if you could elaborate on the variety," Jason queried as Milligan started walking toward the wagon once again. "What exactly is Alpha-12? I mean, I know what the brochure said, but I'd love a bit more of an explanation."

"But of course! That's my job to explain such things." Milligan nodded. "Alpha-12 is a cross between a white sorghum and a red sorghum. It's a straight pollination cross, which means that no artificial means were used. We've done this sort of cross before, with immense success. At present, we're attempting to develop a drought-resistant strain of sorghum, and we intend to use Alpha-12 as the main stock for this development, we just need to make sure that the base cross works well before we begin development."

"You're really doing things thoroughly." Jason flashed a small smile.

"We certainly are. It's what separates us from the riffraff pretenders." Milligan gave a small bow. "It won't result in much change from what you've already seen, but once we have data from your field, it will make you an excellent candidate for moving forward with—"

Jason quit listening as he heard a low moo off in the distance. He blinked a few times, then held up a finger to pause Milligan. "This is going to sound odd, but can I climb up onto your wagon?"

Milligan frowned, but gave a nod. Jason quickly scrambled up on top of the wagon box, where he was able to gaze across the road to the stretch of prairie that lay to the east. There, wandering slowly across the open grasses, was a small herd of cattle. He guessed there were twenty in all, though it was hard to tell for sure.

"That's not good," he muttered. "Ahh... I'm really sorry, but I've got to go. My neighbor's cattle broke through their fence, it looks like."

"But of course!" Milligan waved as Jason hopped down from the wagon. "Have at it! Best of luck in all your endeavors!"

Milligan turned and started to drive out of the yard while Jason frantically ran to the stable and let his horses out into the corral. While they munched on their breakfast, he jogged up into the house and pulled the door open.

"Tess!" he hollered loudly. "Tess, come here!"

"Is everything okay?" She appeared out of the kitchen. Fern toddled past her and held up her hands, and Jason shook his head.

"Looks like the Lazy-H's cattle just got out. Would you mind writing them a letter to let them know that I've got eyes on at least some of them?"

"On it." Tess swished across the living room to their writing desk and sat down, and Jason turned and ran back out into the yard. There, he took out Angus and threw a saddle across him, then swung himself up as quickly as he could. As soon as he settled into the seat, he kicked lightly against Angus's sides, and the great horse raced off across the prairie.

Jason flashed off into the seas of grass, aiming for where the cattle had been. They were gone by the time he arrived, though he was able to find packed-down grass to indicate that they had been through. He turned Angus and started following the trail to the north, through the hills and gullies that marked the land to an increasing degree as they approached Summer Shandy.

Soon enough, he came down into a deep (relatively speaking) ravine. The bottom was made of gravel, and rested about thirty feet below the surrounding hilltops. He followed the footprints for a short distance, around a bend, and came to a small pool that seemed to be a natural spring. Water flowed out of one side, off through the hills, while the cattle were clustered around one side, drinking. Meanwhile, the other side was packed with sheep, while one of the shepherds from the village watched the cattle with interest.

"Sorry!" Jason called out. "I'll get them out of here!"

The shepherd simply shrugged. "They aren't bothering the sheep. Take your time! Been there, done that."

Jason had to laugh a bit. The fences on the Lazy-H were strong, but every now and again, they still wore down enough for the cattle to get loose. He did have to admit that he was surprised that it had happened on Richard's watch, but some things couldn't be helped, he supposed. He

waved his hands and shouted at the cattle, trying to remember what he had been told during the assorted cattle drives he had participated in.

"Haw! Ya!"

The cattle looked up lazily at him. They were all steers, massive beasts that must have tipped the scales at fifteen hundred pounds. Still, after regarding him with their soft, brown eyes, they began to turn and lumber away. Jason smiled, then waved his hands again and continued to shout.

"That's it! Haw! Move!"

They lumbered back down the ravine the way they had come, and soon moved onto the open prairie. Off in the distance, Jason could see faint brown lines marking the fence that lined the Lazy-H. The cattle were meandering in that direction, so Jason hung back, not really doing a lot except to encourage the stragglers that fell behind the main herd. Soon he had passed his own house and moved the herd steadily toward the ranch.

He was about halfway between the two properties when he saw dust puff up on the road. Soon a small contingent of five riders came shooting over the hills, and Jason hung back as the hired hands surrounded the cattle and started to drive them back with a bit more purpose. Richard was among them, and he hung back with Jason as the four others got the beasts moving.

"Thanks for that." Richard shook his head. "I owe you one."

"Does that mean you'll break in Alfred for me?" Jason asked with a twinkle in his eye. With that, Richard slapped his forehead.

"Ahh! I totally forgot all about that! I'm so sorry, Jason. Yes, I spoke to Weatherhand, and he said that we'd be more than happy to offer that service. He couldn't specify a price, probably the cost of whatever food he eats during the duration of the stay, and then maybe 20 Shandys a day on top of that. Probably wouldn't take more than two weeks, maybe three, from what I've seen of him."

"Done. Sounds like a steal to me," Jason chuckled. "And you're totally good. Seems like you have your hands full."

Richard just shook his head. "Not really, all things considered. Weatherhand and I have been sorting out the mess that Jeremiah left us, which has been taking up a good portion of our time. Not that it was actually a mess, he really kept things quite organized, but he just found so many little loopholes in the laws that it's giving us a proper headache trying to make sure that we're actually compliant with Illumitir." He chuckled, then nodded at the cattle. "This, though, was something different. Don't

know what it was, but a monster of some sort came through last night and just wrecked our fence. Went on one side of the property and out the other, knocked down everything in between in a straight line."

"Did your night watchmen see anything?" Jason asked.

"They heard it, and they gave me a few descriptions, but it didn't sound like anything we were familiar with." Richard shook his head. "I've got a few of my men up in Summer Shandy right now, talking with Obadiah and Paulina about the issue. Hopefully, we'll have it cleared up right quick. In any case, the fences are patched and all the cattle we knew about have been brought back inside. We knew these guys were missing, but when we couldn't find a trail, we just figured they'd been eaten by whatever it was."

Jason shook his head in amazement. "If you figure out what it was, make sure to let me know. If my own fence got knocked down, I'd be in for a heap of trouble as well, and I don't like the idea of something big enough to actually target my house."

"You're not joking, there," Richard sighed. "Well, I've got to get back to work, but it was good catching you. Thank you, sincerely. I'll send someone up for Alfred as soon as I have this all sorted out. Might be today, but it'll probably be in a few days."

"Tell them they're welcome to just take him out of the corral by themselves if I'm off working somewhere else." Jason waved as Richard started riding away. "Best of luck!"

With that, Jason spun around and started back home. When he came riding into the yard, he found Tess waiting on the porch, a worried look on her face. He waved, hoping to convey that everything was all right, and she smiled in relief. With that, she went back inside, and Jason quickly put Angus back into the corral, then pondered what to do next.

He was eager to get the sorghum variety into the ground, but... if there really was some sort of a monster on the loose, he really didn't want to plant it only for it to be destroyed. The company wouldn't be upset with him if something like that happened—in fact, it sounded like they sort of expected it to happen to their farmers every now and again—but he didn't particularly want to start out their relationship in such a manner.

After a moment, though, he shrugged. He was planting the crop in the first place because it was kind of fun to experiment with the unknown, and that meant that he would just have to take the risk. If there was a giant

monster on the loose, getting his fence knocked down was really the least of his worries.

He would proceed as planned... And he would just have to keep a close eye out for anything that looked particularly large and hungry.

Chapter Fifteen: Dig

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 45th day of Fall! 46 days until the Fall Festival! It's a warm one today, folks, so make sure you get outside and enjoy it! Also, please be aware that there have been no sightings of the Fencecrusher since its first attacks. We have people on it, so please do not come to me for updates. Also, Paulina also counts as me, as far as requests of such nature are concerned.]

"I kinda feel bad for Paulina," Jason sighed as he rolled out of bed. "I was out here in the country, so I never really got it, but I can only imagine that if he gets that sort of request, people will be all over her asking her the same things."

"I also moved out here once we got married," Tess commented as she stood us as well. "If I had stayed in town, or if I had kept my job and you had moved to the Guild Hall, you'd have the exact same problem."

Jason laughed softly. "Now that would have been a different sort of life. Not saying it would have been bad by any stretch, but it would have been different."

"I like where we're at." Tess shrugged. "Are you heading out to work on the fence again today?"

"That's the plan!" Jason grinned. "Fern can even come out and help me!"

"I think she'd love that."

Jason smiled and strode down the stairs, heading out to do chores. An hour or so later, all the chores had been finished, they had eaten breakfast, and Jason was standing in the yard looking at the long stretch that needed to be filled with fence. The reinforced picket that he had chosen to build from was white, made of wood that had rebar strung through it. It looked pristine, like something out of a magazine, but could withstand all monsters up to class S, at least according to the magazine entry. Thus far, he had built about halfway along the northern side of the farm, but still had a long way to go.

"Alright, Fern." Jason picked her up, then set her down close to where he would be working. Tess stood nearby, clearing some weeds out of their personal garden that grew along the side of the house. "Are you ready to help me dig?"

"Dig!" Fern grinned.

"Perfect!" Jason paced out the location of the next post, then waved at her to come over. She shakily climbed to her feet and toddled over, then sat down next to his feet. "Can you dig right here?"

He pulled a small spade out of his inventory, handing it to her carefully. She proceeded to whack his feet with the trowel, and he laughed and jumped back out of the way. She grinned and leaned forward, whacking the soil several times.

"Perfect!" Jason took out his own shovel, then tapped the ground. With a flash of light, the hole was dug, and Fern giggled. She leaned forward, looking down into the ground, then started to topple forward.

"Nope!" Jason reached out and scooped her up, then set her down. While she proceeded to wave the trowel around, he walked over and grabbed the wooden post and lugged it over, carefully dropping it in place. Fern giggled as he filled the hole again, and he started to pace out the next section.

"Alright, Fern! I'm ready for the next hole!" Jason called out. He turned around as Fern rose and started to toddle over to meet him. Chance came racing over as well, his tongue hanging from his mouth. Suddenly, from behind, Tess screamed.

"Jason! He has it!"

"Has what?" Jason frowned at the dog. Quite suddenly, he noticed that the tongue hanging from the dog's mouth wasn't actually a tongue, but the dungeon core. "How'd he get that?"

Tess yelled something, but Jason didn't hear exactly what it was. Chance bounded past Fern, and Jason bent down to grab the crystal from the creature's mouth. As his finger touched the red stone, though, there was a flash of light, and Jason was knocked flat on his back.

He blinked several times as he found himself looking into the slobbery jaws of a giant warg. The creature snarled and barked, then opened its immense mouth. Jason winced as he heard Tess charging over... And then the warg licked him.

The creature's tongue was enormous, two feet wide at the least, and Jason found himself absolutely drenched as it jumped backward, shaking the ground. All told, it must have stood eight feet tall at the shoulder, and when it barked, the noise echoed across the prairie like a cannon shot.

"Ahh... Chance?" Jason hazarded a guess.

The warg began to drool, which caused a large puddle to form underneath its jaws.

"Fetch?" Jason asked.

With a snuffle, Chance spun around and leapt across the farm. Within the blink of an eye, he was gone, jumping past the field and vanishing over the hills. Tess clutched Fern closely, having picked her up as she arrived, though Fern giggled and laughed with glee.

"What exactly just happened?" Jason glanced over at Tess. "Did I miss something?"

"Maybe?" Tess winced. "I... I was playing around with the core a few weeks ago, and I found at option for de-spawning existing monsters. I've still been nervous after Fern's accident, so I've been using it to keep the smuts away from the farm until you can get the fence built."

"Ahh. Makes sense." Jason nodded slowly. "And then Chance managed to get ahold of it, and he was somehow turned into a warg?"

"Yup." Tess nodded slowly.

Suddenly, he appeared over the hills once again, a large log held in his teeth. A moment later, he had arrived, and dropped the fetched 'stick' on the ground with a crash. The log was at least a foot across and fifteen feet long. Suddenly, a glimmer came into Jason's eyes.

"Do you think... I mean, he's still tame, right?"

Tess nodded slowly. "Right... You do realize we can't keep him like that? He'd need a hundred pounds of dog food every day."

"Right, but since he stays tame after he changes, it means that we could go and turn the horses into something cooler!" Jason grinned. "We could have dragons that pull the plows!"

"No."

"We could have yetis that pull the plows?"

"No."

"We could have unicorns?"

Tess paused. "Now that one, I'll seriously consider, but for the

moment, we need to figure out how to turn Chance back into a dog. Hand

me that thing."

Jason nodded, then took Fern from Tess's arms and passed her the

core. A long pause ensued. Finally, with a flicker of light, Chance transformed back into his ordinary self. He looked up at his owners with a happy sort of smile, then bounded over and rubbed himself up against Jason.

"You're a good boy." Jason bent down and scratched behind his ears. "Yes, you are! Even when you get turned into a giant, man-eating monster, you're a good boy."

"Ants!" Fern screamed and threw her arms around Chance's neck.

Tess regarded the hound with a bit more skepticism, then dropped the dungeon core into her pocket and walked back over toward the garden. Jason, meanwhile, went back to pacing out and planting posts.

They worked through the rest of the day, and by the time they went inside for dinner that night, they had managed to put up posts—though not the connecting links of fence—down the north side of the property and along the whole roadside. It was really coming together quite well, and made Jason more than a bit pleased.

Before heading inside for the night, he paused only to look across his field of Alpha-12. It was proving to be a slow grower, and was only just producing heads. That said, they certainly looked like large heads, which made him hopeful that it really would turn into something good. Satisfied then that everything was in order, he turned and walked into the house for dinner.

Everything was progressing smoothly, there was no doubt about that, and with the new addition of the dungeon core's transformative properties... It opened up a whole world of possibilities. Turning his horses into mythical creatures sounded fun, of course, but even more than that, the possibility of actually being able to turn threatening monsters, such as tornados or the Fencecrusher, into something harmless? Now that was a possibility that made his heart leap with excitement.

Until they saw something threatening, though, there wasn't much that he could really do about it either way. All he could do was wait, and hope for an opportunity to present itself.

Chapter Sixteen: Look At This

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 48th day of Fall! 43 days until the Fall Festival! For everyone who heard the thumping last night, yes, it does appear that something large moved through the area. We're trying to track it now, but we don't know anything yet. As far as weather goes, the weather should still be bright and sunny, though we'll be seeing a steady decrease in temperatures from now until the start of winter]

Jason blinked in surprise as he read the message. "The Fencecrusher was seen again last night?"

"Heard, from what the message says," Tess murmured. "Don't worry, Jason. If it came by our house, we'd have noticed. Something that can just smash through fences isn't something that can be easily—"

"Tess?" Jason blinked in surprise as he reached the window and looked out across the landscape. "Tess, come look at this!"

Tess leapt out of bed, urged on by his voice. As she raced up to the window and looked out, her jaw dropped. The eighty acres, which the day before had been filled with lovely rows of sorghum ready for the harvest, was now... well... a bit more desolate.

About halfway down the field, a hole had been punched cleanly in one section of fence, and a matching hole sat on the opposite side. It looked to Jason like the monster had taken out about three sections of fence on either side, which, while not pleasant, could certainly be fixed. In the meantime, though, monsters were pouring inside, happily devouring his sorghum as the sun rose.

Jason sighed deeply. The sorghum had proven to be quite a looker, and seemed to be shaping up to be an excellent harvest. The kernels were a soft red, almost a pink, and what little he could see were still standing tall and bushy, filling the space with a pastel color that was simply marvelous to look at. As he watched, though, the area occupied by the sorghum was shrinking as the assorted monsters of the area had their way.

"Do you think we can save any of the crop at all?" Jason asked. He scowled. "I was going to harvest that today! Ooh, I know! Use the dungeon core!"

"The core can only target one monster at a time. It would be way faster to just head out there with a sword." Tess bit her lip. "I'll send a letter down to Richard. He'll be willing to come help, I'm sure of it. You go get the harvester and start getting everything harvested that you can. I think that'll be the best use of our time."

Jason nodded, then turned and dressed just as quickly as he could. He wasn't panicked, like he might have been several years earlier. It was a setback, which was certainly annoying, but he would weather it and move on with life. As soon as he was dressed, he bolted down the stairs, scarfed a quick breakfast, and then raced off into the yard.

By that time, the monsters seemed to have consumed about an acre of the cropland. He turned out Lady and Angus—Alfred was down at the Lazy-H being trained)—then hitched up Angus just as quickly as he could.

"I know you haven't gotten a good breakfast." He fed the animal an apple as he started the beast toward the field with the harvester. "I'll switch over to Lady after a few passes, but we've got to get moving!"

Angus seemed to understand, or at the least, he was obedient. They went roaring through the open gate, and Jason smiled as the blades tore into the sorghum.

Almost instantly, he could tell that the Alpha-12 was an excellent variety. He checked the yield here and there, and it was through the roof over what he could ordinarily harvest from sorghum. Each stalk seemed to have put on almost double what ordinary sorghum could manage, which was simply spectacular.

A pinkish dust billowed around the harvester as he went along, which actually made Jason the happiest of all. Ordinary sorghum dust was awfully scratchy. This sorghum, though, made a dust that was just... dust. It wasn't better than ordinary dust—save that it was pink, which was rather pleasant to look at—but it wasn't worse, either. Jason had every intention of asking Milligan how exactly that feat had been achieved, because for that simple fact alone, he never planned on planting ordinary sorghum again.

As he neared the location where the monsters were pouring through, he began to brace himself. Many lesser horses would have balked at the near-carpet of monsters swarming through, but Angus simply held his head

high and lumbered forward. The blades tore through crabgrasses, razorgrasses, histles, and a great deal more. Jason winced as they ran over a smut, but due to the distinct lack of fire in the harvester, they only splattered a bit of goop around the area while the monster itself continued munching through the field. Jason was awarded with nearly a thousand meats of different sorts, which he thought was funny, and then he was back into the uneaten sorghum again.

It wasn't long before he could see Angus starting to falter, and knew that he needed to stop, and soon. As they came back to the main entrance, Richard and three of his hired men came riding up, and Jason pulled the harvester out into the main yard.

"How can we help?" Richard asked as Jason started unhitching Angus from the harvester.

"Loads of monsters that way!" Jason pointed. "Just kill them as fast as you can! If you wouldn't mind stringing up a temporary fence across the gap while you're at it, that would be great, too. I've got a bit of leftover wood from an old project in the farm's inventory that you can use, shouldn't take long. I'll owe you all one for this!"

Richard simply waved, and they rode off around the side of the field while Jason changed out horses. Lady came trotting over, her head held high, and he soon had her hitched up. With that, they roared back into the field, ready to get out as much as they could.

Down the field, Richard as his men knew their business well. It would have been easy to get overwhelmed with the sheer volume of monsters, but they stayed firm. Instead of immediately chasing them down, they started on one side of the field and put up the fence first and foremost, then moved over to the far side and got that fence up, and then went and started hacking away at the monsters.

While they were doing that, Jason decided not to simply harvest back and forth, but instead took the harvester and carved a line in the field around the monsters. It made a small block of sorghum, directly around the gaps in the fences, that they could pillage to their hearts' content, while leaving the rest of the field relatively unharmed. They could have crossed the gap at any time, of course, but with monsters being rather mindless creatures, when they saw the large gap without any food, and then more food standing right next to them, they willingly acknowledged the invisible fence that Jason had strung up. When Jason realized that the tactic had

worked, he drew Lady to a stop, drew his sword, and hopped down to help the others clean up all the stray monsters.

They slew the last of the creatures around lunchtime. It left Jason with an enormous amount of the field to finish up afterward, but he had saved a much larger portion of the crop than he had been afraid of, which made him happy.

"Thanks." Jason smiled at Richard as they all started making their way back toward the house. Jason had unhitched Lady from the harvester, intending to just leave it there until after lunch, while the others rode their horses. "I owe you one."

Richard waved his hand dismissively. "You came to our aid when the Fencecrusher knocked down our fence, so we came to yours. If you really want to keep track of the debt, I'd say we're good and even, but we both know that we'll both be there the moment that the other one needs help, so can we just forgo with the formality of it?"

Jason laughed in return, and Richard continued. "Plus, you're married to my daughter, and you're raising my granddaughter just wonderfully, and I wouldn't even know that I had a granddaughter if it wasn't for you basically dragging me here by my ears, so I really can't complain."

"If you put it that way." Jason smiled as they moved along. "Will you stay for lunch? We'd be happy to have you all."

"Weatherhand will be expecting us back at the ranch pretty quickly." Richard frowned.

"Surely Weatherhand allows you a lunch break every now and again." Jason held up his hands. "If you eat at our house, you're not consuming Lazy-H resources, which means that you're saving him money."

"I like the way you think!" Richard grinned. "In that case, we can stay! Boys, hitch your horses!"

The hired men all cheered, and Jason put Lady back in the corral, then walked up onto the porch. Tess met him at the door, and he quickly explained that he had invited them all to stay. She rolled her eyes, but ran to the kitchen, and by the time they had all made it inside, she had prepared a spread across the dining room table.

Conversation was light, at least for the first part of the meal. Fern delighted everyone with her ability to smear mashed potatoes through her hair. Richard could hardly look away from her, that was for certain. Finally,

as Tess brought out a blueberry pie for dessert, talk turned to a more serious nature.

"Do you have any idea what might have caused that, last night?" Jason asked. "I didn't have a chance to look, but I don't recall seeing any tracks across the prairie."

Richard shook his head. "When the Fencecrusher came through our place, there were no tracks either. The guard is certain he saw something massive moving over the landscape. He described it as being 'lumpish and bear-like', but we can't find a lick of evidence for it other than the fact that our fence was knocked down."

"Obadiah said in the almanac this morning that people heard it last night." Jason frowned and tapped his spoon against his chin. "Any idea what they heard?"

"Probably our cannons, if I'm being honest." Richard winced. "We saw it again last night, actually. One of our guards spotted it off to the west, moving along the trees that eventually run up by your Far Eighty. We started shooting. I'll admit, I wasn't the one who saw it, but I was there when we were firing the cannons."

Jason blinked. "If you saw it... If it followed the tree line, then maybe—"

"Down south where we're at, the tree line comes out to the east a whole lot further. I'd say that where it was described to me last night is due south of where your farm is located here. The monster probably just kept moving north, I don't even know if we scared it at all." Richard wiped his mouth with his napkin, then slowly rose. "Thank you for the lunch, Tess, it was magnificent. I'd love to stay and keep jawing with you, honestly, but we do need to get moving. If you have any more problems, Jason, you just let me know!"

Soon the Lazy-H workers had made their way off down the road, and Jason stood on the porch, watching them go. Tess joined him, having put Fern down for her after-lunch nap.

"Everything okay?" Tess asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Jason nodded. "More confused than anything. I just can't figure out what might do something like that, you know?"

"I wish I could help you, but it doesn't ring any bells from my time as guildmaster. I'll admit that my memories are starting to get a bit more fuzzy about all of that than they used to be, but I still think I would

remember something of that nature." Tess shrugged. "In any case, what's the situation on the field?"

"All things considered, I think we'll lose grain from about three acres, which isn't bad at all." Jason shrugged. "I'll explain it when I send the report off to Milligan tonight. I hope it doesn't throw off their research at all, you know? I mean, my guess is that they'll just have to throw out the results, or maybe stick it in a separate column, or something." He yawned. "I'm going to head out and get the rest of the field harvested, in any case. My guess is that I'll be into the house pretty late tonight."

"Are you going to try and fix the fence?" Tess asked.

"Nah. It's going to take all my time and energy just to get the field harvested by the end of the day." Jason shook his head. "I'll need to buy more fence, anyway. I have a little bit of leftover fence from the first time I put it up, but I've had to make enough repairs over the years that I'm sure it won't be enough. We'll have to make a trip into town to buy more."

"Can we afford that?" Tess whispered.

"I'll have to sell this crop of sorghum first, but then, yeah, it shouldn't be an issue." Jason ticked through the days in his head. "Whew! Let's see... Today I'll harvest this, tomorrow we'll go get fence, the day after that the Far Eighty will need harvested, and then I'll need to get planting again if we're going to get another crop in before the end of the season—"

"Take a deep breath." Tess flashed a small smile. "We'll get it all. Go take things one day at a time. Get this sorghum harvested, and then we'll go from there."

"You're right." Jason nodded firmly, then gave Tess a hug and a kiss. "Thanks for putting up with me."

"Right back atcha!"

Jason smiled and, warmth filling his heart, strode down into the farmyard. He had an enormous workload ahead of him, but... it was a pleasant sort of work, so he didn't mind it at all. It was like Tess said... He would take things one step at a time, and see what came from that.

Whatever would come next, he would be able to handle. That much, at least, he was certain of.

Chapter Seventeen: No Visitors

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 49th day of Fall! 42 days until the Fall Festival! Let's see... Honestly, I don't have a clue what the weather's doing today, because I've been awake since yesterday morning, and I can hardly think straight. That said... The baby is here!!! His name is John, but I have been informed to let people know that if you want to see him, you'll have to wait at least until Paulina gets out of Theresa's healing den. I'll be handling the store, so that anyone needing to make purchases can do so]

Jason grinned from ear to ear as he sat up and read the message. "That's great! Hey, we're heading into town today anyway, we can go see the baby!"

Tess whacked him upside the head as she slowly sat up. "Did you not read the almanac? No visitors."

"Except for close friends," Jason argued. "You were Paulina's maid of honor. Well, matron of honor. You'll be allowed in, no sweat."

Tess chuckled and shook her head. "Well, if we're going to get up there, we need to get moving. From what you were telling me last night, we're going to have to be back here by lunchtime so that you can get the fence repaired by this evening."

"Right," Jason muttered. As near as he could tell, if he didn't get the fence repaired that very day, it would be the better part of a week before it got done. Given that the temporary fence wasn't exactly built to withstand a week's worth of monster assaults... it was going to be a long day, but he hoped it would be a good one. "Let's get to it, then!"

He quickly changed and made his way outside. It didn't take long to get the chores done, and then he met Tess and Fern inside for a quick breakfast. It was simple affair, but that was nice in a lot of ways. When they finished, Jason scooped up Fern, and they headed out.

The ride into Summer Shandy was a lovely one that day, really. The air was cool and crisp, though not painful by any stretch of the imagination. As the sun rose and cast its long rays across the prairie, it made the

immense, sweeping grasses appear to be on fire. Jason sighed deeply as he took it in. It was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen, that was for sure.

As they came up into the town of Summer Shandy, he found Jeremiah and Hank perched on the town well, both beaming from ear to ear. Jeremiah had deep bags under his eyes, while Gob danced around the well in a circle singing some sort of goblish tune.

"Howdy, neighbor!" Jeremiah called out. "You come to see the new baby? I can hook you up if you want it!"

Jason laughed, but shook his head. "Actually, we're just here for supplies. Mere coincidence."

"Well, I'm about to go see the new baby, so if you want me to try and slip you inside, now's your best shot." Jeremiah continued to grin.

Tess just pointed a finger at Jason in an accusing sort of manner. "No."

Jason shook his head, and Jeremiah shrugged. He stood up and started walking over toward the healing den, and Gob followed closely behind. Jason allowed Tess and Fern to climb down, then drove the carriage around the Guild Hall to the public stables. When he had gotten Angus bedded down, he strode back into the main town square, angling for the item store. No one was left to be found, except for a few townsfolk wandering here and there, making Jason wonder just where they had all gone.

He got his answer as he pushed open the door to the item shop and found an enormous cluster of people around the counter. Obadiah held a small bundle of cloth in his arms, while townsfolk and relatives alike pressed around trying to get a look. Tess and Fern were nowhere to be seen. Jason watched them for a few moments, then slowly walked up to the rear of the crowd and started working his way forward.

Obadiah stood behind the counter, a wide grin across his face, as he showed the little baby off to everyone who came forward. Jeremiah was right behind him, an equally wide grin across his face. As Jason slid up to the counter, Obadiah beamed, though his eyes were dark and almost seemed sunken into his face.

"This is baby John?" Jason leaned forward and looked down at the little bundle. Tiny little green eyes peeked up at him, and the baby burped before wriggling its little nose.

"That he is." Obadiah bounced him slightly in his arms. "He was born at 2 AM this morning."

"I assume that Tess is with Paulina?" Jason asked, grinning down at the tiny baby. It was so strange... Fern had once been that small!

"Yeah. She woke up to feed little John, then passed him off to me so that I could show him around." Obadiah sighed. "I really hope there are no emergencies today, because I don't know how I'd be able to handle them."

"Gob and I can babysit!" Jeremiah grinned.

"I restate my earlier sentiment about not being able to handle emergencies today." Obadiah bounced John a few more times, and the baby gave a few soft coos. "It's good to see you, Jason, thanks for coming in."

Jason flashed a small smile. "I remember how excited I was when Fern was born. It's an exciting time." He paused for a moment. "Now, that said, I do need a few items while I'm in here. Trying to get my fence rebuilt, and all that."

"I can handle that!" Jeremiah patted Obadiah on the shoulder. "You just go be a proud father and keep showing him off to everyone who comes through, and I'll handle the store. Don't worry, I won't overcharge people too much, and any extra I make, I'll split with you."

Obadiah rolled his eyes. "Just don't mess things up. Paulina will have my hide if I—"

There was a crash as Jeremiah stepped up to the counter, and an enormous pile of pamphlets and catalogues exploded from Paulina's stash. Obadiah sighed and looked down at the ground, which was now covered in pages and papers.

"Dad..."

"I'll clean it up, I'll clean it up!" Jeremiah waved his hand dismissively as Obadiah started to walk away. "Things always get a little jumbled when you have a baby, that's just life! Now go have fun!"

As he stood up, though, with a bundle of papers in his arms, Jason could see clear panic in his eyes.

"Quick! Do you have any idea what order these were in?"

Jason waited until Obadiah had walked out through the door, with the crowd following him, then slipped around behind the counter with Jeremiah. They spent the next five minutes organizing the different catalogues based on the type of objects sold in each one; though, admittedly, Jason was utterly guessing at what order they actually went in.

When they finished, Jeremiah slipped the pile of papers back into the cavern under the counter, then stood up and leaned against the wood.

"Alright, customer, what sort of help can I give you today?"

"I need fence." Jason nodded. "The same sort of metal fence that you helped me put up all those years ago." As Jeremiah bent over, Jason drummed his fingers against the counter. "Realistically, most of its actually getting pretty rusty, so I'm going to have to replace the whole thing here in a few years, but I'm not quite ready to commit to—"

Whoosh!

As Jeremiah tugged out the catalogue he needed, the rest of the magazines and pamphlets all came crashing down once again.

"I give up," Jeremiah muttered after a moment. "I just do. Well, Jason, here's your fence!"

Jason paid for the fence, then walked back out into the town square. There, Tess had emerged from the healing den, a smile across her face. Obadiah was sitting at the town well, showing off baby John to anyone and everyone who wanted to see him. Jason and Tess spent a bit of time with him, letting Fern giggle and marvel at the new baby, and then they packed up and headed for home.

As they rode off down the road, Jason couldn't keep a smile off his face. He still had a hard day of work ahead of him, but new life always had a way of raising the spirits of everyone around. It was a truly wonderful thing to see Summer Shandy continuing to grow and expand, and it made him ever-more excited to see where things would go from there.

Chapter Eighteen: Apologies & Intrusion

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 59th day of Fall! 32 days until the Fall Festival! It's a warm one today, folks, one of the best yet this fall! Get out and enjoy it, because from here on out, it's only going to get chillier until Winter's cold grasp takes us]

Jason yawned and sat up, then rolled out of bed and slowly walked over to the window to look out across the landscape. The dead grasses were waving softly in the breeze, and he took a deep breath. Obadiah was right, it was warm, and as he slid open the window, a breeze that almost felt like summer came drifting inside.

"Wow." Tess stood up behind him and stretched. "That's incredible! Fern is going to love this."

"You're not kidding." Jason thought for a moment. "Anything you can think of that we should do to celebrate?"

Tess came up behind him and slowly wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Let's see... We could go down to the forest to play in the leaves?"

"Ooh! I'd love that." Jason nodded. As he stood there, though, he caught a glimpse of a black wagon driving down the road. A frown creased his face, and he pointed. "That looks like Milligan's wagon. I don't know where he's based from, but I know it's not Summer Shandy. He must wake up early to get here when he does."

"Are you expecting another load from him?" Tess turned to the wardrobe to start changing.

"No. I haven't heard a thing from them since I sent in the report from the Alpha-12 Sorghum." Jason shrugged and turned to the wardrobe as well. "I'll head outside and see what's going on. I hope everything's all right."

With that, he jogged down the stairs and came out into the farmyard. He could see the dust rising on the road, but the wagon was still a short distance away. Chance ran toward the visitor, barking wildly, while Jason turned and went to the corral to let the horses loose. When he had finished, the wagon was just pulling into the yard, and he slowly walked up to meet him.

"Good morning, Jason!" Milligan swung down from the wagon box with a flourish. "I do apologize for the unannounced intrusion."

"It's no intrusion, and I'm always happy to have guests." Jason held out his hand, which Milligan shook firmly. Once again, he noticed a dust stain on Milligan's otherwise perfect gloves, but as per usual, the man paid it no mind. "What can I do for you?"

"I actually came because of the report you delivered on the hybrid." Milligan crossed his hands behind his back. "The results you yielded were remarkable, even more so due to the reported monster attack. We talked to the company whom you sold the grain to, and they confirmed the volume, so we know you're telling the truth. I suppose I'm just here to question you on what exactly you did that may have caused such a yield."

Jason could do nothing but shrug. "I just planted it, that's it. Nothing more to it than that."

"Hmm." Milligan stroked his chin. "Well, as it happens, my superiors at the company would like to see if the result can be duplicated once again. That way, we can confirm if it was an abnormality or simply the nature of this ground. We managed to scrounge together another load of the Alpha-12; is there any way you would be able to plant one more crop of it for the year, in the same field you planted the previous crop in?"

Jason winced. He turned toward the homestead field, which he had planted to popcorn. The crop sold remarkably well, and still just fascinated him. At that moment, the stalks were about halfway grown, set to mature in about a week's time. "I don't know. Alpha-12 took longer than most crops to mature. By the time the corn comes out—"

"I hate to cut in." Milligan held up a hand. "However, that's exactly what I said to my superiors, and they authorized this." He pulled out a clipboard and passed it to Jason. "If you sign this, it will remit payment of 1,000 Credits, which of course will be converted to your local Shandys at the current rate of exchange, per acre. At 80 acres, that would be 80,000

Credits, or... I think somewhere around 50,000 Shandys, for you to till up the corn and plant in this crop. We will also provide the seed for free."

Jason blinked. "You guys are desperate for this, aren't you?"

"In full disclosure, I'm authorized to haggle up to 5,000 Credits per acre, although I'm technically not supposed to tell you that." Milligan bit his lip. "I don't think you understand. Your field produced almost twice as much, per acre, as any of our other farmers have managed to do with the same seed, and that's before calculating loss from a monster attack. We need to know if your field is just that good, or if there was something about that particular batch of seed that made it produce better, or... So on. This research is invaluable, and while we could wait until next fall, if we can get this data, we can move on to Alpha-13 Sorghum by the time that the next fall comes around."

Jason shrugged. It was far too good of a deal to pass up. "I'll have it in the ground as soon as possible."

"Bless you, boy!" Milligan grinned broadly as Jason sighed the document and passed it back to him. "You've made me a happy man!"

With that, the seed was transferred into Jason's farm, and Milligan climbed back up onto the wagon. As he rumbled off down the road, Tess appeared on the porch and came down to stand next to Jason.

"Anything I need to be concerned about?" She raised an eyebrow. Fern toddled out next to her, and Jason stroked his chin.

"Concerned? No." Jason shook his head, then quickly explained about the new grain. As he did so, Tess's face fell.

"Does that mean you're going to spend all day in the field, now? I mean, if you need to... I don't remember how long it takes to mature, but you're going to need to get that planted asap if you're going to get a harvest in time."

Jason stroked his chin as he thought it over. "Hmm. It took... right about twenty days to mature. Three weeks. I think..." He looked down at Fern, who stared up at him with wide, baby-like eyes. "I think I can take a day to go play with my daughter in the leaves."

"Yay!" Fern beamed, even though Jason was sure that she didn't really have any idea what was going on.

A few minutes later, Jason had Lady hitched up to the carriage, and they rolled off to the north, passing through a gate in the brand-new fence that ringed their property. The carriage rumbled onward as they delved

through ravines and up across the rises. Soon they came over the last hill to overlook the Far Eighty, and Jason smiled.

The corn crop there was a few days ahead of the crop on the homestead. It was just starting to shoot tassels, which gave it about five days before it would need to be harvested. Lady nickered as they came riding down to the cabin, and Jason dismounted and helped Tess and Fern climb down.

"You know what would be great?" Jason asked as they started walking toward the trees. "We should pave the path between our house and this place. Maybe add in some small bridges across the bottom of some of those ravines."

"That would work well, except for the fact that we don't actually own any of that ground." Tess shrugged. "We could either buy it and then build our own roads, or we could petition Hank— No, Jeremiah, to zone the area as a road, but that would make the Far Eighty public access, functionally."

"Hmm." Jason stroked his chin. "Maybe we'll just buy it, then!"

"We'll have to save for a few more years before we can manage that feat, I think." Tess shook her head. "Somehow, I get the feeling that you're not really going to be satisfied until we have an operation almost as large as the Lazy-H."

"I'm happy now." Jason elbowed Tess lightly. "I'm just thinking of ways we can expand, you know!"

Tess rolled her eyes, but he knew she agreed. Fern walked alongside them, toddling unsteadily here and there. As they entered the trees, they found leaves strewn around everywhere as the dried branches overhead waved in a soft wind. Jason quickly pulled a rake out of his inventory, then went to work scraping up a large pile of leaves.

It was actually a lot more difficult than he had imagined. He had raked leaves before, of course, but always on flat yards that had nothing but grass beneath them. Here, there were snarls of tree roots, small shrubs, holes, and other sorts of debris that got in his way. Still, though, he stuck at it, and after about fifteen minutes, had pulled together a large pile of leaves about five feet tall.

"Alright, Fern." Jason grinned and backed up. "Here's how you do it! Just run up and shout leaves!"

He raced forward, then performed a perfect cannonball into the pile. Leaves exploded across the forest floor, and Fern clapped her hands. She began to toddle forward, then spread her arms next to the remains of the pile.

"Leeeeeeeee!"

With that, she fell face-first into the pile, and Jason and Tess both laughed. As Fern stood up, she giggled and grabbed at the leaves, waving several of them around. Jason dove back into the pile, then threw several handfuls up into the air that subsequently rained down around Fern in a small shower.

Tess smiled and clapped, then strode forward and began throwing leaves around as well. Fern giggled almost constantly, especially when Jason lay down on the ground and Tess covered him up with leaves. He burst forth after a moment, yelling boo, and Fern jumped and giggled some more.

All in all, it was a happy sort of time. They had no plan, no itinerary. When lunchtime came around, Tess spread out a blanket, and they feasted on egg sandwiches, slices of ham, pickled red beets, and more.

When they finished eating, Tess packed everything up, and the family rose and simply started walking. Fern was carried from then on, and her head began to loll against Tess's shoulder as her nap time came on.

Jason wasn't sure exactly how to describe that experience from then on. With the wonderful carpet of red and yellow leaves, the warm breeze, the blue sky and brown branches overhead... It was simply a wonderful time that he could never quite wrap his head around again. Finally, he and Tess returned to their wagon, and he took over holding Fern as they turned the wagon around and rumbled back toward their farm.

All told, it had been far from the most productive day ever, but it had been nice, nonetheless. He had still gotten some business done, certainly, but... sometimes it was just good to stretch out and relax a bit. He had plenty of work to get done before the winter came, and now he was more than refreshed enough to accomplish it all.

Chapter Nineteen: A New Batch

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 77th day of Fall! 14 days until the Fall Festival! It looks like a chilly one today, folks, so bundle up if you have to go outside at all! Let's see... Yeah, that actually pretty much covers everything. We might be looking at a frost by the time that the festival comes, but honestly, I don't have a clue if that will actually come to pass. Hard to tell that far out, but I'd try to be prepared for it nonetheless]

Jason smiled as he awoke. Tess leaned over and gave him a hug, and he hugged her back before rising and stretching.

"You seem perky today," Tess murmured as Jason walked over to the wardrobe and changed. After a moment, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, right! Today's when you harvest the second batch of Alpha-12."

Jason chuckled. "Milligan is coming out with a company representative to observe."

"You're obsessed with this," Tess muttered as she climbed out of bed and walked over to the wardrobe to dress. "Obsessed."

"I'm just enjoying a particularly fun aspect of the job." Jason shrugged, though he knew that he couldn't really argue with her. "It does make me wonder, though, what might happen if the field really is producing that much more grain than anywhere else. What could that mean?"

"Most likely, it would just mean that the soil in this area is particularly good." Tess shrugged. "I doubt they've really worked with many farmers this far south of Illumitir. Milligan has to come out here personally every time you do business, and if that's their standard practice, they probably tend to only work with people who are right there in the area, you know?"

"Yeah, I suppose." Jason chuckled. "Well, I'm certainly glad to see them. Alright, catch you at breakfast!"

He opened the door, glanced down the hallway to find Fern peeking out of her doorway, waved at her, and then jogged down the stairs to the living room. It didn't take him long to pull on his boots and make his way

out into the yard, where he did the chores as quickly as possible. All the while, he kept his eyes turned to the road, watching for the first sign of the delegates arriving.

They still hadn't shown up when he had finished chores, which, all things considered, was probably a good thing. Still, he felt a ball of anxiety in his stomach as he ran back inside and found Tess just setting the table. Fern toddled around on the ground, waving her arms and giggling, and Jason scooped her up and gave her a kiss.

"And how's daddy's big helper today?" He gave her a small toss up into the air, eliciting a gasp from Tess, and then dropped her into her high chair. With flashes of light, food began to appear on the table, and he sat down and picked up a fork. "Mmm! Pancakes!"

"Takes!" Fern giggled. She picked up her own fork and began to whack it against the plastic tray in front of her, and Tess reached over and scooped it up.

"None of that." Tess raised an eyebrow. "I do not need you hurting yourself or someone else."

Fern's lips puckered up, and Jason braced himself. A moment later, her wailing cry exploded through the room.

"It's okay, little Fern." Jason reached over and patted her on the head. "Mommy didn't mean to upset you, she just wants to keep you safe!"

Fern continued to cry as Tess finished setting the table, though she stopped immediately when Tess set a small pancake topped with syrup and butter in front of her. She eagerly leaned forward, reached out, and grabbed the morsel to stuff into her mouth. Syrup and pancake dribbled down her fresh clothes, and Tess sighed.

"I did pretty much expect that, but..." She shrugged. "You know, it's high time that we started training her to use silverware. If you're okay with it, I'm going to buy her some plasticware from Paulina. She has a line that's pretty sturdy, designed for babies to learn on."

"Go for it." Jason nodded. "You think she wouldn't be able to use the regular silverware?"

"Not well. It's a hazard, the points and edges can cut her teeth," Tess answered. Suddenly, off in the distance, a nicker echoed through the air, and she nodded at the door. "I think your people are here. We'll be out in a bit!"

Jason grinned, then scarfed down the rest of his food, leapt to his feet, and raced outside. Sure enough, Milligan's box wagon sat in the

middle of the driveway. He had already climbed down, and had with him two men who were similarly well-dressed, though neither of them seemed to carry themselves with quite as much distinction as Milligan. All three of them turned, and Milligan beamed.

"Jason! I do apologize for the tardiness. My companions aren't as used to mornings as the two of us."

Jason laughed and held out his hand, which they all three shook. "It seems like you always find something to apologize for when you show up."

Milligan simply beamed. "I find that if one accuses himself, it prevents the host from finding other faults, and in customer service, I'm afraid it's a habit that I've fallen into. My deepest apologies for that."

They shared a laugh, though the other two men simply looked uncomfortable. After a moment, Jason clapped his hands, and nodded off toward the field.

"Well, come on and take a look! See what you think."

The four of them slowly walked up to the edge of the field, where they looked off across the waves of grain. The whole of the field was pink, the same as it had been before; though if anything, it actually looked more full than before. One of the men reached out and ran his fingers across one of the heads, then whistled.

"I've never seen anything like this before. Jason, would you mind if I cut out a few stalks to take back for analysis? And maybe some soil samples, if you're okay with that?"

Jason shrugged and held out his hands. "Be my guest."

Both men immediately pulled out knives and test tubes, and jumped the fence to start taking their samples. One of them simply cut off a handful of stalks at the base, while the other bent down and scooped little bits of the soil into the test tubes as he started walking through the field.

"You've mentioned to me that you have a second field on the property, the Far Eighty, I believe?" Milligan asked. "Would you mind if we take samples of that field as well before we leave? We've also secured permission from the local constable to sample the prairie as well."

Jason nodded. "Absolutely. Take what you need, just... you know... leave enough for me to farm with!"

"My dear boy, we wouldn't think of anything else!"

Jason grinned, and after a few more moments of small talk, he turned and made his way over to the coral. Alfred nickered and ran up to

nuzzle him, back from the Lazy-H's crash course that had seemingly gotten the horse more than ready for the task of farming. Jason fed him a few sugar cubes, then let him out and hitched him up to the harvester.

"Let's see how you do today." Jason grinned as he started forward. "Haw!"

Milligan and one of the company men swung the gates open, and Jason roared into the field eagerly. The blades carved through the sorghum, pink dust exploded through the air, and he felt a grin break across his face.

No matter how many times he did it, he never grew tired of harvesting. It was the climax of his work, the culmination of plowing and planting and waiting. And, of course, protecting from monsters. As he rumbled along through the field, the harvester whirred perfectly, carving it all apart without any issues.

He went down and back a single time before he saw Milligan holding up a hand, and drew to a stop, confused. Alfred stamped his feet as he hopped down and walked over to the edge of the fence, where Milligan was leaning.

"My companions were wondering if they could buy a bit of the seed that you're currently harvesting." Milligan drummed his gloved fingers against the rail of the fence. Once white, they were rapidly becoming a lovely shade of pink. "We know that the Alpha-12 line will propagate itself, i.e. that the seed can be replanted to create a sustainable line, but we'd like to check if the seed grown here in this ground will grow taller than seed produced in other ground. We all suspect that the answer will be no, since that would require some sort of actual change in the plant on a genetic level, but we'd still like to check just to be sure."

"You love doing that," Jason laughed. "Yes, please do."

"Wonderful!" Milligan shook Jason's hand, further staining his gloves. "And yes, we do. In this job, about half a percent of our time is spent coming up with the different concepts for the varieties we want to produce. Another percent or so is spent figuring out the steps to accomplish it, forty-eight percent is waiting for crops to ripen, and a solid fifty percent is double-checking results, again and again and again, to rule out all possibility of error. Even then, we still get a bit of error here and there, but you know how that goes."

Jason chuckled as he turned and walked back toward the harvester. "I imagine that, in your case, a significant chunk of your time also goes to

buying new gloves."

"Washing them, my boy! I don't make enough to buy new ones

every time I soil these, but I do spend an hour every night scrubbing them down!" Milligan beamed, and Jason, sure that he was joking, laughed along. With that, he got back to work, rumbling through the field slowly and methodically.

Unlike the previous time, he found himself actually being forced to move slower than he might have liked. The stalks were simply so thick, and the grain so abundant, that the harvester couldn't handle moving at a clip faster than a slow walk. He checked the amount of grain pouring into his inventory and, just like last time, was utterly astounded. Somewhere near lunch, the company made its purchase of around one thousand kernels, and paid a whopping 1,000 Shandys for them. The amount of money that they were willing to spend was simply extraordinary, and made Jason eager to continue to work with them as time went along.

Around lunchtime, Tess came out and waved at them all, and Jason brought the harvester to a stop. Milligan and the two other men stood near the wagon box, and all turned toward him as he walked over.

"Is everything okay?" Milligan frowned. "I do hope we're not imposing, but we were hoping to stick around until you finished so that we could get the final yield in-person. It'll be faster than waiting for you to fill out the forms, you know?"

"For sure!" Jason shrugged. "I was just going to see if you wanted to stop for lunch. I don't know what she's made, but Tess always makes extra when we've got company."

One of the two men coughed. "I... I don't know... We don't usually break for lunch when you're in the field."

Milligan slapped the man on the shoulder good-naturedly. "But we always accept offers presented to us by our hosts." He gave the man a squeeze, and Jason flashed a grin.

"Company policy?"

"At least among us PR people." Milligan nodded. "To be completely honest, most farmers we've dealt with don't really take a proper break for lunch. It takes up too much time, eats into their productivity."

"Well, in Summer Shandy, we don't like to get along without a bit of good food and conversation." Jason turned toward the house. "In complete

seriousness, none of you are required to come in, but it'll fill you up if you want it."

Milligan continued to urge the others, and after a bit of time, all three of them came up and into the house. Tess had prepared a chicken, mashed potatoes, and a handful of sides. Milligan's eyes grew as wide as saucers, and they quickly all sat down around the table.

Afterward, Jason had to admit that it was a wonderful conversation. Milligan looked to be in his natural element, and even the two company men loosened up under the good, old-fashioned hospitality. They stayed inside for over an hour, feasting on the meal, and then eating a good portion of a pie that Tess brought out, and then just talking and watching Fern throw blueberries around the room.

When they went back outside, things shifted into gear once again, and they soon cleared out the rest of the field. When Jason finished, they checked the yield, made some notes, and rode off as the sun began to set. Jason didn't offer them dinner, largely because he didn't want them to feel obligated, though Tess did slip a large picnic basket into their wagon when they weren't looking.

Jason sighed deeply as he watched them go. He still wasn't exactly sure where the relationship with the company would go, but he was finding that he was satisfied with it. What they decided to do was really out of his hands.

All he could do was hang on for the ride.

Chapter Twenty: Last Day of Fall

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 91st day of Fall! It's the day of the Fall Festival! It's looking like a lovely day, folks! It'll be cold, don't get me wrong, but it shouldn't be too bad. Expect temperatures to drop below freezing once the sun sets, and a snow to begin right at midnight. Otherwise, just come out and enjoy the festival!]

Jason beamed as he rolled out of bed. He loved festival days immensely, there was no doubt about that, and this one just seemed to loom larger than some of the others. It had really been a wonderful fall, and now that the festival was here, it just seemed like the perfect way to cap things off before winter started.

"What did you think about the festivals when you first came here?" Tess asked as Jason walked up to the wardrobe and changed into a warm tunic. "I don't know of many other places that do anything like this. For that matter, I don't know any other place that does anything like this."

"I remember really liking them." Jason shrugged. After a moment, he chuckled. "Of course, up until the point when we started dating, a lot of them were just sorta awkward. First there was Paulina, and then... Well, we won't go into my history with dating in this town, but a lot of the festivals were largely filled with me being awkward as I tried to woo someone or another."

"That's fair," Tess chuckled. "If I'm being completely honest, I sorta enjoyed seeing you so uncomfortable."

"Thanks. Really," Jason muttered, though he smiled through it. "I'm glad things worked out the way they did, really."

"Me, too." After a moment, Tess chuckled. "Do you remember the guy that you were competing with for Paulina? And she turned both of you down?"

Jason laughed. "The warrior? Yeah, I remember him. Why?"

"I just think it's funny that Paulina wound up marrying someone who was basically just a blend of the two of you. She couldn't choose, so

she wound up getting both!"

Jason snickered at that. "Alright, well, we need to get moving if

we're going to head in there in any sort of good time. I assume you're looking forward to talking with Paulina, and I'd like to catch up with some of the others."

"Then let's get going!"

All told, it took them another hour before they got on the road, but it was a pleasant hour. As they rumbled up the road in the carriage, Jason heard hoofbeats behind them, and turned slightly as Richard came riding up. Several of his hired hands went galloping on by, but he hung back with the small family.

"Howdy, neighbor!" Jason grinned. "How goes it?"

"Oh, you know! Can't complain, and all that." Richard shrugged. "No new sightings of the Fencecrusher, so that's been nice. Other than that... I dunno. We had to pull a calf last night, but that's been the only excitement around our place."

Jason frowned. "I didn't think you were set up to produce your own calves; I thought you bought them from somewhere else."

"We're starting to transition into it," Richard answered, then beamed. "So I guess there is news that you haven't heard! Yeah, we bought about fifty cows, and a couple bulls to breed them. It's still a pretty small part of our operation, we're just trying to see if it'll work or not, but Weatherhand and I have high hopes. I'm also hoping to add..." Richard lowered his voice. "I'm hoping we can add some other animals, too. Apparently, Jeremiah has tried running both sheep and hogs in the past, and it's never gone well, but we're thinking about trying bison. At least some sort of bison hybrid. They produce loads of meat, and they can actually be a lot tamer than you might imagine. It's sorta my pet project, and Weatherhand seems to be on board."

"It sounds like you and Weatherhand are functioning like a pretty good team," Jason remarked as they trotted along.

Richard nodded. "When Jeremiah transferred the farm to Weatherhand, the intention was that I would serve the same role that Weatherhand once did. In practice, though, Weatherhand still likes doing a lot of his old duties, and he's brought me into a lot of the overhead decisions. There's been some talk of actually making us co-owners, but that'll be his decision, not mine. All in all, I think it'll depend on drawing

up the right contract. He doesn't want me to bail, or to sell my half of the farm and run, or... There are loads of potential issues, I'd probably be hesitant as well in the reverse position."

"Well, Tess and I are happy for you, in any case!" Jason smiled.

The group continued to make small talk as they rode into town. As they arrived, Jason pulled to a stop to allow Tess and Fern down, then took the carriage around to the stable. That done, he returned to the town square, where things were really starting to take off.

The festivals were always big business, to be certain, but this time, things seemed somehow to be even bigger than usual. Pumpkins were spread out around the perimeter, while orange and yellow streamers were hung from the buildings. As tables were brought out and food was prepared, long strands of squash and gourds were brought out as well, further making the scene. Shocks of corn rounded out the display. Wood was also brought for a bonfire, though nothing was yet kindled.

Jason spent his time walking around the square, chatting with just about everyone he came across. Eventually, he wound up at the town well, where Tess and Paulina were sitting and chatting. They both looked up as he approached, and he frowned.

"Ahh..." He held up a finger. "Not that I'm criticizing, but where's Fern and baby John?"

Tess laughed, then turned and pointed. As she did, Jason's jaw dropped. Both children sat in the back of a red wagon, propped up with pillows and blankets, while Gob scampered along, pulling them with a surprising amount of grace. He was still dressed in his deputy's outfit, and had a grin from ear to pointed ear.

"You're letting Gob babysit our children?" Jason crossed his arms.

Paulina sighed and held up her hands. "I hate to give Jeremiah any credit, but he really has done a wonderful job training Gob. He's incredible around the children, so soft and gentle and... I don't know. He reminds me more of a monkey than a goblin at this point."

Jason just shook his head in amazement. "I never would have thought it."

"No one would have," Paulina sighed. "He's even convinced Delilah to let Gob sleep in the house for the winter, believe it or not."

Jason simply laughed. He would never understand just how Jeremiah managed to do everything he did, but somehow, the man got away

with it each and every time. In any case, a band started practicing in the background, livening up the air, and Jason sat down next to Tess and sighed deeply.

The rest of that day, as always, was simply lovely. Jason only turned his mind to farming once, and that was to buy a book from Paulina on the subject. That done, he simply went back to celebrating. They ate a simple lunch while they continued to prepare, and then, as evening came on, things started to kick up.

Unlike anything Jason had seen before, a game tournament began in the Guild Hall. Apparently, Jeremiah had ordered them from Illumitir, and Obadiah used them to spruce up the hall. Everyone who wanted to participate was put into a bracket, and began competing at... well, there were loads of little games. One involved throwing corn cobs across the room at a board filled with little holes, while another involved a table that had a tiny little net across the middle. Paddles were used to whack a small, white ball back and forth. Everyone except Obadiah was absolutely awful, and that was only by virtue of the fact that he had once played it while he had been working on the ranch up by Illumitir. There were other games as well, but as Fern began to grow tired, Jason and Tess found themselves preoccupied with trying to prevent a meltdown.

When the feast began, it was just as lovely as always, filled with roasted turkeys and pumpkin pies and a whole host of other food products that made Jason's mouth water. Fern and John were set next to each other, and while John was still too young for anything but milk, he looked on and grinned while Fern used one of her fancy new spoons to fling cranberry sauce across Paulina.

When the feast ended and the dances began, Jason and Tess had to excuse themselves. They mounted the wagon and were soon heading off across the prairie, back down toward their farmstead.

"Want to stay up with me and see the snow start to fall?" Tess asked after they had tucked Fern into bed. "We can light a fire, then sit by the window and wait for the start of winter."

Jason felt a smile break across his face, and he nodded firmly. "That sounds... wonderful."

A few hours later, while he and Tess cuddled on the couch, they saw the first few flakes drifting past, caught on the warm light of the fire from

behind them. They hadn't said a word in what felt like an eternity, but then... they really didn't need to.

Winter had come to Summer Shandy, and with it came a whole new season of possibilities.

Chapter Twenty-One: Happy Winter

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 1st day of Winter! 90 days until the Winter Festival! All told, it looks like we've gotten about 6 inches of snow since it started at midnight, and it looks to keep snowing all day. Stay inside and stay warm, because I don't think it'll pop above freezing for quite some time!]

Jason sighed deeply as he rolled out of bed. The whole house was warm, curtesy of the fireplace down below. He stretched, then walked up to the window and wiped away some of the condensation. Outside, it looked like a proper wonderland as snow blanketed the prairie. Only here and there did some of the grasses peek up from the snow, and even as he watched, more of it came drifting down.

"Happy winter!" Jason turned and grinned at Tess as she crawled out of bed. "How does it feel?"

"Warmer with you." Tess walked up to him and gave him a hug, then shivered slightly. "Can I tell you something?"

Jason frowned and nodded. "Sure."

"Plate armor is the worst in winter." Tess shuddered. "It gets so cold, and it just sucks your body heat away, but you can't really wear warm clothes beneath it or you lose all your mobility."

Jason laughed as he walked to the wardrobe. "You coulda fooled me. In the middle of winter, you always just kept wearing it like some sort of a boss."

Tess shrugged. "I had to keep a certain... I had to look strong, you know? I bet Obadiah is miserable right now, though."

Jason chuckled. "Well, we get to stay nice and cozy warm."

"And what's the plan for this winter, mister farmer?" Tess asked as she pulled on a warm winter dress. "Building fence, or fixing up the house, or building things onto the house, or..."

Jason shrugged. "Actually, at least for today, I'd like to head out to the greenhouse. I have a few projects up my sleeve that I'd like to try out."

Tess smirked at him. "You mean you want to try your own hand at creating a hybrid."

"Yes! Is that such a bad thing?" Jason smiled as he stepped out into the hall and started walking down the stairs. "Imagine it! Hunter Hybrids: The crops you're hunting for!"

"That's a terrible tagline!" Tess called out as she walked toward Fern's room. "If your creative mind when it comes to plants is just as bad as that, I've got nothing to worry about."

Jason mock-glared at her, then gave Chance a few pets as he walked through the living room. Soon he'd pulled on his boots and tromped out into the freezing air.

All told, it was really quite spectacular. Winter, in his opinion, had exactly three states: lovely, bitter, and deadly. This was one of the lovely times. There was almost no noise, save for the crunching of his boots through the snow and the hiss of his own breath. As he walked up to the stable door, he could hear the horses nickering and kicking at the stalls, and he soon had them turned loose.

Alfred in particular simply exploded from the stable, leaping and bounding across the corral. He lay down and began to roll back and forth, kicking his hooves through the snow and sending bits of it showering down and around. Lady was a bit more reserved, but in the excitement, Angus rushed forward and joined his son in the play. Jason poured them feed, then stood and watched them for a moment before walking back up into the house.

Breakfast was a grand affair, worthy of the start of a season. There were pancakes and waffles, and chicken to go with both of them. By the time Jason finished, he felt himself falling into a food coma, and sighed in contentment. After a moment, though, he forced himself upright, and began to get ready.

"Are you guys coming with me?" he asked as he tugged on his boots once more.

"I think so, yeah!" Tess nodded. "I have a few projects I want to get done this winter, but they can wait."

"Really? What's your plan?" Jason asked. He helped zip up Fern's coat, though since it would be warmer in the greenhouse, he didn't want to fully put her into her snowsuit.

"I want to get the basement fully cleaned out. No more boxes, in either the main room or the two side rooms, and I want to start turning it into more of a family room," Tess explained as they strode outside. Fern waved her arms around as the snowflakes continued to drift down, giggling as they hit her cheeks. "I also want to sew us all some new clothes for spring, and I want to go through your office. I have some plans to get better books to fill the gaps left when we cleaned out all your uncle's junk, and I really want to dig through the hidden office."

"Well, let me know if you need any help." Jason nodded as he walked around the corner of the house to the corner of the greenhouse. He tugged open the door with a flourish, then gave a small bow. "After you!"

He found himself beaming as he stepped inside. There was a single metal table that stretched the length of the greenhouse, about thirty feet, with just enough space on either side to walk down. Ten seed beds sat in wooden boxes on top of the table, while hotbeds of composting material down below the table kept the place warm. It was somewhere around sixty degrees inside, Jason estimated, which caused a great deal of condensation to form on the plastic sheeting that marked the exterior walls of the structure.

"Alright." Jason pulled his book out of his inventory and placed it on one of the open seed beds. He flipped it open to the first chapter, and started to read. "Creating your very own hybrid crops is both easy and economical, if you follow the right steps."

Tess rolled her eyes. "Come on, you've already read that. The first thing you have to do is decide what you're going to cross."

"Right." Jason nodded and opened up his inventory.

He had a handful of ideas about what to try and mix. At the end of the day, he didn't have any particular goal in mind at that exact moment; he mostly just wanted to see if he could do it. The first thing that came to mind was spring and summer wheat. A hairbrained idea flickered through his mind... Would it be possible to create a variety that could survive in both seasons? He didn't have a clue, but he knew a way he could find out.

Quickly, he planted the first seed bed to spring wheat, and the second to summer wheat. It would be a few weeks before they were ready to pollinate, which gave him time, and he moved on to the next set of boxes. Here, he planted two varieties of tomatoes. In one, he put one that produced enormous fruit, which Tess was quite fond of. In the second, he

planted one that produced smaller fruit, but which produced purple tomatoes. If he could combine the two, maybe he could get really big purple tomatoes? There was only one way to find out.

A smile split across his face as he continued to move along. He planted a few different varieties of sorghum as well, along with two types of corn—popcorn and a multicolored, ornamental variety. When he came to the end, he spent quite some time mulling over what to plant in the last two boxes. There were innumerable possibilities, of that there could be no doubt.

"Alright, Fern?" He turned to his daughter, who was playing on the floor with Cake, her doll. "What do you think? What should I plant in here?"

"Pant!" Fern exclaimed.

"I know I should put a plant in there." He picked her up and gave her a tickle, and she giggled. "I'm asking what kind of plant? Should I do... green beans? Or should I do sugar beets? Or should—"

"Eets!"

Jason chuckled softly. "Alright, I was just scrolling through my inventory. I don't actually have two different types of sugar beets, so that one—"

"Even if you only have one type of sugar beets, those could still be fun." Tess perked up. "You didn't save any of those back from last spring, but I've been wondering if it would be possible to make our own sugar from them. Might be worth a whirl. It wouldn't be as fancy or exciting as your crosses, but..."

"I shall, as you say, give it a whirl!" Jason grinned, then planted the seeds with a flourish. When he finished, he took a step back and crossed his arms, looking at his primed and ready seed beds.

Strictly speaking, he could use the greenhouse at any time of the year, but most of the time, the farm kept him so busy that he hardly had time to think about something of that nature. In winter, he could truly let his creative juices flow. The year before, he had been able to experiment quite a lot with it, and he was looking forward to doing the same this year.

The only problem was that it was just so... small. His mind began to whirl about ways to expand it, but before he could manage it, Tess tapped him on the shoulder.

"Well, since you're done early, you can come help me move boxes down in the basement!"

Jason rolled his eyes, but nodded. The tomatoes would be ready before anything else, and even they wouldn't rightly be ready for another two days or so. He sighed as he looked across the greenhouse, then turned and followed Tess out into the cold.

It was a small start to winter, but in his mind, it was a perfect start. By the end of the season, he would be a master crop geneticist! Or... at the very least, he would learn a thing or two.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Snowball Kind of Day

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 10th day of Winter! 81 days until the Winter Festival! Things look to be a little warmer today, so get outside and enjoy it! Build snowmen! Build snow women! Build snow monsters, and then make the snowmen fight them! Just please don't throw snowballs at me—I really hate getting melting snow inside this armor]

"He should not have said that," Tess laughed as she rolled out of bed. "You can trust me on that one. Every year, a few kids will throw snowballs at the guildmaster just for the fun of it, but by drawing attention to it, he's going to paint a target on his back the size of a barn."

"Want to go up to Summer Shandy and throw a few of those snowballs yourself?" Jason asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"No. You just want to get out of cleaning," Tess laughed.

"That's fair." Jason sighed, then slowly walked up to the window and looked out across the farm. He stretched a bit as he took it all in. The snow was starting to look a bit more sickly, melting away here and there in places. There were footprints running here, there, and everywhere across the farm, and the corral was churned into mud. Still, though, it was nice, and he looked forward to building a snowman with Fern.

"What's your plan for the day?" Tess asked as he got dressed. "You played around in the greenhouse yesterday—"

"Worked in the greenhouse yesterday," Jason countered. "I was working, not playing."

"Ahh," Tess snorted. "Anyway, what do you have on the schedule for today?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out, honestly." Jason shrugged. "It's a nice day; I feel like I can't waste it. I have a million projects I always think about over the summer, you know? It would nice to build this, or I

should build that, but when it comes time, I can never remember exactly what it is that I'm supposed to be working on."

"Why not put in a corral on the Far Eighty?" Tess asked. "That's a nice, practical thing you can work on right now."

"In the snow?" Jason grimaced, then sighed. "You're probably right. I feel bad when I have to leave the horses tied up the whole time we're out there. Alright, I'll do it! On one condition, though."

Tess frowned. "What's that?"

"I get to build a snowman with Fern during lunchtime."

Tess laughed. "I think that can be arranged!"

Around an hour later, they all rode off for the Far Eighty. All

around, they could hear the noise of snow melting, dripping and gurgling as it slowly yielded to the slightly warmer weather. It was only a hint or two above freezing, hardly enough to register, but the snow itself seemed to have gotten the memo, which was the important bit. Angus pulled the carriage through the snow, his mighty muscles heaving as he forged a path along through the precipitation.

When they came over that final rise, Jason felt his breath taken away. The entire Far Eighty was a single, unblemished expanse of snow. Here and there, animal tracks wound around the edges of the fence, but there was no sign of humans, and that fact was just... incredible.

"What are you going to use to put up the fence?" Tess asked as they came rumbling up to the cabin. "I completely forgot to ask, really."

Jason nodded. "I have a bunch of extra fenceposts from when I bought the patch job. Jeremiah and I couldn't figure out the catalogue perfectly, so I have... probably fifteen extras. Digging the holes is the difficult part, in any case, so if I can get that done today, I can buy the fence rails and get that much put up at a later date. I'll have to build it inside the actual field itself, since I've used up every square foot of space I actually own, but..."

"We own the forest," Tess pointed out.

"We own part of the forest, and I don't really love the idea of clearing away a whole slew of trees," Jason countered. "Maybe someday... Okay, probably someday, but I haven't gotten that far yet."

"That's fair." Tess smiled as she climbed down. "Build away, then! Let me know when you're ready for Fern!"

Jason nodded, then climbed down as well. He unhitched Angus from the wagon and tied him up to the rail, giving him enough rope that he wouldn't be horribly cramped. That done, he climbed over the fence into the pen, and started to think about how to go about doing things.

Already, difficulties began to rear their heads. For starters, there was a thick layer of snow on the ground, rising to Jason's knees, which made it more difficult to achieve an even pace. After a moment, he simply took out his shovel and started to dig into the snow.

[Action Used: Shovel Snow. Remaining Actions: 40]

A large chunk of the snow was removed, all the way to the ground, in a box about two feet on every side. Jason took a deep breath as he thought, then slowly moved forward and began to crunch through the snow as best he could. Suddenly, he realized that, since he was going to be building the fence inside the existing fence, he could simply mark things based off of the position of the existing posts. Carefully, he began to pace things out, and came to the location of the first post.

"Alright. First, get rid of the snow." Jason frowned, then dug in. [Action Used: Shovel Snow. Remaining Actions: 39]

"There we go." Jason nodded as the column of snow vanished. He

thought for a moment, then pressed the blade of the shovel against the frozen ground.

[Notice: The ground is too hard to break apart with that shovel. Using an action here will only yield a hole of 6 inches]

"That'll have to do." Jason nodded and jabbed the shovel down once again.

There was a crack, and a tiny little hole appeared in the dirt. He took a deep breath and struck at it again. As he moved downward, he eventually passed through the frozen layer, but it took some time. That done, he moved to the next location, and began working there as well.

It was grueling work; of that, there could be no doubt. By the time that lunch came around, he had burned through over half of his actions and had only managed to chisel out six such holes. Smoke poured up through the chimney, and he stumbled up to the door and slipped inside, brushing snow off his feet as he did so.

The air was filled with the smell of pot roast, and his stomach rumbled as he realized just how hungry he was. Tess pulled a large pan out

of the oven and placed it on the table, where potatoes and carrots bubbled and boiled alongside a large chunk of wonderfully roasted meat.

"Had to do it all by myself since the cookbook doesn't work out here." Tess beamed as she sat down at the small table. "Must have cooked for fifteen whole minutes."

Jason whistled as he sat down. "Makes you wonder what people did before they had those magic cookbooks to make life easier."

Fern giggled from her high chair. Jason reached out and cut himself a rather large slice of roast, then carved off several small slices for Fern. He carefully put the meat and a few carrots and potatoes on her plate, then handed it to her. She looked down at the food, and Tess carefully speared a bit of the meat on her plastic fork.

"Alright, Fern." Tess slowly pushed it forward. "Don't worry, it's nice and soft."

"Uh-uh." Fern shook her head.

"Then a carrot?" Jason asked, reaching over to push one of the carrots in her direction.

"Uh-uh." Fern shook her head again, then grabbed one of the carrots and threw it on the floor.

"Someone's cranky!" Jason chuckled and leaned back in his chair as Tess continued trying—and failing—to feed their daughter.

"She just wants to come out and play in the snow, but I've been telling her no, that she has to wait for you to get done working." Tess flashed him a small smile. "I've hardly been able to peel her away from the window."

Jason laughed. "I wish I'd looked over at the house."

"So did she." Tess sighed and leaned back, then started eating on her own food. "Well, maybe she'll get the idea from seeing us eat."

Fern, though, did not pick up on the idea, and simply began to pout more. As the fussiness rapidly began to deteriorate into a meltdown, Tess picked her up and gently carried her over to the nearby bed.

"Maybe we'll just go down for a nap, and we'll try eating again as soon as we wake up," she spoke softly to Fern. Fern fussed and cried for a bit longer, but had fallen asleep before Jason and Tess even finished eating.

"You think she'll be okay?" Jason whispered to Tess. "Won't she be hungry?"

"I think part of the issue is that she's not hungry." Tess shrugged. "She ate a ton of crackers while she was playing around here and watching you. I didn't realize how many I was giving her until it was too late, you know? She'll eat better after she's had some good rest."

"Well, you're the mother, so I'll trust your judgement." Jason rose and gave Tess a kiss on the forehead, then walked over to the door. "I'm heading back out. Send out Fern when she's ready!"

Tess beamed and waved, and Jason strode back out into the cold. There, he continued chipping at the holes, which to his delight, began to go faster as the ground thawed and it took fewer actions to get everything set. That said, he still only managed to get ten total holes dug by the time he ran out of actions for the day. He was still standing there, thinking, when Tess carried out Fern, all dressed in thick winter clothes.

"You look like you're not really here," Tess commented as Jason looked across the area.

"I'm just mulling this over." Jason shrugged. "I was really hoping to actually get some poles in the ground. These holes will start to silt in if I don't get them filled up, so I'll need to come out here over the next few days. I just got carried away with getting everything dug, you know?"

Tess laughed softly. "Well, now you can just build a snowman!"

"That, indeed, I can do!" Jason smiled and turned to Fern, then bent down and started scooping a bunch of the melted snow into a ball. When he finished, he started rolling it through the field, and soon had a large enough mass to count for the bottom of the snowman. Tess set Fern down in one of the tracks made by the snowball, and she started working on the project as well.

It took them only a few minutes to get the snowman put together. With sticks for the arms, a corn cob for the nose, and lumps of coal for everything else, he really did strike a rather strong image. Fern giggled and pointed up at it.

"Dada!"

"I look like that?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "Maybe if you trimmed off a bit of the belly... And used a thicker, somewhat more muscular stick for the arms..."

Tess rushed forward and gave Jason a shove, knocking him backward into the snow. As he spluttered back to the surface, Tess raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, you've really got some solid muscles, there."

Jason responded by throwing a snowball back at her, which she dodged. Soon, a full-scale snowball fight ensured. Fern even got in on the action, scooping up a small bit of snow and splattering it over Jason's face when he bent down and obliged.

It was an utter blast, of that there could be no doubt. As they finished, cold and wet, they began their trek back to the house. The day hadn't gone exactly as Jason had planned, but it had still been good, and... Well... Could he really ask for anything

Chapter Twenty-Three: Coldy and Icy

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 19th day of Winter! 72 days until the Winter Festival! Today's a Sunday, folks, so sit back and relax! Enjoy spending time with your family! I would, however, not suggest spending a ton of time outside, as it's really cold out there. Cold and icy, but you do you!]

[Obadiah's Almanac: Update: My wife has informed me that, as someone trying to enforce the public good, telling people "you do you" when potentially deadly ice is involved is irresponsible. Please, folks, don't go outside today unless you have to!]

Jason chuckled as he rolled out of bed. It was cold, that much was painfully obvious. With the crackling fireplace below, it wasn't awful inside their home, but the cold could be felt drifting through the window even at such a distance, and it made him shiver a bit. He slowly walked up to the window and wiped away a bit of the frost, looking out over the cold earth.

The sky was covered in grey clouds, while a fierce wind swept across the landscape. Some of the melted snow from earlier had frozen into sheets of ice before it could dissipate; though, thankfully, there hadn't been any new ice to add to the mix. Theoretically, though, that was in the forecast.

"What do you think about doing today?" Tess asked as she sat up and stretched.

Jason shrugged. "I mean, most Sundays we just play games and such. I figured you'd probably want to do something similar. I almost had you last week in checkers, and I'm going to—"

His voice trailed off as he caught sight of something moving along the road. It was... It was a wagon! It was small and boxy, and didn't seem to have a driver. The horse was small and hunched over, and seemed to be fighting hard against the wind and the cold.

"I've got to go check on something." He nodded at Tess. "You've got Fern?"

"As always."

"Great." Jason threw on some thick winter clothes over his nightclothes, then bolted down the stairs. When he ran through the living room, Chance looked up at him in confusion, but didn't move as Jason threw on his boots. Squaring his shoulders against the storm, Jason threw open the door and raced out.

The wagon was nearly to their house. The horse continued to plod forward, though... It was one of the most deformed horses that Jason had ever seen, at least at a glance. It was stooped and hunched, and... Well... Did it only have two legs?

"Hey!" Jason called out as he raced toward the wagon. "Here, boy! Come..."

"Little farmer?"

Daniel's head snapped up from where he was pulling the wagon, and a wide grin spread across his frost-covered face. He had grown in a small beard, from which dangled several dozen icicles. "Little farmer! Viola! We're here!"

Jason heard a voice call out from inside the wagon box, and Jason frowned as Daniel pulled into their drive and up next to their house. Jason rushed around to the back and pulled the wagon flap open, where he found what very nearly resembled a small house. There were several chairs, a folding table that had been collapsed against one wall, and a number of trunks that likely held their goods. Viola was sitting near the rear of the wagon, wrapped in blankets while siting before a small, smokeless fire. She beamed, then stretched out a single hand and turned a knob on an apparatus below the flame, which caused it to die out.

"Jason!"

"Viola!" Jason couldn't contain his amazement. "I... Come here! Tess will be thrilled to see you both!"

Viola rose, keeping a large number of the blankets wrapped around herself, clutching her arms close to her chest as she walked forward. Jason helped her down, and they walked around to the front of the wagon. There, Daniel had lowered two jacks to keep the wagon supported and level, and he grinned widely.

"We just finished up in the northern country, so we're heading south for the winter! Figured we couldn't pass up the opportunity to hit up Summer Shandy!"

Jason nodded, smiling back as they rushed up and into the house. Viola went in first, while Daniel stopped to break off all the icicles.

"Why didn't you stop in Summer Shandy itself? Not that I don't like seeing you out here, but—"

Daniel shrugged. "We'll head that way, but we figured that we would see family first. We'll see you this morning, and then go down to the Lazy-H this afternoon, then head up and stay in the inn tonight, see people tomorrow morning, and then be off again tomorrow afternoon!" He finished snapping off all the ice, then winked. "And don't worry, I turned off my inertia. Can't be too careful, and all that."

Jason frowned in confusion, but shrugged as he stepped aside so Daniel could enter. Inside, Tess was standing in the middle of the living room, jaw open, as she helped Viola settle into a chair by the fireplace. She was still holding her blankets tightly around her, and had her arms pulled up near her chest.

"Daniel!"

"Little sister!" Daniel spread his arms wide, nearly whacking Jason in the head, and Tess raced forward and threw herself into his arms. Behind them, Fern toddled into the room and smiled, and Daniel bent down. "Little niece!"

Fern babbled something and rushed forward, and Daniel picked her up and gave her a very light toss, much to Jason's relief. Daniel sighed and put her down, then thumped over to sit down on the couch next to Viola. Nothing broke, which was amazing by Jason's calculations. Tess quickly vanished into the kitchen to make breakfast, while Jason sat down in his chair and shook his head in amazement.

"You're actually here," he chuckled. "I didn't figure we'd seen the last of you, but I sure wasn't expecting to see you today. How's it been?"

"It's been incredible!" Daniel beamed. "The dungeons that we've explored! You'll enjoy them, little farmer, but Tess is going to love them! We even did some couple dungeons, and we saw the ice falls of Naria, and we visited the flower gardens of Nirat, and—"

"You're forgetting the most important part." Viola elbowed Daniel in the side.

"I'm working my way up to it!" Daniel grinned broadly. "There's a reason you don't walk into a dungeon, fight the boss, and then slog your way through legions of minions. You start small and then—"

He was interrupted, a second time, by a faint wail that came from Viola's arms. At that moment, Jason suddenly became aware that the mass of blankets had a rather distinctive shape, and Daniel's grin grew ever wider.

Tess's scream of delight pierced the house as Daniel reached over and plucked a tiny little bundle of pink from Viola's arms.

"And this is the great-big, super-epic baby warrior named Charlotte."

There wasn't a face in the room that didn't have a smile on its face as Daniel rose and began to show Charlotte around. The tiny baby reached up and waved her arms around, keeping her eyes closed the whole time. Tess rushed over and stared down at the baby, jaw open while tears of joy slipped down her face.

"You're a dad!" She punched Daniel in the arm. "You're actually a dad!"

"Didn't ever think it would happen, did you?" Daniel laughed. "Ahh, she's... She's just as amazing as her mama, which is to say, very."

Viola blushed, and Daniel walked over to sit back down. He passed Charlotte back to Viola, who swaddled the baby back up and held her close as she started to cry.

"How old?" Jason asked. "Obviously not very."

"She was born... What was it? Two weeks ago?" Daniel glanced at Viola. "Something like that. I knew she was getting close, so I did a short dungeon, one of those little E-rated things, and when I came out, she was in labor! We had been hoping to make it to Sunstar City before she gave birth, but it worked out well enough. She was born at three in the afternoon in... What was it called? Oakville, I think?"

Viola nodded. "It's a little town about fifty miles north of Illumitir. We'd have come straightaway, but little Charlotte caught a cold, and we had to stay hunkered down for a bit before we could depart."

"She's magnificent," Tess breathed. After a moment, she looked up and grinned. "You're going to be excited when you get to Summer Shandy, then. Paulina just had a baby boy, John."

"Obadiah beat me?" Daniel slapped his thigh.

"Not by more than two weeks, from what it sounds like!" Tess laughed. "Maybe a full month, I'd have to check the dates."

"Ahh! Little guildmaster," Daniel growled, then chuckled. "Ahh, well, life's not a competition. Leastways when I'm losing, it's not!"

They all shared a laugh, and Tess rose to actually go bring out the food, which she had utterly forgotten about when Charlotte had appeared. There was a platter of sausage, bacon, and eggs for the men, and a more moderate helping of salad and less salted eggs for the women. They ate until they were full—with Daniel putting away almost a dozen sausage links, five eggs, and more strips of bacon than Jason could count—then just sat around talking.

Fern played on the ground, while Charlotte was laid on a blanket for Fern to coo at. Daniel regaled them with tales of epic dungeons, terrifying battles, and more than a few descriptions of scenic overviews than Jason would have imagined. Daniel had changed... Really, quite a lot, from what Jason could tell. He was more moderate than he had once been, and when he talked of pregnant Viola, or how Charlotte was now... Jason could see nothing but stars in his eyes.

They talked for long past noon, though with the size and quality of their breakfast, Jason hardly noticed. Finally, the time came for the two nomads to move on, and they slowly moved to the door.

"Do me a favor?" Jason nodded at Daniel as the warrior stepped to the door. "When you drive by tomorrow, make sure you wave, and that I see you."

"Will do, little farmer!" Daniel beamed. He reached out and ruffled Jason's hair. "And thanks!"

"Thanks?" Jason frowned. "For what?"

"For falling in love with my sister, because without that, she never would have gotten married, I never would have come to Summer Shandy for the wedding, and I never would have met Viola or become the father of Great Big Charlotte!" He sighed. "Life's strange sometimes, you know?"

With that, he turned and marched down the steps of the porch, picked up the handles of the wagon, waited until Viola was safely inside, and then started marching off down the road. Jason watched him go, then sighed deeply. Tess, meanwhile, tugged him back inside and gave him a kiss.

"It really was you that set all of this in motion," she whispered. "You should be proud."

"Proud?" Jason sighed. "Nah. If I had known that all of this would happen and somehow orchestrated it, then maybe. No, I'm just happy that things have been working out." He looked down at Fern, who was lazily rolling across the floor as she succumbed to her afternoon nap. "I just hope they keep working out that way.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Cattle Drive

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 25th day of Winter! 66 days until the Winter Festival! Alright, folks, today's going to be a messy one! With that snow we got last night, combined with warmer-than-usual temperatures... Combined with the fact that there's a cattle drive today... Well, plan for it to be a mess!]

Jason blinked in surprise as he sat up in bed. "Hey, what do you know?"

"Would you like to go help with said cattle drive?" Tess yawned as she sat up in bed and stretched her arms. "You do like to do that sort of thing in the winter."

Jason shrugged. "I can't do as much of my own work, and I don't like sitting around idle. If you'd be okay with it, I'd love to!"

"Fern and I will come along too." Tess nodded. "In the carriage, of course. I'd love to talk to Paulina and Theresa, it'll be a fun time."

"Great!" Jason stood up and grinned. "In that case, I'll head downstairs and get the chores done. You whip up some breakfast, and I'll meet you outside!"

Jason quickly dressed in a winter outfit, a thick tunic that would also stand up to a bit of mud, then dashed outside. The cattle drives always started pretty early in the morning, which meant that he needed to get moving.

He could already hear soft lowing in the air as he turned out the horses and poured their feed. Soon, the first of the cattle started to walk by, and he leaned against the fence as the first of the hired hands appeared. Richard was near the front, and he waved at Jason widely.

"Howdy, neighbor!" Richard shouted out. "How's it going?"

"Going well!" Jason called back. "You mind if we tag along?"

"Go for it!" Richard shouted. "Actually, I was hoping you would!

You're going to want to see what we've got set up in town!"

Jason grinned, unsure of what the surprise would be, but eager enough to get there. He watched Richard riding off down the roads as torrents of cattle came on past, then began saddling Angus and hitching Lady up to the carriage. He had just about finished when Tess appeared on the porch, holding Fern tightly as she strode down to meet him.

"And there you go!" Jason nodded at the carriage. Tess climbed up, passing him Fern as she scrambled into the vehicle. As she got set back down, Jason handed Fern back, then accepted an egg burrito that Tess had whipped up. That done, he climbed up into Angus's saddle and turned toward the drive.

"Dada!" Fern cried out from behind.

Jason frowned, then turned around to see Fern stretching her arms out toward him.

"Dada!"

"I think she wants to ride with you." Tess frowned.

"Is that safe?" Jason blinked. He would be happy to have his

daughter along, but he didn't particularly like the idea of her slipping out of the saddle.

"Sure! Here, ride over this way." Tess pulled a series of bungee straps out of her inventory. When he pulled up next to the carriage, he was just about level with her, and she was able to sit Fern down on the saddle just in front of him. That done, she quickly wrapped the straps around them, binding them together. "And there we go! Safe and sound!"

Jason grinned widely as he turned Angus back toward the cattle. As he trotted toward the drive, several of the hired hands waved and smiled at him, and Fern waved back.

"Cata!" She waved down at the cattle.

"Yeah, that's right!" Jason took up a position alongside the massive herd, putting his horse in a location that would help guide the cattle along the right path. They didn't need a lot of guidance, certainly, they mostly just followed the animals in front of them, but every now and again, one of them would start to veer away, and would need to be corrected.

In any event, they thundered along as they made their way up and into Summer Shandy. The hooves of the great beasts churned the road, as always, into a thick layer of mud. Quite a bit of it splashed up onto Jason and Fern, which Fern seemed to enjoy. As they got closer to the town, though, Jason had to laugh.

Instead of progressing through the town square, the cattle were being directed around the outskirts of the settlement. A new road seemed to have been carved through the area there, behind some of the sheep barns and smaller farms that grew up in that location. Running the cattle through the town square had been a sticking point between Jeremiah and Obadiah for some time now, and it was nice to see a resolution.

As Jason and Fern rode past the backside of the houses, he saw the different families coming out to smile and wave at them. A number of children laughed and pointed at Fern, who was just giggling and waving her arms wildly. He got a few disapproving looks from some of the mothers, but he knew that the looks only came from the knowledge that now they would have to do similar things for their own children.

It didn't take long for them to wrap around the border of Summer Shandy and come up to the auction corrals, where the cattle buyers from Illumitir came down to inspect the offerings. The cattle were run smoothly through wide, open gates, and then directed into individual pens and sorting areas. Jason came riding up next to Richard, who was watching it all with a keen eye. Weatherhand was right next to him as well, a critical look on his face.

"Everything okay?" Jason asked as he pulled up.

"Yeah! Yeah, everything's good," Richard murmured. "We got a bit of a sickness in the herd a few weeks back, and you can see it in some of the cattle. They didn't put on quite as much yield as I might have liked."

Weatherhand just shrugged. "It's still a good yield. We only lost ten head in this batch to monsters, and that just might be a record."

"Make us a trophy, then." Richard flashed a thin smile, then nodded at Jason. "You've got just about the best helper I could imagine. I bet she's a heap better than me."

"She certainly does cheer things up." Jason leaned over and wiped a bit of mud off her cheek. Fern babbled something in response. "I do love having her out here."

Richard sighed deeply. "I should have come to this life a long time ago, just given up adventuring and brought Tess and her mother out to a place like this. Missed opportunities, I'll tell you that, but at least I have a granddaughter to watch, now." After a moment, he grinned. "Right! Things to watch. Come here, you two! Make sure Tess comes over this way once she gets here, she'll love this."

Jason frowned, but nodded as Richard wheeled his horse around and started riding along the side of the pens. He rode along closely, looking out over the milling herd. Packed in so tightly, it was a simple sea of reds and browns and blacks. Thankfully, they wouldn't be packed into such a tight location for long, just enough to be sorted, and then they would be driven out again to their final destinations.

They soon came to the road that led west out of Summer Shandy, and paused there for a moment as a herd of sheep came through from Nightford. A number of smaller pens had been set up on the northern side of the road, which contained a number of smaller sorts of animals. Richard quickly rode across once the herd was past, and they proceeded past sheep, goats, pigs, and other such creatures.

"Richard?" Jason frowned. "What exactly are we doing here?"

"You'll see, you'll see." Richard waved his hand dismissively. "And... There."

They started to reach the northern side of the pens, and came around to the northern side of town. There, stretching out along the rim of the hollow that held the entrance to the dungeon, were a number of other pens, all of which were full of some of the strangest cattle Jason had ever seen.

They were cattle, to be certain, but they seemed a bit larger than he was used to. Their hair was thicker, and they looked to be broader in the shoulders. A few of them had horns, massive horns that looked large enough to gore someone with.

"What exactly are these?" Jason frowned.

"Beefalo! Just like I was telling you about!" Richard grinned. "These are all heifers, which just means that they're girls that haven't given birth yet. I've got a handful of beefalo bulls coming in over the next few days."

Jason whistled. "I take it that your experiment with raising your own calves was a success?"

"You'd better believe it." Richard nodded. "We've got a hundred head here, and we're hoping to expand that even further. For the time being, we've bought another section of ground just across the road from the current ranch, which we'll be turning into our breeding and calving facility. We'll eventually need around a thousand breeding animals to maintain our current level of production, so it'll take a while to switch over. But in the

long run, we'll maintain our current sale prices while decreasing our input costs by almost seventy-five."

Jason whistled. "Seems like you've really got things figured out." "We're sure trying." Richard grinned.

"Do you think you'll become the largest ranch in the Illumitir

province?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Ahh, not a chance," Richard snorted. "There are some ranches out

west that run close to a million head of cattle at any given time. We'd have to own every scrap of land in the Summer Shandy, Nightford, Sweet Springs, and Redriver Banks townships to even come close. Nah, that's not our goal, we're just having fun and seeing where it takes us!"

"It certainly seems like you're having a wonderful go of things." Jason shook his head in amazement. "You're right, Tess is going to love this."

Richard sighed deeply. After a few moments longer, he turned back toward the herd that they were selling, and Jason just smiled as he felt Fern laughing and waving her arms in delight.

It was wonderful to see a good friend succeeding so well in his endeavors, that was for sure. That was one of the best things about Summer Shandy, really. Everyone succeeded or failed together, as a group. And so far at least... success had far outpaced failure.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Bundle Up

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting action.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 30th day of Winter! 61 days until the Winter Festival! It's looking like a cold one today, folks! Cold and clear, thankfully, with no clouds or real chance of ice or snow for quite a while. Just make sure to bundle up if you head out!]

Jason sighed as he slowly awoke, and snuggled a bit closer to Tess. She wrapped her nice, warm arms around him, and he felt himself enveloped in contentment.

"Dada! Mama!"

"And just like that, the peace was shattered," Jason chuckled as he swung his legs out of bed and stood up.

"Just wait until we have more of them." Tess nodded as she stood up as well. "It's going to be utter chaos, all the time."

"I can't wait, personally." Jason smiled as he changed into thick, warm clothes.

"Me neither," Tess agreed. She soon changed into a lovely, insulated red dress, then strode out into the hallway. "Well, you head out into the cold and get the chores done, and I'll take care of Fern!"

Jason snorted but smiled as he made his way downstairs, shrugged on his boots, and let Chance out into the winter air. The frost nipped at him as he emerged from the warm house, biting at his eyes and freezing the inside of his nose. It was bitter out, almost certainly in the negative temperatures. Chance dashed down off the porch to do his business, but was back up by the door whimpering to get back inside before Jason was halfway across the drive.

His feet crunched across the ground as he made his way over to the horses. Opening up the door, he found them all hunkered down, not really interested in moving. The temperature inside the stable was above freezing, though likely not by much. Jason lit a few torches on the walls to provide light, then cracked open one of the windows to let in a smidge of fresh air. They were hardy animals and could take a bit of chill. In fact, they seemed

to perk up a bit at the addition, and Jason fed them some sugar cubes and apples and changed out their straw. None of them seemed interested in heading out into the corral, so he left them be. He would give them some exercise that afternoon once the day had warmed up a bit.

All that done, he made his way back inside, where Tess had whipped up a series of omelets. Jason's omelet had potatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, a good deal of sausage, and a host of other things. Fern's was mostly just eggs and cheese, while Tess's looked like a garden had grown up on the top of her eggs. They all tucked into the meal eagerly, and Jason was amazed to see Fern actually using her fork—albeit a bit clumsily—to spear bits and pieces of egg that Tess separated for her.

"You're really growing into quite a big girl there." Jason reached out and patted Fern on the head.

"Big girl!" Fern exclaimed.

"And you're really learning how to talk pretty well, too." Jason smiled and finished up the eggs on his plate, then leaned back and sighed. "A wonderful meal, my dear wife!"

"I'm glad you think so." Tess beamed. She started clearing away the dishes, then nodded in his direction. "You're heading out to the greenhouse today?"

"That's my plan." Jason nodded. "I'm starting the second generation of crosses on the sorghum, and the wheat is... Well..."

Tess nodded and waved at him. "Go for it! I'll bring Fern out in a little while once we get everything squared away."

"See you when you get there!" Jason smiled as he stood, and a few minutes later, he was walking around the side of the house to his little greenhouse.

As he pushed his way inside, he took a deep breath. The smell of earth, of growing things, it all filled the air in a wonderful sort of mixture. Different plants were growing here and there, all in different stages of development, and Jason rubbed his hands together.

He pulled the door shut, then grabbed a notepad and started jotting down his reports. He started with the wheat, which was on its third cross already due to the quick nature of its growth.

"Alright," he murmured, then reached out and stroked the heads. The wheat was just a day or two away from harvest, with full heads of grain that really only needed to finish ripening. There was no way of knowing for

sure what the result would be until the harvest came, but he was quite hopeful.

The first cross had yielded a mixture of two results: wheat that could be grown in both spring and summer, and wheat that couldn't be grown in either season. He had separated the two, then grown a crop using just the dual-season seed. All of it had sprouted as he expected, giving him a solid strain of wheat that could be grown in both seasons. That done, his third cross had been with a fall wheat, a rather rare strain that Paulina had only been able to find with great difficulty. If it came out the same way as the first one, he would have at least a few seeds that could be grown across all seasons of the year. It was exciting to see things progressing so well, that was for sure.

"J-3 wheat is growing well. Berries are full, and there appears to be no particular genetic issues," Jason murmured. "Harvest will proceed according to plan."

With that, he moved onto the next series of boxes, which contained the tomatoes. These had also been a resounding success. The first cross between the large tomatoes with the purple ones had yielded an enormous spread of fruit, but by selecting out only the ones that were both large and purple, he had planted a second crop that seemed to be producing exactly what he'd hoped for. The tomato crop grew quite a bit slower than the wheat, so he wouldn't know for sure how it worked out for a bit longer, but the J-2 Tomatoes were all putting on fruit that, at that moment, was around the size of his fist and still growing.

After that, came the corn. There, things had been an absolute disaster. As it turned out, popcorn and ornamental corn were different enough that they couldn't really be crossed, and simply produced withered cobs that hardly had enough on them for a mouse to eat. He was on his second attempt from scratch, but the tiny little ears emerging from the stalks didn't fill him with confidence.

He was just moving onto the sorghum when the door of the greenhouse popped open, and Tess came inside holding Fern.

"Dada!" Fern beamed. Tess set her on the ground, and she ran over to him. He plucked her up, and held her in one arm while he cradled the clipboard in the other. "Write!"

"That's right, I am writing." Jason smiled. He nodded at the sorghum. "Now, what do you think is going to happen here? Do you think

it'll work, or not?" "Not!"

Jason laughed at that. "I can see you have loads of confidence in me. Well, little Fern, I think that it's going to be a resounding success."

"Write!" Fern reached over, snatched the pen out of Jason's hand, and started scribbling across the paper.

"Hey!" Jason yelped and tugged the clipboard away from her. "Those are my official notes!"

Fern's lips puckered almost immediately, and tears flowed freely from her eyes. "Want write!"

"Poor Fern," Tess cooed as Jason set the clipboard down and just cuddled his daughter. "She just wants to be like daddy."

"I know, Fern, but I need those notes," Jason sighed and bit his lip. "I'm sorry, little Fern, but I just don't know that you can write on that right now."

"Want write," Fern pouted.

"Hmm..." Jason frowned. "Tess, could you run back to the writing desk and grab some paper, and then maybe another clipboard and some crayons?"

Tess raised an eyebrow. "You're sending your wife out into the freezing cold?"

"Oh..." Jason bit his lip. "Alright, I'll be right back."

He set Fern down, which only caused more wailing, and dashed out into the cold. He ran around the side of the house as quickly as he could, burst through the front door and scooped up his supplies, then raced back. Fern was still crying when he returned, though she looked up as he handed her the clipboard and crayons.

"Here!" Jason grinned. "Now you can be just like daddy."

"Like dada!" Fern stood up, all tears forgotten, as she took the items. "Up!"

Jason smiled, bent down, and plucked her off the ground. He walked to the first box, where Fern stared intently at the wheat, then looked down and scribbled all over the paper. That done, he moved on to the second box, where she did the same thing. Tess laughed and leaned against the wall of the house as Jason moved down the line of boxes. He couldn't keep a grin off his face. It was what every father wanted, there was no doubt about that.

When he got to the end, Fern finished scribbling with a flourish, then handed the clipboard back to Jason. "Done!"

"And done you are." Jason set her down, and she toddled back over to Tess. "Good job, young one."

With that, he picked up his own clipboard and finished making his notes on the last few boxes, then set them down.

"Thanks for bringing her out." Jason nodded as they left the greenhouse a few minutes later. He had done very little work there, only trimming off a few buds and cutting a bit of dead growth. "That was... That was fun."

"It was." Tess smiled back. She leaned her head against his shoulder. "It really was. Now, let's get inside and get warm!"

Jason nodded in agreement; though in his mind, he knew that the heat of the fireplace, pleasant as it was, would never compare with the warmth coming from his heart.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Sheets of Sleet

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 41st day of Winter! 50 days until the Winter Festival! Alright, folks... Today is going to be a miserable one. We've got an ice storm moving through, so unless you have to go outside, please, stay nice and warm!]

"I'll do my best." Jason flashed a thumbs-up, even though he knew that Obadiah couldn't see it. As he climbed out of bed, he shivered. It was cold even in the house, which was a simple testament to how cold it was getting.

He dressed quickly, then walked up to the window. The whole house shuddered as winds beat against it, and through the glass, things were rapidly turning worse. Sleet came streaming down, freezing instantly as it struck. He didn't know how thick the sheet of ice outside was getting, but it was certainly thick.

"You're going to have a hard time getting to the horses today," Tess murmured as she came walking up behind him.

"I don't know that I'll really be able to, not until this storm lets up." Jason shrugged. "That's why I gave them extra food and bedding last night, remember?"

"Right." Tess nodded. "You think they'll be okay, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah." Jason nodded. "They're good, solid animals. I feel really bad for Richard and the Lazy-H right now, though. They're going to have a time trying to keep everything contained in this storm, you know?"

"You're not joking," Tess sighed. "What do you think you'll do for today?"

"Office work." Jason shrugged. "That's really it, all things considered. I need to write some letters to Milligan, and I'd like to ask him about how everything went with the results they pulled from the field."

Tess nodded. "Well, no reason to get around in a hurry, then. You want to make breakfast today?"

"I'd be honored!" Jason bowed with a flourish, then strode down the stairs. As he came into the kitchen, the cookbook flapped its pages, and Jason frowned as he opened it up and ran his finger down the pages.

"Let's see." He bit his lip. "I need to make something wonderful since it's a cold day and we need to keep our spirits up. What would you suggest, mister cookbook?"

The pages flipped so suddenly that Jason's fingers nearly got a series of paper cuts, and after a moment, came to rest on an entry that Jason was pretty sure had been included in one of the recipe packs he had bought from Paulina, since he certainly didn't ever remember making it.

"A dutch baby." He frowned. "What exactly is that? And more importantly, what sort of a name is that?"

He started to read the description. It sounded like a cross between a pancake and a popover, and after a few moments, he shrugged.

"Do it!"

As Tess came down the stairs, there was a flash of light, and a large, brown, cake-like dish appeared in the middle of the table. It was round and enormously puffed up, topped with drizzled powdered sugar. Steam hissed through several small holes, and he watched it slowly deflating.

"Mmm!" Tess grinned as she set Fern into her high chair. "That looks yummy!"

"Yum!" Fern declared.

Jason quickly set out plates and forks, then grabbed a knife and cut the meal into several portions. When he was done, he served a bit to each of them, and they dug in.

Jason had to admit that it really was a wonderful meal. It was made primarily of eggs, but had enough sugar and milk that it tasted almost creamy. When he was done, he was certain that it would become a new staple in their diet. Tess and Fern both seemed to approve as well. Fern ate her last bite right off her fork without any issues at all, and Jason grinned.

"You're just growing so much." He leaned over and gave her a kiss, then plucked her out of the chair and set her down on the ground. "Now go play!"

Fern raced into the living room, where he heard her starting to play with some of her dolls, particularly Cake. Meanwhile, he stood and started shuffling dishes over to the counter, and Tess leaned back in her chair. They didn't really say anything, but then... they didn't need to. It was a slow

morning, but a lovely one, a morning that stood in stark defiance to the raging storm outside.

When Jason had finished with the dishes, he went and checked the mailbox, then strode up the stairs to his office. There, as he turned on the lights and shut the door, he sighed deeply.

He loved the farm, to be certain, but there was something about his office that just felt like a refuge from the chaos outside. It was small, lined with enormous bookshelves that Tess had been slowly starting to fill. A large desk sat at the far end, while suits of armor stood in each of the four corners. There was a set of Summer Shandy armor, a set from Autumn Shandy, a set from Winter Shandy, and finally, a set from Spring Shandy. They were priceless artifacts, and Jason had absolutely no intention of ever letting the historians from Illumitir realize that he had them.

As he sat down at his desk, he sighed in contentment, then took out a pad of writing paper and his favorite quill pen. After a moment, he began to write.

"Dear Milligan,

I'm writing to you today for a few reasons. First and foremost, I wished to enquire as to the results of the surveys you took at the end of fall. I imagine that they'll have some sort of bearing on how we progress come spring, and I simply wished to know what you were thinking in that regard. The second reason I'm writing to you is to let you know that I've been experimenting with seed genetics and crosses on the side, just for fun, and have successfully created a strain of wheat that can be planted across all three growing seasons. I'm calling it J-4 wheat for the time being (J for Jason). At present, it's a pretty good producer, but I do plan on crossing it with a hard red wheat to try and get a bit more bulk into the yield. I'm sure that's nothing your own people haven't done before, but it's fun, and I just wanted to mention it. Thanks! Jason Hunter."

With that, he used a bit of blotting paper to dry up the wet ink, then folded the letter and stuffed it into an envelope. When he had the address on, he strode downstairs and dropped it into the mailbox.

[Letter has been sent. Estimated time of delivery: 4 hours]

"Good!" Jason grinned, then walked back through the living room. Fern threw Cake at him, and he bent down and caught the doll before throwing it back at her. She giggled, then started to walk after him as he started up the stairs.

"Dada!"

Jason flashed a small smile as he turned around. "I'm sorry, Fern, but daddy has to work."

Fern's lips puckered, and Jason sighed. He knew that he was teaching her that she could just get anything she wanted... But also... She was just so cute!

"Alright, fine, but you can't mess with anything I tell you not to touch," Jason admonished her. He bent down and scooped her up, and she giggled and clapped her hands as they walked back up the stairs. There, he entered the office, walked around behind the desk, and sat down with Fern squarely on his lap.

"Let's see..." Jason bent down and pulled open a drawer. "I should probably start working on taxes. Those will be due here at the start of spring, and since Jeremiah knows all the ways to dodge around them, I'm going to have to actually do them right this time."

Fern giggled and whacked her hands against his desk. He smiled as he spread out a whole host of papers, then took out a notebook that he used throughout the year to document his different harvests. Carefully, painstakingly, he started at the first of spring of the previous year and went through each and every harvest. He had to write down how much he paid for the crops, how much he sold it for, as well as noting all sorts of different expenses. It was far more information than he thought the government really needed to know, but there was nothing much that he could do about it.

He was about halfway through summer when Tess appeared in the doorway. "Ahh! There you are, Fern. Are you bothering daddy?"

"No!" Fern giggled.

"She's fine." Jason shrugged. "She's actually doing a really good job not bumping me, and—"

With that, Fern slid off his lap, whacking his elbow in the process. His quill slid sharply across the page, drawing a line across three of his harvests all at once. He could still read it well enough, but there was no sense in taking a chance that an underpaid government worker would decide that it wasn't worth the effort, and he sighed and pushed the paper to the side so he could begin again.

"Well, she was," Jason chuckled as Fern dashed out the door and past Tess. "What's up?"

"I was just looking for her, and bringing this to you." Tess held out an envelope. "From Milligan."

Jason blinked in surprise. "That was quick. I thought it said it would take four hours."

"Estimated." Tess shrugged. "When you send something out-of- town, it transfers instantly to the constable's office, who then takes the time to send it on to the next step in the journey. I think they estimate it'll take about two hours for each constable to find the letter and send it on, so there must be two steps between here and Milligan. Today, though, everyone will just be sitting around inside, so..."

"So it goes a lot faster." Jason shrugged. "Interesting. Well, hand it over, and let's see what we've got!"

Tess tossed the letter onto his desk, and Jason slit it open eagerly. As he unfolded the letter, he began to read with interest.

"Dear Jason,

First off, that's excellent that you've managed to create such a hybrid! You're right, we have done such things in the past; in fact, creating a three-season wheat hybrid is one of the tasks that our breeders must complete in order to prove that they have what it takes. That said, the reason that you don't see a three-season wheat on the market is because of the sharp decline in yield, as you yourself have noticed. In our experiments, breeding the three-season wheat back to larger kernels always winds up reducing the number of seasons available for cultivation, which simply gives us the same wheat we started with, albeit with some slightly varied and less useful genetics. If you'd like our handbook on crop culturing, I'd be happy to send it to you. We do have a handful of our farmers who dabble in such things, both creating their own hybrids and doing some targeted crosses that we ourselves can't do for one reason or another. And, of course, if you do happen to create a three-season hybrid that does have a high yield, we'd love to hear about it!

"As far as the results of the tests go, it seems that the area around Summer Shandy is simply, to put it mildly, some of the best farmland we've ever seen. We're running tests to see if we can determine exactly why, but the fact of the matter is that there are more nutrients in the ground in your part of the world than almost anywhere else in the province of Illumitir. Don't worry, we won't reveal that fact to anyone, so you won't see a flood

of people desperately trying to buy up land, though we will likely buy a bit of land for ourselves.

"All the best! Please feel free to contact me anytime you need anything! I'll be in contact soon with our offerings for spring. Milligan Munster."

Jason smiled as he read the letter. So, his farm was really that good compared to everywhere else? That was a wonderful sort of thing to learn. He didn't exactly know how to leverage such a fact, but he could figure that out on down the line. The fact of the matter was that he was in a better position than he ever could have imagined... And he wasn't about to give it up anytime soon.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Soup Dinner

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 50th day of Winter! 41 days until the Winter Festival! Let's see... Today's a bit warmer than yesterday, but not by much! Stay inside and stay warm. I know I say that a lot, but it's still likely to be dangerous for anyone who isn't suited for it. If you've got the goods, cook something nice and warm!]

[Obadiah's Almanac: Update: Paulina has agreed to make a soup dinner in the Guild Hall for anyone who wants it, starting at noon today]

"Now that would be fun to attend," Jason sighed. "Sadly, I don't think we should really subject Fern to such a long drive in this weather."

"We shouldn't really subject ourselves to such a long drive in this weather." Tess shrugged. "It's bitter out there."

Jason rose and walked up to the window, gazing out across the frozen landscape. The temperature hadn't risen above freezing since the ice storm, and while paths had been chipped here and there so that travel could be accomplished, it was still quite dangerous. Based on what Jason had heard from Obadiah, the forecast wasn't expecting the weather to warm enough to melt the ice for another week or more.

"Well, another day to spend inside and stay cozy." Jason shrugged. "You can't really complain about that, you know?"

"I'm not complaining in the slightest," Tess agreed. "Is there any more work, other than in the greenhouse, that you're hoping to get done this winter?"

Jason thought for a moment. "I'm really close to getting the corral built in the Far Eighty. All the posts are in, and I have some of the railing up. I'd like to finish that by the time spring comes, but if it doesn't happen, I suppose I can live with it. Won't take me more than a few hours, if it would just get warm enough to actually accomplish it."

"Then we'll make that your goal." Tess nodded. "As soon as it warms up a bit, at least."

Jason smiled at her, then dressed himself and made his way downstairs. He heard Fern fussing above him as Tess got her dressed. Soon he had a spread of pancakes and sausage—and some greens, for Tess— across the table, and they all sat down to eat as Tess and Fern came down.

Their talk was mostly small, discussing different bits of cleaning that they might do that day. Suddenly, though, a knock echoed through the house, and Jason blinked in surprise.

"Are you expecting someone?" Tess raised an eyebrow.

"Nope." Jason wiped his mouth on a napkin, then rose and started through the living room. "It might be Richard. All this cold, I can only imagine that they're—"

"Howdy, neighbor!" Jeremiah's voice echoed through the air as Jason swung the door open. He was dressed in his full constable's gear, which looked to Jason to have been neatly pressed and washed. "Mind if I come in?"

Jason frowned, but nodded. "Sure. What's up?"

"Ahh, not much." Jeremiah slipped inside. Behind him, Gob scampered along into the house as well, dressed in a small tunic. Jason frowned as he swung the door shut, and Jeremiah took off his hat. "I was just in the area, and I—"

"What do you need?" Tess called out from the kitchen. "I recognize that tone of voice. You only ever use it when you really need something and don't think you're likely to get it."

Jeremiah turned slightly red, then lowered his head and nodded. "You've got me there, I'm afraid."

Jason just laughed and shook his head. "Well, what can we do for you? You know we're happy to help, if we can."

"I need you guys to watch Gob for the day."

Jason's laugh froze. "No."

"Ahh, come on!" Jeremiah grinned and punched Jason in the

shoulder. "I really need it!"

"I have worked, for going on six years now, to get this house in

order." Jason crossed his arms. "I am not letting a half-tamed goblin wreck all that progress."

"He's not half-trained," Jeremiah protested. They both looked down at the creature, which stuck a finger in its ear, pulled out a large bug of

some sort, and popped it into its mouth. "Maybe two-thirds trained, but he'll be safe around Fern!"

"Why exactly do you need us to watch him?" Tess called, still working in the kitchen.

Jeremiah sighed. "You remember those fancy-pants guys who came into town for the Summer Festival?"

Jason nodded.

"They're representatives from Illumitir," Jeremiah continued. "I don't think I explained it to you at the time, but there's a big highway project that's charting a line of travel from Illumitir down to Portswain, if you're familiar with it."

Tess poked her head into the room. "That really big city on the river... what is it, a week's journey south of here?"

"Yeah, that's the one!" Jeremiah nodded. "Right now, there's a decent amount of travel back and forth, but there's no main road, just a whole bunch of wavy side roads that connect all the little towns of the province, so most of the trade just goes on boats down the river and around the cost, up to... Pfft, I can't remember the name of the town, but then it goes along a trade road back into the countryside to Illumitir. If they can get this road charted, it'll increase the trade between Illumitir and Portswain, and really help both cities."

Jason nodded slowly in understanding. "And you're campaigning to have that road charted through Summer Shandy?"

"Yeah!" Jeremiah nodded. "Right now, it's between us and Sweet Springs. With the big wilderness area north of here, whichever town they choose will become a major stopping point. The inn will have to be expanded, and Paulina's item shop will never be short of customers, and—"

"Jeremiah?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "Do you remember what happened the last time outsiders started coming to Summer Shandy?"

"Yeah, but those people were homicidal maniacs trying to avenge their son's misfortune. These people would be true..." Jeremiah sighed. "Please, can you just watch Gob for a few hours, keep him out of town until the representatives leave? This would be a huge win for Summer Shandy, but I need him to stay out of sight until the papers are all signed."

"We'll watch him." Tess rolled her eyes and ducked back into the kitchen. "But only for a few hours!"

"I'll be back right after lunch!" Jeremiah promised. "Catch you around!"

With that, he ducked back through the door and vanished. The door fell shut, and Gob slowly looked up at Jason.

"I am Gob!" Gob spoke up after a moment. "I am here to serve you!"

"Gob!" Fern toddled into the room. "Pull!"

"Gob isn't going to pull you today." Jason walked over to his favorite chair and sat down. "He's just here to play, quietly and safely, and won't break anything."

"Break!" Gob grinned. "Gob break!"

Jason belatedly realized that he hadn't asked Jeremiah which new commands the goblin had learned. Gob, apparently knowing the command 'break', leapt forward and punched a lamp off a nearby stand. It shattered across the floor, and Tess raced into the room with a scream.

"What—"

"Gob, sit," Jason ordered.

Gob nodded and sat down, and Jason pulled a broom out of his

inventory and started sweeping up the mess. As he worked, Gob watched him intently.

"Watch closely what you say around him," Jason murmured. "He's a little-"

"Doll!" Gob croaked as Fern grabbed several of her dolls. "Gob chew!"

"No!" Jason spun as Gob scrambled toward Fern's dolls. "Don't chew!"

Gob froze as he opened his toothy mouth wide. He paused, then stepped backward. "Chew?"

"No." Jason sighed and sat down on the floor cross-legged, and Fern came toddling over and plopped down in his lap. "Play."

Gob walked over, crouching down on all fours. He eyed Jason oddly as Jason took one of Fern's dolls, a wooden man dressed like a fireman, and started to walk him across the floor. "Play."

"P-p-p-ay," Gob struggled with the unfamiliar word. "Play!"

He stretched out a clawed hand. Fern immediately handed him Cake, and Jason winced. Cake was a rag doll, with button eyes and yarn hair, and wasn't going to stand up to much abuse. As such, he was utterly

shocked as the goblin very carefully started to walk Cake across the floor, just like Jason had done with the fireman.

"Play!" Gob croaked.

"Exactly!" Jason grinned. Fern hopped off his lap after a moment and took Cake back, and Gob took the fireman from Jason. The two of them started to walk their dolls around the room together, and Jason chuckled.

"They're just like two kids on a playdate," Tess murmured as she walked up behind Jason. "Who'd have thought? Throw a toddler and a goblin into the same room together, and—"

"Throw! Gob throw!"

Jason ducked as the wooden doll flashed over his head and struck a painting on the wall, shattering glass and knocking the whole thing to the ground.

"I'll admit, I brought that one on myself," Tess sighed as she took out a broom. Gob, for his part, ran past Jason and snatched the doll out of the glass before returning to Fern. "On the bright side, this will give us a better idea of what having more kids will be like."

"You're not wrong," Jason laughed and stood up. "It'll be quite a ride, that's for sure."

He winced again as Gob raced past with Fern on his back, riding him like a horse. Fern giggled, and Jason had to admit that he was impressed. The goblin had one hand twisted behind his back, holding the toddler firmly in place. Fern's laugh echoed through the air, and Gob soon turned around and raced into the kitchen. Of course, that was immediately followed by a resounding crash, and the sounds of pots and pans rattling all over the floor.

"At least they're having fun," Tess laughed as she finished cleaning up the glass.

"Indeed they are." Jason rose from the floor and dropped into his armchair, where he continued to watch the two children playing. By the time Jeremiah came home, it was likely that a few more things would be broken, but... in all reality, what was the harm in that? Kids were kids, be they beast or human, and they were enjoying themselves.

It made him look ever onward to having more kids of his own, and happier than ever that he had a family to grow.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Cabin Fever

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 60th day of Winter! 31 days until the Winter Festival! Keep it up, everyone! We're two-thirds of the way through this winter! It's been a cold one, I know, but everyone is doing amazing through it all. With yesterday's snowfall, I don't imagine that many people will be able to get out and about if you live outside of town, so... Stay nice and warm, as per usual!]

"You know what would be fun?" Tess asked as she sat up and crawled over Jason to get out of bed. "We should have a snowman building contest."

"We did that last week," Jason mumbled as he climbed out of bed as well.

He stretched for a few moments, then walked over to look down across the frozen farmstead. A thick blanket of snow lay across everything, keeping them in solid. It was shaping up to be one of the coldest winters since he had arrived in Summer Shandy, that was for sure. Work in the greenhouse was something, but... all his other winter projects were largely done, and that left him feeling more or less caged until the start of spring.

"We could throw snowballs at each other!"

"Jason?" Tess raised an eyebrow. "We've had more snowball fights this winter than I can count, and I enjoy snowball fights."

Jason sighed and pulled on a tunic, then strode out into the hall. This time, he was the one to walk down and open up Fern's door, where he found her standing up in bed grinning from ear to ear. He picked her up, then began changing her into a warm winter dress while Tess watched from the doorway.

"Well, we've got to do something. The house is clean from top to bottom, you even got all the mice out of the attic, and I've built everything that I have money and supplies to build." After a moment, he paused. "Now, I wouldn't mind building a workshop onto the side of the house, maybe right next to the greenhouse, but—"

"We are not going to start remodeling the house in the middle of winter," Tess laughed at him. "Next summer? Maybe. I actually wouldn't mind a workshop of my own, but we can cross that bridge later. We can either just take in the day and focus on relaxing, or we can come up with something to do, but just moping about it or coming up with wild, inconceivable ideas isn't going to help anything."

Jason sighed, but he nodded. A few minutes later, they were all down at breakfast, consuming a grand batch of scrambled eggs filled with just about every vegetable that Jason had in the pantry. It was lovely, that was for certain, and his mind started to turn back to memories of his childhood.

"You know, up in Illumitir, we never really had to deal with snow very much," he mused as they ate. "The streets were all cleared and shoveled by city employees, and that was really the end of it. You'd get piles of it on the street corners sometimes, but that was always brown and mushy. Now, all that said, there was this hill..." He paused as he tried to recollect it. "It was one of the steepest streets in the city, and when it got slick, it was nigh-impossible to actually go up or down it safely, so most people just took the stairs that could be found on the streets adjacent to it. That left us kids to use the whole thing like one giant slide."

"You'd use a whole street as a slide?" Tess raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" Jason grinned. "We'd have these little sleighs, I think they were called toboggans, and we'd start at the top and just go whizzing down! It was super dangerous, I'm sure, but it was a ton of fun."

"Hmm." Tess blinked a few times. "Do you think we could do something like that here?"

"I doubt it." Jason shook his head. "For starters, we don't have anything like that. Second, we don't really have any hills that are that large."

"Yeah..." Tess bit her lip. "I'm just thinking... You said that they were like a sleigh?"

"That's right."

"Well, what if we tied something on behind one of our horses?" Jason stared at her for a moment, and she stared back. A moment

later, they both rose, and began frantically scrambling to find something, anything, that they could pull behind a horse across the snow.

It took them more than a short time, but soon enough, they managed to find a large sheet of wood that looked to be more or less the right size. Tess went out to feed the horses and let the loose in the corral while Jason sawed it into a more useful shape and added small runners. When he was done, he had something that would seat one of them, and a smile slowly broke across his face. The two of them went racing outside, bundling themselves and Fern up as they went.

Jason quickly saddled up Angus, then took a long rope and strung it from the sled to the saddle horn. That done, he climbed up onto the great beast, then checked to make sure that Tess was okay. She had her feet hooked in place, and had set Fern squarely on her lap. She flashed a thumbs-up, and Jason tapped Angus with his heels.

Angus seemed to know that he was pulling something, but wasn't prepared for it to be so light. He shot off like a cannonball, and Jason glanced back to see Tess and Fern whizzing along the top of the snow under a spray of cold foam. They both had a grin spread across their face, and Tess urged him onward. Jason nodded, then spurred Angus on even faster.

They exploded across the prairie as if they were on fire, racing along the tops of the rises and then down through the ravines. Jason didn't really take them in any particular direction, but just allowed himself to wander here and there across the open plains as he desired.

They wound up shooting up toward Summer Shandy, and after half an hour or so of riding, they wound up whipping around the western side, behind Paulina's store. Obadiah was out in the snow with several warriors from the Guild, seemingly training on snow combat, and he looked up in surprise as they went roaring on past. When they passed around the northern side of town, Jason caught a glimpse of Jeremiah and Gob throwing snowballs at each other, and both eyeing Jason with wonder. Soon they had passed around the eastern side of town, and went tearing back down into the countryside.

They finally came to a stop by the watering hole where Jason had cornered the cattle, and he climbed down to check on Tess and Fern while Angus drank. Tess was beaming from ear to ear. Fern was giggling and laughing, though she also looked like she was starting to get cold.

"How are you two holding up?" Jason asked.

"We're... Jason, this is wonderful," Tess sighed. "You have to give this a go. I'll be fine riding Angus for a bit, you just have to try it."

"Keep twisting my arm, then!" Jason chuckled as he took Tess's place on the sled. He hooked his feet around the rope, then cradled Fern in his arms. "Take it slow at first until I get the hang of this!"

Tess nodded as she mounted up on Angus, though Jason was afraid that her definition of 'slow' and his own were slightly different.

As it turned out, he was right. Tess took off even faster than Jason had gone, pushing Angus to his limit. The sled skipped over the top of the snow, floating along as if it were flying. Snow sprayed up into his face from Angus's hooves, but that was nothing compared to the freezing blast of wind that hit him in the face. He hugged Fern tightly as they roared out onto the open plains once again and angled down toward the Lazy-H.

It took them about fifteen minutes to cross the distance, at which point, they roared up along the edge of the fences of the immense ranch. Weatherhand and a few of the hired hands looked over, laughing and waving at them, and Jason waved back as best he could. He looked for Richard, but didn't see the warrior before they wound up turning and shooting back up toward their home. After a moment, though, they crossed over the road and raced out toward the trees, toward their distant dungeon and the Far Eighty.

Jason's breath caught in his throat as they started to enter the rises and gullies that stood between their homestead and the Far Eighty. Several times, he was certain that the runners of the sled left the ground as they flashed over the rises, though he could never be quite certain. Once, he held out his fingers and let them drag down across the surface of the snow, which was just blurring by so quickly. It was astonishing; there was simply no other word for it.

On and on they went, until Tess finally turned back home. They came shooting up to the drive and slid to a stop, and Jason shakily stood up. His legs quaked, and he found that he could hardly keep his footing. Angus was breathing heavily, though he certainly seemed to have enjoyed it. Fern clapped her hands and giggled.

"Gen! Gen!"

"No, not again." Tess shook her head as she took Fern back from Jason's arms. "We're going to get you inside and cleaned up!"

"No!" Fern shook her head, but nevertheless allowed Tess to take her inside.

Jason smiled and untied the rope, which was no small feat as it had been pulled quite tight from the ride and had swelled as it absorbed moisture from the snow. When he got the sled disconnected, he led Angus up to the corral and turned him inside, then fed him a few sugar cubes before heading inside.

It hadn't been the day that he had planned for, but it was certainly something exciting. Lunchtime had long since passed, which only served as an indicator of how much the three of them had been enjoying it. Even in the middle of such a frozen land, there was still joy to be found, and in all reality, once spring came, they wouldn't have nearly as much time to do things like that.

In any case, Jason was going to enjoy such things while they were there... And look forward eagerly to the next day when something altogether new could easily rear its head.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Head Cold

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 83rd day of Winter! 8 days until the Winter Festival! Looks like we've only got a week left, folks! I know I'm always harping on this, but if you have any preparations you need to make for spring, make sure you get them done now!]

Jason blinked as the alarm went off, and he turned it off with a simple command. He shivered and pulled his robe a bit tighter around himself, then went back to staring into the flames of the fireplace. A few moments later, footsteps echoed on the stairs, and Tess poked her head into the living room.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

"Des." Jason nodded, then scowled and picked up a handkerchief from the arm of the chair. He blew his nose fiercely, then sighed. "Yes. Yeah, I'm okay."

"You've been up since..." Tess frowned. "When did you get up?"

"A couple hours. Don't know, really." Jason sighed and stood up. He was so cold that he rather wanted to just throw himself into the fire of the hearth, but he knew in his head that such a thing would, ultimately, be counterproductive. "I'm just sick. Nothing to write home about; it's just the way things are sometimes."

"Then just sit yourself right back down!" Tess ordered. "I'll bring you some breakfast."

"Believe me, I'd greatly appreciate it." Jason nodded. "I just don't want to get you or Fern sick, too." He glanced at a small countdown timer in the corner of his vision.

[Head Cold. Stage: 3. Time remaining until you heal to Stage 2: 12:03:58]

"If I can stay away from you guys for the rest of the day, I ought to be healed enough that you two can keep safe."

Tess rolled her eyes. "We'll be safe."

"Safe, but sick," Jason countered. "And then you'll get it while I'm healing, and then Fern will get it and give it right back to me as soon as I'm healed, and... Ahh..."

He sneezed violently, sending a large spray of snot droplets across the room. Tess leapt back out of the way.

"Then what do you propose, exactly?" she asked warily.

"I'll head upstairs to my office." Jason tugged his robe around him and trudged past Tess. "You know where to find me if you nee— Ahh—"

He sneezed again as he reached the stairs, and stumbled upward to his office. As he stepped inside and pulled the door shut, he breathed a sigh of relief, then slowly walked around behind his desk and sat down.

"Let's see," he murmured. It was a lot colder up in the office than down in the living room, that was for sure. "Tess has been putting some good books up here. Let's see what we've got."

He spun the chair around to look at the bookshelf just behind him. His eyes skimmed the titles, and he sighed.

"A Tale of Two Shandys. No... Too depressing. A Journey to the Bottom of the Earth?" He laughed a bit at that one. "Come on. Everyone knows that there's nothing below the Earth except an infinite void. Nothing to journey to. Umm... Thirteenth Night... No..."

He was interrupted as the door popped open a crack, and a small bowl of chicken soup slipped inside across the floor. He smiled and rose, then retrieved the bowl and returned to his desk. There, he began to eat, and was gratified to see the countdown timer reduced by almost 4 hours.

"I'll have to ask for the same thing for lunch," he murmured as he put the bowl to the side, then turned back to the bookshelf once more. "Alright, Jason! Pull it together. You've got to—"

"Hey, Jason." Tess poked her head in the door. "Two quick things! First, Fern wanted to say hello."

"Dada!" Fern beamed from Tess's arms. "Better!"

Jason smiled softly. "I'll get better soon, I promise."

"Secondly, this just came in the mail." Tess tossed a large manilla

packet onto the floor. "It's from Milligan. Have fun! And holler at me if you need anything."

Jason nodded weakly, and Tess vanished back through the door. Jason sighed, then rose and walked over to pick up the folder. It was thick,

but not really that heavy. As he sat back down, he slit the packet open and dumped out the contents.

On top was a letter from Milligan, which he read eagerly.

"Dear Jason,

I hope you're surviving this winter well! I'll admit, I come from the

southern provinces, and this is a good deal hasher than I'm used to dealing with. More power to you, I suppose, if this is something you can handle expertly.

"Anyhow, I'm writing to you for a handful of reasons. First, we have a catalogue of spring varieties if you'd like to try any of them! As always, you're under no obligation, but we certainly would love to work with you again. Secondly, I've included our handbook for our contracted geneticists. I don't know how your experiments with things have been going, but I'd be happy to help if you're really looking to get things going! Thirdly, I've written to you to ask for a bit of help with a situation we're facing."

Jason frowned as he continued to read. The letter was getting interesting, and in a way that he hadn't been expecting.

"Previously, I mentioned to you that Illumitir Genetics Corp was interesting in purchasing land in Summer Shandy. Unfortunately, due to an ongoing investigation being performed by the Illumitir Trade Department, all corporate purchases in Summer Shandy have been halted for the time being. I can certainly understand why it's being done (to prevent companies from buying cheap land and then re-selling it when and if Summer Shandy is placed on the map in a more prevalent manner than before), though I'll also admit that we didn't have the faintest idea that such an investigation was underway when we began looking to invest in this land. Now, with all that said, we're still quite interested in getting ahold of land down in your township. As such, we would like to propose to buy land jointly with you. The details can be hashed out in person, but we would essentially be partners, and share both the input costs and the final profit. If this isn't something you wish to indulge in, there is no obligation, and you can continue to work with us in your current capacity. However... Please do consider it.

"Your friend, Milligan."

Jason stroked his chin for a long while. Buying land jointly... That was an interesting sort of venture, to be certain. It was possible that it could

work, but at face value, it made him nervous. Also... Jeremiah's bid to get Summer Shandy put on the map was apparently quite an ordeal, if all corporate purchases had been halted! It made his mind burn with questions, but that was life, he supposed.

He set the letter aside for the time being. He wasn't opposed to the idea at all, but he did want to think about it more. With that, he turned to the guidebook on plant-crossing. He didn't spend a lot of time looking through it, but did glance through the pages for a moment. It contained a handful of guided experiments—several of which, including the tri-season wheat, that he had already done himself—along with guidelines on how to do things moving forward, and what documentation to keep. When he was done looking through that, he turned his attention to the catalogue of spring plants.

The pages fell open before him, and he frowned as he stroked his chin. Distinctly missing was the sorghum, but he supposed that it was a fall crop, and that he would likely be able to grow it again once the summer was over. As he began to peruse the different offerings, he whistled slightly.

The catalogue was broken into three sections: Flour crops, Specialty Crops, and Vegetables. A quick glance at the Flour crops revealed a handful of wheat crosses, some of which were focused on producing specific flavors or monster resistances, and others of which were focused simply on improving production. One in particular, a corn/wheat hybrid, caught his eyes, but everything else just looked... simple, for lack of a better word.

The vegetables were far more interesting, consisting of giant cucumbers, tomatoes in all colors of the rainbow, peppers hot enough to catch things on fire, and a good deal more. These, too, he passed up, as the descriptions clearly noted that they were only for mass production, not simple personal gardens. The final section, though... That was interesting.

His eyes swept over the pages, past all sorts of wild creations, until he came to something that lit up his excitement.

"Maple Sugar Beets."

After a moment of simply being excited, he started to read.

"Created from the Beta-97 strain of Northern Sugar Beets, Maple

Sugar Beets were developed by saturating seeds in maple syrup for several weeks between each seedings. It took some time to replace the natural sugars of the beets with that of the maple tree, but in time, we believe that

we have created a perfect replica of maple sugar/sap inside these beets. Large-scale tests are required to confirm."

"That's the one." Jason smiled, then flipped to the rear of the catalog, where a small order form was enclosed. It took him but a moment to scribble down the quantity of seed desired, and then to write a note back to Milligan asking for more details on the land purchase. When he was done, he took out an envelope, folded it all inside, then stamped it and slipped it under the door.

"Tess!" He hollered. "Can you go mail that?"

"In a minute!" Tess hollered back up to him. "Fern just threw up, and her nose is running! I can't find the baby diagnostic thingy, but I think she's got what you've got!"

Jason frowned, then cracked the door open. "Are you sick?"

There was a pause. "Nope! Still clean, though I bet that's about to change."

"Then bring Fern up here! And maybe some crayons, I've got loads of paper." Jason smiled. "We can be sick together, daddy and daughter!"

"And then what, I'll have the house to... myself?"

Tess's voice suddenly took on a lighter note. After only a moment, Jason's letter was scooped up, and Fern was deposited in the room. Jason laughed as she sniffled and toddled after him, and he took out some paper and cleared a space on his desk.

"What should we draw first?"

"Horsy!" Fern declared as Jason hefted her up onto his lap. "Perfect!" Jason smiled as he handed her a few crayons. "Then we

can—"

"Achoo!" Tess's voice echoed through the hall, and a moment later,

she poked her head in the door. "I'm sick, too. Mind if I join the party?" Jason burst out laughing. "The more, the merrier! I guess this is just the sick room, now." He sighed in contentment as Tess chuckled and closed the door behind her, sealing them all inside. "The rest of the world can wait. We've got to heal up from this cold before spring, and I suppose the best

way to do that will be together.

Chapter Thirty: Last Day of Winter

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting action.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 91st day of Winter! It's the day of the Winter Festival! I have to say, this is the first Winter Festival I've ever seen where it's actually snowing. I know I've only been here a few years, but this does seem a bit abnormal. Anyhow, loads of snow, party in the Guild Hall, you know the drill! Come and have fun, but... You should probably make sure you're all home by the time that midnight comes, because all this snow is going to melt pretty much instantly, and that's going to create a lot of water (and probably some flooding)]

Jason smiled as he rolled out of bed and slowly walked up to the window. Snow was drifting down steadily as he looked out across a picturesque winter landscape. Tess was already awake, and had the horses turned out for the day. They were frisking happily through the snow, and Jason watched them for a few long moments before turning to his wardrobe and getting dressed in a warm, winter tunic.

"And there we go." Jason checked himself in the mirror, then scampered down the stairs.

At the bottom, he found Tess and Fern already sitting at the kitchen table, waiting on him. He dropped into his chair, and they all started eating a hearty breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and eggs.

"Seems like I'm running late."

"Nah." Tess shook her head. "I'm just up early. Ready to get out of the house and see people, and Fern woke up about ten minutes ago when she heard me moving around. We just figured that we would get ready for you!"

"Well, it's a wonderful surprise to start my morning." Jason leaned over and nuzzled Fern with his nose.

She giggled, then whacked him on accident with her fork as she leaned in to give him a kiss. He turned his cheek toward her, and she planted a syrupy smack on his exposed skin. He laughed, then wiped it away as soon as she wasn't looking.

"I assume we're going to get ready pretty quickly, then?"

"If it's okay with you, yeah, I'd like to get rolling about as soon as we can." Tess nodded. "I just... We've been cooped up this whole winter, it feels like, especially the second half of it."

"Believe me, I totally understand." Jason nodded. "We'll get moving as soon as we're done with breakfast, then!"

"Wonderful!"

It didn't take them long to finish eating, that was for sure. When they were done, Tess started getting Fern bundled up and ready, while Jason went outside and got the carriage all hitched up. Chance bounded around in the snow as he worked, leaping and bounding and pouncing, and Jason laughed at him. When he had the carriage all hooked up, he brought it around to the porch, and Tess came out and climbed up. Soon they were off, roaring through the snow toward the distant settlement.

The whole world seemed silent as they rode along, which of course was normal for such days. The snow continued to fall, muffling any and all noises. Angus's footfalls were softer than usual, the wheels softly crunched through snow instead of rattling across the dirt and stones, and even the wind was quiet. Enormous, fat flakes came drifting lazily down, landing on Jason's arms and melting into slush even as he watched.

When they came rumbling up into town, they found it nearly abandoned. They were far earlier than usual, of course, such that the only people they saw were a few women rushing out to the well to grab water for cooking and cleaning. One of the fathers came out with his daughters to dribble melted sugar in the snow to make candies. A few snowmen stood here and there from the previous day's snowfall, though those were rapidly being covered over by the fresh layer of falling snow. It was a wonderful sort of landscape, that was for sure.

"Howdy, neighbor!"

Jeremiah's voice erupted from the constable's office, and Jason turned as Jeremiah and Gob came striding out into the cold. Gob was dressed in thick winter robes and had a wide grin across his face, while Jeremiah looked just as ready to face the day as ever.

"Howdy!" Jason pulled the carriage to a halt and waved down at his friend. "How goes it?"

"Oh, you know, same old." Jeremiah grinned. "I heard you might be working with the big wigs, now! Going partners with Illumitir Genetics?

Tsk, tsk, sounds to me like you guys are trying to skirt around the rules." Jason rolled his eyes. "First off, we've exchanged two letters about it. Secondly, you know it has nothing to do with the trade route thing. Third

—"

"I'm just messing with you. I wasn't the one who put up the ban,

that was the Trade Commission themselves." Jeremiah crossed his arms after a moment. "Actually, that's an interesting sort of story, but you'll likely want to get your wife out of the cold. Meet me in a few!"

Jason nodded, then took the carriage on around to the stables. Tess hopped down with Fern and went off to find Paulina and Theresa, and Jason hunted around for Jeremiah. He soon enough found him in the Guild Hall, chatting with Obadiah about zoning or something. They both looked over and waved as Jason approached, and Obadiah grinned.

"My dad tells me that you're—"

Jason snorted. "Your dad knows more than he should. I'm just doing some experimenting and talking about expanding the farm, nothing more. It all depends on how this spring goes, in any case."

"Uh, huh," Obadiah snorted and fixed him with a stare. "I've heard that one before."

"What's new with you, anyway?" Jason crossed his arms. "All good with the dungeon?"

"Yeah!" Obadiah nodded. "I mean... Take a look around this place."

Jason slowly turned and nodded approvingly. The Guild Hall seemed to have grown even more elaborate than the last time he had been inside it. There were now great bookshelves that stood near the great hearth, and the chairs that sat around the blaze were a bit more refined and luxurious. The game tables were still there, of course, along with a permanent leaderboard affixed to the wall with the high scores of some of the warriors who had been passing through. There were more monsters mounted on the walls than ever before, including more than a few that Jason didn't even recognize.

"It's incredible." Jason nodded. "You ought to win Guild Hall of the Year or something."

"We actually did!" Obadiah beamed, then paused. "Well, we took fifth across the Illumitir Province, but that's still pretty good. I'm trying to figure out an angle to get to third, but I'll need to buy a bit more land to make it work, and of course, that's not allowed at the moment."

"Hey, trust me, it'll be worth it," Jeremiah assured them, then lowered his voice. "Let me tell you, once news went public, and I do mean low-key public, I started getting offers from... Pfft, must have been a hundred different companies that wanted to buy up every scrap of spare land across the whole township. They figure it'll be prime real estate here in a few months, and want their hand in the waters. If the Trade Commission hadn't put a halt on things formally, I'd have done it myself. They'd have turned the township into one giant city in the blink of an eye."

Jason whistled. "You're kidding!"

"Nah. It'll calm down once everything blows over, but it is going to make life more interesting." Jeremiah sighed. "I never thought I'd be second-guessing my decision to try and get this place put on the map, but now, I really am. If this trade road does go through our town, you can say goodbye to our way of life."

"Can you withdraw the application?" Jason asked.

"Not really the way it works." Jeremiah shook his head. "At this point, it's out of our hands. All we can do is hope, and then ride the wave that comes."

Jason nodded slowly. That wasn't the news that he wanted to hear, but he supposed that things would work out, one way or another. As he was pondering what to say next, there was a scream from one end of the room, and he spun around as Gob came racing through the Guild Hall holding a roasted turkey over his head.

"Gob! Bad Gob!" Jeremiah excused himself and went to chase after his goblin, and Jason laughed as Obadiah shook his head.

"My father, everyone," Obadiah snorted. "Sometimes, I don't know how he made it through life alive. Then, other times, I look at my own life, and thank him for everything he gave me."

Jason flashed a small smile, then nodded at him. "How have things been getting along with the baby?"

"Better than you could imagine!" Obadiah laughed. "He's just as cute as a button, and I think he's on the verge of crawling, now. Let me tell you, it makes getting home from work every night just that much better. He's actually starting to sleep through the night too, which has been nice."

"Always a bonus!" Jason grinned. "How has Paulina been? I know how hard Tess works to manage everything, I can't imagine how she'd do it while working in a store."

At that, Obadiah grimaced. He glanced left and right, then sighed. "Can you keep a secret?"

Jason nodded. "What is it?"

"Paulina's actually going to be selling the item shop."

"What?" Jason exclaimed, then quieted. "Why?"

"Just like you said. My mom has been helping her with the baby, but

little John is taking more and more attention, and managing the store is just proving to be too much." Obadiah shrugged.

"Who's she selling it to?"

Obadiah bit his lip. "It's one of her friends from way back in the day. I don't know much more than that. Paulina and I are building a house north of town, over by the dungeon."

Jason nodded slowly. "By the way, who wound up buying the Inn after Viola left?"

"Oh! Her name is Lily. I'll have to see if I can introduce you tonight." Obadiah chuckled. After a moment, though, he turned and waved. "Paulina's calling me. Gotta run!"

Jason watched Obadiah jogging off across the Guild Hall. He crossed his arms as he vanished through the door of his office, and a moment later, Tess stepped up next to him.

"You okay?" She frowned. "You look... I don't want to say upset, but not quite right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jason turned to her and smiled. "Things are just changing, you know? Nothing bad with that, and in a lot of ways, it's great." He reached out and patted Fern on the head. His mind drifted back to Jeremiah's warning, though, and after a moment, he grimaced. "I do hope, though, that things don't wind up changing too much.

Chapter Thirty-One: You Never Know

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 6th day of Spring! 85 days until the Spring Festival! Alright, folks, I think it's finally dry enough to get outside and get some work done, so... Go and do that! No more rain on the horizon for a while, though there is the possibility of a windstorm blowing up within the next few days. Oh! Also, the Fencecrusher, missing all winter, seems to have reappeared. I don't know any more details than that, but there was a sighting yesterday, way up north in the wilderness area. Warriors have been dispatched to check it out.]

"The Fencecrusher," Jason mumbled as he rolled out of bed. "Now that's something I don't miss terribly. I was kinda hoping we'd never see him again."

"It could also be a her," Tess countered. "You never know with these things."

"With a giant monster that roams freely across the prairie and is seemingly immune to cannons, does it really matter?" Jason chuckled as he rolled out of bed and walked up to the window. A field of green stretched out before him. Spring had arrived, and with it, new life. The grasses of the prairie were short and struggling to stretch up into the sky, flowers bloomed freely across his yard and flowerbeds, and... Well... All in all, it was simply wonderful.

"If you want to really be picky, yeah, it does." Tess flashed a small grin as she got changed into a blue, spring dress. "A male monster is going to be aggressive because it's looking for a mate. It wants to puff itself up, and make itself look better than any other male monsters in the area. On the flip side, most female monsters will only attack if provoked, or if they think their offspring might be in danger. You hunt them in entirely different ways."

"Interesting." Jason blinked in surprise, then shrugged. "Well, whatever's going on, I'd rather like it to just stop. I don't want to have to replace any more fence, that's for sure."

"You and me both." Tess flashed a small grin at him. "Well, let's get this party started! You're planting today?"

"Maple Sugar Beets." Jason nodded, beaming. "These ought to be fun. Milligan sounded super excited that I had chosen them. I think he's planning on making a trip out this way here in the next week or so."

"Tell him that he's welcome to a meal if he shows up at the right time." Tess vanished out through the door to get Fern. "Now get moving if you're going to get started on things!"

Jason ran down the stairs, then burst out onto the front porch. All around, the air was cool and moist, but as he walked down across the ground, it was dry enough to actually be comfortable. After the snow and subsequent melting, things had been far too wet to get his machines into the field for a long while.

Chance followed him, bouncing around him eagerly. The hound seemed disappointed that, with the fence, there were no monsters in the yard anymore, but he got over it quick enough as he brought Jason a stick. Jason threw the impromptu toy for the dog as he turned out the horses and poured their feed, then went and started checking over his equipment.

The one good thing about the delay was that he had been able to service his equipment prior to actually setting out. Winters were hard on machines, no matter how well you kept them away from the ice and snow, and it had taken him the better part of a morning to scrape off the rust that had accumulated on the harvester's blades. All that was done now, though, and he was ready to roll as soon as the horses, and himself, had eaten.

Tess and Fern came out into the yard once breakfast was finished. Jason jogged over to the horses and led out Angus, who he quickly hooked up to the planter. As he started to drive the machine toward the field, he heard Tess holler, and paused to see Fern toddling after him as fast as she could.

No... She wasn't toddling anymore. She had now been a toddler for the better part of a year. She was... She was almost two years old. Jason's jaw dropped as that fact settled upon him. Her birthday wasn't until the end of summer, so technically she was only eighteen months, but still! That was a lot, as it still felt like she had only been born a few weeks earlier. She soon raced up next to the planter, and he bent down and picked her up.

"Go daddy." She pointed at the planter. "Go daddy please?"

"Ahh..." Jason blinked in surprise. "Tess? Do you think we can do that?"

"I'm not going to say that it would be the safest thing in the world, but we might be able to make it work." Tess frowned in thought. "Do you think I can ride along with you?"

Jason shook his head. "Not because you're too heavy, it wouldn't actually be much more for Angus to pull, but I'd have to stand in the middle to pull the levers, and you'd be off to one side, which would throw off the balance. Some of the seed plates and things require a pretty delicate balance; I can sometimes even throw it off when I lean to one side or the other."

"Then maybe we can rig up a harness for you." Tess nodded after a moment longer. "Kinda like when she rides horses with you. Eventually, if you're okay with it, we could mount a seat on here, but that'll take a bit more work."

Jason's mind spun, and he nodded. "Yeah, I'm good with that!" He grinned and nuzzled Fern's face. "You want to come with daddy?"

"Plant daddy!"

Ten minutes later, they had rigged up a harness around Jason's chest, and set Fern squarely inside it. Her little legs dangled down past his waist, while she faced outward, so she could see what direction they were going. Jason climbed up onto the machine and took the reins, and Fern giggled.

"Let's get moving!" Jason called out. "Haw!"

Angus lumbered forward, and a few moments later, they entered the field. Jason pulled the lever to lower the seed disks, and with a rumbled, the planter began dripping the seed down into the fertile field.

After a long winter of being covered with thick snow, the field's soil was dark and rich, more than ready for seed. Jason could hear the seeds rattling down into the ground, and Fern giggled and clapped her hands. She babbled quite a bit as they cut through the field, but Jason couldn't really understand what she was saying. He didn't think it really mattered, all things considered; it was simply nice to have his daughter along.

It was certainly the perfect day to take her out. There was almost no dust, that was for sure, and the thick smell of maple syrup drifted upward as the seeds were planted. Whatever the scientists had done, they had done it well. Jason's mind spun with possibilities as he thought about the other sorts of things that he could soak seeds in to try and elicit a genetic change,

but he also knew that he would have to actually sit down and work it out before making any decisions.

Down and back they went, with Fern laughing and giggling the whole time. Tess leaned against the fence, watching them, and as they completed their first pass, Jason drew to a stop. He didn't want to keep Fern out beyond her ability to tolerate it, that was for sure.

"Do you want to go back with mommy?" He gestured at Tess. "Yeah!" Tess smiled at him. "We can go pick flowers!"

"Stay daddy!" Fern crossed her arms.

Jason shrugged and smiled, and Tess rolled her eyes. Neither of

them said a word, but Jason snapped the reins, and soon enough, Angus spun around and went back to work.

They planted all that morning without Fern getting even a bit bored. Finally, at noon, Tess came over to the edge of the field and called them over for lunch, and Jason reluctantly took them back out into the yard. He would have stayed, but he knew that Angus needed a rest, and as they came to a stop, he slowly climbed down. Fern immediately burst into tears, then began waving her arms and pointed back at the field.

"Plant... Daddy!" she screamed. "Plant daddy!"

"You'll plant with me later, sweetheart." He plucked her out of the harness and kissed her on the cheek as he walked over to a blanket that Tess had laid out with a spread of food. "Right now, we have to eat!"

"No! Plant daddy!"

Jason rolled his eyes. When they reached the blanket, he set her down in front of her plate. To his surprise, she simply jumped back to her feet and ran across the yard toward the planter. He and Tess both laughed as she reached the machine and began trying to climb back up onto the platform where Jason stood.

"Should I go get her?" Jason glanced at Tess.

"Nah." Tess shook her head and picked up a ham sandwich. "She'll figure it out in her own time, and going to pick her up will only make her more angry."

Jason nodded, and he tucked into his own meal. Fern continued to scream as she tried to climb up onto the machine. Finally, as Jason was finishing his meal, she turned and walked back over to the blanket, pouting the whole way. She sat down with a huff in front of her plate, and Tess served her some olives and a slice of ham, cut into pieces.

"Plant daddy," she huffed.

Jason leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Finish your food first." "Then plant daddy?"

"Then you can plant with daddy."

As it turned out, though, Fern wasn't quite ready to give up her

afternoon nap, and in the warm spring sun, after eating quite a large amount of ham and egg, she lay down on the blanket and fell right to sleep. Jason smiled as he looked down at her.

"You've got your own little helper." Tess flashed a smile at him. "How does that make you feel?"

"It's nice," Jason sighed, then held up a finger. "Let's not forget, though, that she killed a monster before she planted a field."

Tess just laughed and started to clean things up. "I'm not jealous. Enjoy it while you have it. She's a precious one, and... I hope we both get lots of time with her, and with whoever comes next."

Jason agreed wholeheartedly. A few minutes later, he had entered the field once again, though he had to admit that it felt a bit lonelier without his big helper.

Oh, well. Fern wasn't going anywhere, and he would have lots of time to plant with her in the future. For the time being, she needed to sleep. He would need to plant the Far Eighty the next day, which would give him another day with her.

After that, he'd just have to find another chore to get her assistance with, but... he didn't suspect he'd have any issues in that department.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Spring Storm

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 9th day of Spring! 82 days until the Spring Festival! Let's see... The forecast still looks bright and clear, folks! That's really all I've got for today, nothing interesting happening until next week!]

"And then the storm comes," Jason murmured as he rolled out of bed. "It's supposed to be a bad one, right?"

Tess nodded. "You should probably expect it by now, though."

"Yeah." Jason shrugged. "I just sometimes wish that the storms were a little less bad in the spring."

"I mean, we're guaranteed a few whoppers," Tess retorted as she got dressed. "This one will hit before you have to harvest, so you should probably be happy with it."

At that, Jason blinked. He began to dress himself, but looked at her curiously. "What do you mean, we're guaranteed a few of them?"

"Oh! Have I never told you that?" Tess laughed. "Sorry about that! Yeah, so storms are spawned using similar metrics to actual monsters. I think every spring will spawn between three and twelve, depending on how things fall. Like... at the beginning of spring, there's a minor chance of a storm, and it increases every single day for thirty days, and if there hasn't been a storm by then, one will automatically hit at that point and the chances reset. When one spawns, it gets rated on a scale from 1-10 as far as severity goes, but if a storm doesn't spawn with an intensity over 7 after a certain time, it'll happen automatically. I mean, that's a pretty rough estimate of things, but... You get the idea."

"I'm not sure I do, but that's okay," Jason chuckled. "I'm going to head down and get out the horses, and then we'll go from there!"

"Any idea what your plan for the day is?" Tess hollered as Jason made his way down the stairs.

"Nope!" Jason called back. "I'll figure that out in a bit!"

He soon stepped out into the bright, clear morning, and took a deep breath. Both of his fields were now planted, while the tiny tops of sugar

beets were just poking through the soil. Everywhere, things were coming to life. Sure, they had been coming to life for quite some time at that point, but after the winter, it was a welcome change.

The horses eagerly raced out into the corral as he turned them loose, leaping and frolicking to their hearts' content. He leaned against the rails and watched them while they ate, then turned and glanced at the house. He could see Tess moving around in the kitchen window, and she held up Fern for him to see. They waved at each other, and he slowly turned back toward the house.

As he did so, though, he paused. A wagon of some sort was rumbling down the road from Summer Shandy. It didn't look quite like Milligan's wagon, but it bore at least a passing resemblance, and he frowned in interest. Even from a distance, he could see the driver consulting a piece of paper and looking at Jason's house, and he slowly walked up to the road. A large gate now stood across the drive—helping keep monsters out—which sometimes made people nervous to just come inside.

"Howdy!" Jason called out as the wagon drew up close to him. The man was dressed in a simple tunic, and really looked mostly like a messenger of some sort. "Something I can do for you? You look lost."

"Are you... Jason Hunter?" The man consulted his paper again. "The instructions say that you're the first house south of town, across the road from the well-built wooden house."

Jason blinked, and glanced across the road. The old shack that Daniel and Richard had built was technically still standing; though between the initial shoddy craftsmanship and the lack of someone living there for the better part of a year, it was rapidly turning into a bit of an eyesore.

"I'm Jason Hunter, but I don't know who wrote those instructions!" Jason laughed and swung the gate open. "Come on in!"

"I'm just here to drop something off." The man turned his horses into the drive and slowly rumbled up next to the porch. Tess and Fern poked their heads out, and the man hopped down from the wagon box. "It's a delivery for you."

Jason frowned. "I didn't order anything. Tess?"

"I think it's a present," the driver mumbled and passed an envelope to Jason as he walked to the rear of the wagon. "No returns!"

Jason blinked a few times, then slowly unfolded the envelope and beckoned Tess to come down next to him. As she walked up, he started to

read, and a sinking suspicion began to fall over him.

"Hey, little farmer! Saw this and thought of you and your little one

(and Tess, but not quite as much). I couldn't resist buying it for you! Hope you like it! From Daniel." Below, there was another bit of writing, in much more elegant handwriting. "Sorry, Tess and Jason. I tried to talk him out of it, but you know how Daniel is when he gets an idea in his head. If you don't like it, we'll be through Summer Shandy for the Spring Festival, and you can give it back to me (quietly) at that point. Love, Viola."

"What's she talking about?" Jason frowned. He looked down as Fern raced past him, running toward the back of the vehicle.

"Horsey!" Fern cried out.

"What?" Jason blinked, then slowly walked over to meet her behind the wagon. There, in a cage, was the smallest horse Jason had ever seen. It was a pony, probably three feet tall at the withers, and was as shaggy as some dogs that he had seen. A mint saddle sat just next to the crate.

"Awe!" Tess exclaimed. She helped the delivery man pull the crate down, and they slowly opened it up. Glad to be free, the pony raced out, then began to race in circles in a slow lope that Jason would have easily been able to keep up with. "And look! The little saddle even has straps, so we can strap Fern into it! What should we name it?"

"We're keeping it?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"First off, that's a terrible name." Tess held up a finger. "I'm thinking... What if we just do Pony? It's easy to remember, it's descriptive, and—"

"You do whatever you want." The delivery man, eager to leave, walked back over to the wagon and climbed up. "That said, there's a note with it, and I'm pretty sure it's named Alice or something."

Jason frowned and picked up a small tag on top of the crate. Sure enough, it was named Alice. The tag also had a bit of feeding information, most of which he already knew. He bit his lip and stroked his chin, and Tess bent down.

"Here, Alice!"

Alice spun and raced to Tess's side, and as the delivery man drove the wagon out of the yard and back onto the road, Tess began to saddle up the small beast.

"Tess..." Jason blinked.

"Hush, Jason! This is so cute!" Tess strapped on the saddle, then grabbed Fern and lowered her into the saddle. "Oh! And there's this long strap so that we can be the one to actually lead her! Look at this!"

When Fern had been secured, Tess took hold of the longer strap and started to lead the pony around the farmyard. Fern clapped and giggled, and Jason had to admit that she looked just like a little adult. The proportions were almost perfect, and he sighed.

"Tess?"

"What?" Tess turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Surely you're not thinking of getting rid of her?"

"No!" Jason laughed. "I just want to know where we're going to keep her! We're out of room in the stable, and she's so small that I don't think we can really double her up with any of the ones we have."

At that, Tess froze. Alice began to walk in circles around her, and Fern beamed.

"Like Daddy! Like Mommy!"

"Ahh... Could you build another stall inside the stable?"

Jason shook his head. "I've already added more rooms inside that

stable than ever should have fit. Honestly, the horses deserve a bigger one, we just don't really have enough animals to justify building a barn."

Tess's eyes twinkled. "We could always get more animals."

Jason closed his eyes for a moment. "I've done animals before. Very first year I was here, remember? I wound up in Theresa's healing den, and then fell kinda in love with her and you got super mad at me? Yeah, that never would have happened if it hadn't been for animals. We could have started dating six months sooner, maybe even gotten married earlier, if it hadn't been for—"

"Jason?" Tess broke into his rant. "I was joking, though I'll also amid that the prospect of getting animals does sound like a good one, especially as Fern gets older. Is there any way that you could... I don't know... build something today? It doesn't have to be anything fancy, and it's warm enough outside that it wouldn't even— I know! The porch! Fence off part of the porch, and I'll throw down some straw, and then you can enlarge things over the next few days or weeks! It's a perfect idea!"

"Then I lose part of my porch." Jason crossed his arms. "Only temporarily," Tess pointed out. "Please, Jason?" "Peas, daddy?" Fern called up from Alice's back.

With that, Jason's heart melted. "Oh... Fine." He laughed and walked up onto the porch, where he opened up the farm's inventory and started to take out wood and building materials. "Next thing you know, we'll have our own ranch! This is how the farm goes! This is how we fall into ruin!"

Even as he said it, he had a smile on his face, and he laughed as Tess began to trot across the farmyard with Fern. His daughter was getting more and more ready to assist with things around the farm, and he had to admit that he did need things for her to do. More animals wouldn't be the end of the world, though he also knew that nothing would happen immediately. For the time being, they had a new pony... and that was just fine by him.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Preperations

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 13th day of Spring! 78 days until the Spring Festival! Let me tell you, folks, this is what they'd call a Flower Spring up in Illumitir. Couldn't ask for better weather, that's for certain! On the advice of Paulina and Jeremiah, we will be holding a flower contest in the town square in exactly two days, so make sure to get out and grow your best flowers for the show!]

"A flower contest, huh?" Jason smiled as he sat up in bed and slowly stood up. "Think we ought to enter the Lonesome Roses? They're mighty pretty."

"Nah." Tess shook her head. She slowly climbed to her feet as well, then walked over to the wardrobe to begin changing. "We want other people to have a chance to win, you know?"

They both laughed as they got themselves ready, and Jason gazed out the window at his farmstead. The sugar beets now had full heads of leaves, which was how they would look up until they were ready to harvest. Since most of the growing took place underground, they were one of the less dynamic crops to actually watch develop, but that was okay by him. Down by the house, he could just see the rosebushes in question, which, at that time of year, were a lovely pink-cream color.

Tess soon went to get Fern, and Jason made his way downstairs and out into the farmstead. The horses were happy to see him, as always, and for a long moment, he simply basked in the loveliness of it all. A warm breeze blew across the fledgling prairie, while the sun's fresh rays cast a glow over the land that warmed his heart as well as his body. He sighed, then slowly walked back up onto the porch where Alice was still stabled.

"Alright, girl." He reached over the fence and patted her on the neck. "Just a few more days, and we'll have a proper place fixed up for you!"

She whinnied softly, and Jason caressed her neck for a few moments before turning and making his way into the house. Tess had fixed up a fairly

simple breakfast for them, consisting mostly of eggs and a bit of sausage, and he sat down as they tucked in.

"What's the plan for today?" Tess asked as Jason finished his meal.

"Plan daddy?" Fern asked and whacked her plate with her plastic fork.

Jason flashed a small smile. "Well, the first thing to do is finish Alice's stable. It won't survive the winter, but we've got all of three seasons to come up with some way to solve that problem. The second thing to do is..." He glanced over at Tess, who grinned slightly. "Well, you'll see, little Fern. It's a surprise."

"Prize!" Fern giggled with glee. Jason leaned over and gave her a kiss, then rose and went back outside once again.

On the western side of the stable, Jason had begun construction on what really amounted to little more than a small lean-to. It stood about four feet tall and had a roof that sloped gently to the rear to keep away water and such things. It was pretty deep, giving Alice plenty of room to get away from the sun and weather, and he had a few other details he needed to add. As he crouched down in front of it, Chance ran up to him and began to sniff at him, and Jason flashed a small smile.

"I know, I know, you're wondering why you don't have a nice little house of your own, aren't you?" Jason chuckled, then scratched the hound behind his ears. "That's because, silly pooch, you get to sleep in the house, so you don't need something like this! That said, at the rate we're going, you'll get a house of your own soon enough." He chuckled softly as he began taking objects out of his inventory. "It might even be larger than mine, if Tess gets her way."

Chance barked, then licked Jason in the face before bounding away. Jason just chuckled, then began laying out a handful of boards right next to each other. He only had two things that he needed to get done on the stable: putting on the door, and then cutting a door into the wall of the main stable so that Alice could get inside if she needed to.

Working quickly, he laid the boards into a rectangle that would fit across the gap between the main poles, then laid a few more boards on top of them, perpendicular to the others. He then began to hammer nails through those top boards, locking all of them together. It took him about half an hour and half a dozen actions, but when he was done, he had a fairly solid slab of wood ready.

"And there we have it." He hefted it up into the air and held it in place, confirming that it was the right size, then slowly set it down again. "And now we just have to put on the hinges!"

That proved to be a bit tougher of a task. First, he drilled out small holes in one of the beams of the stable itself, then inserted L-shaped pegs with the point of the letter jutting upward into the air. He then measured out how far apart they were, and turned back to the door. Here, he bored more holes, and then inserted pegs with small rings on the ends. The rings, he oriented to face up and down, and then lifted the whole thing into the air and set the rings down across the upward-facing pegs. They were a perfect fit, and formed a crude, yet effective, hinge that allowed him to swing the whole thing back and forth with ease.

"Work daddy!" Fern cried out as she came running over from the house.

"I'd love to have a helper!" Jason turned around and picked her up, then set her back down and slipped inside the stable. It was cramped, but he could manage well enough. "Let's see... For this, I need the saw. Can you find me the saw?"

He gestured at a pile of tools he had left lying around. Fern nodded and grinned, then walked over and looked down at them. After a long moment, she picked up a hammer, then held it out to him.

"Not that one!"

She put down the hammer and picked up a screwdriver, and he told her to try once more. As she mused over all the tools, Tess slowly came down from the porch, a lovely green dress swishing in the soft wind as she walked.

"Do we really want our daughter playing with those?" she asked. Down on the ground, Fern found the saw, and picked it up with a flourish.

"I mean..." Jason held out his hand, and then yelped as Fern threw it at him. It landed on the ground, thankfully, and Jason slowly held up the saw to the wood. "She's okay!"

"I'm still going to supervise for a few minutes, if that's okay by you," Tess snorted and leaned against the wall of the larger stable. "Or if it's not okay with you, really."

"Your confidence in me is overwhelming." Jason pressed the saw up against the wood, then started to move it back and forth.

[How large of an area would you like to cut out?]

A long list of options appeared, and Jason scrolled down until he found the option: 2'x4'. He pressed it, and with a burst of sawdust, a chunk of the stable wall fell away with a crash. Fern laughed and giggled, and he tossed it to the side, then opened up his inventory and took out a more picturesque stable door that he had purchased from Paulina. It was a bit of a cheat, he knew, but... The door to the exterior part of the stable was only waist-high, so it didn't need to keep out the wind or the weather, at least not to the same extent. This door, though, needed to be able to insulate against the storms and harsh winters of Summer Shandy, and that meant that he needed it a bit more professionally done.

When he was finished hammering in the hinges and mounting the door, he slowly stood up and mopped his brow. "Well, time to clean up! Fern, want to help me?"

Fern nodded. "Up! Lean up!"

Jason cleared his throat. "Command: Clean up!"

With a flash of light, all the random tools, nails, and scraps of wood

were teleported back into his inventory, and he dusted off his hands. That was a good morning's worth of work right there! Tess walked up to get Alice off the porch and lead her down to her new stable, and Fern giggled wildly as they put her inside.

"And there we have it." Jason swung the door shut, and Alice started to eat from a small trough. "That's... almost everything. Tess? You want to get Fern mounted up?"

Tess nodded, then grabbed the saddle and started fixing it onto Alice's back. Fern laughed and clapped, and Jason slipped around to the side of the house. There... Well... It wasn't much, and he intended to add to the line, but for the time being, there sat a small plow, using the handle of a shovel for a wedge, that he had built over the course of the previous week or so. As he brought it out and set it up, Fern giggled with glee.

"Like daddy! Like daddy!"

"That's right. At least mostly." Jason smiled as he set the plow down behind Alice.

Fern tried to twist around to look behind her, but wasn't really able to do so. It took him a few moments to hitch the machine to the pony, but to his delight, it actually fit quite well.

"Sorry, Fern, you can walk behind it once you're bigger. Tess, would you like to lead away?"

Tess nodded, and she started leading Alice across the yard. Jason followed behind, holding the plow straight, and within just a few moments, Fern had plowed a perfect furrow across thirty feet of ground. Since Jason was the one with his hand on the plow, it took from his pool of actions— children under a certain age were prevented from using Farm Actions, as a safety precaution—and he smiled as he realized just how efficient the machine truly was.

"Again, again!" Fern cried as they reached the end and turned around.

Jason and Tess had no real objections, and in short order, they had plowed up a garden that was... Well, likely a good deal larger than they would ever need, but hey! They were having fun, and now they had a field for Fern to plant—as soon as Jason could figure out how to build a planter. Fern laughed as they took her down from the pony, and she went racing across her new little field. Jason and Tess just watched her, happy to have such a moment.

Jason only hoped that they would have more and more of those moments as time continued to progress.

Chapter Thirty-Four: Chores While You Can

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 20th day of Spring! 71 days until the Spring Festival! You know that storm that we keep talking about? Well, it's here, folks! Or at least it will be by the time you're reading this. Stay inside and stay safe, if at all you can!]

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Jason murmured as he rolled out of bed and slowly stood up. "Believe me, I would if I could!"

Tess muttered something behind him, and he slowly walked up to the window to look out across the landscape. The sky was dark, covered with thick clouds that billowed and rolled even as he watched. Lightning flashed, and a moment later, a deep crack of thunder shook the house. Fern screamed, and Tess suddenly blew past Jason to go get to her, and Jason slowly crossed his arms.

Ordinarily, a storm wouldn't have been a problem in the slightest. The issue, though, was that the maple sugar beets had taken quite a bit longer than Jason had expected to actually mature. He found out from Milligan later that all the other farmers had run into the same problem, and that the company was compensating them for the lost time if they wanted. Jason had no interest in pursuing such an action, but it did mean that he now had a field full of beets that desperately needed harvested... And a storm was well on its way.

"You okay?" Tess asked as she walked back into the room, holding Fern in her arms. Fern had her arms wrapped tightly around Tess's neck, holding her firmly.

"Yeah, I think so." Jason nodded slowly. "Just not looking forward to getting out there. Problem is, if I wait, it'll be too wet to get into the field at all, and we both know what will happen if crops spoil."

Tess grimaced and nodded. "Get to it, then. I'll bring you out some breakfast in a bit."

Jason gave Tess a small kiss, then jogged down the stairs. He pulled on his boots and dashed out into the farmyard, and shivered a bit as the blast of air hit him. It wasn't as cold as winter, certainly, but it was definitely a cold front, there was no doubt about that. The wind was stiff out of the west, here and there leaping up all the way to a howl. Thunder continued to rumble and crack through the sky, but, thankfully, there was no rain.

Yet.

Jason turned out the horses and poured their feed, then slowly walked up to the fence to gaze out across the field. Here and there, the tops of the maple-brown beets poked through the soil. They were enormous, the size of the plates that Jason and Tess ate from, and seemed simply to be bursting with sugar. Jason had every intention of saving back some of them to eat themselves, though that required him to be able to get the harvest out of the field.

When the horses had been given enough time to eat, he took Angus out and hitched him up to the harvester. Beets, and other underground sorts of plants, were best harvested with a digging machine, but Jason had yet to actually buy one of those, and so had to make do with the bladed harvester. He snapped the reigns and lumbered forward, and a few moments later, they entered the field.

The thick smell of maple syrup filled the air as they tore forward. Bits and pieces of foliage flew up into Jason's face like chopped salad, but none of the actual beets were harmed. That much, at least, he was thankful for. The wind continued to blow, and the thunder grew louder, but Jason focused all his attention onto the field. He had a crop to get out, and that was the simple fact of it.

He made one pass down, then slowly came back and drew to a stop as Tess appeared next to the fence holding a large burrito. He drew Angus to a stop and hopped down to grab the treat, then nodded at the house.

"Where's Fern?"

Tess shrugged. "I've got her playing in the living room, she'll be fine for a few minutes. You think there's rain coming anytime soon?"

Jason frowned, then sniffed the air. It was laden with moisture, but not quite to the extent that he would expect from an imminent downpour. "Soon enough."

Tess nodded, then turned to walk back into the house. "Holler if you need me!"

"Will do!" Jason waved at her, then turned Angus around and started forward once again.

[Warning: You are not receiving the full yield of this field]

"I know, I know," Jason muttered. "I'll buy a digger with the proceeds of this harvest. Yaw!"

Angus snorted and started moving a bit faster.

[Warning: Your yield percentage has dropped to 92%. Slow down your harvest speed to increase yield back to 95%]

"I'd love to, but... not today." Jason bit his lip. In fact, if anything, he urged Angus on even faster. He could handle a bit of a yield cut, and it was far better than losing the whole crop.

When lunchtime came around, he had completed a smidge more than half the field. He pulled out and unhitched Angus, then put the great steed back in the pen and took out Lady. She snorted and stamped her hooves, looking up at the sky nervously, but he simply led her forward, and she obeyed. Tess came out and handed Jason a ham sandwich, and he ate it on the go as he started back up yet again.

The storm continued to worsen as the noon hour began. Lightning was flashing almost constantly overhead, giving him a headache. The noise of the thunder hurt his ears, certainly, though it was actually less intense than the howl of the wind, which was really starting to pick up. As he drew near the far end of the field, he cast a look across the prairie, and caught a glimpse of a tornado rushing across the open plains, angling up toward Summer Shandy."

"That's not good," he muttered as he spun Lady around and started back toward the road. "Let's keep going, girl."

Lady snorted and continued to plod forward. She wasn't quite as fast as Angus, but she did a good job. After about an hour of working with her, Tess brought Angus back over, refreshed from his rest, and they switched out horses.

The gale was growing unbearable now, but Jason had reduced his field to only a few passes left. He gritted his teeth and started forward, pressing against the wind. Blades whirled, Angus snorted and panted, and onward they went. The tornado went screaming past on the eastern side of the road—having been bounced away from Summer Shandy by the warriors

there—and Richard waved to him as he rode out to defend the ranch from the beast. Jason turned around and watched the man draw his sword and began to engage in a complicated battle with the raging wind monster, but was unable to see the full encounter as Richard drove the tornado away. With that, Jason turned his attention back to the farm, and to getting the beets out of the field.

At almost exactly 3 PM, he completed the last pass and had just pulled out of the field when the first raindrop hit. It was an enormous, fat sort of a drop, which struck him on the top of the head and seemed to soak half of his face. He gasped in surprise from the sudden cold, then urged Lady forward as he fought to get inside.

He managed to get the harvester put away without too many issues, though by then, the rain was coming down in sheets. It was hard to see the house from the stable, it was so thick, and he grimaced as he put Lady, Angus, and Alfred back inside. Alice cowered at the back of her own stable, and he let her into the main building, where she had access to the hallway, and a pile of straw at one end. When he confirmed that she was happy enough, he departed, and forced his way through the driving rain back to the porch, where Tess was waiting.

She smiled and threw a blanket around his shoulders as he came staggering up into the warmth of the house. A fire crackled in the hearth, the first since winter, and she slowly set him down in front of it. His stomach gurgled, a reminder that he had hardly eaten that day, though a smile rested upon his face. Fern quickly came running over and threw her arms around his neck, though she drew back after a moment.

"Daddy wet! Daddy... Bath?"

"No, daddy didn't take a bath." Jason shook his head. "Just harvesting. Working!"

"Working?" Fern frowned, then grinned. "Fern work!"

She dashed for the front door, and Tess narrowly intercepted her. They all smiled, and Tess carried Fern back over to where Jason was sitting. She set her down, then handed Jason a large slice of bread with some butter.

"I know it doesn't look like much, but it's fresh-made, and I promise, it'll warm you up." Tess flashed a smile at him.

"It looks incredible." Jason licked his lips, then paused. "You know what would make this even better?"

"What?" Tess frowned.

"A maple sugar beet!" Jason snagged one of the beets out of the farm's inventory and let it drop onto the floor. It was enormous, and struck with a loud thunk, which made Fern giggle. With that, Jason took out a knife and carved the thing open, and the sweet smell of maple filled the house.

The inside of the beet was hard, but seemed to glisten with sugar. Tess grabbed a pot out of the kitchen and set it on the hearth, and they chopped up the beet to throw inside. It didn't take much cooking before a thick, syrupy sugar melted out, and they were soon able to skin the rinds away to pour the sugary liquid onto Jason's bread. To say that it tasted wonderful would have been a vast understatement.

Jason sighed as he sat there, surrounded by warmth. Outside, the storm raged and fought, but it was unable to penetrate the walls of his home. Warriors, good friends, stood ready to keep away the tornados, and he would be there in return if the situation ever warranted it.

It had been one of the wilder and more chaotic days, sure, but... Those were often the best, and he hoped there would be no end of them in sight.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Plenty of Sightings

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting action.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 35th day of Spring! 56 days until the Spring Festival! Alright, folks! Overall, the weather is scheduled to be quite lovely this morning. Now, that said, the Fencecrusher was seen last night, out west by Nightford. I received a notification from the Constable there that their warriors are in pursuit, but I don't think we know anything more than that at this time. We're on watch, in any event]

"Back again, eh?" Jason chuckled as he rolled out of bed. "Do you ever get the idea that this thing is just sorta going to become a local legend, something that no one ever really sees, at least not in the daylight, but every single fence that ever gets knocked down will get blamed on it?"

"Maybe." Tess shrugged as she sat up as well. "There have been enough sightings that I'm inclined to think that it really was something, and our fence sure got knocked down. It needed some upkeep, don't get me wrong, but it shouldn't have just dissolved like that."

"That's fair." Jason yawned as he walked up to the window and looked out across the farmstead.

It was still a lovely shade of green, while the fresh tops of his new crop of sugar beets was growing quickly. The previous crop had sold better than anything he had ever sold in the past, topping out at almost 15,000,000 Shandys for the whole thing. His brand-new digger now sat in the lean-to with his other machines, shiny and ready for business. Suddenly, though, his eye caught on something that looked very nearly like a dark cloud on the horizon.

"Tess?" He pointed off into the distance. "That's it! That's... That's the thing! The Fencecrusher!"

Tess was at his side in the blink of an eye, and she frowned as she followed his gaze. Sure enough, just across the hills was something exactly like Richard had described to them earlier. It was enormous, the size of the town square at least, and looked rather like an enormous jellyfish that floated along through the air, at least based on what Jason could catch of it.

It was a dark color, and began to drift out of sight, off toward Summer Shandy, as Jason watched.

"You go write a letter to Obadiah." Jason bolted for the door. "I'll —"

"You'll what?" There was a rattle of armor from behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Tess rapidly pulling on her old suit. "We both know I'm the warrior around here. You write a letter, and I'll go take care of business." She groaned as she pulled the chest plate onto her torso. "Oh, wow! This does not fit the same since I gave birth. Alright, Tess, pull it together! See you!"

With that, she was gone, pounding down the stairs and out into the farmyard. Jason sighed, but he knew that she was right. He strode down the hall and grabbed Fern out of her crib, then got her dressed and carried her down the stairs.

Truth be told, there wasn't a lot of use in writing a letter. Tess was far more skilled in penmanship than himself; by the time he got something together, she would already be in town. As he reached the kitchen, he set Fern in her high chair and started working on food, and Fern frowned.

"Mommy gone?"

"Yup." Jason nodded and flashed a smile. "Mommy's off saving the town! Fighting monsters!"

"Yay mommy!" Fern beamed.

"Has she taught you how to fight any monsters?" Jason asked as he made up some eggs and set out the table.

As they started to eat, Fern shoveled most of the food with her hands instead of eating with a fork, but... given the circumstances of the day, Jason didn't push her too hard. In any event, she didn't seem to know how to answer his question, which was fine enough by him.

They soon finished eating, and Jason took Fern out onto the front porch. There, he sat down, and cast his eyes north, up toward Summer Shandy. The Fencecrusher was nowhere to be seen, but he could hear a low bellowing noise echoing across the prairie, like a forlorn whale call. It was followed by several cannon shots and a crackle of lightning, but that was it.

"I wonder if they're getting it?" Jason smiled down at Fern. "Do you think they are?"

"Yeah!"

Jason bit his lip after a moment of thought, then smiled. "Would you like to go work in the garden!"

"Work daddy!"

Jason picked Fern up and carried her out to the massive garden she had plowed up. Tess had spent some time planting a large assortment of different crops, including the giant, purple tomatoes that he had developed. They seemed to be fully ripened, and after taking out a basket, Jason began walking up and down the rows picking out what looked good to him.

Fern followed closely, sometimes pulling off the green tomatoes to help. He tried to have her pull down some of the ripe ones, too, but only succeeded in causing her to explode them across her outfit. He laughed a bit at the rather comical image of her standing there with purple tomato juice dripping down her face, all the while she grinned up at him like a goblin.

"Would you like to plant some seeds?" Jason asked as they neared the end of the row. "I've got some yummy carrots I just bought! You're welcome to plant them if you like!"

Fern nodded and held out her hands, and Jason dropped in a small handful of seeds. She looked down at them, seemingly contemplating whether or not to eat them, when quite suddenly, the strange, whale-like call echoed across the prairie once more.

Jason blinked and jumped up straight. He looked back and forth, until his eyes settled upon the land due north of the farm. There... There it was.

Now that it was a good deal closer, he realized that his view of the Fencecrusher as a giant jellyfish was a great deal closer than he had imagined. It was longer than it was wide, and seemed to hang from a great, dark balloon. Pulses of light flickered back and forth inside the balloon, while thousands of tentacles draped down, dragging along the surface of the prairie. It was blowing directly toward them, and while Jason could see warriors in hot pursuit, they weren't going to get there in time.

"Alright, Fern, time to go!" Jason grabbed Fern, turned, and bolted for the house.

He didn't actually know how much protection the house would be, but he was desperate to protect his daughter. Chance looked up at him as he came crashing through the front door and threw himself down the stairs as fast as his legs would possibly carry him. It wasn't that he didn't care about

his animals, certainly, but Fern was his first and greatest priority, and that was the simple fact of the matter.

As he came crashing down into the basement, he tripped over a small pile of boxes that Tess had set out, and stumbled several times before flopping down near a wall. Fern giggled and clapped her hands, and the Fencecrusher let out another wail, louder and closer than before. The whole house seemed to shake from it, and Jason gripped Fern tighter.

And then... His eyes fell upon the box he had tripped over.

It contained an assortment of items from the house, including a shirt that he had been looking for, but... right on top was the dungeon core.

With that, an idea sprang into his head, and he jumped to his feet. Fern looked up at him, but he shook his head.

"Stay here! Daddy will be right back."

Without explaining things any further, he bolted forward, grabbed the dungeon core, and pounded back up the stairs. Chance looked at him once again as he came crashing back out onto the porch, and he soon stood in the yard.

The Fencecrusher was almost upon him. In fact, the very front of the great beast was just starting to drift overhead, while some shorter tentacles were beginning to pass over the farmyard. A few of them brushed up against the house, and with flashes of light, Jason saw the aged stone crumbling under their touch. Blasts of lightning raced up the tentacles to the bag, and Jason's eyes opened wide.

"Alright, monster!" He pointed the dungeon core at the creature. "Turn into a... Cat!"

The dungeon core lit up like a beacon, casting a red glow across the farmyard. With a crackle, a blast of brilliant, red lightning lanced upward, striking the great beast squarely in the underbelly. Almost instantly, it began to shrink and warp, twisting and changing form until the lightning faded away, and Jason watched as a small, black cat plummeted from the height of what must have been two hundred feet.

Any worry faded as the cat landed squarely on its legs. A shockwave rolled across the farmstead, but... Everything was safe, and a moment later, the cat walked up to rub itself against Jason's leg. He smiled, then bent down to stroke the animal, though he drew back as a flicker of lightning pulsed through its fur.

A few minutes later, he had brought Fern outside as riders came trotting up. Obadiah and Jeremiah were in the lead, while Hank, Tess, Richard, and an assortment of other warriors came along behind. Fern grinned and stretched out her hands, and Tess dismounted to scoop up her daughter. Meanwhile, Obadiah crossed his arms and stared down at Jason.

"You know, I just almost got eaten by a giant monster, and you look annoyed with me." Jason held up a finger.

"That's because..." Obadiah blinked a few times. "You had a dungeon core? Of all the... I knew something weird was happening out here, but I never imagined you had a dungeon core!"

Jeremiah put on a sulking face. "And he didn't even invite me to come play with it."

"I'm sure you knew about it, so don't you dare give me that." Obadiah pointed a finger at his father, then sighed. "Jason... We both know how this ends. You have to give the thing back to me."

"I just saved our city!" Jason protested. The cat bumped up against him, and a blast of lightning from the monster raised every hair on his body. "At least temporarily."

Obadiah rolled his eyes. "There are so many laws in place regarding those things, Jason, and I don't think even Jeremiah's backdate forms would be able to help you here. Please, don't make this any harder than it has to be. You've done us a service, and you'll be rewarded, but I need that core."

Jason sighed deeply, then slowly pulled the core out of his pocket and tossed it up to Obadiah. "I don't need a reward, we both know that. Just... put it to good use instead of letting it sit on a shelf, and don't let Jeremiah play with it, all right? At least without me."

Obadiah laughed and flashed a small salute. "Catch you around, Jason!"

A few minutes later, Tess was the only one remaining. She put back Angus, then gave the two of them an armored hug.

"Oh, I missed you! And I'm glad you're safe." She smiled as they walked up into the house. "Quick thinking on using the dungeon core, by the way! I don't know if it would have crossed my mind."

Jason shrugged. "Whatever the case, we're all safe now." He paused for a moment. "That said, I do want my shirt back."

At that, Tess only laughed, and he sighed as they walked inside. He couldn't win every battle... But they were safe, and in the end, he supposed

that such was more important than anything else he could ask for.

Chapter Thirty-Six: A Wind of Change

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 39th day of Spring! 52 days until the Spring Festival! It looks like a drizzly sort of morning, folks! Not in a bad way, certainly, but it'll keep you moist and well-watered if you do happen to step outside!]

"That's just about the shortest report I think he's ever given," Jason chuckled as he rolled out of bed and slowly walked over to the window. Outside, the sky was an overcast grey color, while a soft and steady drizzle, so faint that it could hardly be seen except that it obscured distant sights like a light fog, came down.

"Sometimes, that's just what you have to do." Tess stretched. "When I went into town yesterday, it looked to me like he was pretty busy with things, and I doubt that'll change for the next little while."

"Really?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

Tess shrugged as she climbed out of bed and started to get changed. "Oh, a lot of reasons, really. First off, Jeremiah's whole bid to get Summer Shandy marked as a trade route is really starting to come together. They want to make an official declaration by the start of summer, so there are government men coming in and out of Summer Shandy like flies." After a moment, she laughed. "The funny thing is that, when they first made the proposal, Jeremiah was the one fighting for it, and Obadiah was against it. Now, Jeremiah's gotten spooked, but Obadiah is all for it!"

"What do you think would be better for the town?" Jason asked. He strode out into the hall, and made his way down to Fern's room. She was standing in her crib, and he helped Tess get her changed.

"Honestly, I don't know," Tess answered. "I could see it really benefiting from the increased trade, but Jeremiah would have to ride the brakes pretty hard to keep it from getting overrun by corporations. On the flip side, I could also see it benefiting from staying nice and small, just the way things have always been. Things are slow to change for a reason, you know?"

"Yeah, I do." Jason puffed out his cheeks. In any event, the situation was out of his hands, that was for sure.

They soon had Fern dressed, and went downstairs to eat breakfast. When that was done, Jason pulled on his boots and made his way out onto the front porch, where he sighed and looked out across the farmstead.

It was, indeed, drizzling, but in a way, it was almost a pleasant sort of drizzle. The water was warm instead of cold, and as he strode around, it was really quite refreshing. He went and turned the horses loose into the corral, then leaned against the fence as Tess let Fern out into the yard. The toddler began to laugh and run around, and Jason crossed his arms and let his gaze drift upward to the peak of the house.

"Howdy, neighbor! Friend!"

Jason turned to see Milligan riding up on a black horse, without a wagon in sight. He let himself into the yard, and Jason flashed a smile.

"Howdy!"

"I do hope I'm saying that right. Apologies if I'm not." Milligan swung down from the horse, and Tess took the reins while he shook Jason's hand. "Something happen to your house?"

"Yeah." Jason grimaced. "We got hit by a... What was that thing called, Tess?"

"Temporal Overland Man of War," Tess answered. "It's a mouthful, but it's essentially a giant thing that runs around and sucks time out of things. Makes them age really quickly."

Jason nodded as he inspected the damage. It wasn't bad, but it encompassed a fairly large chunk of the top of the house. He was worried about potential leaks in future storms, if not immediately, as the weather continued to age the house naturally.

"I'll start on repairs this summer," Jason agreed after a moment. "For the spring, I'm actually going to start making a gravel road out to the Far Eighty, in between harvests. I was going to start on that today, believe it or not!"

"I do, I do!" Milligan smiled. "Then I'll keep my visit brief. We've been discussing the matter of buying a field jointly, and I have come with paperwork." He produced a manilla envelope. "I believe this should discuss all the terms that we've spoke about in our letters."

Jason nodded and opened it to glance at the documents, then tucked it into his inventory. "Let me just sum up, to make sure we're on the same

page. I'm going to buy the land outright, and then you'll rent it from me, essentially?"

"Yes! Precisely." Milligan nodded. "And, as always, you're always free to back out of the deal at any time. We have no wish to impose on anyone, and certainly not those who are working so well for us."

"Excellent." Jason held out his hand, which Milligan shook. "I'll make the purchase by the end of spring."

"Then I look forward to working with you again next season!" Milligan swung back up onto his horse. "Oh! As an aside, I thought I would mention that the maple sugar beets have, thus far, been a resounding success. As with the sorghum, your fields have produced immensely better than any of the other fields that we've worked with. That said, as you noted, the growing time is somewhat of a concern. You're welcome to continue planting them throughout this season, though we would ask that, per the terms of your contract, you not save any seed back for planting again in the future. We're taking a step back to look at the project, and hopefully, will be able to decrease the length of time it takes to grow the beets. Hopefully, we'll have an update by next spring!"

With that, Milligan waved and rode away, up the road leading to Summer Shandy. Jason watched him go, then flashed a small smile.

"I like him."

"I do too." Tess nodded, then shrugged. "Well, are you getting to work today, or are you just going to stand there jawing until the sun sets?"

"I'm getting, I'm getting," Jason laughed.

He smiled and started walking for the far end of the farmstead, taking out a shovel as he went. Fern raced along after him, and he handed her a small trowel. Soon they reached the western edge of the farm, where the narrow trail raced off across the prairie to the Far Eighty.

"Alright." Jason whistled softly. "Let's do this!"

"Do dis!"

Jason opened up the farm's inventory and selected the gravel. He

only took out a small portion, but with a crash, a large pile came tumbling down onto the middle of the path. Fern giggled, then started stabbing at the gravel with her trowel, and Jason stepped forward.

The day earlier, when he had gone into town and bought the digger, he had also bought the strip of ground that contained the path that he used to get to the Far Eighty. Working carefully with Jeremiah, he hadn't bought

any of the land around it, thus effectively making him the landowner with, possibly, the oddest-shaped patch of ground in all of Summer Shandy.

His shovel made a quite satisfying chunk noise as he scooped and tossed the gravel out across the path, hopefully making it a good deal more resilient to rains, as well as making it possible to move his nicer set of machinery from the homestead to the Far Eighty instead of having to rely on the older equipment on the more distant patch of ground. In any case, it was going to take a long time to finish, there was simply no doubt about that.

Jason's arms soon ached as he shoveled his way onward, but still he pressed along. Fern gave up actually shoveling after a time and just sat back to watch, but she certainly refused to leave his side, no matter how much Tess tried to coax her. Jason smiled softly at his daughter, then turned his attention back to the fledgling road.

It was hard work, and some might have said that there was no real point in it, but Jason knew otherwise. He had built the farm into what it was by the sweat of his brow—albeit with a good deal of help. He wasn't going to stop working on it just because it was easier now... He was simply going to continue to push forward until he could make it that much better.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Family Day

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 45th day of Spring! 46 days until the Spring Festival! We're halfway there, folks! Just keep it up, and... Oh, who am I kidding? This spring has been fantastic, no one cares about pushing through this one, so get outside and enjoy it!]

Jason grinned as he slowly woke up and took a deep breath. He wasn't exactly sure why, but the air somehow seemed to feel more alive, more electric. He rose and walked up to the window, where he gazed out at the slowly greening farm. All around, the prairie grasses had nearly reached their full height, where they would stay until summer when they started to turn browner.

"Good morning, Jason," Tess murmured as she sat up. "What's up?" "I don't know." Jason shrugged. "Just thinking about the day." "What about it?"

"I think we ought to go do something together." Jason turned

around, then walked over to the wardrobe. "Just the three of us, we need to find something to get away from the farm for a bit."

"Any particular reason why?" Tess asked with a frown.

"Oh... Maybe a few reasons." Jason shrugged as he began to change. "For starters, I've spent the last... Pfft, it's been awhile now, just shoveling gravel, and it's exhausting. Secondly, I'm going to have to start harvesting sugar beets again... Tomorrow, I think? No, next Monday, the 48th. Anyway, once I start on that, it's a full day to harvest the homestead, then a full day to harvest the Far Eighty, then a full day to plant, and then another full day to plant, and then..."

He paused for a moment. "These sugar beets are really doing a lot of good for us, and I just have the feeling that we're in the process of turning a corner. At the end of spring, I'll have enough money to buy a new piece of ground, and enough money to start working on some house expansions, and we've got the road project... Oh, and I know you'd really like to do

something with the old dungeon, which we've sorta put to the back burner this year, but that honestly might still get pushed off."

Tess nodded slowly. "So you're anticipating things really heating up once summer gets here."

"Exactly, and I'd like to take this time while we have it." Jason nodded. After a moment, he flashed a small grin. "Actually, I know exactly what I'd like to do, if you're up for it."

"I'm sure I am." Tess nodded. "What is it?"

"It's a surprise, but we'll need a picnic lunch!"

Jason slipped from the room, then strode down the hall to Fern's

room. He found her still asleep, and decided to let her rest. With that, he went outside and did the morning chores, then returned to the house while Tess got breakfast on the table.

He met Fern halfway up the stairs. She had a sleepy sort of expression on her face, and blinked several times at him. He laughed, then picked her up and carried her back up toward her room once again.

"No!" Fern screamed as he walked into the room. "Wake up!"

"You're waking up." Jason soothed her. "I'm just changing your clothes!"

At that, Fern quieted down. "Clothes?"

"Yup." Jason nodded, then leaned in close. "Can you keep a secret?" "Secret!"

"We're going to go see flowers today."

Fern giggled while he changed her, and when he finished and set her

on the ground, she raced for the stairs as fast as her little legs would carry her.

"Mommy! Lowers! Day!"

"We're going to see flowers today?" Tess asked.

"Way to keep a secret," Jason snorted as he walked into the kitchen.

Fern was desperately trying to climb up into her high chair, and he helped her out before sitting down in his own chair. "That's the last time I ever tell you something I want to keep hidden!"

Fern only giggled and scrunched up her nose at him. They soon ate breakfast, and Jason rose as Tess started to pack a picnic.

"Meet me outside!" He beamed. "You won't regret it!"

Tess rolled her eyes, but nodded, and Jason made his way out into the farmyard. There, he took out Lady and hitched her up to the carriage,

while Fern watched from the porch. "Pony! Fern wagon!"

Jason laughed as he picked up Fern and hefted her up onto the wagon box. "Sorry, Fern, but I haven't made a wagon for Alice yet. Should I try to do that by summer?"

"Yes, peas!"

Jason laughed, then climbed up next to Fern. Tess came out after a few minutes and climbed up as well, and Jason snapped the reins. With that, they were off, and rumbled out toward the Far Eighty.

For all the scooping and shoveling that Jason had done over the previous week or two, a rather annoyingly short patch of the path had actually been turned into gravel. About three hundred feet, going up over the first rise, was nice and smooth... and then they reached the end of it and rattled through a low ravine before continuing on their way.

"I need to put in a bridge right there," Jason commented. "That's also on my list for the summer. Oh! And I'm going to need to line the roads so the gravel doesn't just wash away when it rains, and—"

"Jason?" Tess raised an eyebrow. "If we're actually going to just go take a family day to have fun, you have to actually set the farm aside and have fun."

"Oh," Jason scowled good-naturedly. "Right."

They continued onward until they came into sight of the Far Eighty. There, stretching out below them, was an enormous expanse of ordinary sugar beets. Jason just loved the crop too much to plant anything else, that was for sure. Instead of heading down to the cabin, he turned and sent the carriage rattling along the northern side of the field, through the thick, untouched prairie grasses that grew there.

"Where are we going?" Tess asked.

"Just be patient!" Jason waved a hand. "We're almost there!"

As they came to the far end of the field, he sent the wagon between

two small hills there, through a low ravine, and then came out into what amounted to a depression in the prairie. At the bottom was a dry wallow, filled with hardened mud that showed the tracks of hundreds of different animals. Surrounding the wallow, though, were tens of thousands of flowers.

They stretched up the sides of the depression and flowed over the rim, though they didn't go much further than that. There were even more

than the last time Jason had been there, and he glanced at Tess to find her speechless.

"Jason, this is incredible," she whispered. "How did you find it?"

"It was the last time I was out planting." Jason shrugged as he brought the carriage to a halt. "I saw this thing that looked sorta like a deer. It was a lot smaller, couldn't have been more than a couple feet high, and it was blue with white stripes. Anyhow, it saw me and ran off this way, so I chased after it, and I found... this. Don't have a clue what the animal was, but this is pretty amazing."

"It really is," Tess breathed softly.

The flowers came in every shape and color imaginable. There were reds and blues and yellows and oranges, even a few blacks and pinks. Some were large, with immense petals at the end of enormous stems. Others were far smaller, consisting of bunches of flowers clustered around more dainty stems. There were tall stalks that had flowers branching off one above another, and there were some that shot runners along the ground and spouted up flowers here and there as they went. Jason had never seen anything like it in all his days; that much, he was sure of.

"Well, let's not just sit here!" Tess grinned as she hopped down. "Come on! Come here, Fern, let's smell them all!"

"Smell lowers!"

Tess picked up Fern from the wagon bench, and the two of them walked over to start working their way through the field. Jason climbed down as well, then slowly walked over to the closest slope and lay down. The flowers seemed to flutter over his head, and he smiled as he watched butterflies and bees zooming through the air from petal to petal.

"Mmm!" Fern grinned as she sniffed something that looked like a snapdragon.

"Here, let's pick some!" Tess began to pluck a few of the tender stems, then took out a pitcher and some water from her inventory. Why exactly she had those two things in her personal inventory, Jason didn't know... But then again, some of the things in his inventory would have raised an eyebrow from her, so there wasn't much he could say.

Tess and Fern soon filled the pitcher with as many flowers as they could fit, and yet, the field didn't seem to be in the least bit diminished. The rest of that morning was spent just frolicking through the landscape, laughing at one another, and looking at the assorted flowers and insects. It

was hard to say exactly what they did, but in any case, they certainly enjoyed doing it.

When the time came for lunch, it almost hurt them to spread out a blanket across the flowers, but they eventually convinced themselves that it had to be done. With that, they opened up a wonderful meal of ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, pickles, and a host of other things, including a full blueberry pie. They ate until they were full, then lay back in the soft bed of flowers as the noontime sun shone down upon them.

Fern soon fell asleep under a canopy of bluebells, and Tess and Jason held hands as they stared up at a rather spectacular display of miniature sunflowers above them. Jason sighed and leaned over to give Tess a kiss, and she smiled back at him.

"Thank you," Tess whispered softly.

"For what?" Jason frowned. "For bringing you out here?"

"Sure, for that." Tess nodded, then reached out and plucked a daisy.

She stuck it behind her ear, then turned back to him. "Also, just for working so hard. You keep this farm running like a clock, and it's just incredible to see. I still can't believe you managed to turn this place around. I mean, I remember what it used to look like. There was a cobweb that stretched across one entire side of the house!" She laughed softly. "If you would have told me that I would wind up living in that house, and that I would be doing it willingly, I'd have laughed in your face."

Jason smiled, but Tess wasn't done yet.

"I think, though... The most important thing I have to thank you for is for managing to balance both your work and taking care of us. Not that I need taken care of in the same way as a child, but..." She bit her lip. "I know a lot of wives who never see their husbands. He just goes off to work, and then comes home at night and sits in his chair and either reads a paper or a book or something, and then it's off to bed and the day starts over again. You... You keep busy, but you're also willing to let Fern and me come out with you, and you take time off when you can, especially when you know that things are about to get crazy." She sighed. "That's a rare trait, and it's something I appreciate more than you could possibly know."

Jason didn't really have a good answer. After a few moments, he simply leaned over and kissed her once more. "I have a pretty great family to motivate me."

"We could go back and forth on that all day long," Tess chuckled. After a moment, she plucked a bluebonnet and stuck it behind Jason's ear. "To the future, and to whatever it holds."

Jason nodded, and flashed a small smile at her. "To the future.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Plans For The Day

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 76th day of Spring! 15 days until the Spring Festival! Alright, folks, it's time to buckle down! If there's anything you haven't gotten done yet that needs accomplished by summer, now's your chance. I know it's been a wonderful spring, but that will be coming to a close soon, whether or not we like it.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: Update: The situation in and around Illumitir is currently not something that I'm authorized to speak on, so please don't ask me]

Jason stretched a bit, then slowly rolled out of bed and climbed to his feet. As he walked up to the window and gazed out across the farm, he yawned and blinked sleep out of his eyes.

"Good morning," Tess murmured as she sat up and began to stretch as well. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just tired, I think," Jason mused as he stroked his chin. They had gone into town the day before, as it was a Sunday, just to hang out and talk to people. Games had been played, and they had wound up staying a good deal later than they had originally been anticipating. "Well, nothing to it for the time being! Time to get to work!"

"And what's your plan for the day?" Tess frowned as Jason started getting dressed in his overalls. "Anything particularly exciting?"

"I'm going to put a small bridge over the first of the ravines." Jason turned and flashed a small smile at her. "Don't know if that's exciting or not, but I'll start the final round of harvesting tomorrow, and I want to get the bridge in before summer. Then, if I have any time left, I bought some spackle yesterday to start fixing the damage caused by the tentacle windbag thing."

"Well, have lots of fun!" Tess pulled on a green spring dress, embroidered with a number of sunflowers. "You know where to find me."

"Usually chasing after Fern, who's only a step or two behind me." "True."

Jason laughed, then went downstairs and out into the farmyard.

Chance followed close behind, and he turned out the three larger horses, then let Alice loose into the main yard. She snorted and trotted around after Chance, chasing him along the fence line while he barked at crabgrasses on the far side. Jason laughed as he watched it, then slowly went back up into the house. Tess had just put out breakfast on the table, and they sat down to eat.

Fern chose that day to prove that she was basically an expert with a fork, and gobbled up almost all her food with the utensil before she got excited and threw it on the ground. Jason laughed at the sight, then gave her a kiss and rose to head outside once again.

"Work daddy!" Fern declared. "Want work daddy."

"Oh, you'll come work with me in a little bit!" Jason leaned over and gave her a small kiss on the top of the head. "Stay inside with mommy for a little bit while she gets things ready, and then you'll come out with me!"

Fern didn't seem convinced by the deal, but as Tess picked her up and carried her upstairs, there wasn't a lot she could do. Jason laughed at her pouty face, then turned and made his way out into the farmyard once more.

He whistled as he walked along, heading due west from the farmstead. Over the previous month, he had actually been able to gravel a fairly significant portion of the path leading out to the Far Eighty. The road now went up over the first rise, down through the first ravine, and up to the top of the second. All told, it was probably somewhere around a thousand feet of gravel in all, which Jason considered to be quite an accomplishment. Still, though, there was a lot of ground left to cover, as the Far Eighty was probably close to half a mile away from the homestead.

In any event, his target for that day was the first ravine. He strode down the gravel road, then came over that first rise to view his target. The sides of the ravine were shallow, and all told, the rocky bottom was only about fifteen, maybe twenty feet below the peaks. That said, the bottom was rocky, with a shallow trough that funneled water across the prairie after heavy rains. Any gravel that he laid down in that part of the road would be

washed away within minutes, and if there was actually running water, he'd find it much harder to get where he needed to go.

And thus, he had a plan.

He had stopped the gravel about fifteen feet from the exact center, near the edge of where the grass stopped growing. Now, he walked to the exact center, where he tapped the ground with his foot, then bent down and felt it. It was near-solid, not quite to bedrock, but close. After a moment, he shrugged and nodded.

"That's just what it'll have to be, then!"

He opened up his farm's inventory, then took out a large pickaxe, which he had picked up the day before. Carefully, he aimed it at the center of the area, then swung it downward.

Ching!

The axe glanced off the ground, and a spray of rock shards exploded up into the air.

[Action used: Chip Stone. Remaining Actions: 41]

When the dust and chips quit flying, Jason looked down to see a rather neat hole, square, that had been blasted down about six inches into the stone. He could see limestone at the bottom now, which was good. His arms ached from the effort, but he supposed that such was simply par for the course.

"Let's see if we can't get you a bit deeper," he murmured, then swung the pickaxe once more. There was another blast of rock shards, and he found the hole sunk down to about a foot deep. "That'll do it!"

He quickly stepped to the side and sank a second shaft about three feet to the south, then opened up his inventory and pulled out two large support beams. These fit almost perfectly as he dropped them into the holes, giving him two large planks of wood that now pointed upward almost fifteen feet into the air. He chuckled a bit at the sight of it, then took out a saw, measured carefully, and chopped the first one of at about three feet.

"Timber!" Tess called out as she and Fern appeared over the rise. The beam came crashing down on the ground, and Jason smiled as Fern scrambled down toward him.

"Hey, guys! Can you... Tess, can you hold her back for just a few seconds longer?"

Tess nodded and picked up Fern—to the toddler's immense chagrin —while Jason sawed of the second board. They were heavy, and he didn't

particularly want them landing on Fern on accident. When it was down, Fern came racing over to him, and he let her hold a hammer.

From there, the work went easily, though perhaps not quickly. Jason now had the two central supports, and he took out two long planks and laid them across said supports to form the basic structure of the bridge. Each plank was about thirty feet long, and just spanned the gap. Once Jason figured out where they landed, he marked the spots on the ground, then sank four more holes—two on each side—into the ground and drove in four more support beams. That done, he laid the planks on top of all the supports and hammered them down, essentially forming twin rails that stretched from one side of the gap to the other.

"And now for the fun part!" Jason opened up his inventory and took out a whole slew of smaller boards, each one right about three feet long, which he began laying between the rails to form the actual cover for the bridge. "Fern? I'm going to need your help!"

"Yay! Work daddy!"

Jason laughed, then grabbed a hammer and some nails and began hammering everything together. Fern became his official Bridge Tester, walking out on the planks after he finished pounding them in. He made it about halfway across the bridge before he ran out of actions, and mopped his brow as he sat back.

"Whew!" Jason flashed a smile up at Fern. "I'm exhausted, but you helped a lot! Let's see..." He looked up at the sun. "You reckon it's about time to stop for lunch? And then we'll come back to this tomorrow?"

"You know, I can hammer nails, too," Tess spoke up from the side of the ravine where she had sat down to watch. "If you're out of actions, we can finish this thing up today."

Jason blinked in mild surprise, then grinned. "That sounds perfect! In that case, let's go eat lunch, and then—"

"Why don't you go get a picnic from the house and come out here, and I'll see if I can't have the bridge finished by then?" Tess stood up and flashed a smile at him.

Jason shrugged. "That works for me!"

He turned and started walking up the hill. At the very top, he turned and looked back down into the ravine, and found Fern eagerly stomping on the boards that Tess was hammering, making extra sure that they would hold up to the weight of the horses or the machinery. It was adorable to

watch, there was no doubt about that, and it was simply incredible to see the way that Fern simply wanted to imitate the work that the adults were doing.

"And that must be what Tess sees every day when Fern's helping me," Jason mused as he turned around and started back toward the house again. "Gotta love that little girl."

He didn't mind for an instant that Fern was helping Tess instead of himself. Fern belonged to both of them, and she... she was simply a precious jewel whose value couldn't be calculated. Jason got her a large portion of the time, Tess could certainly have as much time as she wanted.

At that thought, Jason smiled. Fern was growing, but she was still less than two years old. They still had plenty of years to make as many memories as they could, and Jason planned to use every single moment of the time they were given.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Parent Life

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 77th day of Spring! 14 days until the Spring Festival! It looks like today's going to be a warm one, folks! We might get one more storm before the end of spring, maybe, but... Honestly, I could see it going either way, so I'm not going to make any predictions!]

Jason yawned and rolled out of bed, his feet hitting the floor with a nice, solid thunk. As he slowly walked up to the window and looked out across the landscape, his eyes fell upon his field. The wonderful, lush tops of the maple sugar beets were bulging from the ground, ready to pick! And this time, he had a digger.

Actually, he had already used the digger once before, but it had been a tremendous amount of fun, and he had every intention of enjoying the harvest just as much as before. He looked down at the landscape for a time, then turned and walked up to the wardrobe, where he changed into a pair of overalls and a short-sleeved flannel shirt. Tess slowly rolled of bed behind him, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"You all right?" Jason frowned as she stumbled up to the wardrobe. His mind drifted back to the night before. His memories were fuzzy, but... "Did Fern wake up coughing in the middle of the night?"

"Yeah." Tess sighed and blinked sleep out of her eyes. "Nothing major, I don't even think it's properly a cold. Just something raspy and dry, and it was making it hard for her to sleep. I was able to rock her back to sleep down in the living room, but it took me awhile, so... I'm a little slow this morning. Hopefully, she sleeps in, though."

She was answered by a cough from down the hall, followed by Fern's soft cry. Tess sighed and yawned again, then squared her shoulders.

"Well, that's the life of a parent, I suppose."

"Do you need me to take her today?" Jason offered. "I can watch her for a while as you sleep."

"No. We both know that you have the harvest to cover today." Tess waved him away. "You go get to work, and I'll be fine in a few minutes. I

might try brewing some of that coffee that Paulina keeps talking about, though. She certainly advocates for how effective it is, but I've yet to actually try it."

Jason flashed her a small smile. "I'll see you at breakfast, then."

"Eat without me." Tess shook her head. "I don't mean to sound rude with that, but... It's going to take me a little bit to get Fern together and moving, and I think you'll want to be out harvesting before that. We'll come out and see you in a little bit."

"Then I look forward to your visit!" Jason gave her a kiss. "You're a good mom. Hope everything goes well!"

He smiled at her, then walked out of the room and down the stairs. As he walked into the kitchen, he made himself a burrito, something easy to eat while on the go, then made his way out into the farmyard. Chance followed eagerly, bounding back and forth trying to get at Jason's food, but Jason only smiled at the hound and pointed him toward the dog bowl. In any case, as soon as he turned Alice loose, Chance had a buddy to play with, and that was enough for him.

Jason soon had the horses turned out. While they ate and frolicked around, he walked into the lean-to and bent down to examine his digger. It was the same brand as the harvester, planter, and plow, so the shining silver- steel was the same color, though perhaps a mite newer. As Jason inspected the machine, though, he began to find a few nuts and bolts that had come loose, and he quickly worked to patch up the damage.

One of the drawbacks to using actual diggers was that, since they actually went into the ground, they required more regular maintenance than some of the other machines. Jason didn't mind that fact too much since he rather enjoyed the morning inspections before harvest, but it did make the whole process a bit more important and critical.

All told, the digger was an odd sort of a machine, but an ingenious one. It was shaped more or less like a large box that held a series of gears and processing belts. Unlike the harvester, which spun blades in the same direction as the wheels, the digger had a series of scoops mounted on the underside of the thing that spun in the opposite direction of the wheels themselves. It was a complicated assembly, but it worked, and it was tremendously effective.

Jason finished his inspection as he scratched off the last bit of rust, then rose and took Angus from the corral. The immense horse simply

snorted as Jason hitched him up, and with that, they rumbled off toward the field.

The whole machine vibrated as the scoops began to whirl around, and Jason placed his hand on the lever that would lower the whole contraption into the dirt. As they entered the field, he gave it a firm tug, and the box sank down until the edge of it was only an inch or two above the soil.

Angus's muscles strained as he pulled the digger forward, but he was a powerful horse, and he did his job well. Jason felt the machine slicing through the soil like butter, and heard the sugar beets rattling around inside the hopper. The smell of maple syrup filled the air as always, and he sighed in contentment.

As he reached the end of the field and turned around, he saw a flash of green as Tess appeared on the porch, and he waved as best he could. He couldn't tell if she waved back or not—likely, she hadn't been able to see him wave in the first place—and he sent Angus rumbling back through the field toward her. A few minutes later, they drew up to the end of the field closest to the farmhouse, and Tess leaned against the rails of the fence, helping a sick-looking Fern rest on the top rail.

"My two favorite girls!" Jason hopped down from the digger to give Angus a rest, and strode over to where they were standing. "And how's my lovely daughter doing today?"

"Uh-uh." Fern looked away from him and coughed, and he raised an eyebrow.

"She's... tired," Tess sighed. She had deep bags under her eyes, and yawned as he watched. "I am too, but she really wanted to come out and say hi."

"Well, thanks for coming!" Jason leaned over and gave her a kiss, but she just snorted and leaned against Tess. "She's in a mood."

"She's almost two. Get used to it," Tess chuckled softly. She plucked Fern off the rail and started to walk away. "Well, like I said, we just wanted to check in. We love you!"

"Love you too!" Jason called back as his exhausted family stumbled back to the house.

Fern began to cry because she hadn't gotten to give daddy a kiss, but Tess simply shushed her and carried her up into the house. Jason watched after them for a moment, then smiled and climbed back up onto the digger.

"From the stories I've heard, it's remarkable that any of our parents didn't sell us when we turned two," he chuckled as the got back to work. "This next year ought to be interesting! Yaw!"

Angus tore off into the field once again, slowly pulling the digger along through the soil. Once more, Jason could hear the sugar beets rumbling around inside, and a smile came to his face.

Including this one, he would have been able to get three maple sugar beet crops off the land for that season. It wasn't bad by any stretch, and from what Milligan had told him after the previous harvest, his land was, again, doing better than they had possibly imagined. With the funds from this final sale, Jason would have enough to make the land purchase. The only question was... where would he buy it?

That, indeed, was the question. In any event, Jason was certain that he wouldn't actually be able to farm the land by himself. The two properties were keeping him plenty busy, he didn't know how he'd be able to handle a third. Renting it to the genetics lab was a good short-term solution, but even if he worked with them for a number of years, he knew that he would eventually, likely, wind up with the land back solely under his care and custody, and that meant that he needed to be able to have close access to it in such an event. That said, he didn't know that he really wanted the land right next to him being farmed by a whole bunch of scientists all the time. It was a bit of a conundrum, that was for sure.

He hadn't come up with any solutions by the time he reached the midpoint of the field. In any event, Angus snorted happily as Jason turned him back into the corral. When he walked up into the house for lunch, though, he paused at the door as he found Tess and Fern both sprawled across the couch in the living room, fast asleep.

"So sweet," he whispered softly as he took in the scene. They both looked so peaceful, and while he could hear a bit of a rasp in Fern's breathing, it didn't sound awful. "Sweet dreams, you two."

With that, he carefully tiptoed through the living room, avoiding all the floorboards he knew to squeak, collected a small lunch from the kitchen, and slipped out the little-used back door of the house. They needed their rest, and he was going to give it to them.

As he stood there, munching on a sandwich, he sighed deeply. Yes, indeed. Fern was growing into a proper toddler, his farm was about to

expand... Things were changing in Summer Shandy, but not in a bad way. No, they were simply growing... All he had to do was grow with it all.

Chapter Forty: So Long FOr now

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason and Tess were ready to get to work around the farm. They had 41 starting actions.]

[Obadiah's Almanac: 91st day of Spring! It's the day of the Spring Festival! Honestly, folks, I don't think you could ask for a better day for the festival. With the storm that came through yesterday, everything's fresh and renewed! The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming, I mean... Come on, this is perfect! Come on out and enjoy the show!]

Jason nearly leapt out of bed as he read the message. Tess followed him, though perhaps a bit slower.

"Come on!" he urged her. "We've got to get moving!"

"Oh, relax," Tess snorted. "We'll get there in plenty of time. It's not my fault you want to mix business with the festival."

"That's... Okay, that's fair," Jason chuckled softly. He pulled on a green tunic, then took a deep breath. He didn't know why, but his stomach was churning with anticipation, and he eagerly turned and walked down the stairs.

The spring had been a marvelous one, of that there could be no doubt. All told, he had been able to gravel/bridge about half of the distance out to the Far Eighty, which was a nice start to things. The last crop of maple sugar beets had sold for a whopping 25,000,000 Shandys, which Jason thought might just break a town record. He had plans upon plans upon plans, and every intention to begin executing them as soon as summer came around.

When he and Tess were dressed, Tess went down to Fern's room while Jason slipped down the stairs and out into the farmyard. He turned the horses loose and poured them some grain, then leaned against the rails to watch them. Alice whinnied and kicked against her own door, and Jason smiled and opened it up for her. She was out in a flash, and a smile came across Jason's face.

It didn't take the family long to eat breakfast, at which point they got ready to go. Jason slipped into the lean-to and brought out a small carriage that he had made up specially for Alice and Fern. It could be

hitched on behind the small horse, and consisted of a single seat that had lots of straps to keep Fern from falling out. The toddler beamed from ear to ear as Jason got it ready.

"Tank you daddy! Like mommy and daddy!"

"That's right!" Jason set her carefully into the seat and then made sure to tie her down well. "There you go! We'll see you in town!"

"See you!"

Jason laughed, then opened up the gate. Alice trotted out, onto the road and up toward town, with Fern laughing and giggling the whole way. Jason climbed up into his own carriage, which he had hitched behind Lady, and helped Tess climb up. They began to slowly walk along just behind Fern's carriage, keeping pace with the smaller horse.

To Jason's surprise, they actually didn't see anyone on the way into town, but that likely just meant that Richard was busy with some issue on the ranch. Soon they came rumbling up into the town square, where things were just as wild as usual. People rushed back and forth carrying large baskets of food, tables were brought out, and Jeremiah, Obadiah, and Hank were all sitting at the town well, laughing and chatting with anyone who came by.

Jason brought the carriage to a halt and allowed Tess to scramble down, but before he could take the carriage around, one of Obadiah's page boys came running over and offered to do it for him. Jason paid the boy a few Shandys, then allowed him to take Lady around to the public stables. With that, Jason waved and ambled over toward the three guardians of the public good.

"You know, with the amount the three of you sit out here, you'd think we were under constant threat of brigands or something." Jason flashed a small smile as he walked up.

"We are," Obadiah snorted and jabbed a thumb at Jeremiah. "Him and... Oh, where did that little monster get to?"

"Gob play!"

With a clatter, Gob came racing past, pulling a wagon full of children. Jason caught a glimpse of Fern, John, and Daniel's daughter, Charlotte, though he didn't see Daniel or any of the other mothers.

Jason laughed slightly, then sighed. "Well, how are things going around here? Feels like it's been a while since I've really been through the place."

"It's been..." Obadiah frowned and stroked his chin. "It's been. That's really the best way to put it."

Jason frowned. "Everything okay?"

"Sorta." Obadiah worked his jaw for a moment and glanced at Jeremiah, who nodded at his office. "Why don't we talk inside?"

"Works for me." Jason shrugged. "I need to do some paperwork anyway."

A few moments later, they were all carefully tucked away in the constable's office. Hank walked back and forth, looking nervous, while Jeremiah sat down behind his desk.

"What's the matter?" Jason frowned. "You guys act like the world's ending, or something."

"Or something," Obadiah snorted. After a moment, he shrugged. "Well, let's start with the news of lesser importance. Summer Shandy lost out on the bid to be included on the trade road."

"Woot woot!" Jason grinned, then paused. "I think. What happened?"

Jeremiah laughed softly, idly taking out his pipe. "You remember that giant windbag thing? Turns out, there were some representatives in town... Well, near town, that happened to see the thing. Apparently it was deemed a public safety hazard, and classified as a local cryptid. Sweet Springs doesn't have any cryptids, so... they got the bid!"

"That's a good thing, right?" Jason frowned. "More or less?"

"Yeah." Obadiah let out a long sigh. "I was really hoping to get it, but I suppose dad was right. Anyway, like I said, that was the less important news. Have you started to hear rumors from Illumitir?"

Jason shook his head. "In the almanac, you've asked people not to ask you questions about it, but that's really all I know."

"Then I'll give it to you straight." Obadiah leaned forward. "Illumitir hasn't gotten a drop of rain since last fall. Over the winter, you're not really expecting much precipitation, and when you get it, there aren't crops in the ground, so no one really cared at that point. This spring, though, it's started to become a problem. They've had dry spells up there before, that's nothing new, but two seasons without a drop of rain?"

"What does that mean?" Jason asked softly.

"Drought," Jeremiah answered. "Famine. Not here, of course, but things do have a way of rippling."

"Strictly speaking, you have to go for three months with less than two inches of accumulated moisture before it gets called a drought." Obadiah held up a finger, then paused. "That said... it's looking like a drought, for sure."

"What sort of ripples will we see down here?" Jason asked, growing concerned.

"That's hard to tell." Jeremiah clicked his tongue. "On one hand, I do expect that crop prices will skyrocket. We'll be a proper breadbasket down here, and all of Illumitir will need to eat. That said, I also expect you'll see folks thinning out right quick as they go to help out their families."

Behind him, Hank coughed. "I'm actually one of those. My mom is getting pinched pretty bad, so I've got to leave to take care of her."

"I'll be sad to see you go." Jason rose and held out his hand, which Hank shook. "You're a good man."

"Spoken by a true one yourself." Hank sighed, then slowly reached up and unclipped his deputy badge. "Since the news is out, I reckon that the three of you can handle things from here. I'll... I'll see you at the festival."

With that, Hank slipped out, and Jason stroked his chin.

"He's already done that three times this week." Jeremiah waved his hand at Jason's concern. "He'll be back for it in an hour; he's not scheduled to leave for a few more days."

Jason nodded slowly, then sighed. "Well, if that's the way things will be, I suppose there's nothing we can do about it. Will you keep me updated as we know more about the drought and how it might affect us here?"

"You'll be one of the first I tell," Jeremiah promised. "Now, what sort of business can I help you with?"

A few minutes later, Jason had purchased a large tract of land, eighty more acres, adjacent to the Far Eighty. He didn't know exactly what he would call it, but he could figure that out as time went on. For the time being, he strolled back out into the town square as the festival began to take on form.

Daniel, Tess, Viola, and Paulina all stood over by the store entrance, along with a woman Jason didn't recognize. She stood a smidge taller than Tess, and had bright red hair that hung like flames down her back. As Jason came walking over, she turned and held out a hand.

"Hello! You must be Jason?"

"I'm afraid you have an advantage over me." Jason chuckled as he smiled at her.

"My apologies." She dipped her head. She had a thick accent, one that was definitely northern. This was Paulina's friend that Obadiah had mentioned, there was no doubt about it. "My name is Cecilia. Paulina told me that there would be an opening here at her store, and I simply had to take the chance." She sighed deeply. "You have a lovely town here, it seems."

Jason flashed a small smile. "Yeah. Yeah, we do."

"That's why we keep coming back!" Daniel thumped his chest, then reached over and gave Tess a rub on the head. She scowled and punched him in the gut, though it seemed to hurt Tess more than him. "Hey, little farmer! How's it going? How's Fern?"

Jason turned and smiled as Gob came racing past, pulling along all the children behind him. "She's doing good! How about Charlotte?"

"She's wonderful!" Daniel beamed. "Six months old and she can already sit up! And crawl! And she's super excited to be a big sister! Just the greatest, biggest—"

Everyone around him froze and turned their attention to him, and he blinked. "I... I wasn't supposed to say that, was I?"

Viola simply beamed and placed her hands on her belly, which now that Jason looked at it, was slightly distended. Tess screamed just like she had done the first time, and Daniel elbowed Jason in the shoulder.

"How's that? I started a year after you, and now I've got two. That means I'm winning."

Jason scowled. "I thought you said that life wasn't a competition."

"Only when I'm losing," Daniel chuckled, then picked up Daniel in a bear hug. "Ahh, who am I kidding? Love you, little brother-in-law!"

Jason gasped desperately for air as Daniel seemed to try to squeeze him as flat as a pancake, but he soon enough came dropping back to the ground. Cecilia laughed at the sight, though Jason did see a bit of nervousness flickering across her face. Summer Shandy, as wonderful as it could be, was sometimes a bit of an acquired taste. She would get used to it, though, that much Jason was certain of.

The rest of that day was a merry one, consisting largely of simply talking with friends and family, and watching Gob wear out all the little

ones. It was odd... When Jason had first come to Summer Shandy, the part of the festivals that had enticed him had been all the chaos and entertainment, the music, the lights, the dancing... And now, he could just sit around and chat with old friends that he simply didn't get to see on many other occasions. Sure, there were still all the old externals. On that particular festival day, there were flowerpots galore, filled with more colors of flowers than Jason thought there were colors in the rainbow. Banners strung up across and between buildings were brightly colored as well, while the band struck up a tune that filled the air with a lovely, perky sort of melody.

Obadiah brought out the game tables a little bit after the noon meal, and a tournament soon began! Jason lost every game he played, though in due fairness, he did face Daniel on the first bracket of every tournament organized, and given that Daniel won each time, he didn't think it was really a fair expression of his talents.

In any case, it was a lovely time, and it only got better as the sun began to set, the band played louder and longer, and the feast was brought out. Turkeys, hams, roasts, chickens, there was enough food to feed a village... And that village certainly came. Fern wanted to sit next to Charlotte, and did her best to explain to the younger individual how exactly to use a fork. It didn't go terribly well, but it was entertaining to watch, almost more so than when Jeremiah had Gob juggle brightly colored balls while standing on one foot on top of the town well.

It was well into the evening before Jason and Tess decided to go home. Fern was handling staying up late far better than usual, though she had taken a good nap earlier that day after Gob had played tag with her for several hours. That said, she did fall asleep in Tess's arms as they rumbled back down the road toward the farmstead. Alice came along behind, dutifully plodding back to her own home, and Jason sighed.

Neither he nor Tess said a word as they approached the farm. A sixth year had come and gone in his new home. As always, there were issues that faced them, problems that he didn't know how they would solve, and a whole host of uncertainties on the horizon. That, though, was nothing new... And he knew that he would always find a way through it, as long as he stayed there, safe and sound, in Summer Shandy.