Casual far Ming

by Taylor and Laura

Farmer

1. Book 1

Chapter One – First Day on the Farm

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

Jason slowly rolled out of bed, whacking his alarm clock as hard as he could. It turned off obediently, and he climbed to his feet. The floorboards creaked under his weight, while a soft breeze blew through the broken window of his bedroom. He looked up as the large spiders scurried back out of his sight, hiding amongst their webs, and he sighed deeply.

"All right, then." He forced a smile. "Time to get to work!"

Putting a spring in his step, he walked over to his wardrobe and dressed quickly in his brand-new overalls. The brass buttons gleamed in the light of the early morning sun.

[Overall Stats: Durability: 100. Cleanliness: 100]

He smiled, then turned and walked out into the hallway of the enormous, two-story house. The hall stretched dozens of feet in either direction, with crooked portraits of his ancestors staring down at him from their dusty frames. He waved at one or two of them, then slowly began descending the stairs. These, he took quite slowly, as they creaked and groaned rather dangerously under his weight. More than a few mice squeaked at him, one or two brandishing swords before vanishing into their holes. He laughed down at them, though he knew that it would take an immense amount of work to clear the farm up.

That was okay, though. That was why he had come down from the immense capital city of Illumitir, wasn't it? To manage the farm, to get it back into working order?

As he walked into the kitchen, he grimaced slightly at the dust and grime that covered the tables, chairs, stove, and basically everything else. Trying to touch as little as possible, he pulled a pan out of the cupboard and set it on the stove.

"All right, what do we have to make for breakfast today?" He puffed out his cheeks.

In answer, a cookbook on the counter sprang to life and began flipping through its own pages. He stepped up to it, then frowned as he noticed that every single page was blank.

[Cookbook: Empty]

"Great." He scowled. "How do I get more recipes?"

[Cookbook: You cook.]

"Of course! That makes sense." He turned and opened up the pantry

door, which had been filled with the few supplies he had brought down from Illumitir. After a few moments of debate, he pulled out some oil and a few eggs, then tossed them all into the pan. Fire flared up inside the stove.

[Cookbook: Your combination of Oil Eggs was a success! Learned recipe: Fried Eggs.]

Jason ate the eggs quickly, washed his plate, and headed onto the farm.

As he stepped onto the front porch, the morning sun blazed down upon him, and a warm breeze blew across his face. He sighed deeply, inhaling the fresh smell of flowers, the odor of grass and soil and pollen, all the things he hadn't been able to experience in Illumitir. Stretching out beyond the chipped, white fence of his property were great expanses of rolling hills, dotted only sporadically by trees or shrubs. A few deer could be seen grazing on a small rise. A winding path ran in front of his house, making its long journey across the prairie. Off to his left, the rooftops of Summer Shandy could just be seen above the grass. To his right, he could see a few other farms, but little else. He walked down off the porch, turned, and gazed upon his own farm with expectant joy.

This, of course, is where the illusion of splendor ended. His heart sank slightly upon taking it all in. It was an eighty-acre farm, which was standard for those parts of the world. Not large, but a simple glance revealed that those eighty acres were... Well... Not exactly pristine. The ground hadn't yet been tilled, and he could see lumps, both large and small, rumbling back and forth across the open Earth. A large spiderweb came off the side of his home and stretched to the ground, though the beast that spun it was nowhere to be seen. He had no buildings other than his home, save a small storage shed that presumably held his tools.

"Howdy, neighbor!" A voice called from behind him. He turned to see a young man, perhaps only a few years beyond his own 24, riding up on a dazzling, black horse. The lines of the animal shimmered in the sun. It seemed that the entire frame of the horse was made from muscle. The man himself wore leather chaps and seemed to have quite the imposing

presence. "I have to say, you're not the type of person I was expecting to see moving in here."

Jason chuckled and walked up to the fence. He leaned upon it for a few seconds, though he stood up straighter as it wobbled dangerously. "I can't say that I'm the type of person I'd expect to see living here."

"You should have been here last night," the man remarked. "Big celebration, to mark the start of summer."

"I just got in last night. I heard the festivities but didn't know what they were." Jason apologized. "I... Did you know the man who was here before me?"

"Oh, yeah!" The man dismounted and strode up to the edge of the fence. "Crazy, old codger, that one. He liked all the little monsters running back and forth; I think they kept him company. You mark my word, if you don't have a good partner, you'll go half-crazy in this land."

Jason just chuckled. "They are kinda cute, especially the shrumps."

"Gotta agree with you there." The man nodded, then held out his hand. "My name's Jeremiah. My wife and I live just up the road, the Lazy- H ranch. If you ever need a hand, you just let me know. I've usually got a few actions to spare on any given day, and I suspect that you're going to need them."

"Thanks." Jason nodded gratefully and shook Jeremiah's hand. "Truth be told, I'm more than a little new to this. That old codger was my uncle." Jeremiah put a hand over his mouth, and Jason laughed. "Ahh, don't worry about it! We all thought he was crazy, too. When he died, I got the farm. A bit of a change sounded good to me, so... I took it."

"Well, you couldn't have come to a better town than Summer Shandy." Jeremiah grinned. "It's a quaint little place, and there's an old crypt on the north side of town that draws in a lot of warriors and adventurers from the bigger cities. Plenty of people, and we're all friendly."

"Thank you, again." Jason nodded. "I'm grateful for any tips you can give me."

"Order Tess's Almanac." Jeremiah answered. "It'll give you all the information you could hope to have for farming here, and it's updated daily."

"Thanks." Jason waved as Jeremiah climbed on his horse and rode away. Jason then sighed deeply and turned back to the farm.

It was true, he had apparently inherited the farm from his uncle, though he hadn't seen the man in years, and indeed hadn't even known for certain that he had died until the letter came in the mail. His family had told him simply to sell the land, but... Something inside him had urged him to come down to Summer Shandy, formally change his Class and Occupation, and... Well, here he was.

"All right, let's figure this out!" He walked up to the storage shed, making his way across the thick ground. The shed sat only a few feet away from the house, and it had become somewhat engulfed in the enormous spiderweb there. Jason got several long strands of the thick silk caught on his overalls, and he tugged himself away before opening the door.

[Farm Inventory:

Seeds: 3 potatoes, 4 carrot seeds, 20 tulip bulbs

Tools: 1 Flintlock pistol, 1 hoe, 1 watering can, 1 sword]

"That's not much." Jason shrugged and selected the hoe and the

pistol. As he started to walk out to the field itself, he frowned at the turmoil that the land had become.

To say that it was crawling with monsters would have been an understatement. Tufts of crabgrass skittered about on their roots, snapping at Jason, but not coming too close. Large shrumps (mushroom-creatures, about three feet tall, with wide, sad eyes) stared up at him. A few fallen logs lay near the further ends of his field, but he had no desire to awaken those yet.

"I'll start small." He took a deep breath. "After all, I've only got a few seeds. We'll make this work."

He reached the corner of the field, only a dozen or so feet from his house. A shrump stared up at him, blinking with its watery eyes.

"Sorry." Jason shrugged. "It's just got to be this way."

He equipped the pistol and pointed it at the shrump's cap. [Insufficient ammunition]

He scowled down at the pistol, then returned to the shed and came

back with the sword. Taking aim, he slashed the sword through the body of the shrump. It dissolved in a flurry of sparks, and several items fell to the ground.

[Obtained: 3 Shrump Meat]

"I wonder what that tastes like." Jason wondered, then swung his sword at a nearby crabgrass.

[Obtained: 1 Crabgrass Meat]

Around this time, the other monsters seemed to notice Jason's assault upon their territory. Dozens of crabgrasses lunged forward, while a few shrumps began to hop away, thump-thumping into the prairie grass around the farm. The crabgrasses were hardly a threat, though a few did manage to snap at his overalls.

[Overall Stats: Durability: 97. Cleanliness: 99]

Soon enough, the assault ceased. He rushed forward to finish off several of the shrumps before they could escape, then returned to the corner of the field. He unequipped the sword, brought out his hoe, and took a deep breath.

[Action Used: Hoe ground. Remaining actions: 35]

Jason frowned. A tiny patch of dirt had been torn up, perhaps two feet on each side. After a moment, he shrugged. He had to start somewhere, he supposed. He continued to strike at the ground several more times, hewing out a small area six feet on either side. It was a long shot from the eighty acres he had to cover, but it was something. He bent down and pulled out several potatoes, planting them as quickly as possible.

[Action Used: Plant Potatoes. Remaining actions: 20]

[Warning: Planting crops in an area without proper fences may result in monsters destroying the crop]

"Great." Jason paused, then shrugged. There was nothing to be done about it, that was for certain. He quickly hoed and planted, until he had a mere five actions left. That accomplished, he returned to the shed, took the watering can, and sprinkled the crops as best he could.

[Action Used: Water Crops. Remaining actions: 0]

With that, he sighed and de-equipped the watering can. It wasn't even yet mid-day, and he had done as much as was possible, at least on the farming side of things. The crops didn't look ready to pop from the ground, and that seemed to leave him with only one option: Draw his sword and do his best to eliminate as many of the monsters as possible. Surely that would make it more likely for his crops to survive... Right?

Did he have any idea what he was doing here, out on this farm in Summer Shandy? No. No, he did not... Yet, he was determined to figure it out.

Chapter Two – The Town of Summer Shandy

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

Jason once again rolled out of bed, feeling sore. He had spent most of the previous day hacking away at the monsters, which had never seemed to cease coming. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how many he slew, there were always more! Of course, he hadn't bothered approaching the fallen logs. No reason to wake them... Yet.

He dressed quickly [Overall stats: Durability: 91. Cleanliness: 75] and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. His stomach rumbled, but as he glanced out through the window, something caught his eye.

"Hey!" He burst from the front door, waving his arms and ignoring the picturesque sunrise. "Away from there!"

Several crabgrasses scampered away from the potatoes, where they had been happily jumping up and down. As he reached the crop, he sighed.

[Potato crop: Durability: 50. Water Saturation: 30. Time to Harvest: 26 hours]

[Carrot crop: Durability: 30. Water Saturation: 10. Time to Harvest: 49 hours]

Jason sighed deeply, then once again drew his sword and hacked away at the monsters until they retreated. That done, he slowly walked back into his house, though he kept an eye on the field quite closely. Nothing seemed eager to come back, which he supposed was good.

"All right, breakfast." He rubbed his hands together, smiling. "What do we have?"

[Pantry Inventory: 3 units flour

2 units oil

6 eggs

2 apples

12 shrump meat

128 crabgrass meat]

Jason frowned for a few seconds, then shrugged. "No time like the

present to try something new!"

He took a large lump of shrump meat and tossed it into the pan,

followed by one of his units of oil.

[Cookbook: Your combination of Shrump Meat Oil was a success!

New recipe learned: Fried Shrump Meat.]

He smiled and took the steaming hunk of meat off the stove, then

tried a bit. While it wasn't necessarily the worst thing he had ever tasted, it was certainly far from the best, and he fought for several moments to keep from gagging. As the urge passed, he sighed and dumped the meat into the trash, then looked at the cookbook.

"Make Fried Eggs."

Instantly, the stove flared to life, and the eggs appeared on a plate. He ate these quickly, then made his way back out onto the farm. A few crabgrasses had started to inch their way back toward the crops. He chased them away once more, then used a few of his actions to water the crops once again. By this time, the only seeds he had left were the tulip bulbs, and he didn't see an immense amount of value in planting them unless he had used up all the rest of his actions. Taking a deep breath and confirming that there wasn't really anything else he could do, he walked through the crooked front gate and struck out for Summer Shandy.

On a horse, the walk would likely have taken a matter of minutes, maybe half an hour at most. It wasn't far, only a mile or two, but without any faithful steed, well over an hour passed before Jason stumbled into the small, pristine community. He took a deep breath and glanced around, trying to soak it in.

The village was tiny, consisting of only four business, a jail, and a small cluster of houses. The houses seemed to be small farms themselves, complete with enormous gardens and even small livestock pens. At the center of the village was a well, which a number of women were visiting as they prepared for the morning. A few adventurers wandered back and forth, but otherwise, the town was still largely quiet as the morning began.

"Jason Hunter!" A loud voice boomed through the air. Jason spun as a man wearing light armor came striding up to him, a smile on his face.

"Good to have you here! Name's Constable Hank Ironback, I keep an eye on the good people of Summer Shandy."

"Good to be here." Jason frowned. "How did you know my name?"

"My office logs all real estate transfers. When we saw that the old Hunter place was up for inheritance. I have to say, we were all a bit surprised!" Hank boomed. "When you actually came into town, I think we were even more shocked! No one in their right mind, far as I'm concerned, would touch that place."

"Well, count me insane, then." Jason chuckled softly, then crossed his arms. "What can you tell me about Summer Shandy?"

"Everything you'd want to know!" Hank smiled and clapped Jason on the shoulder. HIs voice resounded across the buildings, causing a number of individuals to look their way. Jason was rapidly getting the feeling that Hank was the type of person who didn't mind being the center of attention. "I've been here ever since that crypt opened and people started streaming in. Sure, we're not as big as Blackfalls, what with their ancient temple and all, but... Well, we make do."

Jason nodded. "Indeed, it seems that way. Can you point me to the item shop? I need to make some inquiries about the farm and supplies. Oh! I also need to pick up something called Tess's Almanac?"

"Ahh, of course!" Hank grinned. "The item shop is right over there; it's the biggest one by far. You can buy Tess's Almanac inside, or you can buy it over at the Guild headquarters. Whichever suits your fancy, though I imagine that Tess wouldn't mind you buying it straight from her."

"Who's Tess?"

"She runs the Adventurer's Guild!" Hank slapped Jason on the back. "She's actually right about your age, and unmarried, too!"

Jason felt heat rising to his cheeks. "I'm just trying to run a farm, but thanks." He started walking away, toward the item shop. "Catch you around!"

Hank gave him a lazy wave of his hand, and Jason pressed on toward the store. It was a large, two-story building made from stone. Geometric stained-glass windows stood out brilliantly, and as Jason approached, the wooden door swung slowly open.

"Oh!" The woman inside exclaimed as he approached. "I've got early customers today! My apologies!"

Jason dipped his head. The woman was also seemingly in her mid- twenties, and she had allowed her hair to fall loosely around her shoulders. Brilliant blue eyes peered out from beneath her bangs, and her red dress swirled around her feet as she spun and walked back inside. Jason followed her inside, and he gasped in awe.

The store was enormous, filled from wall to wall with all sorts of... Well... Things. The section near the front seemed catered to adventurers, and sported a wide variety of swords, battle axes, shields, potions, crystals, spells, and more. He also caught a glimpse of a few pistols as well, along with powder and shot. He walked up and glanced at their price, though the currency didn't make an enormous amount of sense to him.

[Store: Price per unit Powder: 100 Shandys.]

[Insufficient Funds]

"Sorry, give me just one second!" The woman rushed through the

shop, her hair and dress trailing behind her as she rushed to and fro.

"Take your time!" Jason called out. "I'm in no hurry!"

He started walking toward the rear of the shop, where the farming

supplies seemed to be hanging. There were hoes, shovels, plows, axes, barrels, and a whole lot more. Racks upon racks of seeds stood tall, along with planting information and time until harvest. They all advertised, in brilliant colors: "Summer crops!" A smaller display off to the side held much smaller bins, which noted "Spring crops" and "Fall crops." Jason took it all in, and then the woman leapt down a set of stairs and came crashing into the counter. She dropped behind it and flashed a wide smile, beckoning him over.

"My apologies, again! I know the signs says open at nine, but no farmers ever get in that early because of chores, and the adventurers all usually stay out at the inn partying until the sun rises, so..."

She trailed off and blushed. "Sorry. My name's Paulina. Are you new in town, or just passing through?"

"New." Jason flashed a crooked grin as he approached the counter. "Name's Jason. I got the old Hunter place."

"No!" She yelped, then giggled. "Well, then, you'll need some of my fine farming potions! I've got brews that give you extra actions, bombs that will clear all the monsters off your farm in the blink of an eye, and-"

"Actually, what I could use most is money." Jason chuckled. "I brought down a bit of money from Illumitir, but not much, and it doesn't

seem to work here."

"Pass it over the counter and I'll exchange it." Paulina answered.

"Here, we use Shandy Scrit, or just shandys. Keeps us a little more independent, if you know what I mean."

Jason quickly emptied his pockets, and Paulina scooped up the money. She counted it into a drawer, then nodded.

"That'll be forty shandys, right back at you!"

A loud clink echoed through the air, and Jason felt the money appear in his pocket.

"Perfect." He crossed his arms. "Any chance that can buy a fence?" Paulina just laughed. "You're going to want Tess's Almanac, I think!" "That's what I've been told."

"A subscription for the summer is ten shandys, or thirty for a year." Jason shook his head. "I can't afford that. Just the summer, for now." [Item acquired: Tess's Almanac. Automatic updates on the weather,

and tips for planting crops, will now be delivered to you, daily.]

[Remaining Money: 30 shandys.]

"All right, then." Jason clapped his hands. "What, in your estimation,

would be the most important thing for me to buy here?"

"Hmm." Paulina stroked her chin, then walked out from behind the

counter. She led him over to the display of seeds and started perusing them. "Beans are going to be a good starter for you. They sell cheap, but they mature in a single day, and you can get multiple harvests before you have to re-plant. Eventually, you'll want to work your way up to wheat, corn, and sorghum, but that'll be once you're a bit more established."

Jason nodded slowly. "How do I increase my production? As is, I can barely get anything in the ground before I use up my actions."

Paulina shrugged. "First thing, till up a bit more ground every day. It stays tilled even after harvesting the plants in it, so you don't have to keep wasting actions on it. Second, you'll eventually want to purchase a horse, plow, and other such items for mass production."

"Do I even want to ask how much those are?"

Tess frowned. "You pretty much have to purchase the whole set before you can start using any of it. Close to a hundred thousand shandys, I think, but I'd have to check my catalogue for sure."

"A hundred-" Jason let out a long whistle, then shrugged. "Well, guess I'd better get some beans planted! How many will 30 shandys buy?"

"They're two a packet, so fifteen." Paulina picked up a few of the beans and dropped them into a bag. "That said, I'd highly suggest you buy some oil and a rag for your sword. It'll keep the durability higher. If your weapon goes, you won't have any way to defend yourself or your crops."

"I'll do that." Jason nodded gratefully. "Thanks." A few minutes later, the transaction was done. [Item acquired: 5 Bean seeds]

[Item acquired: Dirty rag]

[Item acquired: 3 Sword oil]

[Remaining Money: 1 shandy]

"One final thing." Paulina spoke up as he walked up to the door.

"We'll need to get you set up on the collection run. I'll have a box delivered to your home. Just drop in vegetables and such when you're ready to sell them, and they'll be taken away early in the morning. Shandys get deposited straight into your account."

Jason thanked her again, and with that, he walked out of the shop, casting one last look at Paulina. She waved at him as he departed, and he waved back. As he started to walk away and back to the road, he paused. People kept mentioning Tess and the Adventurer's Guild. It might not hurt to go check it out before he made his way back home.

With that, he turned and struck off toward the Guild Hall. It was a long and low building, made from mud bricks and covered in a wooden roof. A sign on the door read "Open," but no light seemed to shine from the darkened windows. Jason frowned, then slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Hey! Keep the draft out!" A mumbled voice rose from... Well, from somewhere within the darkened interior. Jason frowned, but he was able to see a bit more as his eyes adjusted.

The Guild Hall was simple and seemed to consist of a single room that spanned nearly the entire length of the building. It was filled with couches, chairs, and tables, and a low-burning fire crackled in a hearth at the far end. Warriors and adventurers, all still clad in armor, lay sprawled here and there throughout the area. Several cats jumped between them, eating scraps of food that had fallen to the ground. Overhead, a darkened chandelier hung from rusty chains and swayed slightly in the breeze.

"Who's there?" A woman walked through a doorway near the hearth. She wore shining, light armor emblazoned with the severed head of dragon,

and she had fire in her eyes. Her brown hair was pulled tightly behind her head in a ponytail, and she zeroed in on Jason in an instant.

"You? What are you doing here?" She came striding across the floor, and soon came up to stare him in the eyes.

"I... Came by to say hello?" Jason held up his hands. "New in town, and all that. It's always good to meet adventurers, since you never know when your farm will need protection, and-"

"Ahh! A farmer." Tess crossed her arms. "Well, let me explain the rules of this place to you. First and foremost, no noise before noon, bare minimum. One or two in the afternoon would be better. Secondly, no one outside the guild is allowed inside this hall except on guild business. If you're here to inquire about purchases, selling to guild members, hiring guild members, or any other inquiry, my office is located on that end of the building." She pointed down at the door. "Any other questions?"

Her tone made it sound like she wasn't actually interested in answering said questions, but Jason decided to ask one anyway. "What types of things do you buy?"

Tess's face became a mask of anger. "Out! Now!"

Jason held up his hands in a defensive position, then turned and walked away. A moment later he was again out on the street, and he sighed. Hank laughed loudly from where he sat at the town well, and Jason scowled at him.

"Could have warned me!"

"Ahh, she'll forget about it." Hank waved his hand dismissively. "She'll be mad at me, if anything."

"Sure hope so." Jason sighed, then started to walk back toward the road. Before he left, he cast one final look at the town, specifically, at the last two buildings.

The Inn stood just across the town square from the item shop and rose to a height of three stories (though it wasn't nearly as wide as the item shop, and certainly not as broad as the Guild Hall). A thatched roof gave the location a quaint look, which was only encouraged by the flowers blooming in the windows. Across the square from the Guild Hall, there was the final business, one that seemed to be the smallest of all. A sign over the door labeled it as a healing den. It was simple, made of stone and nothing more, and sported only a few small, dusty windows. Jason rather hoped that he would never have to go there.

With that, he set back out on the road toward home. It seemed a welcoming enough community, and one that he imagined that he would soon grow to enjoy.

He had moved to Summer Shandy... Now, all he had to do was figure out how to farm.

Chapter Three – Tess's Almanac

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

As Jason made his way down the stairs, he yawned and stretched. Today, he didn't even bother glancing out the window, he just grabbed his sword and rushed out onto the porch. The sun was just starting to rise, and so were the crabgrasses.

[Tess's Almanac: 3rd day of Summer! 88 days until the Summer Festival. Expect clear skies and warm weather, though you'll want to prepare for a storm this weekend.]

Jason ignored this advice, however, and zeroed in on the monsters threatening his garden.

"Hey!" He yelled as he rushed forward. "Git!"

The small monsters skittered away, and he jumped at them. He cut two of them in half, then sighed and turned back to his potatoes and carrots, along with the beans that he had planted after returning from Summer Shandy.

[Potato crop: Durability: 10. Water Saturation: 20. Time to Harvest: 2 hours]

[Carrot crop: Durability: 3. Water Saturation: 1. Time to Harvest: 25 hours]

[Bean crop: Durability: 70. Water Saturation: 5. Time to Harvest: 4 hours]

"Well, that's..." Jason sighed. "That's something."

Still dressed his nightgown, he walked over to the storage shed and brought out the watering can.

[Action Used: Watering. Actions remaining: 34. Water Saturation of all crops: 100]

Jason nodded, kicked at another crabgrass, and walked back into his house. He changed clothes into his overalls, noticing with dismay that small rips and tears were already beginning to show, and dark stains were appearing on his elbows and knees. He didn't know exactly how to wash them, but he imagined that he would need to find out.

At that exact moment, his stomach grumbled, and he walked into the kitchen. He flipped open the cookbook but found only recipes for fried... Things. After a moment, he opened up his pantry.

[Pantry Inventory: 3 units flour

2 eggs

2 apples

10 shrump meat

279 crabgrass meat]

"Right." He sighed, set a pan on the stove, and shrugged. "Guess

we'll experiment."

He quickly tossed the two eggs, two apples, and a unit of flour onto

the stove.

[Cookbook: Your combination of 2 eggs 2 apples 1 flour has

failed]

"Great." He frowned, then tried again. This time, he used flour and

another shrump meat.

[Cookbook: Your combination of 1 flour 1 shrump meat has

succeeded! New recipe learned: Breaded Shrump]

As has been the case the day before, it tasted terrible, but there was

little that he could do about it. He gulped the meat down, then raced outside. Several more crabgrasses were nearing his carrots, and he chased them away.

"I've got to get a fence," he muttered. "How to... How to build a fence?"

Unfortunately, there were many, many things required to build a fence that he sorely lacked. First and foremost was, of course, wood. After that, he also had no nails, hammers, shovels for digging post holes, or anything else. He continued to mull over the problem for a few long moments, then brightened.

He walked quickly back out to the front of his house, where the road passed by his yard. The fence there leaned dangerously... But it was, indeed, still a fence. It took little effort to pull a small section up out of the ground, though it took a great deal more energy to haul it over to the garden. Upon reaching the spot, he used the hoe to carve out a small depression in the ground (which, of course, took two actions), then a second one. He dropped the rotting fence posts into place, then stood back and

smiled at his rather wobbly fence. A crabgrass came up and bumped against it.

[Fence stats: Durability: 20]

"As long as it holds for a short time." Jason sighed, then walked over and pulled up several more sections of the fence. He stuck them into place as well, finishing just as Jeremiah came riding by on his horse.

"Howdy, neighbor! What are you up to... Oh!" Jeremiah laughed and hopped off the horse, slowly walking over to join Jason next to his garden. "I remember when I had to do the same thing. I think I broke apart a wagon wheel, then stuck the pieces into the ground until the monsters started registering a fence there. Desperate times, for sure."

"You can say that again." Jason sighed deeply. He checked the time on the potatoes, pleased that they were nearly ready for harvest. "This ought to help me sleep a little better."

"Always a good thing." Jeremiah smiled. "Well, like I said, the offer's always open if you need it. I'm heading into town to buy a few more head of livestock. If you're ever ready for that, we can go in together on an order. Cheaper that way."

"I'll do that." Jason assured him. "You've been more than kind."

Jeremiah just gave a small wave, then turned and walked back to his horse. He mounted up and rode away, galloping down the road in a cloud of dust. As he went, Jason noticed a small cart rumbling up from town, and frowned in curiosity. Still, it could have been anyone, and in the end, he paid it very little mind as he went to work hacking at crabgrass. A few shrumps had moved back into the garden, as well, though they started hopping away as soon as they saw him approaching.

This time, though, as Jason hacked away at the last shrump, something hissed down by his feet. He glanced at the ground, where he saw a long vine covered in sharp thorns slithering along the ground. It sported a purple, crown-shaped flower where a snake's head might otherwise be, and it hissed at Jason before lunging at him.

Jason slashed down with his sword, cutting the creature in half. The two pieces of vine writhed across the ground before slowing and coming to dead halts.

[Item acquired: Histle Meat]

"That's a new one." Jason muttered, then returned to his fence. A few more crabgrasses were throwing themselves against it, and he once more

killed them all. By now, the cart had nearly reached the homestead, allowing Jason to see that it was carrying an enormous box. It came to a halt just in front of the house, and two men climbed down from the wagon box.

"You're Jason?" One of them asked as Jason approached.

"That's me." Jason gave a small nod. "What's this?"

"Collection box." The man answered. "Just dump your crops in

throughout the day. We pick them up about five o'clock in the morning." Jason inclined his head. "Thank-"

The men had already climbed back up onto the wagon and snapped

the reigns. They rumbled off, and Jason watched them go. Quite suddenly, a loud ding echoed through the air.

[Crop is ready for harvest: Potatoes]

Jason ran back to the garden, hopped the fence, and bent over the potatoes.

[Action Used: Harvest. Actions Remaining: 19]

[Items acquired: 12 potatoes]

"Nice! I'll have to get a baked potato added to the recipe book later"

He mutter. He considered placing them in the collection bin, but he decided to wait. Instead, he walked over to the cobweb that hung from his home and spent a few long minutes hacking away at the string, trying to clear it away. He made very little progress, but he did succeed in freeing the storage shed. He had just finished, and sat down gasping, when another bell rang through the air.

[Crop is ready for harvest: Beans]

He returned to the garden and performed the same action as before. [Action Used: Harvest. Actions Remaining: 18]

[Items acquired: 25 beans]

At that, he let out a whistle. The potatoes, after growing for two full

days, had produced three new potatoes for every one he had sewn. The beans, after growing for only one day, had produced five new seeds for him to use.

There were still about three tracks of land, now fenced off, that weren't yet hoed up. He quickly grabbed his hoe and rectified this fact, then planted all the new plots, as well as the plots that had once held potatoes, with beans. This left him with fifteen beans left over, and he happily made his way over to the collection bin. Though he knew it wasn't really much of

anything, he still felt his heart swell with importance as he dumped ten of the potatoes and all the beans into the collection bin.

That done, he turned his attention back to the matter at hand: Getting more ground ready. He utilized six more actions watering the garden, then used up the rest hoeing up more territory. Crabgrasses quickly began to skitter across the freshly turned ground, and after killing them, he stroked his chin.

He needed more wood... How to get it? He couldn't yet afford to buy it outright, which meant...

His gaze slowly fell upon the fallen logs, much further out in his field. He took a long breath, then drew his sword and began stalking across the ground. Their blooms varying among purple, yellow, and white, several histles approached him, and he killed them as quickly as possible. As he got closer, one of the logs began to stir. He heard a great rumble, and he took a deep breath.

"Hi-ya!"

He rushed forward and stabbed his sword deep into the fallen log. With a rumble, the log began to move. It rolled onto its back, revealing a scarred face that glared up at him. The bottom portion of the log broke into two long legs, while two snaggy branches snapped up from the sides of the beast. It climbed to its feet slowly, and Jason pulled the sword out and staggered back.

"Good fallen log," Jason soothed as the wound began to drip sap. "Good-"

"AAAHHHRG!!!"

The golem rushed forward, waving its arms wildly. Jason struck at it again, only to be knocked backward as it simply slammed into him. He fell to the ground, and the golem snarled and clawed at his face. He slashed upward with the sword, cutting off one of the arms, then stabbed it in the side once again. The beast bellowed once more and staggered back, ripping the sword from Jason's grasp. He could only stretch out his arm and grasp at the air as the golem gathered itself. Quite suddenly, the beast looked up and met Jason's eyes, and he knew he was in trouble.

Had there been any onlookers, they might have found it humorous to see a boy, as old and mature as Jason, racing across a field with his arms pinwheeling in fear. The golem was right behind him, at least for several long steps, though it eventually slowed and let out a long moan. Finally, it

turned and stomped back to its resting place, where it once again lay down. Jason sighed as he watched his sword sticking up into the air from the side of the creature, so close, and yet so far out of his reach.

Oh, well. He had done his best; he would just have to try again! He had crops in the bin, and more crops on the way. What more could go

Chapter Four – A Gift! Not a Loan, Basic Cooking Starter Set

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

Jason yawned and rose slowly. A cold wind blew through the cracked window, and he sighed and walked up to look out. A dark cloud stood on the horizon, complete with distant flashes of light and a dull rumble of thunder.

"I'll need to get that repaired soon." He frowned in thought, then made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. His recipe book flipped open, and he snapped his fingers.

"Baked Potato."

There was a soft crackle of flames, and a plate complete with a baked potato sat upon the table. He sat down to eat and called up Tess's Almanac.

[Tess's Almanac: 15th day of Summer! 76 days until the Summer Festival. Expect a thunderstorm to strike around noon. If you've got outdoor work to get done, better do it fast!]

Jason ate the potato quickly, then glanced into his pantry. [Pantry Inventory:

1 unit flour

25 potatoes

25 shrump meat

952 crabgrass meat

102 histle meat]

"Nothing fancy, but it'll keep me alive." He nodded, then rushed out

onto the front porch.

[Tess's Almanac: You are still wearing your nightclothes.]

"Right." Jason turned around, rushed back inside, and changed into

his overalls. As he looked at the stained and torn articles, he grimaced. [Overall Stats: Durability: 20. Cleanliness: 15]

He sighed and pulled the clothes on, then rushed outside. A group of crabgrasses and histles were smashing themselves against the fence, desperately trying to get through. In the two weeks since he had arrived, he had managed to build up a bit more fence. It wasn't fancy, but it kept the monsters back. He quickly began hacking away at the crabgrass, surprised at how many of them there were. Quite suddenly, a chime echoed across the farmstead.

[Achievement reached: Hoarder: Obtain 1,000 of one single type of item]

Jason laughed at that, then continued until the crabgrasses and histles had been cleared away. He rather missed the shrumps, but none of them had made an appearance in well over a week. Meanwhile, his sword could still be seen sticking up out of the fallen log, which hadn't moved since his attempted assault against it. He had been forced to purchase a new sword, one of the cheapest models that Paulina sold. It did the job, sure, but the hilt was bound rather oddly and gave his hand blisters.

As soon as the monsters had all been cleared away, he hopped over the fence and harvested all the beans. The carrots had proved an utter disappointment, producing only two carrots for every seed he had planted, and while they certainly did sell quite well, he had no desire to suffer the anxiety of keeping plants alive for so long.

[Items acquired: 125 beans]

He quickly jumped back out of the fenced area, then strode over to the collection bin and dumped in his crop. As he did so, the money earned from the previous day was transferred into his account.

[Money Earned from Sale of Crops: 625 shandys]

It wasn't a lot, but it was something. Jason had quickly learned that a single potato sold for 40 shandys, a carrot sold for 90, and every bean sold for 5. He hadn't yet done the math to see which one technically produced the most bang for his buck, but he was content with the relatively simple process of harvesting the beans, as well as the extra actions it afforded him.

All that done, he took a deep breath and glanced at his account. [Remaining Money: 5,221 shandys]

"Not bad, not bad." He nodded, then set off for the road. The storm

was growing closer and closer, and he knew that it would soon be raining. It was a good day to go into town, especially if he wouldn't be able to do a lot

of farming. He needed more supplies, and now that he had a bit of money, he might actually be able to buy something worthwhile.

He trudged up the road as quickly as he could go, making good time. No other farms stood between himself and Summer Shandy, which meant that he had no one to wave at almost the entire way. As he approached the village, he saw the villagers rushing about, glancing nervously at the sky and otherwise seeming just to try to stay inside. Doors were shut, windows were barred. He frowned in confusion and shrugged as he walked toward the item shop.

Craaaaaaaack!

A powerful bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, and a deluge of water came pouring down. Jason had a single moment to blink before he was engulfed and soaked to the skin. The last few doors all slammed shut, and he trudged through the growing puddles to the door of Paulina's store.

The door jingled as he walked inside. She looked up and gasped, then laughed. It was a powerful, fairy-like laugh, and he couldn't help chuckling, either.

"Oh, you poor thing!" She grabbed some towels from beneath the counter and rushed forward. He took the towels and began drying himself off, belatedly realizing that he hadn't managed to patch up the window in his room. That would make for an interesting evening, but he supposed there was nothing he could do about it.

"Sorry for... Ahh... Dripping on your floor." He apologized as he wiped up the last of the liquid.

"Don't apologize!" She laughed again. "You couldn't have known about the storms here. They're nasty things! Don't want to get caught up in one."

"You can say that again." He muttered as he walked up to the stained- glass window. It was hard to see through, but even behind the yellow tint, he could see the roads rapidly filling up with running water. "My crops will be okay, won't they?"

"Of course! As long as the wind doesn't start to blow, you'll be fine." Paulina assured him. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"First off, if you had any more wood scraps, I'd be much obliged." Jason turned away from the window and walked back toward the counter. "They've helped me more than you could know."

"I haven't gotten a new shipment of lumber from the mill, but I'll let you know just as soon as I do." Paulina answered. "Word on the street is that they're doing some sort of major construction project up in Illumitir, but I couldn't tell you what it is. Wood's going to be a bit harder to come by in these parts, at least for the time being."

"Good to know." Jason stroked his chin. "Well, I'm getting some money together. Figured that since you shot straight with me last time, you might give me some more advice. I'm thinking that I need more fence. What's your thought?"

"You do." Paulina nodded slowly. "First, though, you need to be able to harvest a larger area with fewer actions. You'll eventually want to get horse-drawn everything, of course, but to start with..." She walked from behind the counter over to the farming tools. Jason followed, eager to see what she might have. "Here. You probably have a wooden hoe right now. Take this iron one; it'll cover a much larger area at once. Then, you'll want a sickle. It can harvest multiple crops at once, everything within its area of effect. Before you ask, no, it won't cut down any permanent crops. The bean plants will stay standing, all of that. It's an investment, to be sure, but you'll have loads more actions."

Jason nodded slowly. "You wouldn't happen to have some larger watering cans to go with that, would you? And maybe a shovel?"

Paulina nodded. A few minutes later, the items all lay in a heap on the counter. Paulina walked behind and started tallying something in a notebook, then nodded.

"There we go. That'll come to 2,782 shandys."

"Done." Jason nodded, and the items vanished.

[Remaining money: 2,439 shandys]

"And with that, you're well on your way." Paulina nodded.

"Thanks." Jason sighed deeply, then walked up to the door. A single

peek outside revealed that the rain, far from letting up, was still coming down just as hard. On the bright side, though, his overalls were now displaying [Cleanliness: 52]. "I don't suppose you'd know how much it would cost to get someone to come out and kill a fallen log for me? Maybe a few, for that matter."

"Depends on what mood Tess is in." Paulina winced. "Show up before lunch, and you're just as likely to get your head hacked off with her broadsword."

"That's what I was afraid of." Jason shrugged. "Well, thanks for everything! I'll be back, probably in a few weeks."

Paulina nodded, then frowned. "What do you have for cooking utensils up there?"

Jason grimaced. "Not a great deal. I feel bad spending money on food, though, when-"

"Oh, bother the cost." Paulina scowled at me. "A good meal makes you a better farmer, and that's the stuff of it! Better than anything, really. If you're hungry and dissatisfied, you won't be able to think, much less farm. Come here."

She turned and stomped back into the store. Jason followed, a bit tentative. She took him through a small doorway just past the farming tools, into a proper supermarket. There were all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and even meats. Some were already prepared into meals, and the smells made his stomach rumble. Paulina must have heard it as well, and she laughed.

"All right, farmer boy. Here. Take a few of each of these." She shoved a few tomatoes, peppers, and apples into his arms. "Store: Initiate transfer. Gift. Also, add the 'Basic Cooking Starter Set.'"

A loud ding echoed through the store, and a number of [New Item Acquired] notifications appeared. Jason blinked as he read them all, then smiled.

"Paulina, I-"

"Hey, it's a loan." She crossed her arms. "The starter set contains a handful of recipes that I think you'll find useful. I expect you to make one of them for me, sometime. Also, make sure you don't just eat the tomatoes and peppers and discard the seeds. Or the apple, for that matter. Plant them. They'll be a step above what you're currently producing."

Jason felt something swell within his chest, and he nodded. "I..." "Off with you, now! Don't get all sentimental on me."

Jason could only nod, and he walked quickly back through the store

to the front door. He opened it and started to step outside, only to find that the rain was coming down even harder than ever. A cold spray splattered up onto him from the street, and he shivered.

"Come on." He whispered. "Man up."

He took a long, deep breath... Then stepped out into the pouring rain. To his distinct surprise, he didn't get wet. A glance to his side revealed Paulina there, holding an umbrella over his head. She handed it to him, and

he took it gratefully. She then turned and locked the door and gestured at the road.

"I'm not going to have any customers coming by today, anyway. Might as well come see what you've managed to do with the place so far and see if I can help."

Jason could say nothing, but merely smiled. The two of them set off, slogging through the rivers of water that were now pouring across the cobblestone path. The road became muddy as they left the cobblestone at the edge of town and started making their way down the road, but he didn't feel a bit of the mud. Paulina seemed to glow like the sun, radiant in every sense of the word. The rain pounded so hard on top of the umbrella that it was practically impossible to speak, and they said little as they made their way down the road.

As they arrived at the farm, Jason cast a look across the fields. The crabgrasses, at least from what he could see, had hunkered together in large mounds, and weren't really trying to do any damage. The histles were nowhere to be seen, and the fallen logs still didn't seem intent on moving. His little garden, though, was thriving in the rain. Leaves were upturned, giving them the appearance of happiness. Of course, they were the only part of the farm that looked happy (and the spiderweb, despite his best efforts, had once again spread from the side of his home onto the storage shed). Still, it was something, a flash of green amidst desolation.

"Alright, now!" Paulina called out. "Let's get this place spruced up a bit!"

Together, they walked onto the narrow sidewalk that led up to the house.

[Inclement weather: All Farming Actions are prohibited until the storm goes away.]

[Companion: Your new companion has been given 10 bonus actions for the day, and you have been granted 5.]

"What a day to get bonus actions." Jason muttered.

"You'll use them, you'll use them!" Paulina grinned. "Come on! Grab those flowerpots!"

She pointed to several empty pots along the front of the house. Jason grabbed them as she walked up onto the porch and into the home. For a long moment, Jason stared up at the forlorn, stone exterior of the home. In

many ways, it resembled Paulina's own store. He hoped, in some small way, that she would like what he had there.

As he brought the pots inside, he smelled something sizzling on the stove. After putting the pots down in the living room, Jason smiled, walked into the kitchen, and found Paulina happily working over the stove. A number of shiny new items stood on the kitchen counter: Measuring cups and pots and pans and all sorts of other items.

[Cookbook: Your combination of flour water was successful! Learned recipe: Bread]

"I'm just adding a few things to your cookbook," she explained. "Looks like you need it."

He chuckled. "I should have bought more oil while I was at your store. Baked stuff is fine, but-"

"Just because combining oil with everything produces a fried version of that thing, doesn't mean you have to do it." Paulina answered with more than a bit of snark. "And... Viola! We'll get to work after lunch."

The table was suddenly set, complete with forks, knives, cups, plates, the whole works! A dish appeared at the center: A loaf of bread with Basted Beef Tips. Jason checked the recipe.

[Basted Beef Tips: Beef Shrump Meat Potato Water Wine]

"Never underestimate the value of putting water into your recipes." Paulina pointed a finger at him. "Oil tastes better, but water will usually produce better results."

"I'll keep that in mind." Jason nodded, then sighed. "Thank you. I know I say that a lot-"

"You do."

"I just feel so lost here." Jason shrugged. "You've been so willing to help me. It's just... Nice."

"You want to talk to someone who's nice, you head down to the Lazy-H Ranch." Paulina gestured vaguely with her fork. "Jeremiah? He'd give the shirt off his back to the man who just stole his pants. He's a good man to know, let me tell you."

"I've met him." Jason murmured as he tucked into the meal.

They ate largely in silence, with Paulina asking a handful of questions about Jason's past life (it wasn't terribly interesting), and Jason asking a bit about hers. She didn't reveal much, save that she had come from a large family who lived in a major country overseas, and had come to Summer

Shandy to get away from it all. When they finished eating, Jason looked at his new friend quizzically.

"I just... Why do you do... What you do? What made you get a store?"

Paulina shrugged. "I just like helping people, I guess. Makes me feel good, you know?"

"Yeah." Jason murmured, then blinked. "Well, truth be told, I've been the one needing help quite a lot recently, so..."

They both laughed. She rose and led the way into the living room. As they arrived, Jason lit a torch from the stove and got a fire going in the hearth, giving them a bit more light to work with. Paulina frowned down at the pots, all of which still had a bit of soil left in them, and nodded.

"These will have to do. I saw tulip bulbs in the inventory of your farm. They're technically spring plants, but they'll work well enough."

With that, she set to work, and had soon used up several of her actions planting the bulbs into the pots. Jason joined her, and they soon had all ten pots filled. As soon as they were finished, they took the pots outside and set them again, at the front of the house, in the pouring rain.

About that time, a steady drip-drip began to echo through the living room, and Jason groaned. He ran past Paulina and dashed up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and burst out into his bedroom. To his immense annoyance, a proper pool of water now stood upon the floor, while more poured through the window.

"Oh!" Paulina squeaked as she stepped into the room. "You should have told me you needed... This!"

"I kinda forgot." Jason scratched the back of his neck. "I don't suppose you sell any glass at your store, or..."

Paulina pushed past him, splashing through the water until she reached the window.

"Class Ability: Minor Repair."

A bright, twinkling noise filled the room, and the splashing of rainwater in the puddle was transformed into a soft patter of rain upon the windows. Jason blinked, then looked down at his hands.

"How do I learn how to do that?" "What level are you?"

[Class: Farmer. Level: 2]

Jason blinked. He hadn't even realized that he was a level 2; he would have assumed that he was still stuck firmly on one.

"I think it becomes available at level... Five?" Paulina pondered. "I'd have to check for sure. I've been doing the whole 'merchant' thing for a while now, ever since I was a kid, so I've got quite a bit of experience up my sleeve."

"Seems like it." Jason sighed.

He walked back down the stairs and began gathering some towels out of a linen closet. The rest of that day was spent wandering around the house, largely just doing odd jobs that he had been putting off because of the farm. Paulina delved into his basement and found =cleaning supplies, including a bucket and washboard with which to clean his clothes, which he appreciated. They also straightened and cleaned all the portraits, though Jason didn't have the foggiest idea who most of the people were. Finally, as the sun began to set and the rain slowly let off, Jason and Paulina walked back out onto the porch.

In the distance, thunder rumbled softly. The sky in that direction was a deep blue, marked by the handful of puffy, billowing white clouds that followed the storm. A fresh, new smell filled the air, the smell of rain. The smell of life.

"Thank you for today, Jason." Paulina turned and looked at him, a smile on her face. "It's been a while since I got out of the store. I know it was a lot of work, but I had fun."

Jason smiled back. "You know... I did, too."

They sighed deeply, together, and Paulina turned to leave. She splashed through the puddles and went up the road, back toward Summer Shandy and her home. With that, Jason went back inside, though he watched her through a window for a good, long time.

Indeed, he had enjoyed the day... And he couldn't wait until he was next given an opportunity to head into the town.

Chapter Five – Don't Forget the Blueberries

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

Jason leapt from his bed as the early-morning light from the sun began to shimmer through the curtains. He sighed deeply, then walked to his wardrobe and changed clothes.

[Overall stats: Durability: 80. Cleanliness: 99]

He smiled more broadly as he glanced at the small row of overalls that now hung there. He could change into a new pair every day and only have to do laundry once a week! It was a small thing, something that other people might simply have expected, but he still found himself amazed. He quickly walked down the stairs and came into the kitchen, where he glanced first and foremost at Tess's Almanac.

[Tess's Almanac: 40th day of Summer! 51 days until the Summer Festival. Expect a bright and sunny day, but beware! Winds are brewing and will likely strike before sunset. Make sure that all non-perennial crops have been harvested, and either sold or brought indoors.]

"Wind." Jason murmured. "If it's anything like the rain, that'll be something else."

There was no answer, and he turned to his pantry. [Pantry Inventory:

20 units flour

8 units oil

15 units salt 12 potatoes 3 peppers 30 tomatoes 11 onions

5 eggs

105 shrump meat 4,527 crabgrass meat

418 histle meat]

He still hadn't found any true, practical use for the monster meats, save perhaps a source of disgusting, though necessary, nutrition through the winter season. He glanced at his cookbook, scanned his growing list of recipes, and nodded.

"Make an omelet."

With a flash, two eggs were cooked, along with several slices of onion and a few slices of pepper. He added a dash of salt, then ate the meal quickly and set out into the farm. The rising sun cast brilliant light upon his front porch, and he sighed deeply.

Quite suddenly, a number of loud dings began to echo across the prairie, and he was informed that the majority of his crops were ready to harvest. He walked to the storage shed and selected a sickle, then made his way up to his ever-expending garden.

Over the previous month, especially after he got the new tools from Paulina, he had made extraordinary strides in expanding his garden. It was now nearly a hundred feet on every side, and much of the fence actually consisted of rails, connected to posts that had been driven into the ground. This was a vast improvement over the small bits and pieces of scrap wood that Jason had previously been haphazardly jamming into the soil. Dozens of crabgrasses assailed themselves against the fence but made no headway. Meanwhile, two small apple trees grew between the house and the road, though Paulina had told him that it would be a full year before either of them began producing fruit.

"All right, all right." Jason climbed over the fence and held up the sickle. For a few moments, he gazed down at the crops. While beans still comprised perhaps half of his garden, they now grew alongside crops of potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, onions, lettuce and a brand-new sprig of wheat growing in the corner. He sold all the lettuce he produced, keeping none for his pantry. The wheat was of a particular interest to him, as it took the better part of a week to grow, but it produced anywhere between thirty and a hundred new wheat kernels for every seed sewn, kernels that could be sold at quite a large price. Of course, the simple planting of these seeds had brought in... Well...

Something new.

"Hey!" Jason scowled as something began butting against the fence on the far side of the garden. He grabbed his sword, jumped back over the

fence, and raced around the outside of the perimeter. There, an enormous shock of razorgrass was slashing a myriad of tentacle-like blades of grass upon the fence. Blades that were as sharp as... well... razors.

Jason stabbed down at the creature, but it jumped back too quickly. He then struck a second time, but the little monster just scurried around on its root-like legs, narrowly avoiding the thrust. A third attack seemed to be striking home, but the razorgrass parried his sword, then turned and scurried away into the surrounding grass of the prairie.

Jason watched it go, then turned back to his garden. The fence had been damaged, though not too badly. Several sprigs of crabgrass came scampering up to try and climb over, along with a few histles. He watched the commotion for a few moments, then shrugged and proceeded to walk the perimeter, killing several dozen monsters and thinning out the group of beasts. It was a never-ending job, that was for certain. One single day away from it, and he'd regret it, that was for sure.

During this process, a few more dings came in to tell him that more crops were ready for harvest. He glanced at the sky, and while he didn't see any clouds, he didn't exactly know what wind would look like, at least as far as the sky and general weather patterns were concerned. The almanac had been quite clear: Get everything out of the ground that wasn't a perennial. This meant that his beans, tomato plants, and peppers would be fine, but his lettuce, onions, and... quite sadly... his wheat would have to go.

"You'd better be right about this, Tess." Jason muttered, climbing back inside. He was able to harvest the entire field in two swings of his sickle, and he increased the inventory of his storage shed by an immense amount. His wheat seeds came popping back up out of the ground, unharmed, but also now utterly reset. When he planted them again, it would take another full week for them to grow. Still, they hadn't been cheap, and it was better than losing the seeds altogether.

With that, he walked over to the collection bin and deposited the entire harvested crop (sans a few lettuce and onion seeds, and, of course, the wheat seeds). His payment from the previous day came back at almost five thousand shandys.

[Remaining money: 51,966 shandys]

"Not bad!" Jason grinned broadly. He tried to remember what the prices were in Paulina's store, then set another glance at the sky. Nothing

revealed itself, and he turned his attention to the garden. A razorgrass could be seen among the prairie grasses, vanishing into the distance. It was apparently no longer interested in him, which was a fortunate turn of events. He would have to get a stronger sword.

A stronger sword... A stronger fence... The list of things he needed to buy was rapidly growing longer, but such was life. He struck out for town, whistling under his breath. As he went along, the clop-clop of horse hooves echoed on the dirt, and he turned to see Jeremiah gliding up beside him.

"Howdy!" Jeremiah called down. "You heading into Summer Shandy?"

Jason nodded. "I've got a few things to take care of."

"Well, you've certainly got that place looking a heap better than it ever looked before you showed up!" Jeremiah laughed. "Wow, that place was a mess. You're making me proud of my neighbors, that's for sure. No work like hard work, that's what I say."

"You know, it won't be much longer before I'm riding around on a horse just like you." Jason pointed up at him. "I've been saving. Growing."

"I look forward to it, my friend!" Jeremiah grinned, then paused. "Just make sure you don't let your crops spoil. Not something that most new farmers have to worry about, but as time goes on, it's easy to over- extend yourself. At that point, it might seem better to let a few crops go to waste. Trust me, it's not worth it."

"I'll keep that in mind." Jason nodded. "Thanks for the tip."

"It's for my protection as well as yours!" Jeremiah called and rode off, speeding up as he loped off toward town.

Jason watched him go, frowning a bit as he plodded simply along. It was a particularly hot day, and frankly, he seemed rather breathless. Not a single blade of grass seemed to stir, there was so little movement of the air.

When he reached town, he paused for a few moments. After a bit of deliberation, he walked over to Tess's Guild Hall, made his way down to her office, and knocked on the door as he walked inside.

"Who is it?" Tess called from behind a desk, not looking up from some notepad she was scribbling on. Jason winced, and she looked up and met his eyes. "Oh. It's Clueless Farmer. How can I help ya?"

Jason felt more than a bit terrified as she fixed him with a piercing gaze. He stepped slowly forward, allowing the door to fall shut behind him

with a dull clunk. The room was small, no bigger than his kitchen, and felt quite warm. If he wasn't mistaken, the great hearth of the Guild Hall was just on the other side, which was likely the cause of the discomfort. He sat down in a small chair just on the other side of her desk and stammered for an answer for a few long moments before speaking.

"Sorry. I... I need someone to come clear out some fallen logs for me." He finally managed.

"Wood golems." Tess clicked her tongue and started scribbling on her notepad again. "A common request. They're far too high-level for even the most advanced farmers to fight them off, I know. Thankfully, once you get rid of them, they rarely come back. How much are you willing to pay?"

Jason bit his lip. "How much is customary?"

"For a simple job like that? Not much..." Tess tapped her quill pen against the desk. "I'd say that you'd be good for fifty thousand shandys."

"Fifty thousand?" Jason exclaimed, then sighed. "That's too much."

"You're welcome to make a lower offer." Tess shrugged. "Since you're new here, I'll explain it to ya. I'm only going to say it once, though, so pay close attention."

Jason nodded, frowning.

"You make an offer. I copy it down, and I post it out in the main hall. People looking for jobs can check it out, and either accept it or ignore it. If they accept it, someone will show up to your farm and do the job. If they don't... Well, you'll keep waiting."

Jason blinked. "That doesn't seem so difficult."

"No, but to simpletons like you, even simple things sometimes take a lot of explanation." Tess snapped. "Now what's your offer? I need a price, and the number of fallen logs to exterminate."

"Ahh..." Jason frowned. "Five logs. One thousand shandys, and a pie."

"Uh, huh." Tess snickered. "Get ready for disappointment and a lot of waiting."

She finished writing something down, then rose and walked into the other room. The door fell shut. A moment later, a loud burst of laughter from the throats of a hundred different people shook the building. Jason sighed, then climbed to his feet and walked back out into the streets of Summer Shandy. He made his way across the town square, past the well and Constable Hank, and opened the door into Paulina's item shop.

"Jason!" She called out as he entered. "I was wondering when you were going to come here next!"

"If you wouldn't sell me such good stuff, I'd have to come back here more often." Jason chuckled, then got down to business. "I need some cooking supplies. Not much, but a few units of oil, let's add in a couple more flour bags... Some apples, maybe some blueberries."

"Got it." The items all appeared on the table. "Anything else?"

"Yes, actually!" Jason lowered his voice and leaned forward, as if conveying a great secret. "I need some lumber. Real lumber, if you've got it."

"More fence?" Paulina raised an eyebrow.

"Not this time." Jason shook his head. "I'm looking to build a stable. I can't buy it all at once, mind you, but I should be able to get enough to make a good start."

Paulina lit up with joy. "Really? Like really, really? You're actually starting it?"

Jason nodded, a grin splitting his face. "I should be able to finish the stable and buy a horse by the time of the summer festival. We'll see what happens over fall and winter, but..."

"That's so exciting!" Paulina bounced up and down, then nodded. "What's your budget?"

"Let's go... Forty-eight thousand."

"That'll give you... This much." She wrote down several figures on a notepad, then passed them across the counter. "Are you using a template, or just free-building?"

"Free-building, for now." Jason answered as he ran some calculations in his head. "I'll use a template later on, once I'm a bit more established, but-"

"They're designed to look pretty, and you pay for it." Paulina agreed, then grinned once more. "Oh, Jason, that's so exciting! I'm so proud of you!"

Jason felt heat rising to his cheeks. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"I'm just glad I could help."

They looked at each other for a few seconds, and Jason felt his stomach flutter. Paulina turned away and made a few more notations, then nodded. "Your total is 48,922."

"Sold."

Ka-ching!

[Remaining Money: 3,044 shandys]

Jason walked out of the store, feeling as though he were walking on clouds. He began to make his way back down the long road to his farm, grimacing as his feet began to ache. He would buy new shoes the next time he was in town. Until then, though, there was no true need. Besides, waiting would give him another excuse to come back. That, in his mind, was one of the best things that could happen to him.

Chapter Six – No Better Time For An Omelet

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 41st day of Summer! 50 days until the Summer Festival. Have fun cleaning up after that windstorm, folks! On the bright side, today should be clear, with no inclement weather expected for several days at least.]

Jason groaned as he rolled out of bed. Almost every part of his body was sore, though that was large in part his own fault. Paulina had delivered the wood within a few hours of his leaving the store, and he had done his best to get as much put up before the wind hit as possible. This had proven... problematic.

He pulled back the curtains of his window and gazed out across the farmstead. The single pole he had raised the night before was still standing, which he supposed was a good thing. Several of his fences had blown down, though, and he saw more than a few crabgrasses skittering around through his plants. No histles, though, which was a bonus.

He made his way down the stairs, dropped into a kitchen chair, and checked his pantry.

[Pantry Inventory: 30 units flour

12 units oil

15 units salt

11 potatoes 2 peppers 28 tomatoes 10 onions

5 eggs

5 units apples

5 units blueberries 105 shrump meat

4,825 crabgrass meat

450 histle meat]

"Make me..." He stood up and glanced at the cookbook. "Oh, just

make me another omelet. I'm in a hurry, no time to experiment."

With a flash, the breakfast appeared on the table. He gobbled it down, then jogged out onto the porch. The monsters in his garden, which were happily munching away on his beans, all looked up as he appeared. A number of the crabgrasses started to flee, but he rushed at them as quickly as he could. His sword gleamed in the light of the morning sun, and he cut through them in mere minutes. As the last one fell, he took a deep breath

and gazed at his crops.

[Crop Status: Damaged. Time to full health: 21 hours]

He sighed as he read the messages. All his crops that were still

around would require time to heal. Some of them were simply gone, eaten by the monsters in the early morning. A number of the tracts of land had been damaged and would require him to hoe them out again. Of course, before he could do any of that, he had to fix the fence.

"Class Ability: Minor Repair." He raised his hands over one of the fences.

[Insufficient Level for unlocking this ability]

Frustrated, he walked to his storage shed, took out a hammer and nails, and began slowly lifting boards and hammering things back into place. It took up a large number of actions, and by the time he was finished, the morning sun had risen almost all the way to noon. He sighed deeply and wiped his brown, then checked his status.

[Remaining Actions: 6]

"Better than nothing." He shrugged and climbed back to his feet, placing the hammer and nails back into the shed. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of metal upon the road, and gave a start as an adventurer walked onto the property.

[Companion: Your new companion has been given 10 bonus actions for the day, and you have been granted 5.]

Now that was interesting. The man obviously considered himself friendly to Jason, or else the message wouldn't have appeared. Jason wiped his hands on his overalls [Overall cleanliness: 75 - 64] and went to meet him.

The man stood almost a full head taller than Jason. He wore dark armor, covered in strange etchings that looked as though they might be dwarven, though Jason couldn't be sure. He wore a helmet that matched the set, complete with a feathered crest that made him stand out more than a little bit. His face, though, was boyish. Jason guessed that he was a bit older than himself, maybe in his early thirties, though it was hard to gauge for certain.

"You're Jason?" The man raised his hand in salutation as he approached. "My name's Clyde. I'm with the Adventurer's Guild, responding to a request for assistance clearing out fallen logs?"

Jason let out a laugh. "You're here about the job?" A smile broke over his face. "Take that, Tess!"

Clyde laughed as well. "She does have a bit of a temper, doesn't she? Truth be told, I'm here halfway just because of how much she made fun of it. You're a serious man, with a serious need. It'll take me a few minutes to clean this out, no need to charge you more than you can handle."

Jason dipped his head in thanks, and Clyde continued.

"Besides, I'm already so wealthy that the money doesn't really make a difference. One thousand, ten thousand, a hundred... All the same, you know?"

"Frankly, I don't, but I'll take your word for it." Jason shook his head.

"Now, the pie." Clyde pointed at Jason. "I've not had a pie in months. Not much of a chef myself, and neither are most adventurers. You make me a good, homemade pie, and I'll clear out every monster in a mile radius."

"Then let's hope that my cooking is as good as you're expecting!" Jason chuckled. He gestured at the fallen logs, where his sword could still be seen. "Oh, and if you could get that sword back, I'd be greatly appreciative."

"That'll cost extra." Clyde frowned. "At least a pastry or two. Maybe even an ear of corn."

"I can make a mean omelet."

"Deal!" Clyde laughed loudly, then drew his sword. It was an enormous broadsword, black as obsidian, and seemed to soak in the sunlight. "You just leave it all to me!"

He rushed forward, zooming across the grass with the speed of a panther. Jason watched him go, at least until he struck the first fallen log. The creature hadn't even had time to climb to its feet before the great sword

cleaved it in two. It vanished in a burst of sparks, and the other fallen logs began to rise, as well.

With that, Jason went back to his garden. He took out his hoe and cleaned up all the rough patches with a single swing, then used his remaining actions to cast out seed into as many of the empty gaps as possible. He was just finishing up when Clyde came back, one sword in each hand.

Jason winced as he took a look at his own sword. Next to Clyde's great weapon, it looked like a simple rapier instead of a proper sword. It was also... quite deteriorated. The portion of the sword that had been outside of the fallen log had rusted quite badly, now more red than steel- grey. The part of the sword that had been inside the log was a grimy black, as if covered in dried tree sap. All things considered, that was probably exactly what he was looking at.

"Here you go." Clyde handed him the weapon. "I don't do cleanings, so don't ask. Since there's no blacksmith in Summer Shandy, you'll probably have to do it yourself. Or just throw it away."

Jason sighed. He didn't have an enormous attachment to the weapon, but it was his uncle's sword, and he supposed that he shouldn't just cast it off. "I'll work on it in the evenings, when I have extra actions."

"You get many of those days?"

A soft snort emerged from Jason's lips. He was already out of actions for the day, and that was hardly an outlier. "Nope."

"Well, I've got ten bonus actions if you need them." Clyde shrugged as they started walking toward the house. "Class Ability: Cheap Help."

[Cheap Help: All helper actions are transferred to main individual] [Remaining Actions: 10]

"Now that's helpful." Jason grinned as they walked through the front

door (past the tulips, which were blooming brilliantly), and into the kitchen. "Give me just a few minutes, and I'll whip you up something you won't believe."

He quickly flipped through the cookbook, then nodded. "Make an apple pie, a loaf of bread, and..."

He frowned as he thought, and Clyde spoke up.

"An omelet. You promised an omelet."

"An omelet, then!" Jason grinned. His stove flared up, and within moments, the food was all on the table. Jason sat down and picked up his

silverware, then gazed across the table at Clyde.

The man, who was already quite large, was enormous in his armor.

He was very nearly too big to eat at the table, and rather resembled a giant trying to dine at the house of a halfling. They both seemed to realize this fact, and the pair laughed a bit before tucking into the meal.

When they finished, Clyde sighed deeply. "Truly, that was worth every minute. I've delved into immense dungeons, and I've gone on more than a few fetch quests for worried citizens. Cleared out more than my fair share of fields, and the reward is always gold. There are a million local currencies, and the Guilds will have tables and charts telling you exactly how much you'll earn, so you can decide whether or not it's worth it. You ask me, more people should offer prizes like this! Adventurers can't put a price on this sort of thing."

"I'm glad you approve." Jason nodded. He cleaned up the dishes, then shrugged. "I assume you're just passing through?"

"You don't see many warriors who stick around places for long, do you?" Clyde laughed a bit, then shrugged. "Ahh, I don't know. For the moment, yes. There's an event in the crypts. Double the monsters, double the rewards! More importantly, there's a brand-new lycanthrope that's been spotted there. If you can kill it... Well, it drops a lot of good loot." Clyde finished up with a wave of his hand. "I came here for that, but I do have to admit that I like the feel of this place. Very laid back. Very...homey.. With the distinct exception, I should note, of Tess."

Jason snickered. "Make sure she knows how good the pie was."

"Oh, I'll let everyone know!" Clyde smiled as he stood. "You'll be running a bakery rather than a farm within a fortnight, if I have anything to say about it!"

They walked out onto the front porch together, and Clyde bade Jason farewell. Jason watched him go, then made his way back over to the garden and used a couple more actions to sew a few more seeds and round out the plot of ground he had tilled. That much accomplished, he walked over to the lone pole, the start of his new stable, and set to work.

Actions, such as they were, worked slightly differently in free- building. For example: he could take the action Put up a board. At that point, he would then have to actually take the board, hold it up, and hammer it into place. It was exhausting work, to be certain, and made him almost wish that he had just decided to follow a template.

"No, no." He scolded himself. "That would cost almost twice as much. You wouldn't have a horse until the end of fall, and then you're looking at having to feed the thing throughout winter without getting a lick of use out of it first."

Satisfied, he pressed forward. Several hours passed before he finished burning through his bonus actions, which had largely consisted of digging holes and setting new poles in place. He had then nailed up a few of the boards, though he had only posted three of them before having to give up for the day. It was perhaps three o'clock, given a cursory glance at the sun, and he thought for a moment.

"Yeah, I've got time." He shrugged and set off, down the road into town. He needed a few extra supplies to fully recover from the windstorm the night before, and since the adventurer hadn't wound up demanding extra (as he had heard that adventurers were prone to do), he had a bit more spending cash than he might have otherwise.

His feet skipped a bit quicker as he made his way down the long, winding road. The thought of seeing Paulina filled his mind, such that it largely pushed out the thoughts of what he was actually planning on buying. The hour it took to make it to town passed rather slowly for his liking. Finally, though, he came stumbling up to Summer Shandy.

To his great surprise, the windstorm seemed to have affected the town. The thatched roof of the inn had been damaged rather severely, and men climbed about on ladders, patching it up. Several dozen shingles had been blown off the Adventurer's Guild Hall (Tess was standing outside with a very cross look on her face), and Paulina's shop had suffered several broken windows. There were also many broken fences and such things among the common residents of the town, but he saw very little after he noticed the damage to Paulina's store.

Jason broke into a run, racing across the town square just as quickly as he could. He came inside to find the store in absolute turmoil. Shelves had been blown down; merchandise lay scattered here, there, and everywhere. Paulina stood behind the counter, leaning on her elbows. She looked up and flashed a thin smile as Jason entered.

"Hey," she muttered. "Quite a number, that storm did. How's your farm?"

"Better than this." Jason frowned as he waded through the debris. "You should have sent for me; I'd have come this morning to help!"

"Ahh, I've been getting lots of help from the townsfolk. Some of the adventurers, too." She sighed. "It's a lot better than what it used to be, believe it or not. Also, don't think that I'm just sitting here watching. I've been up to my elbows in potions ever since daybreak, and... I just needed a break."

"Leave it to me." Jason gave a short bow. "I'll have this place cleaned up in no time."

"Oh, you don't have to-"

"Hey." Jason held up a hand. "You've done so much for me. It's the least I can do."

Paulina held his gaze, then gave a small nod. "Thank you." Her voice was quiet.

Jason immediately set to work. He pulled up a large rack of weapons, then began to pick up the daggers, swords, axes, and other such items to slot them back into place. Clangs and clatters echoed from other parts of the store as well, presumably as other people helped her clean up. How bad must the damage have been to take all day to clean up?

"Hey! Paulina!" A familiar voice echoed from the rear of the store. "I got the groceries all cleaned up. You want food? I'll pay for it, no worries. I've got a fantastic apple pie recipe to try out on you!"

A moment later, Clyde strode into view, still sporting his enormous black armor. His face lit up as he looked down at Jason, and he pointed. "Hey! He's the guy who taught me the recipe! Let me tell you, you want a good dinner, you go talk to him. Hey Jason, want to whip up some dinner for us all? I'm paying, we just need a chef."

"No, that's okay." Paulina slipped from behind the counter and put a hand on Clyde's chest plate. "I appreciate all that you've done since you got back, but I... I'm rather done being around people. I'm just going to go eat in my apartment, if that's okay, then go to bed early. You two can keep cleaning if you want, but..." She sighed. "I'm afraid I won't be good company today."

With that, she patted Clyde's armor once more, gave a small wave at Jason, then walked up the stairs behind the register. As the door shut high above, Clyde let out a whistle.

"Now there's a woman. You know what? I said earlier that I might be sticking around town? Now, I know I will. You and I might be neighbors!"

He started to walk out the door. "Neighbors! Apple pie every week, Clyde, that would be the life!"

The door fell shut as the adventurer walked out, leaving Jason feeling rather stunned. He walked up to the broken window and gazed out as Clyde walked toward Tess, laughing as she snapped something indistinct at him. Jason sighed deeply, then cast a glance up at Paulina's closed door.

Still, in that moment, his jaw set. He started sweeping with more vigor, continuing to pick up shelves and put items back on their shelves. So, Clyde thought that he was going to try to win Paulina's heart, did he? Well, Jason was going to show him that being a farmer was just as virile of a profession as adventuring. He would be the one to claim Paulina... Or, at the least, he would expend every ounce of his energy trying.

Chapter Seven – Boost Those Actions

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 45th day of Summer! 46 days until the Summer Festival. We're halfway there, folks! If you've got things you need to do before Fall, better start implementing them now. You don't want to get caught unawares when the end of the season suddenly rolls around!]

Jason climbed out of bed, walked over to his wardrobe, and selected the cleanest pair of overalls that he could find. Their durability was getting rather low, due to a histle infestation several days earlier, but he had been able to scrub the dirt stains out, at least, which made them a bit less of an eyesore. He quickly made his way down to the kitchen and made himself another omelet (noting, as he did so, that his crabgrass meat supply was nearing the 6,000 mark). As he finished the meal, a shout came from outside, and he rushed out onto the porch.

"Howdy, neighbor!" Jeremiah called down from his horse. "You're really picking up in the world!"

"Not that I disagree, but I'm curious what makes you say so." Jason called back.

"That razorgrass! Nasty stuff, believe you me." Jeremiah whistled. "Looks like they're having a right go at your fence. Didn't know if you'd seen it yet this morning."

"I hadn't, thank you." Jason drew his sword and rushed at the creatures. Sure enough, not one, but two of the metallic monsters were throwing themselves against the wooden boards.

[Fence: Durability: 30]

"Git!" Jason brought his sword crashing down upon the nearest one. It parried the blade easily, and after a short dance, it skittered away into the grass. Jason then chased off the second one, and he slowly returned to the road, where Jeremiah still stood.

"That was some... fancy sword work." Jeremiah mused. "You do realize that razorgrasses are immune to blades underneath level fifty, right? You can hack away at them all you want; it isn't going to do a thing."

"Let's just assume that I didn't." Jason scowled. "How do you get rid of them, then?"

"Oh, you've got a few options." Jeremiah shrugged. "First, just built a metal fence. Get some good rebar out there, and they'll bash themselves against it until the cows come home but won't be able to do a thing. Second option: Get a gun."

Jason sighed. "I've got a pistol, but haven't bought any ammo for it, yet. Too expensive."

"Indeed." Jeremiah chuckled. "In order to keep the monsters away, you've almost got to start spending more money than the crops are worth. Kinda forces you to abandon the lower-level crops and focus more on the higher ones."

"Yeah." Jason sighed, glancing at his few sprigs of wheat growing in the corner of the garden plot. "Maybe in a few more weeks. I hope."

Calculations ran through his head. To cultivate the wheat, he would have to tear up other crops to put it in, which, of course, would take actions. Either that, or he could expand the fence, but the only wood he had available for the fence was the same wood he was using to build the stable. Sure, he had a few scraps laying around, but he needed those scraps to repair the fence as the razorgrasses smashed themselves against it (not to mention that a scrap-wood fence would collapse in seconds under the assault of the new monsters).

"All right, look." Jeremiah flashed a smile down at him. "Do what you need to do this morning, but make sure to save some actions. I've got to ride into town to buy feed for the animals, but I'll be back out quick as a whistle. If you'll allow me, I think I can help you out. You seem like an honest man, and you've certainly already done wonders with this place."

"I'd appreciate that." Jason inclined his head, then chuckled. "I don't know how I'm possibly going to repay all the help I'm getting from you people."

"Bake some pies for the summer festival in a month!" Jeremiah called as he started to ride off. "I've heard yours are some of the best!"

Jason scowled as Jeremiah disappeared into the distance. He walked to the shed and took out his sickle, then stomped to his garden as the beans started to ding, letting him know that they were ready. He used the sickle to chase off a few razorgrasses, drew his sword and slew a few dozen

crabgrasses, and then leaned against the fence as the last of the crops became ready for harvest.

The pie. The infamous pie. Clyde, after leaving Paulina's store, had gone back to the adventurer's Guild Hall and had told everyone about how good Jason's pie was. Far from annoying Tess, it seemed to have only provided fuel, and Jason soon became known as the "baking farmer." The next morning, when Jason had stumbled out of Paulina's store (having cleaned and tidied the entire place), Clyde came walking inside just as Paulina came down. Someone (not Jason) had gotten all the credit for cleaning up the mess, while Jason had become known as the pie-baker.

"I'll bake him a pie." Jason muttered as he climbed into the garden and began harvesting the crop. "I'll bake him into a pie. Maybe bake one using one of Jeremiah's cow pies. I'll show him, that lousy, shiny, muscular..."

He sighed, deeply. Slowly, he turned and cast a longing glance at the front of his home. It was covered in flowerpots, all of which sparked with tulips and other assorted flowers that Jason had been able to gather. Paulina had done that. It was a loving touch, but at the end of the day, that was that. Jason needed her help. Clyde... at least publicly... was the one who could actually give help.

Jason dumped the harvested crop into the collection bin, hardly paying attention to the amount of money he received back. That done, he made his way over to the stable and hammered up a few more boards while he waited on Jeremiah to return. It was still far from being worthy of holding a horse, but it was getting a lot closer. Within a week or two, he hoped to have the roof on, and he still planned on being able to buy one of the beasts by the end of summer. Wouldn't that be nice? He could ride up to Paulina's store and offer her a horseback ride. After all, adventurers rarely had horses that they themselves owned. Sure, they sometimes borrowed one, or had a horse that they kept at a distant base, but since horses couldn't go into dungeons, they weren't constant companions on the road.

He was just hammering up his fifth board when Jeremiah returned. The man slung off his horse, and Jason stepped away from the stable.

[Remaining actions: 25]

[Companion: Your new companion has been given 10 bonus actions for the day, and you have been granted 5.]

"I really can't tell you how thankful I am." Jason took a deep breath and forced out all thoughts of Clyde as Jeremiah came striding up.

"Think nothing of it!" Jeremiah smiled. "I had plenty of help when I was first starting. It's a joy to give it, now that I'm a bit more established."

He strode over to the fence, where several more razorgrasses had appeared, sneaking out of the prairie grasses. He equipped a flintlock rifle, aimed, and fired.

Chhhhew!

Fire erupted from the side of the weapon, and a brilliant piece of lead stabbed across the distance between Jeremiah and the monster. It vanished in a burst of sparks, and Jeremiah chuckled as he de-equipped the weapon.

"I know, that was probably excessive, but it's sometimes fun to use overpowered weapons on smaller creatures."

Jason felt confused. "I thought you said you needed a gun to kill them?"

"Yeah, but a pistol would have done fine." Jeremiah shrugged. "Rifles do a lot more damage. Now a cannon, that would have been exciting. Still, I didn't bring it, and you can't confine a cannon to an inventory slot." He paused for a moment, then clapped his hands. "Well, on with it now! Let's get to work! First thing's first..."

[Inventory transfer request: 1 box of shot

1 box of powder

1 steel hoe

1 steel sickle

60 wheat seeds

1 shandy]

Jason blinked, and Jeremiah shrugged. "I'd just gift them to you, but

gifts get a little wonky sometimes. Extra taxes, so on and so forth. I'll pay you back the shandy sometime, if it's a problem."

"No, no." Jason shook his head. "No problem at all."

"Great!"

Jason accepted the transfer request, and in an instant, the new items

appeared in his farm's inventory. He watched as Jeremiah drew a pistol and shot off the remaining razorgrasses, then set to work. Jeremiah called Jason over after a few minutes, and Jason smiled.

"First thing's first." Jeremiah told him. "Eventually, you're gonna want two plots of land where you're growing crops. The bigger one will be for selling; that'll be your wheat, soybeans, so on and so forth. The smaller one will be your personal garden. Sure, you can live on just one kind of food for now, but that'll grow old with time. You'll also want to be able to impress any lady friends you may happen to make." Jeremiah winked at him, then paused. "Speaking of which... You might want to make a trip up to Summer Shandy sooner rather than later. There's a particular tin can I saw clunking around the item shop. Seems to be growing quite fond of a particular clerk."

Jason scowled fiercely, then forced himself to relax. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ahh, don't play coy with me!" Jeremiah grinned. "I saw Paulina come over here to help you out! Don't let that fast-talking adventurer get in your way. Sure, he's smooth, but never underestimate the charm of a simple, country lad. I won my own wife away from a fancy-pants warrior, myself."

Jason felt his cheeks go red, and Jeremiah seemed to realize that he had gone too far. They quickly turned their attention back to farming, which Jason appreciated.

Jeremiah, among other things, had sent a request to his own farm for some metal to be transferred to Jason's farm. Moving around the edge of the field, he built about eighty feet of fence over the course of an hour, though there was still a long way to go.

"You'll have to fence in this entire eighty acres at some point," he admonished Jason. "Might as well start building the main fence now, and build it strong. You'll spend three times as much money in the long run if all you ever do is expand your own little fence a bit at a time."

That said, the friendly neighbor did still help Jason expand the smaller fence, though only by an amount that Jason could still manage everything with his limited actions. They used the hoe to tear up the majority of the older plants that had been placed there, and they sowed the vast majority with wheat. Jason saw the prairie churning with more razorgrasses, and he began to wonder how he could possibly hold off the beasts. That, of course, was when Jeremiah began to plant onions around the outside of the fence.

"It won't turn them away completely, but they do give the monsters a bit of pause." Jeremiah explained. "Just replant them when their durability gets low. Like I said, you'll want a metal fence eventually, but this should help you rest a bit at night."

With that, he turned away from the garden, walked over to the stable, and began hammering up a few more boards. Jason watched him go, then checked his own status.

[Actions Exhausted: No remaining actions]

"How do you have so many actions?" Jason finally asked as Jeremiah stepped away from the stable. "You just... Never seem to run out."

"Some, you get from leveling up." Jeremiah turned and nodded at him. "Generally speaking, you gain a level about every year, though that can change. Obviously, you get more from having more people on the farm. Once you get married, it goes up. When you have kids, it goes up a bit more, so on and so forth. I've also paid for a few extra slots. Expensive, but worth it in the long run, I think."

He let out a whistle, then turned to survey their work. "Now that looks plenty good." He paused for a few moments, then shrugged. "Why don't you come over to my place for dinner tonight? Keep working around here, and I'll send a wagon to fetch you around five o'clock."

Jason could only stammer and nod. "That sounds wonderful. Thank you, again."

Jeremiah climbed back onto his horse, clucked his tongue, and rode rapidly away down the road. As Jason watched him go, he sighed deeply. He was growing to appreciate his friend more and more, and he was falling ever-more in love with the community.

He only hoped, from the bottom of his heart, that Paulina could find it in her heart to love him, too.

Chapter Eight – The Hornet's Nest

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 47th day of Summer! 44 days until the Summer Festival. It's a Sunday, folks, so make sure to take your rest! As always, half of your unused actions today will roll over into tomorrow, so don't feel bad about getting a few extra Zzzz's!]

Jason rolled out of bed and slowly walked to his window. The dinner at Jeremiah's house had been... splendid. It was everything he could possibly have wanted, and then some. Jeremiah had been the best host Jason could imagine, and his wife had produced a dinner that Jason wasn't soon to forget. As he gazed out at the garden, he found that only one or two monsters were visible (even they seemed to respect Sundays), and the few that were there were being easily repelled by the onions. Satisfied, Jason made his way down the stairs and walked into the kitchen.

"All right, cookbook, make me..." Jason felt dissatisfied as he started looking over the pages. Almost every recipe he had discovered or purchased was for fried things, or for the most basic food imaginable. He could make an omelet, sure, and it would be good, but... The spiced meats, buttery rolls, and untold other delicacies that he had eaten at Jeremiah's house the previous day made the rest of it seem rather... Dull in comparison. He knew that it was likely a bit petty of him to think so, but it was almost a bit of a chore to gaze at the inventory of his pantry.

[Pantry Inventory: 22 units flour

5 units oil

6 units salt

8 potatoes 3 peppers 23 tomatoes 18 onions

2 eggs

4 units apples

4 units blueberries 105 shrump meat 7,215 crabgrass meat 521 histle meat

16 razorgrass meat]

"Make me..." He sighed. "A blueberry pie."

[Tess's Almanac: Eating like that will almost certainly lead to an

early death.]

"Thanks," he muttered, but he ordered the stove to make the dish

anyway. A moment later, it sat upon his table, and he ate it in silence.

The whole evening at Jeremiah's had gone by like a blur, such that he could hardly remember it. The food, the music, the lights, the crackling flames of the hearth. In comparison, his own home felt cold, lonely, and empty. There was no one for him to share it with, save the spiders and the rats. Cobwebs grew thick across the ceiling and corners of the room, and the windows were so dusty that very little light penetrated into the rooms

that he didn't often use. It was a dismal sight, and he sighed deeply.

He walked quickly outside, where his crop of wheat was still growing. It was amazing, now that he didn't have to sow and reap harvests every day, how many more actions he had. After shooting a razorgrass that was getting a bit too close to the garden for his liking, he made his way over to the stable and was considering putting up the back wall. He certainly had enough actions to do it. With the money he made from the sale of the wheat, and the extra speed with which he was building the stable, he imagined that he would have a horse in his possession in no time. Things were looking up,

and it was all due to Jeremiah.

Ahh, Jeremiah. Jason sighed deeply, once more turning his mind back

to that night. Indeed, the man seemed to have everything. A successful farm. A wife, and a family.

At that, an idea sprang into his mind. It wasn't necessarily the wisest idea he had ever had, and he knew that if he stopped to think about it, he would almost certainly decide against the course of action, and yet...

He ran quickly back into his home and made his way to the stove. "Bake an apple pie, a loaf of bread, and... an omelet."

In a flash, the dishes had appeared. It wasn't anything fancy, by any

stretch of the imagination, but it was something. That done, he went to a back closet and began to rummage around. Something had caught his eye a

few weeks earlier, a wicker basket that looked perfect for a picnic. As soon as he had it in hand, he packed up his food, a few eating utensils, and set off.

Instead of heading into town, though, he turned and began walking toward the Lazy-H ranch. It wasn't a long way, about the same distance as it was to get to town, and in under an hour, he strode through the main gate.

The Lazy-H ranch was, in a word, enormous. It covered a massive swath of the prairie, hundreds of acres, and consisted of both a pasture and smaller, enclosed pens. There were cattle, sheep, and pigs, along with a smattering of chickens, as well. Several farm hands walked back and forth, feeding the animals and performing necessary chores. Jeremiah, meanwhile, sat on the front porch of his long log cabin and puffed on a small pipe. His wife was nowhere to be seen, but Jason almost preferred that fact. He quickly mounted the stairs of the low porch, and Jeremiah grinned.

"Howdy, neighbor! What brings you to these parts?"

"A favor, actually." Jason winced. "You said that I could always ask, and-"

"Yeah?" Jeremiah glanced down at the basket, a twinkle in his eyes. "You need a horse and a buggy?"

Jason felt heat rise to his cheeks. "If it's not too much trouble."

"None at all!" Jeremiah rose. He quickly walked down the stairs, and Jason followed as they walked across the farmyard to a large barn. Inside, Jeremiah quickly took a sleek, black steed out of her stall and led her to a two-wheeled buggy nearby. It consisted only of a seat for two people, along with a small luggage compartment behind. Several farm hands came running over, and Jeremiah hitched the horse up to the buggy in a split- second.

"Don't take her too fast, and she'll do you well." Jeremiah nodded as Jason slipped the picnic basket into the luggage compartment. "If you take the road north out of town, past the crypt, there's an old oak tree that rises over the road. Stop there, and then afterward, take her down over the hill. There's a waterfall there that's just lovely this time of year."

"Thanks." Jason couldn't help a wide grin. "I appreciate it."

With that, he climbed up into the driver's seat and snapped the reins. The horse lumbered off with a trot, and soon, they were flying down the road.

Being pulled behind a horse, Jason quickly discovered, was far better than walking. A wide smile split his face as they whooshed down the hard- packed road, and in only minutes, he had gone by his farm. He did have to admit, while it looked better than when he had bought it, the farmstead still looked quite dismal. For starters, the enormous spiderweb that hung off the side of the house still hadn't gone away, no matter how many times Jason had hacked away at it. Still, it was improving, and that was the important part.

He came trotting up to town only a few minutes later, and for the first time, his resolve began to fade. His stomach churned, and he gulped.

"If she doesn't like this... If she turns me down... I do have to go into her store to buy things. That'll be awkward."

"No." He told himself firmly as he began to pass the outer edges of the town. "I can do this. If I chicken out every time, I'll never have... That."

He closed his eyes, once again thinking back to that meal. The lights, the colors, the... the everything! He was so absorbed, that when he again opened his eyes, the buggy was nearly in front of Paulina's store. He tugged on the reins, bringing the horse to a halt, and took a deep breath.

"Well, what do you know?" An obnoxious, high-pitched voice echoed from off to his right. He turned to see Tess leaning against the well, her armor as shiny as ever. Constable Hank stood just next to her, a broad smile on his face. "I should have known you were the romantic type, but I never would have imagined. Oh, this is gonna be good."

Hank slowly stood. "I have to warn you, no fighting in-"

"Why would there be fighting?" Jason asked, confused. "I'm just..." He scowled at them, and Tess laughed. He slowly turned and climbed

down, leaving the gorgeous horse standing tall in the summer sun. She was extraordinarily obedient, not moving a muscle as Jason walked up to the door of the store and pulled it open.

Quite unfortunately, at that exact moment, someone inside the store was trying to come out. Clyde stumbled forward as Jason opened the door, and he frowned momentarily before brightening.

"Hey! Jason! Good to see you again! I don't suppose you brought any of that wonderful pie by?" He sniffed the air and brightened. "Hey! It smells like you did! Mmm, I've got to get a piece of that! Come on, Paulina!"

Jason stepped aside as Paulina walked out. She wore a flower- embroidered sundress that seemed to glow in the air. Jason felt his heart stop, and he struggled to breathe. She was going on a date... With Clyde?

Clyde, meanwhile, just walked up to the back of the buggy and pulled out the picnic basket. Paulina stared at Jason for a moment, then blushed.

"I..." Jason stammered. "I was going to..."

"Hey, Paulina! There's enough food here for a meal!" Clyde came stomping back. "I know it's a little unusual, but would you like him to come join us?"

"Join you?" Jason frowned, pretending to be confused. "What's-"

"Well, since it's a Sunday, I invited Paulina to come over to the Hall for a meal. We roasted a hog. It's going to be marvelous! This pie, though, would go just fine with it."

"I was... Ahh... Hoping to share it with Paulina alone." Jason spoke softly, crossing his arms.

At this, Clyde seemed to blink. He slowly set the picnic basket back into the buggy, then glanced back and forth between Paulina, Jason, and the setup. After a few moments, he scowled.

"Now just you wait a minute! I asked her first!"

"And she'll get to make up her own mind." Jason turned to Paulina and bowed his head. "I really am sorry. I didn't mean to make a scene, I just..."

"No, it's okay." Paulina blushed, and she lowered her voice. "I've actually been hoping you would do this. I wish you had done it a bit before he showed up, though. It would have made this easier."

After a few seconds, she glanced past Jason to Clyde. "Would you mind if we went tomorrow? You roast all kinds of animals over at the Hall, I smell them every day. I can close down the shop for an hour."

"Why not make him wait?"

"Because he, instead of just inviting me to something that someone else was doing, actually put in the effort to make me a nice meal, borrow a buggy, and came into town on his day off." Paulina raised an eyebrow. "After all, some people have to work for more than a couple hours a week."

Clyde scowled, and Jason fought to keep from smirking as he helped Paulina into the buggy. As soon as she was seated, he took his own seat, snapped the reins, and they were off.

No words could describe how marvelous he felt as they rumbled down the lane, north out of town. They passed by the crypt, in a small hollow, surrounded by a copse of thick trees, and soon enough came to the old oak. Neither of them spoke until they had dismounted and set out the food. Then, and only then, did Jason speak.

"Thank you for coming with me." He flashed a small smile. "I have to say, it felt good to leave Clanker standing back there, all by himself."

Paulina sighed deeply as Jason scooped some of the omelet onto her plate. "Don't say things like that. He really is... sweet."

"I've met rocks with more sense than he has." Jason held up his hands.

"He was willing to help you clean up your farm, an expensive job, for only a slice of pie." Paulina reminded him.

Jason sighed deeply. He had hoped that the afternoon would be a pleasant one, not one that was wrapped up in competition with another potential suitor.

"Look." Paulina reached out and tapped the basket. "Don't worry about it. This is just a date, and he's just a guy. Whatever happens, the best way to my heart is to just show me you're a good guy. Don't try to one-up him, you know? Let's just have a fun picnic."

Jason nodded, then smiled. "All right, then." He felt a bit of warmth beginning to swell in his chest. "Have you talked to Jeremiah recently?"

"Not since he bought all that stuff for your farm. Why?"

Jason smiled, then began telling her about all the improvements he had been able to make. She listened to it attentively, smiling broadly as he told her that he would soon be done with the stable.

"That's amazing!" She put a hand on his arm as he brought out the pie. "You're really moving up, aren't you?"

"I'm going to turn that place into a proper farm, one way or another," he nodded firmly. "It'll look incredible for anyone walking by, and it'll be a proper place to raise a family."

He hadn't intended the last line to sound... well, the way that it did. Paulina stopped slightly, then looked up and put a small smile on her face.

"You want a family? Big or small?"

"Big!" Jason grinned. "I grew up as the second-youngest of eight." "Eight?"

"Yep!" Jason nodded. "Of course, my older brothers thought of me more as a walking scream machine, which could be activated by their innumerable pranks."

Paulina snickered, and Jason launched into a description of his childhood. When he finished, he nodded at her. "What about you? Big family, or small? How did you grow up?"

Paulina shrugged. "I think I told you some of it before. I was... well, I was an only child. My dad, though, had seven siblings, and my mom had twelve. They both wanted more, and I think they kinda took it out on me when they never had any other kids. It was... It was a lot of pressure, being the only child who was expected to act like an entire herd. Don't get me wrong, I do want a larger family, but... You've just got to do it right."

"Well..." Jason shrugged and took a deep breath. "I do hope, however things turn out, that someday, I can."

At that, Paulina smiled at him. It warmed him to his core, and he was certain that the birds overhead broke into song. "I'm certain, however things turn out or whoever you wind up with, you'll be an incredible father. An incredible husband, an incredible..." She stammered and turned red, then turned away. "You're pretty great. Not many people could have turned that farm around. I'm not saying that you're in the big leagues yet, but it shows that you've got some dedication."

Jason shrugged. "I had a lot of help."

"A lot of people wouldn't accept help."

Jason couldn't argue with that. As they finished up their pie and

bread, they packed things up, then rose and walked down the far side of the hill. Sure enough, there was a waterfall there. It was crystal blue, and it sparkled over the rocks as if it were made of liquid glass. Frogs hopped across lily pads, while small fish darted to and fro amidst the ripples. They laughed at the antics of the animals, and the pair stayed there well into the evening.

As Jason took Paulina back to Summer Shandy, that night, he caught a glimpse of Clyde standing in the shadow of the Adventurer's Guild Hall, staring out at him with a silent fury. Somehow, Jason had the odd feeling that he hadn't really scored a victory over Clyde, so much as he had managed to kick a hornet's nest.

He was willing to put up with stings of the angry hornet... He only hoped that Paulina, the most precious flower he had ever seen, would come

through the experience unscathed.

Chapter Nine – Withdraw Long-Term Crops!

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 50th day of Summer! 41 days until the Summer Festival. Looks to me like a storm's coming in a day or two. Better batten down the hatches, folks! Be ready to either protect or withdraw any long- term crops!]

Jason rose and went to his window, where he gazed down into the garden. It looked as though it were sparkling with gold, as the entire selection of wheat was now ready for harvest. The razorgrasses were renewing their assault against the fence, but he had planted an extra layer of onions around the outside, which seemed to be holding them back. Still, it looked as though they knew that harvest was imminent, and they wanted to do anything possible to bring a swift end to those proceedings.

Jason dressed quickly, then made his way down the stairs. He paused in the kitchen for a brief moment, ready to get outside and harvest the wheat as quickly as possible.

"Make me an omelet."

[Insufficient ingredients]

"Really?" Jason frowned, then checked the pantry. Despite having

close to eight thousand crabgrass meats, he had run himself completely out of eggs. He paused for a moment, glanced out the window, and simply grabbed an apple as he walked through the front door.

"Hey! Farmer Boy!" The voice called as he strode toward his storage shed. He turned and scowled, seeing Clyde standing tall in the morning sun. The light coming off his armor nearly blinded Jason, and he had to blink painful spots out of his vision as Clyde came stomping forward. "Just what do you think you're up to?"

"Getting ready for the harvest." Jason slipped the apple into his pocket and took the sickle out of his shed. There was a lot of money sitting around in that field, and he was growing nervous that Clyde was going to

do something unwise. As he started toward the field, Clyde leapt into place, blocking him from moving forward.

"Hey. I wasn't done talking to you." Clyde glared down at him.

"Well, I was done talking to you." Jason glared up at him. "What do you want?"

"I want... Well, truth be told, I want to beat you up, but Paulina made me promise that I wouldn't." Clyde scowled. "I would take some pie, though."

"Not gonna happen."

"I was afraid of that."

Jason stepped around Clyde and started walking toward the field.

Once again, Clyde hopped in front of him.

"I just want to know why you're trying to steal my girl."

"First of all, she's not yours." Jason stuck a finger in Clyde's chest

plate. "She hasn't decided who she wants to go with. She might not even be ready for a relationship yet! Secondly, I've been around a lot longer than you have. I'm not going to say that I necessarily took her on a date, per se, but we've been... Sparking. You're the interloper, in my estimation."

Clyde stared down at him with a fierce scowl. "Well... Ahh... You can't have her."

"It's not for you to decide." Jason sidestepped him once more and scampered forward, running through the onions and climbing up into the garden as quickly as he could. He gave a single glance back at him, then began to swing.

With the new sickle that Jeremiah had given him, it took only three swings to harvest everything. He counted the kernels of wheat he had gotten back: almost two thousand more kernels! It took him but a moment to sow everything back out [Actions remaining: 20, and he hopped back out of the garden. Clyde glared at him but made no move as he walked over to the collection bin and placed the wheat inside.

"How much do you reckon that will fetch?" Clyde mused as he walked up behind Jason.

"No idea." Jason shrugged and turned around. "Thirty, forty thousand, I'd hope."

"That's what I was thinking, too." Clyde drew his enormous sword. "How much did you spend on all this lumber?"

"No." A breath of air escaped Jason's lungs. "Please, don't destroy anything!"

"What makes you think I would?" Clyde raised an eyebrow. "I'm just admiring the way the sunlight gleams off this blade. This good, strong blade."

"Please." Jason held up his hands. "Please, I'm begging you. It's taken me so long to get to this point."

"Yeah?" Clyde stared down at him. His eyes were hungry, and Jason didn't like it. "What will you do for me if I don't?"

"I'll... I'll make you a pie?"

"You'll leave Paulina alone." Clyde sneered. "Make a move toward her, do anything to try and cultivate her favor, and I'll raze this farm to the soil."

Jason blinked. "You do realize that she would never be with you at that point, right?"

"Yeah." Clyde huffed. "Neither would you, since you'd have to leave and go back to the city. You're doing all right for yourself, sure, but I know you're still only hanging on by a thread."

Jason sighed deeply. The jerk was, unfortunately, quite right. It left him in quite a quandary, to be certain. No matter how many threats Clyde made, Jason wasn't about to give up on Paulina. Still... If the menace came and destroyed the farm, even if Paulina threw herself at Jason's feet and begged to be married, he wouldn't have the money to do it. He would leave, broken and dejected, and Clyde would still be the winner.

"You know, I actually thought I liked you." Jason scowled at him as he turned to leave.

"Most people do!" He called back dismissively as he walked toward the road.

"Why not just be nice?" Jason asked. "You're a nice guy. Charming. Handsome, apparently. If you were just..."

Clyde made no answer, but just walked away even faster. Jason watched him go, then closed his eyes and sighed. What could he possibly do now? He felt as though he were trapped in a box, and he didn't have the faintest idea how he could get out. No matter which way he looked, Clyde was there, vindictive and ready to pounce. He sighed deeply, then turned back to the stable. He had a lot of work to do to get it ready by the end of

summer, and he was growing more and more hopeful every day that he would be able to get his horse.

His only hope, the one ray of light that flickered through his mind as he worked, was the possibility that Paulina would choose him even without any further encouragement. Maybe... Just maybe... It could still work out in his favor.

Chapter Ten – Last Day of Summer

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: Last day of Summer! 0 days until the Summer Festival. Get your work done early, folks, and then come into town! The festival begins immediately at six o'clock!]

Jason rose from bed and wearily walked to the window. It had become his habit, as such, to gaze out across the farm before going down the stairs. A smile flickered to his face, and he sighed deeply.

The last month of the summer had gone by quickly. He had made only a few trips into town, and he had spent as much time as possible working on his farm. The metal fence now extended most of the way across the southern edge of the field, an extraordinary achievement in his mind. He now did have two gardens, a small one between the house and the storage shed, and of course, the larger field. The main field now covered an area of nearly half an acre. The entire crop was wheat, ready to be harvested on that final day of the growing season. Meanwhile, nearby, his completed stable overlooked the field, complete with a small, black horse chomping on some fresh hay.

Jason opened the window and took a deep breath. In response, a low rumble shook the ground, following by a hiss-growl. Jason scowled, then shut the window again and went down to his kitchen. There, he had the cookbook make himself some pancakes [flour water eggs sugar, ate them quickly, and then headed out into the farm.

"Alright, I heard you." He muttered and drew a sword. After a moment, he equipped a small shield, as well. No use being unprepared. "Come out, come out, wherever you-"

Hiss!!!

A ball of scales and fire came rolling around the edge of his house. It looked almost like a living wheel, and he braced himself. Only a few feet away, it uncoiled and revealed itself to be a small, wingless dragon with green scales and brilliant, gleaming, yellow eyes. It spat a blob of acid at him, which he batted aside with his shield. The moment that was done, he

sprang forward and drove the sword through the heart of the monster. It tumbled over on its side, thrashed about for a few moments, and then dissolved in a blur of sparks.

[Item acquired: 3 tumblewyrm meat]

Jason chuckled and unequipped the shield, then looked down at the sword. It was a shiny, new weapon, capable of dealing immense amounts of damage in a single blow. The razorgrasses were still immune to it, of course, but tumblewyrms could be easily slain.

"Tumblewyrms." He muttered as he climbed over the fence into the garden. "Who'd have thought?"

As it had turned out, tumblewyrm meat actually made for good eating, especially when they were grilled to make steaks. He had considered taking a few up to Paulina, but... Well...

He sighed deeply as he drew his pistol and shot several razorgrasses, then harvested his wheat. As he finished and climbed out, he looked up to see Jeremiah trotting by.

"Howdy, neighbor! How's it all going?"

"Fine!" Jason walked over to the bin and deposited his crop, then turned to Jeremiah. "I should be able to buy a plow within a few weeks! That's the hope, at least."

"You heading into town early to buy supplies for fall?"

Jason nodded. "I was thinking of sorghum, but I might go with soybeans. What do you think?"

"Either would be a good choice. Make sure you're beefed up against monsters, though." Jeremiah nodded. "You get some nasty ones in the fall. Oh, and make sure you get plenty for your own personal garden. Pumpkins make for good pie, and the acorn squash are phenomenal. I'd also suggest some of the heirloom varieties of corn, though you can take or leave that as you choose."

"I'll keep that in mind." Jason nodded. "I've just got a few things to finish up here, and then I'll be headed in."

"I'll see you there!" Jeremiah called, and he set off. "Happy trails, neighbor!"

As his neighbor vanished down the road, Jason exhaled. He walked over to his smaller garden and harvested the remainder of the tomatoes, peppers, onions, and other such vegetables. That done, he walked over to his horse, mounted up, and headed out.

The steed, whom he had named Lady, certainly wasn't the fanciest horse in the world. Still, he didn't rightly care. She was his, and mounted high in the saddle, he felt as though he owned the world.

It took but a few minutes, fewer than twenty, to make it into town. There, the city was a proper hive of activity. Men and women rushed back and forth, hanging up streamers, bringing out tables, and arraying other sorts of things for the celebration that evening. Meanwhile, all sorts of farmers from the area were rushing into the item shop, buying up everything to prepare for fall. With the new season came a host of new crops, new monsters, and new conditions.

Jason dismounted, tied Lady to a hitching post, and took a breath to prepare himself. He squared his shoulders and walked into the item shop, which teemed with men and women. Paulina stood behind the counter, ringing up purchase after purchase. Clyde was nowhere to be seen, but that didn't mean he wasn't around. Paulina looked up as Jason walked in, and she smiled broadly.

"Jason! Been a few weeks!" Before she could say any more, she was forced to turn back to the customer at hand. "That'll be 15,000 shandys. You can find more tools back in-"

Jason watched her, his heart swelling. Oh, how he wanted to be with her. He wanted to stand next to her, to hold her, to... Well, to not be around quite so many people. Still, beggars couldn't be choosers. He pushed through the crowd and began to select his seeds, eventually deciding on sorghum over beans, and selecting what he presumed would be a proper array of plants for his personal garden. He also obtained a bit more shot for his pistol, among other things. Finally, he made his way up to the counter and deposited it all in front of Paulina.

"Here you go!" He smiled broadly, hoping to convey his affection and warmth. Something sure seemed to be communicated, as she pushed a bit of her hair back over her ear and smiled shyly at him.

"Let's see... That comes up to 500 shandys."

Jason was surprised. "I thought it was five... And something else." "I'm running a sale today." Paulina shrugged. "It's the so-crazy-busy-

that-I-don't-have-time-to-calculate-exact-prices sale. Five hundred is close enough."

Jason grinned and paid, and started to turn away, only for Paulina to stop him.

"Wait just a second." She puffed out her cheeks, as if in indecision, then shrugged. "Are you going to be at the festival?"

Jason nodded. "That's my plan. I'll probably run this home first, water Lady and all that, and then come back."

"Good." Paulina nodded slowly. "I... Well, I'm closing this at noon. If you meet me then, I'd love to grab some lunch."

"You want me to bring it?" Jason asked, his heart beginning to flutter.

"No, no!" Paulina giggled. "With how many ingredients I have access to, I'm sure I can still make a better dish than you... Pie-maker."

Jason turned red, then nodded and started to back up as other customers came forward. "I'll be there!"

He turned and made his way fully back out into Summer Shandy. There, he mounted up and rode back to his farm. He still had a few hours to kill, and there were several maintenance tasks to deal with. First and foremost, he drew a sword and hacked away at the giant cobweb, driving it back away from the storage shed and nearly beating it back to the house itself. That done, he returned to his field and began soirrewing sorghum. According to Tess's Almanac, sowing crops for the following season was allowed on festival days, so they would be ready to pick on the first day of the next season.

As soon as Jason finished, he returned to the house and went up to his room. Though it hadn't been his primary concern, he had managed to purchase several somewhat nicer, dressier clothes. He found a suit with brass buttons and blue fabric and slipped it on with ease. That done, he more or less just paced around until it was nearly noon, then mounted Lady and rode back into town.

As he arrived, the last of the crowd was being expelled from Paulina's store. She looked up and smiled as he approached and beckoned him inside. He followed as she led him up the stairs and into her apartment, where he had never been before. It wasn't large, only a few rooms, but it seemed nice. Cozy. A dark staircase led upward, though he didn't have a clue what could be at the top. Paulina led him into a dining room where a large goose was steaming upon a platter. Vegetables sat around it, along with lumps of salted butter. She sat him down, then went into the kitchen to grab plates, cups, and more.

He wasn't seated far from a window, which on that day had been opened. It overlooked the town square, and he found himself looking out

upon the people passing by. They all wore their best clothes and carried great amounts of food, the bounty of a summer of hard work. Loaves of bread, homemade butter, pails of milk, it all made his stomach rumble. A few moments later, Paulina came back out and set the plates out. Throughout it all, she seemed quite quiet, and Jason became concerned.

"Is everything alright?" he asked when she finally sat down, opposite of him. "You seem..."

"Yes." She apologized. "Everything's fine."

A sudden suspicion flared up inside him. "Wait a minute. I'm... I..." "I'm not dumping you." Paulina assured him. "Of course, we weren't

really dating to begin with, which makes it hard to dump you, but-" "What's going on?" Jason scowled, ignoring the food. "Something's

up, Paulina. I... I'm sorry if-"

"No." She shook her head. "The fault is mine, actually. I've been

thinking back over it, and... The long and the short of it is, I do like you. I came over to your house to help you out, hoping that you would ask me out. I didn't make that clear enough, and... Well, time went on."

"Clyde." Jason spat.

"Yes, Clyde." Paulina confirmed. "When he showed up, I want you to know that I was reluctant. I didn't want to go out with him that day that you showed up. I mean, I did, but I wanted to be with you."

"You got that wish."

"Yes." Paulina nodded, then bit her lip. "The problem is, of course, that... Well..."

"I vanished immediately afterward?" Jason guessed.

Paulina nodded sadly and looked down at her plate. "I can only guess, in retrospect, that Clyde threatened you somehow. I want to believe that it was more implied than explicit, and that maybe he didn't mean it..."

"Oh, he meant it." Jason scowled. He had many things to say about the man, but decided to hold his tongue, at least for the time being.

"Yes," Paulina affirmed softly. "Well, I gathered as much over the last couple weeks, when you kept coming in and scooting back out as soon as you could. Most of the time, I saw him watching from the corners of the town when it happened. He hates you."

"Yeah." Jason exhaled sharply and slowly reached out to take an ear of roasted corn. He munched on it for a few seconds, and Paulina took a

bite of some of her own food. After a moment, he brightened somewhat. "Does that mean that you're ready to get rid of him? Come back to me?"

"You're looking at this in far too narrow a scope." Paulin chided him. "Like I said, I like you, but I don't really know you. Sure, I know a few stories from your childhood, but that's not knowing you. As for Clyde, I'm getting to know him quite a lot better. I can't say that I love every aspect of his personality, but... I mean, people are people. You've got flaws, I've got flaws. His just happen to be somewhat exacerbated by the size of his muscles."

"He could lift a cow," Jason muttered, turning again to glance out the window. He thought he saw Clyde over by the Hall, but he wasn't sure.

"My point is that we all make mistakes, especially where love is involved." Paulina shrugged. "I mean... What do you think my biggest flaw is?"

Jason opened his mouth, then paused. "You're too perfect?"

Paulina laughed, then looked at him. "You're too much, you know that?"

"I personally thought that I was just about the right amount," Jason replied.

"Anyway..." Paulina broke in. "I just wanted to say that I want to give you both a chance. You've both come forward as being interested in me. To be honest, I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship. I might be, I might not, so please don't think of it in terms of you-or-him."

Jason pulled himself out of a fantasy where he threw Clyde down a well. "Hmm?"

"Look, I'm going to take tonight, this festival night, to see both of you in a public, relaxed setting." Paulina soothed him. "You have time with me, privately, right now. You'll then have all evening to try and impress me. Don't go crazy, okay, just... Be yourself. Know, above all else, that if I don't wind up choosing to date you right now, it doesn't mean that I won't do it later, and it doesn't mean that I think any less of you." Paulina held up her hands. "I'm still young, and I don't really want to limit my options yet. You know?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah. I know."

After a moment, Paulina leaned forward. "If you don't mind, can I tell you a missed opportunity? Something that would have secured me, almost immediately?"

Jason blinked and inclined his head. "What is it?"

"I don't know how he threatened you, but if you had called his bluff, if you had proven that you cared for me over and above whatever threat he might have made... It would have said a lot." Paulina shrugged. "Just a heads-up."

Jason scowled, angry at himself, but said nothing more about it. They continued to eat their meal, and the conversation turned to more pleasant things. They spoke a bit more of their childhoods, but soon enough, they were conversing about the state of the town, different things they wished that they could do differently, and how annoying Tess and Constable Hank were.

When they finished with the meal, Jason rose and walked to the door. He held it open for Paulina, but she shook her head.

"I'll be down in an hour or so. I have some cleaning to do around the store." Jason nodded and turned to leave, but he was called back by Paulina's voice. "Oh, and one more thing. It actually goes in both your and Clyde's favor. I know it was you who cleaned the store. He was confused that morning after the windstorm, but he confessed later that day. He didn't want to take credit for the enormous workload that you put in."

Jason could only flash a small smile. With that, he made his way down through the store and out into the town square.

It was still several hours until the festival officially began, but that didn't mean that there was nothing going on. Games were quickly being organized in the open parts of the street where people weren't working. Clyde was playing a game that involved throwing small bags of rice at a board with holes cut into it. Jason, meanwhile, joined a game of football, where a large, inflated pig's bladder was kicked back and forth across the street. The goal was to get it between two poles, and he soon found himself laughing despite his utter lack of any athletic ability.

Soon enough, Jeremiah came along. He was in the same buggy that Jason had used, and he had his wife, Delilah, sitting next to him. He brought the vehicle to a halt and helped her get down, then snapped the reins and drove the wagon over to a nearby stable. Delilah rushed over and began talking with some of the women from town, though she did wave at Jason first. Jason waved back, then returned to the game. Jeremiah, meanwhile, began pulling baskets of food from the buggy, and carrying them into the Guild Hall.

There are few words to describe the joy of that occasion. The wind blew gently upon the small village, and every face had an immense smile. They played dozens of games throughout the day, everything from athletic games to guessing games to board games. Paulina, after arriving in a dazzling, blue ball gown, seemed to bounce back and forth between Jason and Clyde. Neither of the men came close to each other, and Jason began to suspect that Paulina had laid down the law for Clyde to follow, as well.

Finally, as the sun began to set low in the sky, trumpets sounded loudly. A band in the corner of the square began to play, and a great feast was brought forth from the Hall. Tess stood nearby, a checklist in hand, carefully supervising it all. No one came close to her, that much was for certain, except for when she called them. She was an imposing figure, and that was obvious to all.

When the banquet began, Jason found himself in a somewhat precarious position. He and Clyde, quite obviously, both wanted to sit next to Paulina. It would, though, have been extraordinarily awkward to simply seat her between themselves, and yet, they didn't want to cause a fight. Still more, they also didn't want to come across as pushy, or force Paulina into the position of having to choose between them.

In the end, though, Paulina made it easy for both of them, as she gathered together a number of her female friends from the town and took her seat near the head of the table. Enough of them clustered around as to make it impossible for anyone else to sit close by. Clyde, then, sat with a number of his adventurer friends, and Jason wound up sitting with Jeremiah. Not that he minded sitting next to the man that was, for all intents and purposes, his best friend, but... He certainly wouldn't have minded sitting to Paulina, either.

The meal was a grand one, and everyone ate until they were stuffed. Jason found himself eating somewhat less than the others, though he did immensely enjoy the meal. When it ended and everyone rose, the band began to play far more lively tunes. The tables were carried aside, and a proper dance began.

That much, in Jason's estimation, was the best part of the night. Fiddles rang, trumpets blew, and everyone clapped and shouted to their heart's content. Jason spent a decent amount of time dancing with Paulina, as did Clyde. All of them skipped across the cobblestones, doing their best to stay in time with the music, and even such bitter rivals as Jason and

Clyde soon found themselves laughing with one another. Jeremiah performed a jig that was far better than anyone else could manage, while the whole town watched. It was... It was wonderful. Peaceful.

The music didn't stop until the moon was high overhead. Someone announced that it was nearing midnight, and a few hurried calls were shouted out to be home before Fall struck. Jason heard the warnings but paid them little heed. There was something he had to take care of, first.

"I'll see you on the farm tomorrow!" Jeremiah smiled and waved as he and his wife clopped off down the road. "Don't forget! Fire is a fall monster's nightmare!"

"I'll remember!" Jason called, then turned to Paulina's store. He noticed her talking with Clyde just next to the entrance, and he sighed. He walked over to the well and sat down, gazing for a long time into its depths. Finally, after what felt like hours (but was likely only a few minutes), Paulina came walking up and sat down on the edge of the well, with him.

"Hey." She spoke softly, as a hush seemed to have fallen upon the town. The only noises that could be heard were the distant admonishments of fathers and mothers that their children had better settle down, and Jason relaxed. "I had a lot of fun tonight."

"I did, too." Jason took a deep breath. "You were wonderful on the dance floor."

"You were, too." She giggled. "Except for when you stepped on my feet, of course."

He blushed. "Sorry about that."

She inhaled, deeply. After a few moments, she shrugged and turned to him.

"I thought you'd want to know, I sent Clyde packing. He's nice, and I did like him, but tonight... I don't know. I think he had fun, but he's not ready to settle down. He would have been back on the road within a month of us formally declaring anything."

Jason felt his heart leap. He tried not to show it, but he knew that he wasn't able to keep a tremor of excitement out of his voice. "So... Does that mean..."

"I don't know, Jason." She paused. "I just don't know. I like you, don't get me wrong, but... This has all been very sudden. I wasn't expecting someone to just come riding into town to try and sweep me off my feet. I wasn't expecting two people to start fighting over me. It's a lot."

"You did say that you hoped I would ask you out."

"Yes, but that was then." Paulina could only shrug. "I don't know. Things would have gone a lot slower, had I had my way. As it is, it's all spiraling so quickly that I don't really know what's going on anymore."

"I can go slower," Jason pleaded.

Paulina could only flash a thin, pained smile. "I'm sorry, Jason. I won't say that we can't try again, later, but now's not the time. I hope you'll understand."

Jason let out a long, pained breath. "Oh... All right."

It certainly didn't feel all right to him. As he stood and they said goodbye, he knew that it would be many months before trips into the item store became less painful. Still, if that was the way it had to be, that was the way it had to be. He was no worse off than before, right?

"I bet that has to hurt," a cold voice remarked from the darkness as he unhitched Lady and mounted up. It took a few seconds, glancing back and forth, before he saw Tess standing in a shadow. She was leaning against the wall of the item shop, munching on a turkey's drumstick.

"You're out late," Jason remarked.

"I'm always out this late," Tess countered. "The rest of you are just usually in bed. I didn't get a chance to eat, since I was so busy running around trying to make sure the rest of you had fun."

Jason puffed out his cheeks. "Well... Thanks."

As he turned away, Tess called after him. "Better ride quickly! Only a few more minutes until autumn!"

He turned and gave a nod back. "Thanks!"

With that, he kicked lightly against Lady's sides. She took off down the road, trotting toward his home. Quite suddenly, a deep bell rang out, resounding across the countryside. Instantly, the warm summer air grew chill, and a brisk wind began to blow. Several nearby trees rustled and crackled as they changed, and Jason shivered.

He rushed Lady home, put her in the stable, and then quickly ran inside. It took mere moments to get a fire going in the fireplace, and he held himself close to it.

It was a new season. Much had already changed. Somehow, he had a feeling that as the seasons continued to spin around him, much else would likely change, as well.

Chapter Eleven – Leaves of Orange and Red

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 1st day of Fall! 90 days until the Fall Festival. I know, I know, no one wants to get up so early after such a late night, but such is our lot! The first storm of the Fall is due in just 3 days, so get to work!]

Jason groaned and rolled out of bed, holding his head as he did so. It was pounding, not from any particular substance, just from a lack of sleep. He yawned and blinked the exhaustion out of his eyes, then stumbled over to his closet. Rather mindlessly, he pulled on the first pair of overalls he grabbed.

[Tess's Almanac: Those clothes are more suited for summer than fall. You will likely be cold.]

"Do I have any fall clothes?" Jason wondered.

[Tess's Almanac: No]

"And I would have to buy them at Paulina's item store, wouldn't I?" The almanac made no answer, but Jason could imagine its author

laughing and giggling at his plight. Dejected, he pulled on the overalls and made his way down to the kitchen.

"What do we have today?" Jason muttered as he opened the pantry door. Hundreds of fruits and vegetables looked down at him, and he blinked.

[Pantry Inventory: 50 units flour

21 units sugar

25 units oil

21 units salt 30 potatoes 20 peppers 200 tomatoes

521 onions

122 lettuce heads

1 egg

3 units apples

3 units blueberries

7 units oranges

3 units bananas

2 units pineapples

115 shrump meat

14,952 crabgrass meat

1,221 histle meat

206 razorgrass meat

25 tumblewyrm meat]

'Wow." He muttered. "My mother would be on my case about being a

hoarder if she ever saw this."

He made a mental note to never invite his mother to join him in

Summer Shandy (not that he was exactly planning on doing so in the first place), and he had the cookbook make him some pancakes. He ate them in silence, then, bracing himself, headed out into the bitter cold.

In reality, it wasn't that bitter, but compared with the sunny, warm days that he had grown used to, the 50-degree chill was quite a shock. It certainly woke him up. The prairie grasses were a bit browner and crisper, while the few trees he could see had all exchanged their green leaves for brown, yellow, and orange coverings. Tiny plants poked up from his field, where he had planted sorghum, while some of the plants near his house were nearing readiness.

"Would you look at that?" He whistled as he walked over to the white picket fence that formed the boundary of his garden. Stalks of corn were already rising for the sky, while small vines had snaked several feet across the ground. It would be several days until they were ready, to be certain, but it was a start. After a few moments, he turned and walked over to the collection bin, drawing out the money he had earned from his last crop of wheat.

[Money Earned - 50,741 shandys]

[Total Money - 61,174 shandys]

"Now, that's what I'm talking about!" He grinned, then frowned in

thought. He still had numerous things to do before he could fully switch

over to a horse-drawn operation... And yet...

"I'm gonna do it." He walked over to the stable and took out Lady.

She nickered and ran to start munching on some grass in the front yard. He allowed her to do so, tying her to a stake there. While she munched on her breakfast, he returned to her stable and topped off her oats, then took his sword and shield and began his patrol of the field.

Planting onions had been one of the best ideas that Jeremiah had ever given him. Dozens of razorgrasses clustered around the edge of the onion barrier, only looking up as he approached. He fired, one shot at a time, and took out several dozen of the creatures over the course of as many minutes. (It took a terribly long time to load the flintlock pistol, which he thought was a disappointment.) He was then able to kill off the crabgrasses and histles, and he even got his shield out with enough time to fight off a tumblewyrm. Suddenly, though, he heard a new sound. A slop-slurping noise, like what he had always imagined a slime monster would sound like.

"All right." He took a deep breath. "Jeremiah said there would be new monsters. What did he say would get them? Fire?"

Quite suddenly, a large, black blob of slime lumbered out of the prairie grasses. It stood about waist-high, and it stretched out a pseudopod toward Jason as he stood there. On impulse, he fired the pistol into the mass, but nothing happened. Growing a bit desperate, he rushed back inside the house and grabbed a burning piece of kindling from the stove. As he ran back out, he found the mass oozing across his onions and through his fence. The fence didn't seem to suffer any damage, but the sorghum certainly did as the blob began to munch at the ground.

"Hey!" Jason leapt over the fence and stabbed at the blob with the flaming stick. "Back!"

The instant the flame touched the blob, it exploded. Thick, black slime came raining down on Jason, and he groaned loudly. The slime vanished, for the most part, after a few seconds, though it appeared that his new overalls were likely stained.

[Overall Stats: Durability: 30. Cleanliness: 15]

*Washing these clothes with anything less than a level 30 detergent will not raise the cleanliness over 20.]

[Item Acquired: 3 Smut slime] "Smut?" Jason grimaced. "Gross."

"Ahh, you found it!" Jeremiah called out from the road. "I remembered you probably hadn't heard about that stuff. It's a living fungus, just gets everywhere when you blow it up."

"Aren't all fungi technically alive?" Jason asked as he climbed out of the pen.

"I guess. You know what I mean." Jeremiah chuckled. "Get some eternal torches; they'll suit your needs just fine."

"I'll do that." Jason shivered. "I need to start making a list. The number of things I need from town is growing rapidly."

"It'll do that when seasons change." Jeremiah laughed and gave a tip of his hat. "Oh, and don't worry about leaving the farm. Smuts usually only attack in the mornings. They'll clear up once the sun comes out."

"Good to know." Jason nodded as Jeremiah turned his horse back around. "What would I do without you?" As his neighbor took off back down the road, he muttered, "Probably starve, all things considered."

He made another lap around the field to check for other monsters, and, finding none, went to Lady and mounted up. They took off down the road, trotting in the brisk fall air. As the sun rose, the cool of the morning began to melt away, and it almost felt refreshing. A large part of him couldn't wait for the gourds to start to mature, the pumpkins to undergo their own harvest, and the corn to turn golden and ripe.

He made it into town quickly and approached the hitching posts in front of the item shop. A flutter of butterflies went through his stomach, but he swallowed them. After all, he had a job to do, and he wouldn't be able to do it without the shop. Sooner or later, he would have to get used to just being friends with Paulina. Not that he was ever really more than friends with her, but... Still, it felt odd to walk in and expect things to just be normal.

Quite thankfully, as he walked through the front door of the store, he found that it was quite packed. Jeremiah was nowhere to be found, of course, but most of the other farmers seemed to be in the same boat as himself. Last-minute purchases were afloat on the air, and Paulina was ringing up transaction after transaction. She looked up and smiled at Jason, but it wasn't quite the same warm, welcoming smile as before. Disappointed, he proceeded with his business.

Moving quickly, he gathered up a few sets of clothes, then searched around until he found the everlasting torches. That accomplished, he got in

line for the register. When he finally got up to the line, Paulina smiled sweetly at him. It wasn't forced, it wasn't hiding anything, and it wasn't suggestive of any potential in the future. His stomach relaxed, and he nodded down at the items.

"I need all of this." He took a deep breath. "And, if you've got one, a plow."

"A plow?" Paulina brightened. "No way! You're really moving up in the world!"

"Well, first I'm going to have to get a fence built... And a harvester bought..." Jason ticked off a few more benchmarks on his fingers. "Still a long way from Jeremiah's level, but I'm getting there."

"Well, best of luck." Paulina inclined her head, then glanced at the next customer.

Jason left the store feeling... Resolved. Sure, if she had flung herself into his arms as soon as he walked in, he wouldn't have complained, but he felt satisfied as it was. He mounted Lady and began riding back home, and soon enough came to his door. The plow wasn't scheduled to be delivered until that afternoon, which gave him a bit of free time. He went into the house and busied himself with some odd jobs, then came back outside as soon as the workers delivered the plow. A feeling of giddiness came over him, and he soon had Lady hitched up.

"Onward, Lady!" he cried. "Plow the field!"

She quickly moved forward. The plow bit into the ground, sliding through the Earth like butter. He walked behind the device, holding it upright, and they had soon carved a furrow from one end of the field to the other. That done, they spun it around and came right back, using up a single action each time. In only an hour or two, he had tilled up more land than he had been able to hoe in the entire season prior. He stopped for a break, and allowed Lady to go drink some water, then began walking along seeding onions. They weren't behind a fence, sure, but they also weren't likely to get eaten by monsters, which made them a relatively safe crop to grow out in the open.

As he didn't yet have a horse-drawn seeder, he could only plant a very small portion of the area he had tilled. Still, it was a start, and he looked upon his new field with pride and wonder. A distant warning, something that Jeremiah had told him months earlier, rose back to his mind.

"Just make sure you don't let your crops spoil. Not something that most new farmers have to worry about, but as time goes on, it's easy to over-extend yourself. At that point, it might seem better to let a few crops go to waste. Trust me, it's not worth it."

Since that time, he'd heard nothing more about it. A single flicker of doubt rose in his mind, about whether or not sowing so many onions would really be a good idea, especially while he had so much else going on, but he pushed it out of his mind. His farm was growing, and that was that.

Surely... If a few crops went bad... What was the worst that could

Chapter Twelve – Wise Advice

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 5th day of Fall! 86 days until the Fall Festival. Look for bright skies today! I say look, because you won't find them! As per usual, all farming and agricultural actions are limited while it's raining (as long as you're outdoors), so stay inside and enjoy yourself!]

Jason awoke to the sound of rain drumming upon his window. He rose and walked up to the glass, peering out over the prairie countryside. Down below, his garden was soaking up the rainfall like a sponge. Mats of crabgrasses huddled together, while razorgrasses and histles were nowhere to be seen. A few soggy-looking tumblewyrms slunk about through the muck, but they looked so miserable that Jason didn't think he would have the heart to kill any of them.

Now, what he did see as being a problem were the smuts. They weren't doing any real harm to his crops, as the everlasting torches mounted on top of the fence posts kept them away, and they didn't bother the onions, but there were a lot of them. They seemed to be enjoying the rain as much as the Earth itself, which Jason didn't really appreciate.

As he looked down, though, he saw something odd. The rows of onions, which now covered a great portion of the far side of his field, seemed to be shuddering. He watched them, then shrugged as no monsters appeared. It wasn't his imagination, but most likely, he assumed, it wasn't anything to worry about.

He slowly made his way downstairs, where he ate a leisurely breakfast. The rain showed no signs of letting up, and after a time, he walked out onto the front porch and sat down on a wicker chair that he had purchased from Jeremiah. A lone adventurer walked by, armor glistening in the rain, who turned and waved as Jason sat beneath the cover of the porch roof. The adventurer slowly made his way by and vanished into the distance, and Jason relaxed, relieved that it wasn't Clyde.

With nothing really to do, he soon found himself quite bored. He had half a dozen projects that he had wanted to work on that day, but now, he

would just have to wait. It was like having an extra Sunday, right in the middle of the week!

After a few minutes of just sitting there, he rose and splashed across his yard to Lady's stable. He ducked through the door, finding the magnificent beast laying down as far away from the cold spray of the rain as possible. Quite waterlogged just from his short stint in the weather, Jason shook himself dry as best he could, then sat down on the hay next to the horse. She nickered, and he leaned against her warm side. In many ways, the horse was just as tame as a giant dog and was multiple times as fun to work with, in Jason's opinion.

He didn't know how long he lay there, just listening to the drum of the rain on the stable roof, but it was quite some time. Suddenly, he felt the ground rumble. Lady whimpered nervously, and he rose and crept to the door. The ground rumbled again, then again. Slowly, carefully, Jason stepped out into the pouring rain.

To his amazement, the row of onions, the very first ones he had planted, were all popping themselves out of the ground. To his horror... Well, they looked very little like onions. They were bruised and rotten, dripping ooze upon the ground and writhing with worms. One by one, they flipped themselves over to stand on their long, pointed leaves.

"Now those are terrifying." Jason drew his sword as the first of the onions began to skitter in his direction. He slashed at it as it drew closer, and it was cleaved easily in two. With that, he charged forward, cutting down the second, then the third. Bits and pieces of onions fell left and right, and a great stench filled the air. The onions were more than just rotten. They were putrid. They were...

Well, they were, in all possible uses of the word, vile. Perhaps fifty of them had popped up, and he cleaved through them with ease. As he reached the end of the row, he turned slowly and gazed back at the vanquished monsters. He couldn't see himself, of course, but he imagined that he, standing in the pouring rain with a sword, water dripping down his clothes and off his blade, simply had to look epic.

Unfortunately, any self-congratulation was brought to a swift end as he beheld the vanquished onions. Rather than simply vanishing into blue sparks, they had all began to pull themselves back together once more. The worms, eating up their insides, stretched across the gaps like living ropes and pulled the onions into even more vile, twisted forms. Jason struck

forward, once again carving a long path through the rotting vegetation. As the last one fell, he turned around to find that they were once again pulling themselves together. Perhaps even more importantly, they were also beginning to attack and pull up the onions that hadn't yet turned. These fresher onions were quickly infected as worms began to crawl across and bore through their protective skin. It felt to Jason like he was living in a nightmare, and he groaned.

For the next several minutes, he tried everything that he could think of. Hacking the onions into smaller and smaller pieces didn't seem to work. No matter how small he diced them, they just came together once more. Stomping on them had no permanent effect, nor did burning. Importantly, though, the infection was spreading rapidly. Dozens more onions were getting pulled up every second, and they even looked like they would soon try to slip through the fence and attack his sorghum.

"Get out!" Jason screamed as he waved his sword frantically through the growing pack of onions.

In answer, several of the onions began to pull themselves together into a large blob. The blob gave a muffled glunt-splurch and launched itself at him. He dove to the side, but it slammed down in the mud and the muck, making a long trench and scattering worms everywhere.

Growing more and more desperate, Jason rushed back to the stable and pulled open the door. It took but a minute to rouse the confused Lady and toss a saddle upon her back. He then rode out across his farm, past the revolting (and still-growing) onion monster. As he reached the road, he paused.

In one direction, he could go fetch Jeremiah. The man had never failed him before, but... Well, while he certainly had plenty of knowledge, Jason had never actually seen him fight anything. With that, he turned and spurred his horse onward toward Summer Shandy. He needed the help of a warrior... Even if the person in charge of those warriors did happen to hate his guts.

The rain continued to pound down as he flew toward town. Lady's hooves splashed through puddles, spraying his legs with mud and muck. He knew he would look a wreck, and would likely only bring ridicule upon himself, but what else could he do? As he reached the town, he drew up on the reigns, and Lady's hooves skidded slightly on the wet cobblestones.

Thankfully, she kept her balance, and they came up to the door of the Guild Hall.

Jason leapt from the saddle without any real preamble, and he raced to the end of the building where Tess's office lay. He knocked on the door three times, then opened the door despite a lack of an answer. As he stepped into the small room, he found Tess seated behind her desk, looking scornfully at a young warrior wearing dragonbone armor. A large stack of papers sat upon the desk, and she looked up at Jason in annoyance.

"Did I say you could enter?"

"Not strictly speaking, but..." Jason stammered. "The rain..."

"Look, what do you have this time?" Tess crossed her arms, a look of

something between fury and relief on her face. "Let me guess, you got attacked by a histle and need a big, bad warrior to come rescue you?"

Jason blinked. "There's a giant rotting onion monster... Thing... Attacking the farm?"

With that, Tess tilted her head back and laughed. The warrior across the desk laughed too, though it was a nervous laugh. He glanced back and forth between the two of them, quite obviously wanting Jason to leave.

"You... Oh! I should have known this was coming!" Tess howled. Eventually, she calmed enough to speak. "I'm honestly surprised it took so long to happen to you! If you let your crops spoil, they turn undead. You can't kill them with traditional weapons. Ahh! What a day!"

Jason glowered. "You know, you don't have to take pleasure in other people's pain."

"No, but when they all take pleasure in mine, it's hard to do otherwise," Tess countered, as she climbed to her feet. "I'll come take care of it myself, no need to bother the Guild members again."

"You just don't want word of my amazing pies getting out again!" Jason put a smile on his face, knowing full well that she would likely use the line against him.

"I don't like infamy growing around a miscreant," she muttered as she walked from the desk to the door. She reached past Jason and pulled it open, then glanced back at the man sitting at her desk. "I'll be back with you in a bit. Feel free to stay in here, or to wander around the Hall. Neither will affect your application."

With that, she strode out the door. Jason followed a moment later, and Tess started walking away in the storm.

"I'll catch up with you! I know where you live!"

Jason nodded, then climbed up onto the waterlogged Lady, turned, and set off for his home. He decided to allow her to speed, and she once again churned up the road as she raced back for the homestead.

Even as fast as he was going, Jason had only made it about halfway to his home before Tess blew by. He gaped in awe at the mighty beast, for it was... Well, it was one heck of a horse. It had to stand at least three or four hands higher than Lady, had a chestnut coat that glistened the rain, and barely seemed to be breaking a sweat as she tore down the road. By the time Jason came skittering up to his home, she had already dismounted and was calling the beast to herself.

To Jason's dismay, the rotting, undead onion monster seemed to have absorbed all the onions in his field. It had also attacked his personal garden and absorbed the young, sprouting vines, but thankfully, it had done little else. Tess stood there, a grin on her face, as water plastered her long hair to the back of her armor.

"Check this out, lover boy." She equipped a sword that seemed to glow in the rain. The onion monster, which now stood about five feet high and had been lumbering toward her, let out a screech and turned to run. Tess leapt forward and drove the blade deep into the rotting flesh. Light erupted through the air, and the monster exploded.

Bits and pieces of rotting onion and chunks of worm dribbled down across the farm. Jason lamented the mess, but he nodded gratefully as Tess sheathed the weapon.

"Thank you. I... Where can I find a weapon like that?"

"The deepest crypts of the crystal dungeon," Tess answered, matter- of-factly. "North, near the frozen sea. Now, there are plenty of other weapons that will kill undead veggies. I'm sure Paulina would be able to help you."

Jason grimaced, but he nodded. "I'll do that. How can I repay you?"

Tess just chuckled. "Seeing you soaked to the core, covered in onion guts and mud is more than enough payment for me." She turned to walk back to her horse, then paused. Slowly, she turned and looked over the farmstead, and gave a half-approving nod.

"I have to say... I didn't expect that you'd be able to do this. I mean, I didn't expect that anyone would be able to do this, but I especially thought

that you'd get eaten or scared off within a month. This place is actually starting to look half-decent, though."

"Was that a compliment?" Jason felt pride stretching across his face.

"Don't read anything into it," Tess muttered as she walked back to her horse. "I still hate you."

"You know, one transgression really shouldn't mark a person for life," Jason called after her. "Especially when the constable told me to do it!"

Tess just waved her hand as she mounted the horse and galloped off down the road. Her mighty steed zoomed away like a bullet, and Jason was speechless. He took Lady's reigns and led her back inside the stable, where she knelt down and was soon resting comfortably once more. He slowly walked out and cast another long, sad look at his garden. A handful of thoughts all formed in his head, but they all boiled down to one thing.

Patience.

He had a good system, with the current space he had cultivated. He could earn enough to get the rest of the equipment, and he would earn enough to build up the rest of the fence. He just had to be... Patient.

His only wish was that things would hurry up and progress, so he wouldn't have to be patient for much longer.

Chapter Thirteen – Chicken Fried Peppered Thistle

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 25th day of Fall! 66 days until the Fall Festival. We've got a Cold Snap coming through in a day or two. Shouldn't kill anything except your daily crops, so make sure those get harvested ahead of time. We wouldn't want a repeat of the rainy-day incident!]

Jason was chagrinned as he read the almanac (so much for Tess not wanting his infamy to grow), then rose and went to look out his window. Indeed, it was a brilliant and sunny day, with the sun already rising in fiery splendor. He dressed quickly and made his way downstairs, where he ordered a plate of mashed potatoes with Tumblewyrm giblets. It wasn't necessarily the most stereotypical breakfast food, but he found it to be quite tasty, and he gobbled it up quickly before heading out into the early morning light.

Lady nickered eagerly as he approached the stable, and he happily opened the door. He led her to the small pole, which he had erected just to the north of the stable, and tied her up. She had about twenty feet of rope, giving her plenty of room, and she began munching on the grasses of the area while Jason walked over to his field.

The sorghum grew tall in the fall sun. Brilliant, red heads sat above golden stalks, while a soft rustling could be heard as the wind blew through the leaves. Jason spent a few minutes walking around the perimeter of the garden hacking away at, per usual, crabgrasses and histles, and chased off a few smuts -- though he did his best not to actually kill any of them. He had finally gotten his stained pair of overalls clean, but the detergent had cost him over a thousand shandys, and he had no desire to repeat that event. That done, he climbed inside the fence and harvested all the sorghum.

It was his second sorghum harvest, likely to make a difference in his financial situation. It took slightly longer to grow than the wheat, clocking in at around a week and a half, but it produced almost twice as much

material. As the harvest poured in, he spent a few actions seeding the area, then quickly made his way back to the collection box.

It was... Different, only getting a payday once every week or so. In some ways, he actually preferred getting paid every single day, even though he knew that he made far less doing so. Once he had dropped off the crops, he went over to his smaller garden and performed a few harvesting actions there, as well, though all these crops were transferred into his pantry. Come springtime, he would start growing herbs, and he would, at that point, have a proper smorgasbord to eat from.

Once all that work was done, he found that he had only a handful of actions left for the day. He walked over and patted down Lady while he thought about it, then made up his mind. With the money he had received from the previous sorghum harvest, he had bought a large quantity of metal fence, hopefully enough to make it around the entire eighty acres. Now, he just had to put it up.

Slowly, with that resolve in his mind, he walked into the field and called up his inventory. Metal fencing was a good deal different than wooden fencing, as it required rivets and such things to put up, rather than simple hammers and nails. Still, he was willing to put in the work. By that time, the metal fence stretched down the entire southern edge of his field. It took him several long minutes to walk down to the far end, where he began working on building the fence up the western edge.

[Action Used: Build Fence. Remaining Actions: 12]

Each action allowed him to hammer a post into the ground and attach the requisite rails to it. Subsequently, due to the immense physical labor required (and a distinct lack of leveled abilities that would help him perform the work faster), each action took him about an hour to complete. He worked and worked as the sun rose higher. As it beat down directly overhead and he hammered the final rivet into the last rail for that particular post, a loud ding echoed across the field.

[Achievement Reached: Border Patrol: Hammer up 1,000 lengths of fence]

Jason nodded in approval, then wiped his brow. The sun was growing hotter, and his stomach rumbled loudly. He turned and made his way back into the home. He strode wearily up the front porch and into the kitchen, where he dropped into a chair.

[Cookbook: What would you like for lunch?]

"I don't care." Jason sighed wearily. "Uhh... Fried Peppered Histle."

With a flash, the snake-like meat appeared on a plate in front of him. He took a fork and leaned forward, slowly biting into the rubbery, spicy delight. It wasn't quite as good as tumblewyrm, but he had discovered the recipe rather by accident several days earlier, and surprisingly, he enjoyed it. It made him wonder just how many recipes might exist that made crabgrass meat tolerable, though he still wasn't sure if he wanted to give that a try.

He was just finishing up the histle meat when a low rumble shook the ground. He blinked in surprise, then went back to eating. Maybe, if he just ignored it, it would go away!

Predictably, this wasn't the case. He sighed and slowly rose, walking out onto his front porch as the prairie grasses began to ripple and rumble. A few seconds passed, and a great mass of vines slithered out of the prairie grass. It reared up tall, waving thousands of runners at Jason, and he slowly drew his sword.

"What is that thing?" he whispered softly, as no nameplate had appeared to identify it.

[Tess's Almanac: When enough metal fencing has been built, regardless of whether the fence actually encompasses anything, monsters will begin appearing in greater numbers.]

"Great," Jason muttered under his breath, then shrugged. Sure, the onion business hadn't exactly gone according to plan, but this certainly didn't seem undead. It was just a big, scary... Vine monster.

Jason took a deep breath, then drew his pistol. As he pulled the trigger, fire erupted from the flashpan and from the barrel. The monster jumped into the air, twisting its vines all about. In this, Jason caught sight of a single, central mass of roots and... Well, something. He couldn't tell if it was flesh, wood, or something else entirely. Nevertheless, altogether the monster seemed utterly undamaged, and only charged forward a bit faster.

Jason reloaded the pistol as fast as he could, but he was only about halfway done as the monster came roaring out of the prairie grass. The highest tips of its tentacles waved almost as high as his house, and only grew higher as the monster began to pull itself upward. The small cluster rose into view as it swelled up, and Jason gulped.

He drew his sword and rushed forward, slashing at the vines. They struck at him with a fury, snapping from the left, the right, and straight

down the middle. He cut off a few of the runners, but was quickly engulfed in the mass of twisting, writhing vines. Several wrapped tightly around his legs, a few more began to pin his arms to his body. He gasped in pain, then let out a fierce roar.

Throwing all his might into one last push, he drew his sword and swung it wildly through the vines. He cut himself free a moment later, and he fell to the ground. The creature let out its own roar, then began to withdraw, waving the frayed ends of sliced and mutilated tentacles as it did so. Jason watched it go, then took a deep breath.

He didn't have the faintest idea what the monster might have been, but he knew he needed to find out. Lady, still tethered to her pole, rose up on her hind legs as she kicked at the distant creature. Jason watched her, then rushed to her side. He untied the rope and hopped up onto her back, then rode out onto the road as quickly as he could go.

He needed help, that much was obvious. He knew that the quickest way to get someone to take care of the monster would be to go to Tess and the Adventurer's Guild, but he really didn't want to see her again. He didn't know how she would make fun of him this time, but he knew that it wouldn't be pleasant.

Without any other good ideas, he rode hard for the Lazy-H Ranch. As he came into view, he saw the assortment of farm hands milling about, though he didn't see Jeremiah. He came riding hard into the driveway and dismounted, looking left and right for his friend. As he did so, a tall man with a curly, grey mustache came walking up.

"You're Jason, right?" The man flashed a thin smile. "Name's Weatherhand. Jeremiah left me in charge while he's away. Said you might come by, and I was to help if at all possible."

Jason blinked. "Pleased to meet you, Weatherhand. Where's Jeremiah?"

"He had to run out of town. His sister got powerful sick, or so I heard. He'll be back in a week or so, I expect." The man chewed on a piece of straw, then shrugged. "Any way I can help?"

"Maybe." Jason frowned, then quickly described the monster that had attacked his farm. As he finished, Weatherhand began chuckling.

"Oh, that old thing! We call it the Nameless Scourge. Don't know what it's proper name it, but it's a right beast. No one has ever managed to

kill it, far as I know, but there's always a first. About the only defense against it is to get your fence built, and to do it quickly."

"That'll still take me weeks." Jason muttered under his breath.

"Then I'd say you're going to need a hired gun." Weatherhand shrugged. "That's really all there is to it. That thing will keep coming back, there's no doubt about it. It can't break through your metal fence, so once you get it up, you'll be fine, and it'll eventually just go away. But as long as it thinks there's a possibility, you're going to be in trouble."

"Thanks." Jason bit his lip. "I don't suppose you'd know where to find someone?"

"Your best bet is gonna be the Guild." Weatherhand shrugged. "That's where we got a lot of our hands, back when Jeremiah was first starting. I've heard that you've gotten somewhat of a reputation there. Might help you out, all things considered."

Jason winced, grimaced, then nodded. "I'll head over there. Thanks for the tip!"

He put on a smile, one far wider than he actually felt. Weatherhand seemed to sense this, and he gave Jason a sympathetic glance before turning back to his duties. Jason mounted Lady, then turned and galloped back out onto the road.

He rode for town just as swiftly as he could go. As he passed his home, he noticed a large cluster of razorgrasses coming down from the far end of his field, but they seemed to be fighting with a number of crabgrasses (which was the first time he had ever seen such behavior); thus, he wasn't too worried. The Nameless Scourge was gone, but a telltale ripple upon the prairie made him suspect that it would soon return. He simply rode for Summer Shandy, faster and faster, and soon came abreast of the city.

As he trotted up, he saw Tess sitting by the well, drinking out of a bucket with Constable Hank. They both looked up as he approached, and Tess snickered.

"Are you here to buy supplies, or here to bother my guild members again?"

"That depends on what you're hoping I'm here to do." Jason shrugged. "I imagine that I'll likely do the opposite."

At that, Constable Hank laughed. "Well, I'll leave you two to it." He rose and started walking toward the jail. "Busy day, I've got to attend to."

"Oh yeah!" Tess called out behind him. "That bottle of whiskey you've gotten in there really does need a careful watching. Might escape if you don't drink it first!"

Constable Hank just laughed and vanished into the dark door of the prison. Tess snorted after him.

"Lazy bum. We'd have a proper rule of life in this town if I and the Guild could patrol things."

"Oh, yeah." Jason snorted. "Martial law just sounds wonderful, in this little quaint town of ours."

"Ours?" Tess raised an eyebrow. "You've been here a season and a half, and you're already lumping yourself in with the locals?"

"Everyone except you seems to like me well enough." Jason countered.

"Everyone except me and Paulina." Tess held up a finger, then burst into a fit of laughter. Jason watched her as a pang shot through his heart. He took a deep breath, then let it out.

"Well, if you're done pretending to be a bigger monster than everything in all the dungeons of this land, I do actually have need of your guild."

"I knew it!" Tess snapped her fingers, then groaned. "Cheapskate farmers, the lot of you! You don't have a combatant bone in your whole body, and you expect us to come and protect you so you can keep... Putting things in the ground and watching them pop back up again."

"We feed the country!" Jason crossed his arms.

"You know as well as I do that most of the food isn't eaten here." Tess scoffed. "It all gets shipped off to the bigger cities, where most of it gets thrown away anyway. My adventurers all hunt our own food, we don't rely on your flawed network of food production."

Jason crossed his arms. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you were growing a soft side. You're just a bundle of sunlight and joy this morning."

"Afternoon."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Look, I..."

"You built too much fence, and now you need someone to come

guard your farm against the Nameless Scourge until you get the fence finished and it goes away?" Tess stared Jason in the eyes. "You're offering room and board, and not a shandy more?"

"I'll offer whatever people will take." Jason scowled at her. "I need protection, and as your guild is skilled in such things, I thought I would ask. I would think that you would be flattered to be needed."

"It does feel nice. Just gets to be a little much, sometime," Tess admitted as she rose. "Pathetic little farmer, can't even-"

At this, something flared within Jason. He pulled out his pistol, aimed past Tess's head, and fired. The blast of smoke and flame zinged by her face, and she froze. Slowly, she turned and stared up at Jason, an odd fury in her eye.

"How dare you? Did you seriously just shoot at me? Me, of all people?"

"No." Jason shrugged, then holstered his pistol and pointed behind her. "I shot at that."

Tess slowly turned around. Lying there on the ground was a tin can, likely dragged there by one of the innumerable goats that filled the town. It was about twenty paces away, and it had a large hole through the middle. Tess blinked, then turned back to Jason and shrugged dismissively.

"I could have hit the same thing at forty paces."

"I don't doubt it," Jason acknowledged. "Now, are you gonna get me someone, or am I going to have to walk into the guild hall and ask by myself?"

By now, a small crowd was beginning to grow. Tess shook her head, then flashed a small smile at him. He couldn't exactly tell what it meant. It wasn't a mean smile, but it also wasn't a smile of respect, necessarily. In any event, a man in silver armor that very nearly matched Tess's own armor came clattering up. Jason quickly recognized him as the man he had seen in Tess's office on the day of the rainstorm.

"You!" She called out, pointing at him. "Leonard. Come here."

Leonard quickly walked over, a dubious look on his face. He had his helmet off, revealing his boyish face. A bit of stubble clung to his chin, but it was nothing to be proud of, and indeed he seemed to endeavor to hide it. As he walked up, Tess jerked her head at Jason.

"Go with him. He needs protection on his farm, probably for a week or so. Nasty business. The monsters will probably be bad, too. He's offering room and board. Take it."

Leonard glanced between Tess and Jason, then nodded. "Okay, ma'am. If that's the way you want it."

"It is. I'll come visit you on my evenings off." She patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. "When the fence is built, I expect you to return posthaste."

With that, she strode away. Leonard blinked a few times as the crowd dispersed, then looked up at Jason.

"All right, then! I guess I'm your new partner."

"Guard," Jason clarified, turning the horse back toward the road. "Do you have a mount?"

"Nah." He shook his head and broke into a jog as Jason started trotting back down the path toward his farm. "I can run, though. Tess says that it'll help me stay in shape."

"You seem to know Tess quite well." Jason chuckled. "I wouldn't have imagined anyone might have wanted to."

"Oh, she's really quite wonderful." Leonard beamed. "You ought to see her in battle! The way she leads the raids through the crypts! Ahh, it's a wonder to behold. When she opened applications for the position of her boyfriend, I jumped at the chance! Still can't believe I beat everyone else out."

At this, Jason barked a short laugh. He glanced down at the jogging man, then shook his head once more.

"You're kidding! You're dating Tess?"

"Indeed, I am!" he declared with a grin. "If this goes well, hopefully she'll begin to like me more and more. Maybe, someday, we'll even get

Chapter Fourteen – All the Good Ones

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 30th day of Fall! 61 days until the Fall Festival. Weather should be clear, but chilly. Make sure to bundle up! If you think you're going to have a bunch of monsters attacking, though, make sure you have enough mobility to stay loose!]

Jason groaned as a loud crash echoed through the home. He rose slowly and painfully, then walked over to the window. There were a number of monsters all converging on the farm, rising with the morning light. Farther out in the sea of prairie grass, something rippled and slithered as a Nameless Scourge began to rumble closer and closer. Jason quickly got dressed, then made his way out into the hall.

"Sorry about that!" Leonard was in the process of hanging up a painting that he had apparently knocked down. "I just bumped into it, and whoops! There it went! You know how it goes."

"Sure," Jason allowed as they began to stomp down the stairs. Truth be told, he was beginning to wonder just how much trouble it was worth to keep Leonard around. Five days had passed, and he had proven to be so inept as to make him wonder just... Well, what did Tess see in him? For that matter, what did he see in Tess?

The second question, as much as Jason despised it, was easy to answer. It wasn't because Jason necessarily shared any of the sentiments, but because Leonard never ceased chatting about it. He was always prattling on about how amazing Tess was, how he couldn't wait for the assignment to be over, so on and so forth.

The two men stomped down into the kitchen, and Jason turned to his cookbook. Leonard dropped into his chair and grinned.

"Ooh! Ooh! Make some of those donuts that you made last night!"

"Those really aren't that healthy," Jason pouted. "I do need you in top shape for-"

"Hey. I'm fighting your monsters, aren't I?" Leonard countered. "Tess obviously thought I was up to the job. Please, can you make me some

donuts?"

He opened his eyes wide, making himself look for the world like a

little, lost puppy. Jason sighed deeply, then nodded and capitulated. He threw flour, sugar, and oil into the pan, and with a flash, several donuts appeared. As Leonard greedily scooped them up, Jason made a bit of mashed potatoes and tumblewyrm giblets for himself. They ate largely in silence, and Leonard rose and made his way out of the house. Jason stood and watched through a window as the warrior began hacking at the beasts, driving back the Nameless Scourge and shooting at the razorgrasses. He then proceeded to hack away endlessly at the ever-more innumerable crabgrasses. Jason stayed there for a few moments longer, then made his way outside himself.

He quickly followed his morning routine, putting Lady out on her stake and harvesting his smaller vegetables. The sorghum was still almost a week away from being ripe, and he made his way quickly out to the fence. He had turned and was making his way back along the northern side, and progress was going quickly. Leonard soon joined him, fighting off the monsters that desperately tried to stop his attempt to build the fence and keep them out.

"You know, in a lot of ways, this is more intense than any dungeon I've ever delved before," Leonard remarked as a large, six-foot-long histle reared up out of the grass and struck at him. Leonard carved the creature in two, then stomped on a crabgrass that tried to sneak past him along the ground. "I've delved a lot of dungeons, don't get me wrong, and I've tackled some pretty high-level ones, too! One of them, I fought this dragon that could switch between fire and ice. Terrible to defeat, let me tell you that."

"Was it, now?" Jason muttered as he hammered in a rivet. His muscles rippled in the sun, and sweat dripped down his brow. He wore only a short-sleeved shirt, despite the chill, as the hard labor kept him more than warm enough.

"Yeah!" Leonard laughed and began parrying with a razorgrass. Finally, after a few long seconds, he jumped up in the air and brought his sword smashing down through the metallic monster's defenses. It vanished in a blur of sparks, and Jason glared. Oh, what he would have given to have a high-enough sword skill to be able to do that. Spending money on new bullets was a great nuisance.

"Anyway," Leonard continued after a moment. "In dungeons, everything is always laid out in the same manner. Monsters are always in the same place. They attack in the same way, or at least in the same manner of ways. Some have a handful of attacks they can use, and you have to memorize the different ones. Still, it's pretty easy, all things considered, it all just depends on the strength of the monsters. Out here, stuff just comes at random. You never know what-"

"Ouch!" Jason yelped as something pricked his backside. He jumped in the air and spun to see a histle staring up at him, thorns bared. Leonard stabbed it a moment later, and Jason felt peeved at him. "You're supposed to be protecting me? Remember?"

"Sorry," Leonard acknowledged, then shifted his chest plate uncomfortably. "Just gets to be a bit much, sometimes. Like I was saying, though, dungeons are pretty easy. That's actually what Tess does most of the time. She's a dungeon guide for us new adventurers who come into town."

"Do tell?" Jason muttered as several crabgrasses began to scuttle closer to him. When Leonard made no move, he whacked them with his hammer until they vanished.

"Yeah! Some guys like to go in without any knowledge of what's there. Scarier, more intense. I always like to use a guide. They've scouted the dungeons well, they can tell you where all the traps are, and where the monsters are hiding and what attacks they'll use. You typically come out with more treasure, too, since they like to point out where all the hidden hordes are located."

"And that's how you met Tess?" Jason mused. He rose and moved on to start hammering in the next pole. It took Leonard several long moments before he realized what was happening, and he followed quickly.

"Yeah! I hired her for a private dungeon tour. Those are really cool. You get the experience of the dungeon, you get to do it safely since there's a guide, but you don't have all the pressure of having a big group around. You know how it is. Everyone wants you to succeed and hold up your end of the party, and if you slip and fail, then everyone is all like 'You almost got us killed,' even though all you let slip past you was a little slime, and it couldn't have gotten through anyone's armor anyway, and-"

"I'm sensing that you have a decent amount of experience getting yelled at?" Jason guessed.

"Oh, yeah. That's what makes Tess so great."

"Really?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "I find it hard to believe she doesn't yell."

"Oh, she yells." Leonard nodded. "Louder than anyone else I've ever heard! She does it in a loving, I-care-for-you way, though. It's nice. And wow, she's good with a sword! There's a hidden boss down on the lowest level of the crypt. I, of course, asked her to fight it, but she was so concerned for my safety that she told me no, so I went ahead and opened the door anyway, and-"

Jason quit listening as Leonard prattled on and on. He talked about how skilled Tess was with her weapons, how talented she was at riding horses, and how the entire room always bent to listen to her (no matter how many people were in the room, or what they were doing). It made Jason feel rather sick, though he wasn't sure exactly why. He nearly offered Leonard a scroll so he could go write down all his feelings. That way, he wouldn't be talking to Jason, and Jason could burn it all when Leonard was done.

They were nearing lunchtime (and had put up almost five sections of fence), when a glint of metal flashed upon the road. Jason rose as someone walked onto his farm, but Leonard was quicker.

"Tess!" he yelled, and he raced away from Jason to go embrace his true love. As he did so, another histle began to snap at the seat of Jason's pants. He whacked it away with the hammer, only to hear Tess yelling at Leonard.

"Never walk away from a job!" She scolded him as they returned to Jason. "You were sent here to guard him, not to abandon him. Look out!"

She drew a knife off her belt and threw it into the grass. An enormous histle writhed back and forth and vanished, and she scowled.

"That thing could have eaten him and you in a single gulp. Pay attention."

"I'll second that." Jason mumbled.

"No one asked you." Tess derided. "Leave the fighting to the professionals."

"I can, now that you're here." Jason climbed to his feet and surveyed the fence. "Not too shabby, I'd say. I'll have the rest of it up in a week, I'll bet on it."

"Yay!" Leonard jumped up in the air. "I can go back to Summer Shandy and spend more time with Tess!"

Jason was quite elated by this thought. Tess seemed rather annoyed, and Jason briefly wondered why she was bothering to date the man. After a few moments, she clapped her hands.

"Well, the dungeon is closed today for maintenance, so I decided to come out and visit. I don't suppose you'd have an extra seat for lunch?" She glanced at Jason, and at that moment, he realized that she was actually asking him. Nicely.

"Yeah, of course!" He nodded and started walking back toward the house. "We were just about to head in, anyway. What do you want?"

"Blueberry pie!" Leonard smacked his lips eagerly. "Oh, and maybe some of those delicious-"

"It's vegetables for you." Tess patted Leonard's belly. "It looks to me like you've been imbibing a bit too much sugar this past week."

"You can say that again," Jason confirmed.

"Well, you can cook whatever you want, and I'll gladly eat it." Tess turned back to Jason. "Though I would certainly appreciate if it was a bit more on the savory side, rather than the sweet side."

"I'll see what I can do," Jason offered as they walked up onto the front porch. A few moments later, they were inside the kitchen. Jason pulled up a simple stew recipe and whipped it up with a bit of beef that he had purchased from Paulina's store a few days earlier. As he served it into bowls, Leonard turned his nose up at its mix of vegetables, including carrots, peppers, onions, and tomatoes, but Tess grinned widely.

"Mmm! This smells amazing!"

Jason blinked as they sat down. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but that sounded like a compliment."

Tess shrugged. "I can recognize a good meal when I see it. At the Guild, they just sorta roast whatever beast they happened to shoot in the wilderness. Wild hogs, I can handle. Dragon steaks, I don't necessarily mind from time to time. Some of the other stuff, though..." She shuddered. "A bunch of them shot down a Giant Bat last night and decided to cook that up today."

"Oh! Was that what smelled so bad this morning?" Leonard asked, a grin on his face. "Ahh, I wish I could have been there!"

"You'd have vomited over your armor. Most of the men with stronger constitutions did, for sure." Tess grimaced. "And of course, I'm the one who's going to have to go through and clean it all up. Disgusting men."

Jason slowly took a spoonful of his stew, then blinked at Tess. She seemed, somehow... different.

"Well, how have things been going?" Tess asked after a few moments. She took a sip of her own stew, then began to eat with more vigor. "You aren't a pile of bones, so I imagine that it couldn't be too terrible."

Jason lamented, "The attacks are getting worse with every section of fence." He stood up and showed her a few bites on his lower leg, though he kept the more tender bites a bit more concealed. "They're coming so fast now, it's getting harder to keep working."

Tess actually winced. "Just make sure you don't get bitten by the red histles. Those are a lot more venomous and can mess you up pretty badly."

Jason recoiled, then tapped his spoon on the rim of his bowl. "Once again, I'm hearing concern come out of your mouth. Are you sure you aren't a shapeshifting slime or something, from the deepest depths of the crypt?"

At that, Leonard leapt to his feet (spilling his bowl in the process) and drew his sword.

"Stop, fiend!" He yelled.

"Oh, you stop it." Tess batted away the sword with her bare hand, striking the flat side of the weapon. "You know as well as I do that there are no shapeshifting slimes in the crypt. Mimics aren't uncommon in other parts of the world, but we don't have them here. Besides, they can't leave their dungeons."

She stuck a finger in my face. "Thanks for getting him all excited."

Leonard just grinned, then helped himself to a bit more stew. Jason just watched them, then shook his head and continued to eat. The rest of the meal largely went in silence, and when it ended, Leonard rose and scampered out to the field as the Nameless Scourge began to writhe along the edge of the grass. Tess, meanwhile, paused with Jason on the porch.

"I've got to admit, I don't see it." Jason chuckled.

"He had the best application out of anyone," Tess grumbled. "All the really good ones don't want to settle down."

"And you do?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "You don't exactly strike me as the... Ahh..."

He didn't have a chance to finish as Tess spun on him. After a moment, she relaxed and gave a quick look around the farmstead.

"It's improved even since the last time I was here." She nodded with a small grin on her face. "I... I like it."

With that, she turned and strode off down the road. Jason watched her go, then shrugged and went back to his work. He couldn't figure out Tess, that was for certain.

Leonard, though, he knew well... And he couldn't wait to be rid of him for good.

Chapter Fifteen – Things Transferred

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 35th day of Fall! 56 days until the Fall Festival. Make sure you're eating your fruits and veggies! Monster attacks are on the rise, and storms are predicted!]

"That was unhelpful." Jason rolled out of bed and walked up to the window. Sure enough, the horizon was dark, though it didn't look like the storm would show up anytime soon. He made a mental note not to seed any daily crops, and instead simply got dressed and made his way down into the kitchen. Leonard was nowhere to be seen, though Jason rather enjoyed that fact. He made himself a small breakfast of baked cereal in milk (he had finally broken down and purchased some milk, and now wondered why he had taken so long to do so), then made his way out onto the farm.

By that time, he had managed to extend his fence about halfway down the final length of his field. There was still a long way to go, a week or two more of work, but it was really getting there. Quite unfortunately, the monsters seemed to know this as well. At least two Nameless Scourges seemed to be making their way through the prairie grasses, and Jason sighed. His sorghum was so close to harvesting, and he didn't want to lose the crop now. Not that he ever wanted to lose a crop, but it did seem to sting more, the more time he invested in the crop. He turned and walked back into the house, then pounded up the stairs to Leonard's room.

"Hey!" He called loudly and rapped on the doorframe. "Time to get up!"

Something moved inside the room, but no words were said, and no one came out. After a few more moments, something outside let out a screech, and Jason twisted the knob and pulled the door open.

Inside, he found Leonard laying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. His eyes were open and puffy red, as if he had been crying. Jason gave a start of concern... And then noticed the picture of Tess that the warrior was holding in his hands. Jason groaned in frustration and scowled at his hired "help."

"Really?" Jason crossed his arms. "I need you. Pronto. Lots of big monsters."

"What's the use?" Leonard whispered softly. "Tess isn't here. I have no motivation to-"

"Did she dump you?"

"No." Leonard whispered.

"Is she mad at you?"

"No."

"Then man up." Jason snapped. "The quicker you come help me, the

quicker I can seal off my field, and the quicker you can head back into town and be with your true love for all of eternity."

"Oh, how nice that sounds!" Leonard oozed. "I can't wait!"

Jason turned to walk away, then turned back in growing frustration as Leonard failed to move. He put his head in his hands, then sighed.

"I do have to make a run into town this afternoon. If you can get all the monsters cleared away by then, and it looks like they're not coming back, I'll let you come with me."

Leonard erupted from the room like a cannonball. He streaked down the hallway and dove into the kitchen, where he began making his breakfast. Jason caught the smell of frying donuts, and very nearly said something to him, then decided against it. If Tess exploded at him, and kicked him to the curb, it would only get him out of Jason's hair that much faster. At least, it probably would. Jason supposed that there was also the chance that Leonard would become irrevocably attached to Jason and never leave his house again, but Jason supposed that he could deal with that once the time came.

Jason made his way out onto the farm, hitched Lady to her post, and stabbed a handful of crabgrass that were skittering . Leonard finally emerged, his stomach sticking out just a bit from underneath his armor. He drew his sword and a gun, and he set to work blasting away the monsters that were trying to take control of the farm. Jason watched him work, noticing how much slower he was moving than when Jason had first hired him, and wondered if he would even be able to survive in a dungeon. He chuckled a bit at the thought of Leonard being chased around by a troll, then performed a few actions in his small garden before returning to the fence.

He hammered on the fence until lunchtime, all the while Leonard rushed back and forth slaying monsters. They were coming in droves now, such that Leonard could barely leave Jason's side. Histles and crabgrasses just piled atop each other, surging along in a near-constant mat. Leonard was soon breathing heavily, and he looked as though he needed a break, but Jason didn't dare give it to him until he could step away as well.

At lunchtime, they packed up and went inside, where they ate a fairly simple meal. Leonard was dismayed to find out that he had used up the last of Jason's sugar, and he made his host promise to buy more once they got to town. After they finished, they rested for a few moments, then rose and made their way back out into the fields. Jason went back to hammering and was able to get almost ten sections of fence up by the time that the sun reached the four-o'clock position. He was getting faster and faster, there was no doubt about that fact. He massaged his aching wrists, and Leonard did the same. They both walked over to the pump and got a long drink of water, then sighed.

"You'll have this done in just a few days!" Leonard declared hopefully.

"We'll see." Jason took a long breath. "All right, you ready to head into town?"

"Am I ever!" Leonard took off toward the road, running out onto the hard-packed soil in a moment. "See you there!"

Jason rolled his eyes, then washed his face in the pump-water and went inside. He changed into somewhat more presentable clothes, then went back outside, mounted up on Lady, and rode off.

To his... He wasn't sure if it was delight, necessarily. Amusement? In any case, he let out a chuckle as he found Leonard only half of the way there, gasping and panting from the effort. The hapless adventurer looked up as Jason passed.

"I... Ah..."

"Tess is going to have a field day with you," Jason called down as he passed. "I hope you realize that!"

Leonard made no answer, and Jason simply rode harder for Summer Shandy. As he arrived, he felt confused. On an ordinary day, the town square was only populated by a small handful of people; farmers who had come into town to buy supplies, and a few wives drawing water from the well. Oh, and Constable Hank, who would always be somewhere, sticking

his nose where it didn't belong. Today, though, the streets were packed with adventurers. It seemed that the Guild Hall had emptied itself. Tess could be seen near the well, having an animated discussion with Constable Hank. Jason chuckled as he rode through the crowd, then came to a stop in front of Paulina's store. He dismounted and walked inside, hoping to escape the crowd.

Quite unfortunately, the crowd had only grown larger inside the store. Bored adventurers wandered back and forth, browsing Paulina's wares, but didn't really seem to be buying much. Paulina looked up and gave Jason a weary half-wave as he entered, and he slowly made his way up to the counter.

"You look like you could use... Well, I'm not sure what, but something." Jason chuckled.

"If I walk away from the counter for a second, half of these guys try to steal all my money," Paulina decried. "It's like they're aspiring thieves or something. If you're going to dabble in that, go up and join one of those guilds in the bigger cities. Stay out of here, I say."

Jason teased softly, "I'm really sorry for that. Just think, if you'd gone and started dating what's-his-name, he could have stood guard for you while you went away and rested."

"He'd have let his friends walk out with half the store." Paulina protested, then brightened. "Not because he was actually being vile, don't get me wrong, but he could be a bit... Ahh..."

"Dense?" Jason finished.

"Yep." Paulina chuckled, and Jason did the same. After a moment, Jason cut to the chase.

"I need a bit more metal. I'm close to getting things finished up, but I need just a bit more."

"I heard. Tess was telling me all about your work there." Paulina flashed a warm smile. "I told her that I had helped with a lot of it. She said that it made sense, but that you're really doing a very good job."

"There again with the compliments." Jason scratched his head. "Just when you think you have a person figured." He chortled as Paulina began calculating how much metal he could buy, and for what price. "You talk to Tess? What is there, a shop owner's guild that I don't know about?"

At that, Paulina laughed. "We've been called as much before, but no. The four of us are all just good friends. We meet every now and then,

usually in the Guild Hall. It's nice to talk about all the stupid customers we're always dealing with."

"Has Tess told you about her boyfriend?" Jason started tittering, despite himself.

Paulina blinked. "Tess has a boyfriend?"

"Made him apply for the position and everything!"

At that, Paulina burst out guffawing. "Oh, that's Tess alright.

Classic!"

They laughed for a few long moments. After they calmed down,

Paulina nodded down at the counter.

"That'll be 40,000 shandys, and it should get you finished up." "Done." Jason gave a nod.

The money transferred with a loud clink, and Jason's face darkened.

He glanced around at the adventurers, then back at Paulina. "This isn't the most important thing in the world, but do you know why they're all... Out here?"

Paulina shook her head. "I haven't been able to leave the store to ask, and none of them seem willing to talk about it."

One of them, a short man with a stubby beard, turned and snarled at them. "Guild business. Not your concern."

"You're crowding up my store, so I think I'm going to make it my concern." Paulina scowled. "I've half a mind to just expel you all from the store and lock up early for the day!"

Jason chuckled, turned, and walked away. He slowly walked out into the town square once more, where he saw Leonard finally staggering up to the crowd. He looked across the group of warriors, worried, and then lit up like the sun when his eyes came to rest on Tess. She was still arguing with Constable Hank, but she turned in annoyance as Leonard came running up to meet her.

"Leonard! I didn't expect to see you here!" Tess's voice was high- pitched, and it sounded to Jason a great deal like she was trying to sound excited. She glanced down at her beau's belly, then turned to Jason as he walked up to join them. "Just what have you been feeding him?"

"Vegetables," Jason insisted. "I can't help the fact that he sneaks into my kitchen when I'm not looking."

"Leonard..." Tess growled in a low, menacing tone. "Hey..." Leonard stammered. "I... You like his food, too!"

By now, a handful of the adventurers were beginning to glance in Tess's direction. Constable Hank held up his hands and chuckled in a low tone.

"It seems that I'm intruding on a personal matter. Come find me later, Tess, if you feel that this still needs worked out."

With that, he turned and walked away. As he vanished, Tess scowled after him, then turned to Leonard and Jason.

"Hey, honey." She put her hands rather forcefully on his shoulders. "I know you're excited to see me, and I'm excited to see you, too, but we're going to have to do this another day. I'm a little busy right now, as you can see."

"I can!" Leonard seemed rather proud of that fact. After a moment, his curiosity was piqued as he glanced back and forth. "What exactly are you busy with?"

Tess gave no answer. After a moment, burning with curiosity, Jason asked the same thing.

"Yeah, what's going on?"

Tess groaned, but she turned and answered. "You remember that maintenance that's been happening on the crypts? Well, it's still not done yet. It's been almost a week now, and my warriors are getting anxious. A lot of them hadn't yet managed to get down to the lowest level and claim all the rare loot, which means that now they're stuck here until it reopens. Sure, they could go on to the next town, but then they'd have to come back. A lot of them chose to just stick around when it first closed, but now they're realizing that they could have made it to the next town and back by now, so they're getting... frustrated." She sighed and ran her armored fingers through her hair, then sighed once again. "And, as of this morning, the Guild Hall is also closed for maintenance. Even I haven't been told what's going on, though I did request that an explanation be sent posthaste. It's supposed to be arriving later this afternoon, though it's anyone's guess when that might happen."

Quite suddenly, a loud cry echoed through the air. Tess made an exasperated gesture with her hands, then climbed up onto the well to see better. From where he stood, especially as the much taller warriors began to cluster around, Jason couldn't see a thing. Still, he could hear the voice that rang out, as loud as a trumpet.

"This is to announce that the Summer Shandy Crypts will be reopening in two days! The general layout of the dungeon will remain the same, though you will notice a number of locked doors on all the levels, and a further door that will lead to an inaccessible lower level. On the 90th day of Fall, all doors will unlock, revealing new areas and new monsters." There was a short pause, and then the voice continued. "That's not all, folks! That's not all. On that day, there will be an event unlike anything you've ever seen before! If it's successful, the format of the event will be duplicated across all the land. Just know that you saw it here, first! We apologize for the delay, but we hope that you enjoy the reopening in just two days, and we truly hope that you enjoy the final event at the end of the season!"

With that, the voice ended, and a loud cheer erupted from the assembled warriors and adventurers. Jason had to admit to a pang of jealousy, and for a brief moment, he rather wished that he had chosen the life of a warrior. Still, all the fighting and danger seemed to him to be rather excessive, and as dozens of men and women began to cluster around Tess to ask her questions that she didn't know the answers to, Jason turned and walked away. He cast a look back as he mounted up on Lady, and he found Tess still on top of the well. She sent an exasperated look at Jason, and he flashed a smile back at her. Quite suddenly, an idea struck him, and he took a deep breath.

He was going to regret it, that was for sure. Still... If it worked, it could take a great deal of stress off his hands.

Chapter Sixteen – New Companion

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 37th day of Fall! 54 days until the Fall Festival, and the brand-new event (which Tess knows nothing about). If you're curious about the weather, just look outside.]

[Companions: Your new companions have each been given 10 bonus actions for the day, and you have been granted 5 per companion. Total actions for the day: 286]

Jason felt a smile break across his face as he rolled out of bed and walked up to the window. He gazed out upon a scene that at once seemed rather ludicrous, but which also seemed to be his saving grace.

Covering his lawn, and even out into the prairie grasses, were dozens upon dozens of warriors and adventurers. They had pitched their tents everywhere but in his garden, and they had raised countless campfires. The farm had never been so free of monsters, and even that morning, the vile creatures seemed to sense the danger, and stayed well enough away. A Nameless Scourge moved about on a distant hill, but it failed to come any closer. Only a few of the warriors were up and about, though those who were moving seemed to be grilling meats over their newly kindled fires.

Jason stretched, got dressed, and stepped out into his hall. There, Tess was already standing, looking at a portrait of one of Jason's great-great grandparents. She stroked her chin with her gauntlet-covered hand (she had long since suited up in her armor, and in Jason's imagination, likely slept in it as well), then nodded in his direction.

"Do you know who he is?" she inquired.

Jason gave a simple shake of his head. "Not a clue, to be honest. I never really knew my mother's side of the family; that's the side my uncle was from. Always been a bit of a mystery, but I also kinda like him there."

They gazed together up at the portrait. The man was distinguished, though poor, and carried himself in a manner that seemed to speak volumes. Jason could only imagine that, in person, he would immediately command the attention of anyone in a room. Tess seemed to think the same thing.

After a few moments, she turned wordlessly and began to stomp down the stairs. Jason followed, eager to make use of his extra help before they all went back into town. As it had turned out, after being kicked out of the Guild Hall, the warriors had essentially been homeless. That was the issue that Tess had been arguing about with Constable Hank. The surrounding hills were technically pastureland for the farmers who lived on the outskirts of Summer Shandy. A large group of people making camp there would have ruined the grass, and all of them had begged the constable to enforce a ban on the practice. The Guild had thus been left with very few options... until Jason had opened his home.

On the following day, with his bonus actions and extra help, Jason had been able to build almost the entire remaining length of the fence. He had only a dozen or so posts to hammer in and link together, which he could likely do by himself if he had sufficient protection. While Tess stopped in the kitchen to make some food, Jason hurried out and began to work on the fence, starting as early as he could.

Almost as soon as his hammer started to fall, warriors woke up in droves. The majority simply ate a quick breakfast before leaping into action. The crypts were, of course, reopening that day, and they rushed out onto the road and back toward Summer Shandy just as fast as they could go. A few others, though, came over and began to help Jason work. His stomach growled, but he pushed onward. If he had cheap help, he certainly wasn't going to waste it!

Within two hours, the last of the fence was up. A single gap remained for the gate, and two enormous warriors banged loudly on the metal as they shaped it into the proper position. Jason walked up to help, but they waved him away.

"Thank you." Jason inclined his head as they continued to work.

"No, thank you." Tess walked up behind him, surprising him a great deal. He spun to find her standing there, Leonard not far behind. She looked across the garden, then gave a small nod. "You certainly got some good labor out of this."

Jason just shrugged. "People were willing to help, so-"

"I'm not saying it was a bad thing." Tess puffed out her cheeks and looked surprisingly humble. She bit her lip for a few long seconds, and then... finally... spoke. "I know it seems like a simple thing. All you did was let us stay on your farm, and you got cheap labor out of it. Still, that's

something that not a lot of other people would have done. It saved us a good deal of trouble, I'll tell you that. If you hadn't spoken up, I think we would have had to form a caravan and make our way north, to open country."

At that, Leonard shuddered. "Camping in open country is..."

"It's not the safest thing in the world." Tess cut him off, then nodded. "I'm thankful, in any case. The Guild and the law of the town don't always get along well, and you saved us a mess of trouble. If you ever need anything from us, don't hesitate to ask. We'll even be willing to work for pie."

At this, she flashed a small smile. Jason laughed and clapped his hands. "That's a deal I'll take all day long."

The warriors soon finished hammering the gate into place, then went and packed up their tents to leave. A few of them used the [Cheap Help] ability to transfer their bonus actions to Jason, but by and large, he watched his available bonus actions dwindling as the warriors left the farm to go start scoping out the new dungeon. Soon, only Tess and Leonard were left. A few monsters churned in the grass around the field, but as the metal fence now encompassed the entire territory, there wasn't much that they could do. Leonard walked off to stab a few of them, and Tess glanced at Jason nervously.

"Can I tell you something?"

"Ahh..." Jason blinked. He had just started to get used to Tess not yelling at him. Being openly candid was something that he would have never expected in a million years. "Yes?"

"I'm worried," she whispered. "This new dungeon, this new event..." "You think it'll go wrong?" Jason asked.

"It's my job to keep people safe," Tess affirmed. "All these new doors

and such? There will be endless speculation on what they might contain in the month leading up to its opening. If it were up to me, on the day that things open up, I would go inside with a team of the most experienced warriors, scope it out, map out the monsters and their attacks, so on and so forth. Casual adventurers wouldn't even be allowed inside until it was properly scouted. As is, there's no way I'll be able to enforce anything like that. Curious low-levels will go running inside in an attempt to be the first to see cool new things, and a lot of people will get hurt. Maybe even killed. It happens every time."

A tear trickled down her cheek. After a moment, she continued. "Oh, and this new event. There aren't many events in the land. Why? Because they're all super dangerous. Warriors don't care about new cosmetics, at least not as much as they care about new levels of danger. They love to walk that knife's edge between life and death." She shuddered. "Whatever this is, it won't be good. That much, I'm certain of."

Jason watched her for a moment. He was trying to formulate a reply when she shook herself. In the blink of an eye, she had restored herself to her usual, impassive self. She gave a single glance at Jason before she clapped her hands loudly.

"All right, Leonard! Let's get out of here! We've got a dungeon to take on!"

With that, she strode out and onto the road. Leonard followed as quickly as possible, though he was still in the process of shaking off a crabgrass, which had latched a root-like pincer to the back of his chain-mail armor. A few minutes later, they were gone, and Jason breathed a bit easier.

It had been a bit of an unusual turn of events, but the influx of warriors had done wonders for his farm. He walked over to the fence and leaned against the rails, patting the iron bars with affection.

In just a few more days, the next crop of sorghum would emerge. All he needed now was a horse-drawn planter and a horse-drawn harvester. Once he had those, he would be able to farm the full eight acres, and things would really start to turn around for him. He would be right up there with Jeremiah, with the big leagues. He could start working on improving the home, start working on expanding. Maybe he could even get a more permanent hired hand! One with a bit more... skill... than Leonard.

The thoughts filled his mind with joy, and he relaxed. After a few moments, though, he turned to Lady. He could see several smuts in the grass, and he knew that he needed to get some everlasting torches for the outer fence if he was going to have a hope of keeping them all out. He mounted his trusty steed, then galloped off in a rush.

A few minutes passed, and he raced by Tess and Leonard, kicking up a cloud of dust as he did so. Leonard screamed, Tess gave a yelp, and Jason just laughed.

Indeed, things were going well. He just couldn't wait to see how they would go, next.

Chapter Seventeen – Momentus Event

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 80th day of Fall! 11 days until the Fall Festival! The weather will be on the cooler side, likely all the way until the start of winter. Expect daily crops to spoil overnight, so make sure you only plant things that will mature before sundown. All trees will lose their leaves tomorrow, so if you don't have a rake, might be a good time to buy that as well!

P.S. Tess does not know anything about the crypt event, but she is certain that it will not affect Summer Shandy. Please stop asking her, if you aren't planning on fighting.]

Jason rolled out of bed, slipped, and hit the floor with a loud thunk. He whined and rubbed his eyes, then climbed slowly to his feet. Under his floorboards, the mice gave a few loud squeaks before vanishing as he stomped loudly on their roof. With the steadily cooling temperatures, the rodents had begun moving down from his attic, which rather annoyed him. They were keeping him up at night with all their squeaking and jumping about, but he didn't know what could really be done about it.

He dressed quickly, then made his way to the window. His crop now covered a vast expanse, far beyond the old area that he had haphazardly fenced in. He had taken down that old fence, and while he still didn't quite have enough money to buy all the equipment he needed, he had been able to expand the patch far beyond its old borders. A few monsters milled about the edge of his metal fence, but the majority had seemingly decided that it simply wasn't worth the trouble, at least not for a few years until the fence started rusting.

Of course, he didn't actually have sorghum planted in the field, not at that moment. After harvesting it the day prior, he had calculated that he would have enough money to purchase the final horse-drawn equipment from the store on that very day. Since the money wouldn't be available until after the crop had sold, though, he had been forced to wait, and had simply

seeded out a bunch of cabbages. They all looked ready for picking, and he went downstairs with a spring in his step.

He made only a quick stop in his kitchen, where his recipe book had rapidly filled with new delectable dishes.

"Make me a pumpkin pie," he ordered the cookbook, and smiled as a fresh-baked pie appeared with a flash.

[Tess's Almanac: If I don't let Leonard eat that stuff, why would you think it's a good idea?]

"Are you spying on me, Tess?" Jason challenged and sat down, eating the pie as slowly and forcefully as he could. "Get a life."

There was no reply, and he tittered. He finished his breakfast after a few minutes, then made his way out onto the farm. It was a short walk over to the field, and he happily walked through the gate instead of climbing over the fence. Two simple harvest actions were all that was needed to take care of the cabbages, and he happily made his way over to the collection bin.

[Money Earned - 75,963 shandys]

[Total Money - 121,321 shandys]

"Perfect." He whistled softly, then clapped his hands. Lady, inside her

stall, obediently tapped her hoof against the door, making a knock-knock noise that sounded rather like a clap. Jason grinned and ran over to her. He gave her some oats, then put on her saddle and mounted up. With a burst of speed, her hooves of thunder rocketed him across the ground and down toward Summer Shandy.

He rode up the hill with a burst of speed, coming to a screeching halt outside Paulina's store. To his surprise, he found Leonard and Clyde standing outside, leaning against the doorframe. They both looked up as Jason dismounted, and both of them waved.

"Hey! How's it going!" Leonard seemed particularly pleased to see Jason. "I was just telling Clyde about you! You've got the best pie!"

Jason chuckled, then nodded down at Leonard's frame, which seemed much thinner than when he had left Jason's farm. "You look like you're hurting for a bit of pie."

"If you could sneak me one, I'll pay you handsomely for it." Leonard whispered, then straightened.

Jason chuckled, then nodded at Clyde. "What brings you here? I haven't seen you since the Summer Festival. Kinda just assumed you had

moved on."

"I did, actually." Clyde affirmed. "I kinda bummed around some of

the nearby towns, but when I heard news of the new dungeon opening here, I figured I would come back. Maybe see if Paulina has softened at all, you know?"

"Has she?"

Clyde shrugged. "Haven't gotten that far yet. I ran into Leonard here, and we've been talking."

Jason didn't quite know how to respond to that. "Well, I'm heading inside. Best of luck to you both!"

They both waved at Jason as he walked through the front door. The bell over the door gave a jingle, and Paulina looked up from the counter. Tess was across from her, leaning against the wood surface, and they both gave Jason a wave.

"Now that makes sense." Jason pointed at Tess. "I was wondering why Leonard was over here instead of at the guild."

"Is he standing outside?" Tess moaned and put her head in her hands. "He follows me everywhere. Like a little, lost puppy."

"Ahh, but a cute, lost puppy!" Paulina held up a finger.

"That he is," Tess laughed.

Jason forced a small laugh as well, though he didn't share the same

opinion of Leonard's features. He walked to the back of the store and began to browse through the different food options, selecting a bit more sugar and some other assorted supplies before coming back to the counter. Tess stepped to the side, and he set it all up. Paulina ran a quick calculation and nodded.

"That'll be 152 shandys."

"I actually need a bit more." Jason explained. "Is there any way I can get the harvester and planters?"

At that, Paulina and Tess both lit up. "You have enough?" Paulina squeaked.

"Indeed, I do!" Jason nodded firmly. "Just got the last crop of sorghum sold this morning. In a week's time, you'll be looking at a wealthy man."

"Yeah, you're going to lose that wealth a dozen times over by the time you get that farmstead fixed back up," Paulina retorted, then

backtracked. "Not that I'm not impressed, you know, it's just... .That place needs a lot of work, even still."

"I know," he replied, defensively. "I'm just trying to celebrate my victories, okay?"

"Well, I've got all that right here." Paulina flipped open a catalog. "Let me see... With the food, and those two things, that'll come to... 122,123 shandys."

Jason blinked for a few moments. "Say that number again?" "122,123."

Stunned, Jason puffed out his cheeks. "I thought they were only about

120,000."

Paulina understood. "Oh! I know what you're talking about. Those

were the old prices. Just about two weeks ago, everything metal got more expensive. Something about a war between two different nations, and so both countries are buying up as much metal as they can. Honestly, I could probably be selling it for almost twice as much, but I have enough of a reserve that I'm not too worried. Yet."

Jason felt a bit disappointed. "Any idea what it'll look like tomorrow?"

Paulina could only hold up her hands. "Sorry, I don't. Unfortunately, there's a builder who's looking to do some construction down south. It very well might go up by then, I just don't know."

"Ahh, sell it to him." Tess ordered Paulina. She tossed a handful of shandys onto the counter. "That oughta make up the difference."

Jason turned to Tess as the deal went through. He was left without a single shandy to his name, but he could hardly complain. Tess looked away as he met her eyes, and he tried to get her attention.

"Not that I'm complaining..."

"Then don't."

"Why help me?" Jason asked. "With Paulina, it at least made a bit of

sense since... You know..."

"You never had a chance with her." Tess crossed her arms. "It's just

that simple. Go on, though."

Jason was taken aback. "You don't... Ahh, never mind. Thank you, in

any case."

"You can pay me back with all the riches I expect you'll soon be

bringing in."

"Indeed!" Jason agreed, then turned away. "If I go get everything seeded now, it'll be ready for harvest on the final day. Oh, Paulina? I don't suppose you've got anything for me to grow over the winter?"

Paulina shook her head. "Not unless you've got a greenhouse. Trust me, don't start worrying about getting one of those built, yet."

"Fair enough." Jason shrugged. "Guess I'll have some free time with which to spend my fortune. Talk to you later!"

As he walked toward the door, Tess called out behind him.

"Jason! Wait."

Jason froze, then turned. Tess motioned for him to come back to the

counter, and he did so rather slowly. As he came up, Tess and Paulina leaned forward, and their voices lowered.

"Jason, I... I just want to warn you. I just received some more information about the dungeon event last night. It's going to be a nasty one. You want my advice? Get out of town while the going's good."

Jason frowned and glanced at Paulina. She gave a simple, thin-lipped nod. Jason couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he shook his head.

"Did you not hear me? I'm about to sow the biggest crop I've ever made! It'll keep me going through the winter. As of a few minutes ago, I'm flat broke. I won't have enough to make it through the winter! Well, I might be able to get by on crabgrass meat, but Lady-"

"We can shelter Lady at the Guild stables, and like you said, you'll be fine." Tess pursed her lips. "This thing is going to be a disaster. Please, Jason, listen to me."

"Can you tell me anything about it?"

Tess shook her head. "I wasn't even supposed to have the information at all, but someone in Illumitir who's working with the event managed to leak it to me. Just... get out of here."

In the years that followed, Jason was both extremely glad, and extremely frustrated, that he didn't heed Tess's advice. All he said was a simple, "Thanks for the heads-up. I'll keep my head down, but... If you're staying here, I know I'll be safe."

With that, he left the shop and rode Lady back down to his farm. Clyde and Leonard were already there, to his great surprise, looking over what had been done with the place. Jason waved at them, noting that the two new pieces of equipment were there as well. In the previous weeks, Jason had managed to plow up the field to prepare it for planting, which

meant that he had all he needed. As the two warriors looked on, he hitched up Lady, and they set to work.

It was nearly evening by the time they got done. He whistled softly as he took in the vast, cultured expanse. Only a few, short months ago, he had had nothing. Now, he had the full field planted and roaring to go. It was a dream come true, that was for sure.

Still, hanging over that dream was the odd nightmare of Tess's warning. What did it mean? Was it actually something he needed to worry about, or just the anxiety of a dungeon guide who cared too much about the people under her control?

Quite unfortunately, he had no way of knowing... Except, of course, to wait.

Chapter Eighteen – Within Windows

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 83rd day of Fall! 8 days until the Fall Festival! The weather hasn't changed much, and likely, it still won't. Look for more cool skies, the occasional gust of wind, and little else. Still, if you're in a position to leave town, it might not hurt! There are plenty of scenic views this time of year; no reason to waste all that good time sitting here!]

Jason glared at the almanac entry. Tess had been incessant about getting everyone out of town. He, personally, was becoming more and more convinced that she was just crazy. None of her explorers, even Leonard, seemed to be in the slightest bit concerned. Of course, it sounded as though she hadn't told her own Guild what she had heard, either. Jason wasn't really sure how he felt about that fact. On the one hand, if she truly was trying to protect someone who had leaked the information to her, it made a good deal of sense that her own warriors would be some of the worst people to tell. On the other hand, if there was really danger, wouldn't it make sense to tell the people who had the biggest swords, and the ability to put a swift end to anything that came their way?

At the end of the day, Jason didn't really know how he felt about it all, but he did know that his crop of sorghum was coming along quite well. He watched it for a few moments through his window, then slowly walked down to the kitchen. It was going to be a slow day on the farm, and he didn't have any reason to rush outside. Not just yet.

When he arrived in the kitchen, he paused. So often lately, he simply grabbed whatever he could think of off the top of his head. He turned to the pantry and pulled open the door, consulting the inventory for the first time in a while.

[Pantry Inventory: 41 units flour

15 units sugar 100 units oil

3 units salt

50 potatoes

43 peppers

152 tomatoes

1,695 onions

74 lettuce heads 125 units pumpkins 35 units squash

26 units gourds

48 eggs

12 units apples

18 units blueberries 7 units oranges

6 units bananas

1 unit pineapple

115 shrump meat

42,551 crabgrass meat

5,852 histle meat

1,261 razorgrass meat

12 tumblewyrm meat

61 smut slime]

"I wonder if there's an achievement for holding fifty thousand of

something?" Jason mused, glancing at the crabgrass statistic. He chuckled to himself, then pressed onward. "Alright, let's see..."

A flash of something caught his eye outside the window, and he looked up to see a man standing there, tall and proud. The man was looking out across Jason's field, and Jason was startled.

"Make me an omelet."

The dish appeared in a flash of light, and Jason scarfed down the food while continuing to stare out the window. The man made no move, and Jason soon burst out onto the front porch and began walking toward the newcomer. Nothing had appeared indicating that Jason had received any new actions, which meant that the man wasn't here as a friend.

"Excuse me!" Jason called out, preparing himself to equip his pistol. "I don't know who you are, but-"

The man turned around and grinned broadly at Jason. In a flash, he recognized him as the long-missing Jeremiah.

"Howdy, neighbor!" Jeremiah grinned. The familiar message giving Jason more actions quickly appeared, and Jeremiah apologized. "Sometimes, that message can wake a person up if they're still sleeping. So, I withheld my identity, just until you came out. Seems like I shouldn't have done that, but-"

"It's okay." Jason flashed a broad smile. "Just glad it wasn't someone here to steal my crops."

"Nah. If I was gonna rustle something, I'd go get myself some cattle." Jeremiah nodded in approval at the plot of ground. "I have to say, I'm impressed. You've done a lot in the last month."

"I couldn't have done it without a lot of help." Jason grinned, then remembered. "Oh, my apologies. Your farm hand told me that you went out of town to visit your sister. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine." Jeremiah nodded. "She lives up in Illumitir. Same place you're from, if I'm remembering correctly. Anyway, they had a bit of a plague there. Didn't hit a lot of people, but it was a fairly nasty business. She was quarantined for a month, and us with her."

Jason winced, then chuckled and stepped back. "You're not still contagious, are you?"

"Oh, no! Of course not!" Jeremiah laughed. "Trust me, you'd know it if I was. Oh, it was disgusting. The people who were infected got these huge, nasty sores. They'd start out like pimples, then just burst and spew puss everywhere, and it was green, and it stank and-"

"I don't need the details." Jason held up his hand as his stomach churned. "Just glad you're all okay."

"That we are, my boy!" Jeremiah exclaimed. "That we are. Well, I just wanted to say hello. I was told that you'd come by for help, but that they weren't able to do much. Seems like you figured things out for yourself, though. Good man, I'll tell you that much!"

Jason beamed and inclined his head. "Thanks. That... That means a lot, coming from you."

"Ahh, you've earned it." Jeremiah shrugged. "Not many people would have had the gumption to stick it out, the way you did. Tell you what. Since it looks like you're mostly just waiting for stuff to ripen up, what say you come over to my place for lunch? I can give you some tips on surviving the winter, that sort of thing."

Jason beamed. "Yeah, that sounds wonderful."

Jeremiah turned away, then turned back. "Oh, one more thing! I think I saw the harvester sitting out behind your stable. I just wanted to check that you're certain you can get the whole thing harvested? You don't want to let crops spoil in the ground, let me tell you that much."

"Oh, I figured that out for myself." Jason chuckled. "Onions, for me." Jeremiah laughed, then grimaced. "Bleh! That had to smell!"

"It took me a week to get the stuff out of my hair." Jason made a

disgusted face.

"I'll take your word for it. For me, it was corn." Jeremiah started to

turn and walk away. "It was all gross, and spewing balls of smut, and-"

He continued to talk as he strode down the road. It wasn't long before he vanished into the distance, and Jason could hear him no longer. He shook his head and got to work. It wasn't long before he finished work in his personal garden. At that point, mostly just for fun, he started walking the perimeter of his great, metal fence. That took him almost all the way until noon, and it did a great deal to improve his spirits. In a few places, histles and tumblewyrms had scratched up the fence a bit, but none of them had been able to even make a dent. Soon enough, it was time to leave, and he

mounted Lady to ride out for Jeremiah's place.

To his immense surprise, he arrived right when Tess did, though she

was coming from the opposite direction. She glanced at Jason with worry, then dismounted her horse and rapped sharply on the door. Jason walked up next to her as Jeremiah swung the door wide open.

"Jason! Tess! Ahh, Tess, you're just in time! We were about to sit down and have a nice, welcome-us-back-into-town dinner. You're welcome to stay!"

Tess shook her head. "I really should be going. I just came to talk to you about a few quick-"

"I know it's not my place to beg you to stay, but you did say the last time that you were at my house that you love a good, home-cooked meal," Jason broke in as he walked past Tess. Jeremiah and his wife's home had an enormous entry hall, with a number of couches situated near the door, and a grand dining table a bit further back. "It'll also save you a trip to my farm, since I assume it has something to do with the raid."

"If you had left town when I asked you to, I wouldn't have to tell you more." Tess snapped.

Jeremiah, who had started to walk back to the table, turned around and frowned. "Leave town?"

"It's a long story." Tess and Jason both spoke at the same time. Jeremiah flashed a broad grin, then pointed fingers at each of them.

"Come on, you two. It's nothing so imminent that you can't burn a few extra minutes, and you will need to stop and eat at some point."

That much, if nothing else, seemed to convince Tess. She sighed and followed Jeremiah to the table. His wife, who seemed to have grown even plumper during their time away, came bustling into the room with a proper array of food. There was a smoked turkey, some mashed potatoes and gravy, bread, butter, fried catfish, and a good deal more. Jason sat down in his assigned seat and grinned. Tess, much more tentatively, sat down next to him. Jeremiah then took his seat at the head of the table, and as his wife joined them, they all dug in.

For a few minutes, the conversation was largely nonsensical. Jeremiah told them about his trip, though he left out the details of the illness, as they were eating. He talked about the road that they had to follow, which Jason enjoyed a great deal, as he had gone along the same road when he himself had come down to Summer Shandy. They discussed the various landforms and such, at least until Tess broke in.

"The dungeon is going to overflow."

Jason and Jeremiah both froze, and slowly turned to look at her. Jeremiah's wife, who rarely looked concerned by anything except gossip, froze as well. They all blinked at one another, and Jason slowly swallowed the bite of food he had been chewing.

"What do you mean?" He whispered softly. All longing to become an adventurer had quite suddenly vanished. He had become a farmer because he liked himself above ground, far out of reach of all the terrifying monsters that filled the land.

"I mean exactly that." Tess shrugged. "I can't prove it, of course. The only thing I got told was that it was dangerous, extremely so, and to expect the unexpected. And a few minor things, such as some invisible traps that don't concern you." She took a long, shuddering breath. "That said, I've been doing some calculations. I've been scouting the dungeon, every single day since hearing about it. I've been checking all the doors, all the likely shapes of the new areas, and I brought in some experts. There's an art to being able to tell what dungeons will look like after big reveals, and it's

actually possible to figure out quite a bit. I also had some experts look over the historical records in Illumitir. Old events are often cycled back into play and proposed as 'new' content, especially if they failed epically."

"Uh, huh." Jeremiah nodded slowly. "And you think that the dungeon here is gonna overflow?"

Tess inclined her head. "I don't think that it will be the only option, but... As it stands now, monsters can't leave the dungeons where they spawn. If you're in a tight place, you can always just flee. Most monsters can't even leave the level of the dungeon where they spawn, though there are a few exceptions. What I personally think will happen, and I do note that this is more than just a simple guess, is that there will be something new introduced into the dungeon, that will be too powerful for people to beat. They'll be forced to flee back out the dungeon entrance. Since only a few people can enter at a time, there will be a crowd waiting, and the crowd will have the joy of doing a mass boss fight unlike anything they could do down in the dungeon."

"That doesn't seem so terrible." Jason mused.

"Maybe not." Tess shrugged. "The problem is that monster brains are simple. They work within the walls of dungeons, not outside. The last time this event was tried, back... Oh, it was fifty years ago, if I remember what the guy said, they tested the event in a small town known as Winter Solace. It was utterly wiped off the map. A bunch of ice wyrven escaped and got past the lines of the warriors. Their speed, in the dungeon, was linked to the amount of space in front of them. It let them go faster in open stretches, and slower in closed areas. Outside, it rocketed them up to hundreds of miles per minute. They desolated thousands of homes. I don't know how many people lost their lives. It was... The historical records say that it was awful."

"Is there anything inside this dungeon that might have that sort of response?" Jeremiah asked slowly. "Even something small? Something that might slip through unnoticed?"

"I have my best people studying the issue," Tess affirmed. "Off the top of my head, no. The distinct problem is that we don't know what's coming in the new areas. Hopefully, if they add in something new, they'll have thought through such ramifications, but I'm not terribly confident."

"How can we help?" Jeremiah asked.

"I need a rear guard." Tess clarified. "It's as simple as that. I'm asking all the farmers of the area, all the civilians, all of... Anyone with guns or swords, or even just butter knives, to show up and help defend Summer Shandy in the event of a calamity. Now, like I said, I can't prove any of this. It may very well go over without a hitch. Still..."

She looked quite concerned. Jason nodded slowly, then thumped the table with his fist. "I'll be there with my pistol and my sword."

"I'll have my farm hands move all my cannons up on the day before it's set to open." Jeremiah nodded. "We'll be ready for anything that sticks its nose out of the darkness and into the daylight."

Tess seemed to relax, and she clearly breathed more easily. "Thank you. I truly can't tell you how much it means to me."

"What I'm hearing is that it's a good thing that I didn't leave." Jason crossed his arms.

"You also scheduled your crop for harvest on the day of the fall festival." Tess reminded Jason. "I know the event is the day before, but that doesn't give you a lot of leeway if things go wrong."

Jason shook his head and forced a smile to his face. A twinge of nervousness rippled through his belly, but he forced it down. He would be fine. Sure, Tess was rattled, but it was all just speculation at this point...

Chapter Nineteen - Celebration

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 90th day of Fall! 1 day until the Fall Festival! The weather's gonna do something, but at this point, I don't rightly care. If you've got a weapon, get to Summer Shandy to fight. If you don't, get out.]

Jason rolled out of bed and blinked the sleep from his eyes. It was the day of the big event, and from what Tess had told him, everything would start to come together pretty much as soon as the sun rose. He ran down the stairs, made himself a sandwich, and raced out to where Lady was stabled. As he climbed up on her back, Jeremiah came trotting by, followed by several of his farm hands. A number of his other workers had stayed at the Inn in town, but as it had rapidly become too full to hold everyone, others had been forced to simply ride in as quickly as possible.

Jeremiah slowed as Jason came trotting out, and they rode abreast of each other as they moved quickly up to town.

"What do you think we'll see?" Jason glanced at Jeremiah, who didn't seem to be too concerned.

"Oh, I don't know." Jeremiah just shrugged. "I reckon we could see a lot of things."

"You think Tess is wrong?"

"I sure hope so." Jeremiah chuckled, then sobered. "Seriously, though, I don't know. Tess isn't wrong about a good many things, and that's why she's risen to where she has in our society. If she thinks that monsters will be coming out of the dungeon, I really don't see any reason to think that she'll be wrong. Still, will things be as bad as she thinks they might be?"

He made no answer, and Jason grimaced. Having only ever read stories about the dark, creepy things that hid in dungeons, he didn't have the faintest idea what they might be facing. Still, he was ready to fight, if only to make Tess happy.

At that thought, a flutter went through his stomach. He quickly forced it down, scolding himself. Tess? He didn't have feelings for Tess. Sure, she

could be nice on occasion, and she certainly seemed to care about her people a great deal more than he would ever have given her credit for, but he didn't like like her. At best, he tolerated her presence after having gotten to know her a bit more. That was it. That was where it began and ended, end of story.

He glanced at Jeremiah, who seemed largely to be lost in thought. Jason finished up his sandwich and rode onward.

They arrived in Summer Shandy only a few minutes later. Just north of town, north of the Guild Hall specifically, a small path wound through the prairie grasses and down into a small group of trees that rose in a hollow there. At the exact center of the trees was the entrance to the crypt, which had, in years past, been a popular burial site for a king who had lived not far away. Now, though Jason couldn't see the entrance, he could certainly see what was around it.

A great many of the trees had been cut down over the previous several days, with their trunks laid upon each other to form funneling walls and barricades. Jeremiah's cannons stood at the top of the hill that overlooked the hollow, and each had one of his men manning them. As the rest of his hired crew joined them, each cannon got at least two more, to help with reloading and such things. Jeremiah himself walked to a point overlooking the trail and began to set up a booth, which he filled with guns, bullets, powder, and more. Tess stood upon the trail, barring the way for anyone who might want to sneak inside early. Leonard stood not far away, leaning against a tree, while a great many warriors of all sexes formed up in ranks upon the hillside. Jason took his place next to Jeremiah, many of the city's men drew their swords and guns and stood between the cannons, and the unarmed civilians and children formed a crowd of curious onlookers who filled much of the city square.

All told, it was an impressive show of force. Jason took a long breath and drew his pistol, checking to make sure it was loaded. As he did so, Jeremiah nodded at two of his nearby hired men.

"Come here." Jeremiah ordered. As they approached, he directed them to the powder and balls. "You fire. I'll reload. We'll be able to get off more shots that way, I think. Jason, my boy, you want to join me?"

Privately, Jason had been rather looking forward to shooting at the creatures himself. He nodded and dismounted, and one of Jeremiah's men

took Lady's reins to lead her off to a hitching post somewhere. As he did so, Weatherhand approached Jeremiah, an odd glint in his eye.

"There's something not right about this, boss."

"I know. That's why we're here."

"No, I mean there's something more." Weatherhand pointed down at

the assembled warriors. "Look at them all. Just look at them, and tell me what you see."

Jason and Jeremiah both peered down. Jason frowned in confusion, uncertain of what he was supposed to be looking at. They were warriors, sure enough! Nothing too interesting about that, all things considered. They all stood at the ready, hands on their weapons, feet braced.

"They're waiting on something." Jeremiah hissed after a moment. "They're not waiting for Tess to let someone in..."

"If they were, they wouldn't look like they were about to be attacked," Weatherhand nodded. "There's something else. I think someone snuck inside, and they're waiting for him to come roaring back out."

"Do you think Tess knows?" Jason whispered.

"If she knew, she'd be barking orders and wouldn't take her eyes off that path." Jeremiah shook his head. "Look at her. She's selecting warriors now; they're forming a group. She's about to take them inside."

Jason's blood froze. "We have to warn them!"

He cupped his hands around his mouth to yell, but Jeremiah beat him to it.

"Everyone, man your battle stations! Someone is inside the crypt, repeat, someone is inside the crypt!"

At that, Tess spun on a dime and drew her sword. She didn't question the words, she simply followed them. In that instant, she looked like all the rest, ready for anything to happen.

A long pause settled in across the hollow, a long pause that seemed even longer as a cool wind began to blow. Still, no one moved. A few geese flew overhead, honking, and a handful of squirrels ran chittering up the trunk of a tree. Still, it remained dead quiet.

Quite suddenly, a roar split the air. The trees swayed violently, and a warrior staggered out of the crypt. Jason's eyes opened wide. It was Clyde! His armor was battered and dented, and he seemed to be bleeding. He collapsed on the ground in front of Tess, then rolled out of the way as she

gave him a violent kick to the face. There was another breath of silence, and something came charging forth.

Having not ever been inside a dungeon, nor being particular familiar with the lore of dungeons, Jason had absolutely no idea what the creature was called. He could only liken it to a troll that was twenty feet tall, albeit a troll that had long spikes coming out of its shoulders and that seemed to be infected with great, oozing pustules. Someone in the backfired a gun, and one of the immense pimples popped, spraying Tess and several other nearby warriors with a thick puss.

"Hold your fire!" Jeremiah called out, but his voice could hardly be heard over the din of the troll's own roar alongside the excited clamor of... Well, everyone else. Quite suddenly, Constable Hank appeared by his side and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Everybody, hold your fire!"

The command was extraordinarily effective. In an instant, the gunshots died down. The troll took another step forward, and several warriors started to rush forward to engage, but Tess waved them away. She retreated as a second troll appeared behind the first, and Jeremiah issued several commands to Constable Hank.

"Cannon Number One! Fire!"

The cannon on the end went off with a roar. The cannonball punched down into the hollow, with the resounding boom echoing again and again off the trees. The beast collapsed in a flurry of blue sparks, and the second troll came stomping forward.

"Cannon Number Two! Fire!"

The second cannon fired, even as the first was struggling to reload. The second troll collapsed... And with that, chaos broke loose in the town of Summer Shandy.

The trolls had apparently just been sent to soften the resistance. Hundreds upon thousands of monsters streamed up and out of the crypt, everything from small dragons to large spiders to lizards to undead... things. Some of the monsters barely even had definable forms, and just seemed to wave a zillion tentacles that writhed about and struck at anything and everything they saw.

At this, the defenders charged as one. Cannons roared, targeting the larger monsters or just firing into the horde that poured forth from the crypt. The two farmhands near Jeremiah and Jason fired their guns, then passed

the empty weapons to the two other men for reloading. Jason's fingers worked as fast as he could make them. He poured in the powder, rammed in the ball and wadding, then passed it off. They fired again and again, shot after shot, and monster after monster fell.

Down below, Tess and the warriors threw themselves into battle with the fury of... well, Warriors. Jason hardly had any time to watch, but he saw her dancing like a pinwheel, sword flashing left and right as she struck down monster after monster. Blood and puss sprayed through the air, and Jason grimaced.

While the monsters had an enormous variety of shapes and sizes, they were similar in one thing: All of them seemed sick. They sported enormous sores that dripped puss everywhere they went. Wheeling birds and bats dripped puss down from above, while snakes and other such creeping things just spat it from their fangs. Many of the warriors seemed to be slowing and falling to the ground even without taking any direct hits. Jason spared a glance at Jeremiah, and he saw that his neighbor was turning a rather sickly shade of white.

"You recognize this?" Jason asked as they paused during one of their reloads.

"You could say that." Jeremiah muttered. A wight leapt up onto the booth, and Jeremiah drew a sword and stabbed the creature before anyone could waste a bullet shooting it. He then went back to reloading as the bandage-wrapped creature collapsed, vanishing into sparks (and yet still managing to drip puss all down the front of the small booth where the group of them huddled). "This is the same thing I saw with my sister, I'm certain of it. The sores look the same, and those warriors down there look just like she did."

"Then you know how to cure it!" Jason smiled broadly. "Is it simple? How deadly is it?"

Jeremiah didn't answer for several seconds until he traded guns with his hired man. By now, the monsters were starting to slip fairly regularly through the crowd of warriors, and though none had gotten past the guns... They all knew it wouldn't be long. Many of the warriors had already collapsed, and they didn't seem likely to stand up again anytime soon. To his dismay, Jason didn't see Tess anywhere.

"This stuff is taking them down a lot faster than the variety I saw. If death comes at the same rate, I'd estimate that they have a few hours at

best," Jeremiah hissed. "The first stage is the wounds. The second stage is paralysis, or, at the least, lethargy."

"But it can be cured, right?" Jason asked desperately.

"It can." Jeremiah nodded slowly. He seemed to be thinking, and Jeremiah frowned.

"What is it?"

"The cure isn't an easy one." Jeremiah sighed. "It takes a spoiled crop, any spoiled crop, to get brewed with a particular type of mushroom. The resultant medicine is a vile, disgusting sort of potion, but it does the job."

"Where can I find the mushroom?"

"They'd probably have some in the Healer's Den." Jeremiah paused once more as a pustulant, oozing goblin jumped up and over the booth. Jeremiah grabbed his sword and slashed at it, but he missed as the tiny creature ducked under the blow. It bit onto his leg, and Jeremiah managed to stab it. The creature vanished, but not before Jason caught a glimpse of his friend's leg starting to turn red and puffy. "I think I saw Theresa over at the end of the battle, ready with her medkit. Just tell her that it's the Illumitir illness; she'll know what you're talking about."

Jason nodded, then glanced at the man whose rifle he was reloading. That man gave a short nod of his head, fired, and began to reload his own weapon. With that, Jason broke cover and rushed across the ground.

The earth shook as cannons erupted and monsters crashed through the trees. Jason tore along the rim of the hollow, in the direction that Jeremiah had indicated, and soon spotted a small girl with red hair, in an equally red dress, crouching behind a barricade. Jason had seen her around town before but had never really known who she was. She had a large bag of supplies and looked up in surprise as he rushed over.

"Are you Theresa?" He asked quickly.

She gave a nod of her head. To his surprise, she was actually much older than he had initially thought and was just short. He quickly explained what Jeremiah had told him, and she gave a nod of her head.

"Yeah, I've got those back at my shop. We need spoiled vegetables, though. You do know what those look like, right? You're not going to just find them lying around."

"I'll make do." Jason took a deep breath, then broke cover once more. He spotted Lady not far away, near the edge of the town, tied to a hitching

post with a number of other horses. He leapt up onto her back quite quickly, then rode her out of town as fast as he could go.

Her hooves pounded upon the dirt as he raced through town square. he drew up short at Paulina's store, then leapt off and came crashing through the door. She looked up in surprise, from where she had been standing at a window.

"Jason! I... I didn't expect-"

"I need a bottle of rapid-growth." Jason stammered. "The stuff that makes the plants in your garden mature faster. No time to explain."

"You've got it for free." Paulina nodded.

[Item Acquired: Rapid-Growth Formula]

"Great! Thanks! You're the best!"

With that, Jason raced back out of the shop, climbed back up onto

Lady, and tore off once more. As he did so, shouts began to echo across the city of Summer Shandy.

"Retreat! Fall back! Barricade yourself into the shops!"

He spared a single glance back. A few people burst around the edge of the Guild Hall, arms and legs flailing, but more of what he could see were monsters. They swarmed around the edges of buildings, crawled upon the rooftops, and far more. He caught a flash of red making her way toward the Healer's Den, but that was all he saw for certain. With that, he hunkered down and rode his horse as fast as she could go.

Lady was breathing heavily by the time he brought her into his yard. He jumped off her and raced for his fence. For a moment, he glanced at his private garden, and sighed. It was all either harvested, and thus wouldn't be affected by the formula, or just wasn't far enough along in its cycle. The only thing he had that would serve his purpose was the enormous, almost- ripe field of sorghum.

A great pit formed in his stomach, and he hesitated. It was only for a moment, though, as a distant scream brought him to reality. With everything inside him, every ounce of willpower, he uncorked the flask and dumped it over the edge of the field.

With a brilliant flash, the sorghum in that part of the field aged exactly one week. Instead of golden, nearly ripened kernels, Jason was suddenly faced with rotten, twisting, wretched stalks of slime and ooze. Roots began to break out of the ground as several dozen stalks in the area began to become undead. Jason reached across the fence and grabbed a

single stalk, hoping desperately that it wouldn't be able to injure him, and raced back to Lady. He jumped up onto her back and rode hard for town, even as the black and oozing stalk of sorghum thrashed and snapped at him.

As he came racing up to Summer Shandy, he found it in utter chaos. There wasn't a soul to be seen, save the monsters that rampaged back and forth. Deep thuds echoed from the hollow, likely signaling more trolls, and Jason grimaced. Several goblins and a few infected tumblewyrms started charging at him as he raced into town, and Jason leapt from the saddle. He landed not far from the Healer's Den, turned, and bolted for the door. It slid open for the briefest of a second to allow him inside, and he did so quickly. Theresa then slammed the door back shut, slamming into a sick goblin in the process, and grabbed the sorghum from him.

She threw the stalk into a great pot that was boiling over the fire. Steam began to hiss upward, steam that smelled like something rotten. Jason wretched and nearly vomited, and Theresa held her nose.

"You should only need a spoonful, and the effects should be pretty much instant. When Jeremiah brought back word of what he had seen, I started looking into it. It's an ancient disease, not seen for hundreds of years. Thankfully, though, we know how to cure it."

"How long until the cure is done?" Jason asked, desperate to get back out.

[Cure Complete]

"About that long." Theresa rushed to the pot, took two vials, and scooped up some of the foul-smelling liquid. She passed one to Jason and kept the other for herself. "Get out there, and do what you can. I'll be doing the same."

"I'll head down and start curing the warriors."

"Stay safe."

Jason unequipped the vial, then drew his sword. He took a deep

breath, then threw open the door and charged forth.

Dozens of monsters all turned toward him, and he let out as menacing

a roar as possible. None of them seemed in the least bit interested in fleeing his presence, and quite a number of them quickly rushed at him. He saw spiders, slimes, toads, and-

"Get behind me!" Tess erupted out of nowhere, bringing up her shield. Half a dozen monsters all came crashing into her, driving her back a few steps. She spun and slashed outward with her sword, cleaving almost a

dozen of them in two in a single blow. The rest paused for a brief second, and she sprang upon them as well. In short order, she had cleared a small area, and though more monsters were quickly circling and preparing to attack, she turned to look at Jason for a brief moment.

He gasped upon looking at her. Her face and hands were swollen, so much so that he was shocked she could still fight. Huge, open sores stood out as well, all of which were oozing puss. Jason quickly drew out the vial and tossed it to her. She took a sip, and in a moment, she looked utterly normal again. Understanding flashed through her eyes, and she tossed the vial back to Jason.

"On me! Come on!"

They raced through the town, with Jason hot on her heels. She slashed aside anything that came within range, and she did a more than adequate job of batting aside any puss or venom that seemed to be coming their way. They soon reached the hollow, where the majority of the warriors lay. Jeremiah lay sprawled about halfway between the hollow and the Guild Hall, though as Jason was being chased by several goblins, he didn't stop to cure him at that moment.

Instead, he and Tess simply charged down into the hollow, down toward the fallen men and women who had devoted their lives to combat. Two more trolls stood at the base of the trail, but no more monsters passed them by. Both of them looked at Tess and Jason, but neither made any move to attack. Not yet, anyway.

As they reached the ranks of fallen warriors, Tess took up a guard position. Jason quickly moved from warrior to warrior, dripping just a bit of the cure into their mouths. In each case, they began coughing and spitting, but the deed was done. As soon as they realized that they once again had their abilities back, they sprang up and got quickly back into the fight. Several raced back up to the cannons, and the eruptions of cannon fire soon resounded through the hollow once more.

With that, the tide seemed to turn against the beasts, the monsters that had so foolishly felt as though they could invade Summer Shandy. Their greatest weapon had been nullified, and the fallen warriors were back in the fight. Monsters came streaming back out of the town toward the hollow, but the warriors were ready for them, now. The two lines came together in a great crash of sword and steel, and one by one, the monsters fell.

Jason wasn't able to watch much of the battle, as he was too preoccupied with healing the fallen sick. A few warriors managed to get themselves re-infected, and had to be re-cured, but he had expected as much. They continued to push back, continued to fight.

Hours passed in this way, until, finally, with a weary sort of cheer, they realized that there were simply no more monsters to fight. Tess and a few of the others staggered around the city, looking for any stragglers, but it seemed as though the town had been saved. Jeremiah came up to Jason and clapped him firmly on the shoulder.

"You did good, my boy."

Theresa appeared, as well, and flashed him a wide smile. "Couldn't have done it without you. You're Jason, right? That new guy?"

He wished he would have had time to answer questions, but he was given no quarter to do so, as someone in the Guild decided to throw an impromptu feast. Everyone was glad simply to be alive, and in the snatches where Jason was able to see Tess, he could hear her muttering about telling someone off. With luck, that would be the last time that such an event ever faced the town of Summer Shandy.

Jason smiled and did his best to join in the festivities, though he felt a distinctive and very present cloud hanging over his head. He had sacrificed his farm to save the town. Nobel, perhaps, but... Well, he hadn't been lying when he had given Tess his reasons for wanting to stay. Now, he had sunk away all his money, and all his crops were destroyed. Starting in only a day's time, all crops would be impossible to grow.

The town had more than enough reason to celebrate. Himself? He didn't have a clue what he would do now.

Chapter Twenty – Last Day of Fall

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 91st day of Fall! Today's the day of the Fall Festival! I... I don't even know. The weather's dreary, but hey! Come out tonight and have some fun! The town was saved!]

Jason sighed as he looked at the message. He could practically hear Tess's voice dripping with sarcasm. She had been livid after the event, so much so that he hadn't bothered to approach her at all following the conclusion of the battle. Instead, he simply ate some of the food that had been hastily prepared, and slowly made his way home. Most others, including Jeremiah, had stayed to help clean up. Jason, though... He just hadn't had it in him.

He walked over to the window and gazed down upon his farm. A soft, dreary rain pattered against the window, though it was nothing more than a heavy drizzle. Down below, his farm was in complete ruin. His entire sorghum crop had been infected, and it had torn itself up in a rage. His one hope, his single hope, was that the fence might have held them in.

This, quite unfortunately, had turned out to not be the case. He had no way of knowing how long it had taken the undead sorghum to break its way out, but... Eighty full acres of stalks all beating against the fence had taken its toll. Only a few sections of fence still remained. The rest lay scattered and broken, with bits and pieces of scrap metal strewn haphazardly around the farmstead. His storage shed had been smashed to bits. His stable had been torn to the ground. His small, personal garden had been ripped up. All he had left was his home, and even it had taken severe damage.

Only a few of the stalks were still in the yard; the rest seemed to have dispersed into the prairie grasses. He rather hoped that they would just despawn after a time, eliminating the need to hunt them all down (and, more importantly, eliminating the danger to other, nearby farmers). Mats of crabgrasses crawled across the open ground, snapping at one another and at the few remaining sections of fence. A few shrumps happily hopped in from the prairie grasses. There were no razorgrasses, no histles, and certainly no

Nameless Scourges. His farm had been reduced to the same point it had been when he first got it. No, in many ways, it had been reduced to a position even worse. Just in time for winter.

Jason watched it for a few moments, then trudged down the stairs. He flopped into his kitchen chair and ordered the cookbook to make him an omelet. The dish appeared in front of him, and he stared at it for many long minutes before he could persuade himself to actually eat it. Finally, as he was finishing up, he began hearing an odd, zapping noise coming from outside. He rose, pulled on a coat that was, at least in theory, somewhat waterproof, and headed outside.

His eyes opened in surprise as he beheld Tess standing amid the yard, striking down the few remaining undead sorghum stalks. As he walked out onto the porch, she turned and looked at him with something that resembled a great weariness. Deep bags under her eyes indicated that she likely hadn't slept. Nearby, Lady had been tied up to a post, and Jason flashed a small grin.

"You found her! I was afraid... I..."

"The monsters didn't get her." Tess shook her head. "I found her out east of town, hiding in a gully. One of the farmers had seen her while collecting his sheep and let me know. I figured I would bring her back here personally. You disappeared pretty early last night, so I..."

"Wanted to chew me out for not staying to help?" Jason ran a hand through his hair. "I'm really sorry. I was just-"

"You've got nothing to be sorry for." Tess shook her head. She kicked at the ground, then shrugged. "I'm the one who needs to apologize, actually. Theresa told me about the cure once the battle was over, and she told me how you had managed to help procure it. In the midst of the chaos, I didn't put two and two together. You... You sacrificed your farm for Summer Shandy."

Jason responded with modesty. "Seemed like the right thing to do."

"It was." Tess inclined her head. "Most people wouldn't have done it, though, or would have waited for someone else to volunteer. You saved a lot of lives last night. The town owes you a great debt."

"Just doing my job." Jason crossed his arms. The drizzle was very cold and was starting to leak through his coat. He shifted uncomfortably, and Tess shuddered.

"Also... I mean, above and beyond sacrificing your farm, you also charged into battle. You were willing to face down the hordes just to save people."

At that, Jason made no answer. Tess continued to stare at him, then slowly turned back to his garden. She started walking back and forth, striking down the few remaining undead. When she finished and came back, she took a deep breath.

"What do you think you'll do now?"

"Honestly?" Jason just shrugged. "I don't know. Nothing grows for the entirety of winter, and I have no money. I'm pretty much just... Stuck. I'll survive, don't get me wrong, but... I don't know. I don't know."

He turned and stared up at the house, letting his gaze wander across the battle scars that it had taken. More than a few windows had been smashed out (thankfully, his bedroom window had remained intact), and many of the stones had been cracked. The roof appeared to be missing several tiles, as well, and all his flowerpots had been smashed. All told, it was a sorry sight, and he didn't have the foggiest idea how to get back on his feet.

After a few minutes, he turned and glanced at Tess. "What about the crypt? What's the news there?"

Tess looked chagrinned. "I sent out word about what happened, begging for the event to be canceled. Strictly speaking, it's still on, it but will only activate again if someone goes inside. I've posted a round-the- clock guard of at least ten warriors at a time. No one is getting inside until the issue is fixed."

"I'm just glad that no one wants to load themselves up with the cure and head inside." Jason expressed.

"Oh, there are plenty that want to." Tess shook her head. "I've forbade it under pain of execution."

Jason blinked. "Execution? Isn't that harsh?"

"The four people we lost last night certainly wouldn't think so." Jason felt a stab of pain in his stomach. "We... We lost people?"

Tess could only nod. A tear trickled down her face, barely visible

amidst the drizzling rain. "Three of them were warriors. We found their loot bags in the woods, in hollows, and in piles of brush. We think they fled the battle, then succumbed to the disease, and weren't found before they died. They... Clyde was one of them."

Jason bit his lip. "I can't say that I liked him, but-"

"He was stupid to go into that dungeon by himself." Tess snapped, then softened. "Still... I wish it could have been different. I wish it could have been different for all of them."

They stood there for a long time, in the growing mud and muck, in silent lamentation. Breathing in tandem, the pair looked up and met each other's eyes.

"Thank you," Tess spoke softly. "I can't offer much more, at least not until I get the town back on its feet. Just know that, at least in my eyes, you are the hero of this battle."

"I couldn't have done it without you." Jason held up his hands. "I mean, you're the one who saved me in the market square. You were also the one who organized the defense in the first place. We owe you a lot, more than me."

Tess didn't answer. They stood there for a few more minutes, and then Tess turned away. Her own steed was tied to Lady's hitching post as well. She slowly walked over and mounted the beast, then clucked her tongue. With that, she rode off toward town in the steadily increasing drizzle. Jason had to give it to her, Tess had a way with horses.

Jason stood there for a long time more. Then, slowly, he started to walk into his field, surveying the mess. His boots squelched in the mud, and he felt disgruntled. With nothing else to do, he bent down and began to pick up bits and pieces of metal, one at a time, and transferred them to his farm's inventory. He cleared out a small area, then began to do the same thing with the ruins of his stable.

Somewhere along the line, he looked up and noticed that Jeremiah and several of his hired men had joined him. None of them spoke; they just picked things up and put them into Jason's inventory. During one of these moments, Jason happened to glance at the inventory list, and he noticed that all his tools had been destroyed, along with the storage shed. In fact, without the shed, his storage was significantly limited, and a message warned him that he was rapidly filling up his basement with the scraps. He ignored it and just plodded on.

At some point, someone brought out some lunch. Jeremiah handed him a sandwich, and the group wordlessly moved up underneath the porch to eat. As they finished, the men all went back out and got to work. Finally, as Jason's back ached and his hands stung from repeatedly pricking himself

on sharp bits of metal, riders from other farms began to trot past on their way to town. Jeremiah's hired hands all left and mounted up, heading into town as well. Jason picked up a few more slivers in the sticky mud, and Jeremiah himself walked over and put a hand on Jason's shoulder.

"We'll help you rebuild. I've got more than enough money in the bank, we can put this fence back up by the end of winter, and-"

"No, thank you." Jason shook his head slowly. He looked up and met Jeremiah's eyes and flashed a thin smile. "I need to do this myself."

"Why?" Jeremiah held up his hands. "You've got lots of friends. We certainly helped you get on your feet the first time, and you repaid us in full."

"I did get help," Jason acknowledged, "but you didn't do my work for me. If I had just come in here and inherited a full farm, I wouldn't have felt as much satisfaction when I finally planted the full thing. I'd love help again, and I'll probably ask for it, but... I want to do the bulk of it myself. One way or another."

Jeremiah inclined his head. "At least let me stable Lady for you over the winter. You don't have a good building for her anymore, and I doubt you have the money to afford hay. You can come by and visit her anytime, take her out for rides, all that."

"I'd like that." Jason flashed a grin. It didn't reach his eyes, and Jeremiah seemed to realize this. He nodded at the road.

"Well? Shall we?"

Jason nodded back, and the two of them made their way to the horses. It was a quiet ride into town, just as it had been a quiet day. As they rode up to the edge of town, though, they found that the small village was anything but quiet.

Banners were strung up from one end of Summer Shandy to the other, and enormous tents had been erected above great tables covered in food. Candles and torches blazed anywhere it was dry enough for them to burn, and a band played loudly. People danced through the streets, heedless of the rain, singing songs about the defeat of the dungeon. Warriors and civilians, next to each other, skipped happily through the puddles and the muck.

Jason walked underneath the closest tent. He did his best to put on a smiley face, but it was difficult, especially as the rain began to come down a bit harder and the sky became darker. Laughing and cheering, men and

women rushed underneath the cover of the tents and began to take their places for the great feast.

A figure slowly emerged from the darkness, just across the table from Jason. He blinked as a waterlogged and disheveled Tess appeared. She dropped into a chair just opposite of him, her head nodding slowly as she fought against sleep. With a start, she seemed to realize that Jason was there, and flashed a small smile.

"I was told to take a break. So, I'm here."

"It's not bad advice." Jason shrugged.

"Yeah." Tess sighed and nodded slowly.

The meal itself was an odd sort of occasion for Jason. On the one

hand, everyone packed beneath the tent, along with the music and the candles and the fire, was rather warm and calming. On the other hand, the rain was still pouring down, and through the firelight, the scars upon the town were easily visible. Windows, even here, had been shattered and knocked out. Bricks had been cracked; doors had been splintered. It would be a long time before Summer Shandy was well once again.

Sometime amid the celebration, Tess fell asleep upon the table. Her snores were, quite unsurprisingly, quite loud. Paulina and Theresa quickly took her and carried her off, along with another young woman that Jason didn't recognize. They took her into the inn, the door shut, and Jason saw her no more.

Shortly after, he rose and left, though he said goodbye to Jeremiah before he did so. With that, soggy and cold, he made his way back to his home. Once there, he tossed a few logs into the hearth and lit a fire, then simply lay down on the rug in front of the flames. Just visible in the flickering torchlight, the rain outside his windows turned into snow as a distant bell began to ring.

Winter had come... And it would be a long, 91-day slog before spring came to the land once more.

Chapter Twenty-One – A Coming Storm

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 4th day of Winter! 87 days until the Winter Festival! Expect the weather to fluctuate between cold and very cold. Also, more snow is expected in two days! If you haven't picked up all your firewood for the winter, now's a good time!]

Jason's eyes flickered open, but he didn't dare move out of bed. Not just yet, anyway. A cold draft of air blew under his bedroom door, and he shivered. He stayed in that position for many long minutes, perhaps even half an hour, before managing to convince himself to get up and face the day.

His feet stung as they touched the cold floorboards of his room. The small carpet that had once rested there was gone, as he had moved it to a somewhat more important position in the home. He shuffled over to the frosty window and wiped away a bit of the condensation. Down below, several inches of snow still stood, marred by the footprints both of himself and a handful of snow monsters. There weren't many monsters in winter, to be certain, but there were still a pesky few.

His breath came out in a thick fog, and he felt a bit reluctant. Nonetheless, he turned and walked over to his wardrobe. He dressed in layers, choosing first a set of long johns, then overalls, then a sweater, and then a parka. He also pulled on thick snow boots, though his toes didn't seem to be in any great hurry to warm up. Finally, bundled up as though he were outside, he shuffled out into his hallway.

A thin film of snow lay across the floorboards there, coming from a bedroom at the end of the hall. He sighed and clomped down the hall and pulled open the door, where the thick blanket had blown away from the window. He frowned in dismay, then turned and went back downstairs. It didn't take long to find his hammer and nails, and he soon made his way

back upstairs once more. He nailed the blanket in place, sick of it blowing away.

[Blanket Stats: Cleanliness: 82. Durability: 30]

"As long as it lasts until I can get the window fixed, I don't really care." Jason turned and clomped down the stairs, coming into the kitchen. Before fixing himself breakfast, he went to the living room and got a lively fire roaring in the fireplace, checked to make sure that the blankets in the windows there were doing their job, and then finally walked into the kitchen. He got a second fire going in the stove, then made himself up a steaming plate of pancakes. The smell filled the small kitchen, and as he began to eat the buttery delights, he actually began to feel warm.

As soon as the meal was over, he rose and made his way outside. There, he began to circle the house, checking for more breaches. It was easier and quicker than checking each room, and he soon found that, indeed, all the windows were now covered up again. Smoke puffed out of the chimney as the interior of the house was warmed up, and Jason slowly walked to the ruins of his old stable.

Nestled among the ruins was an extension ladder that Jeremiah had loaned him. He took the ladder and propped it up against his house, then slowly began to climb up to one of the upstairs windows. He took a bit of scrap wood with him, which he began nailing across the opening as quickly as he could. The blanket on the other side, which had been rippling in the breeze of the cool winter, slowly relaxed as the tight-fitting wood planks kept the wind from getting inside. As soon as he was finished covering the window over, he climbed down and moved the ladder to the next window.

Once he got all the broken windows covered, a task that would likely take him a few more days, he would go back inside and stuff pillows in between the wood planks and the blankets, hopefully insulating the house a bit better. Once that was done, he planned to stop up even the cracks beneath the doors that led to those rooms, effectively reducing the home to the few rooms that he actually used, and making it easier and cheaper to heat those few rooms.

He worked on this project until lunchtime and succeeded in boarding up four more windows. With that, he went inside and ate a small dinner of mashed potatoes and tumblewyrm giblets, then slowly went back outside once more. In the process of nailing up all the boards, he had used up

almost all his remaining scrap wood, which meant that it was time for a hunt.

His back ached as he shuffled through the snow, kicking along for anything lying just beneath the powder. When his foot caught on something, he picked it up and stored it in the farm's inventory. Even with the help of Jeremiah and his farm hands, only a tiny fraction of the farm had been covered. There was still an enormous amount of metal out in the fields, though he didn't even begin to have the energy to go start looking for it.

In this way, he hunted for the entire afternoon. His fingers were numb, along with his toes, but he had gathered up enough of the debris from the stable to be able to board up a few more windows come the next day's morning. He went back inside, delighted to find that the home was indeed a bit warmer than when he had left it, and threw a few more logs on the fire. As the flames crackled and blazed, he ate a small supper, then once again left his home.

This time, as the sun began to slowly set upon the horizon, he turned and walked down the road toward the Lazy-H Ranch. As he slogged through the snow, it took him almost two hours to make the trip. Soon enough, though, he came in sight of the large log cabin, and heard the yips of farm hands and the crack of whips. Jeremiah sat tall upon a horse and waved at him as he walked into the driveway, though he said nothing. It looked like they were sorting the cattle out for some operation, though Jason wasn't sure exactly what it could be.

Ignoring them all, he made his way to the barn. As he walked inside, Lady looked up from her stall and gave an excited whinny. Jason quickly clomped over to her, pulled the door open, and stepped inside. As he pulled it shut, Lady nuzzled him and nipped at his jacket, and he chuckled. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out an apple, which Lady happily ate. As they stood there, Jason started to speak, though he did so softly.

"I'm almost done with the house, Lady," he whispered. "Won't be much longer before I can start rebuilding the stable. Paulina ought to have some scrap wood I can use to get things patched back up. Still don't know how I'll feed you, but I expect that we'll figure something out. We'll get you back home by the end of winter, my girl."

He patted her neck, then ran his hands along her smooth lines.

"Is Jeremiah treating you okay? He's not working you too hard, I hope?" Jason chuckled at that. "Still, don't complain if he takes you out just

a bit. You're a good horse, and I don't want to see you get lazy on me, you hear?"

Lady nickered softly, and Jason threw his arms around her neck, hugged her tightly, and then stepped back. With that, he patted her on the cheek, gave her a few sugar cubes, and then walked back out of the stall and into the barn. One of Jeremiah's hired hands tipped his hat to Jason, and a hatless Jason nodded back.

Soon, Jason was back on the road. The sun was already creeping below the horizon, and a chill blew through Jason's clothes as a cold winter wind began to pick up. It was a cold, dark sort of a winter. Still, though, there were indeed a few high points to it. At least for now, he was trying to visit Lady every single day, and despite the walk, it was certainly the high point of the day. He felt reinvigorated, and he had a goal to work toward.

Indeed, he was going to get his farm rebuilt, and he was going to get back on his feet. Come springtime, he'd be ready to hit the ground running.

He only hoped that Tess would be able to do the same thing with the destruction around Summer Shandy itself.

Chapter Twenty-Two – Heavy Snow

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 6th day of Winter! 85 days until the Winter Festival! Heavy snow expected today! Stay inside and stay warm, if at all you have the chance!]

Jason blinked and opened his eyes, then opened his mouth and let out a long blast of air. To his delight, it didn't become instantly visible, and he slowly sat up and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. The floor wasn't warm, certainly, but it also wasn't intolerable. He didn't bother walking to the window, but instead got dressed as warmly as possible and made his way quickly downstairs.

The fire, which he had left burning in the hearth overnight, had burned down to mere embers. He threw in a few more logs, noticing at that moment just how pathetic his supply of firewood truly was. He would need to get some more, though he didn't know exactly how to do that without spending money. He tapped his jaw as he thought it over, then made his way into the kitchen. The previous day, being Sunday, he had spent almost the whole day riding Lady around. It had filled him with a great deal of warmth, such that he was now more than ready to tackle whatever the day might bring.

As he reached the kitchen, he swung open the pantry door, and frowned as he took in the supplies.

[Pantry Inventory: 35 units flour

5 units sugar

90 units oil

1 units salt

42 potatoes

38 peppers

131 tomatoes 1,652 onions 72 lettuce heads

101 pumpkins 35 units squash 26 units gourds 32 eggs

10 units apples

12 units blueberries

7 units oranges

6 units bananas

1 unit pineapples

122 shrump meat

42,625 crabgrass meat

5,871 histle meat

1,261 razorgrass meat

2 tumblewyrm meat

61 smut slime]

It was an assortment, but it was also much lower than it had once

been. Would he have enough to make it through? Sure. Was it going to be pretty bland by the end? Absolutely. Was he probably going to have to break down and start eating more monster meat? Almost certainly.

He frowned, then made himself an omelet. The number of eggs, onions, peppers, and tomatoes in his pantry were all reduced, but a rather marvelous dish appeared on the table. He ate it quickly, then sat back to think. There were a handful of options he could see, all of which had their own pros and cons.

The first option was to continue boarding up the broken windows. He still had more than a few he needed to get done, but also... The previous day, not wanting to spend time working, he had simply stuffed up the doors of the offending windows' rooms, and he had even nailed some blankets and rugs across the doorways in an attempt to keep out the cold. Judging by the rather pleasant temperature of the house that morning, the attempt had worked! In his mind, there were other, more pressing matters to attend to if he had, indeed, managed to insulate the house.

With that, his mind was made up. He threw on a coat and some boots as he walked out the front door, and slowly took a look around. Snow was drifting down, slowly but steadily, covering everything in a thick, white layer.

"All right." He clapped his gloved hands. "Let's see. Where to start? How much wood do I have?"

[Farm Inventory: Wood Scraps: 127]

"Not much, but I suppose it'll work." He stroked his chin, then nodded and walked over to the stable. The five main posts were still standing, one for each corner, and then one in the middle of the open wall; and they were sturdy enough. Only a few splintered pieces of wood were still slung to them, which Jason quickly cleaned away. After a few moments, he shrugged and got to work, nailing up bits and pieces of scrap wood in an attempt to cover and fill the sides. It wasn't easy, and it certainly took up more actions than putting up more solid boards, but with a bit of elbow grease and some more scrap wood from Paulina, he would be able to get the job done.

Quite suddenly, Jason became aware of hooves crunching through the snow. He stood up as Jeremiah came trotting up, a smile on his broad face.

"Howdy, neighbor!" Jeremiah called down. "Just came by to see how you were doing. Staying warm?"

"Warm enough," Jason replied. He took a moment to describe the work he had put into the house. When he finished, he nodded down at the stable. "When I get this done, I might even be able to take Lady back."

Jeremiah watched him for a few moments, then swung off his horse. His boots thunked in the snow, and he slogged through the mess to Jason's side. For a few moments, he gazed down at the mess of a board that Jason was trying to hammer together, then shook his head.

"I know, I know, you want to do this all yourself. You said you would accept a bit of help, though. You mind if I give some?"

Jason chuckled and shook his head. "What do you have in mind?"

"Like we've both said, you don't have a good way to support Lady right now." Jeremiah crossed his arms. "You need to get that changed. If you wait until spring to start earning money, you're never going to be able to get ahead. I mean, maybe, but you're going to go through the exact same slog as before, and probably won't get Lady back until almost summer, if not until almost Fall."

Jason nodded slowly. "What do you propose, then? Nothing will grow, you know that."

"Ahh." Jeremiah flashed a small smile. "Nothing that has roots will grow. Animals, though, do quite well in the cold."

Jason blinked. "You're going to try to turn me into a rancher?"

"Not long term, no!" Jeremiah shook his head. "I've been a rancher for a long time, and I can tell you, you're not cut out for it. That said, I do think it would be a good idea to get a small herd, maybe ten or fifteen animals, to help out with the bills until spring comes around. Then, as soon as you can plant again, you have a bit of a head-start."

"I get the feeling you've thought this out," Jason responded.

"I have a bit of extra fence left over from a new expansion I just erected last week." Jeremiah seemed not to notice Jason's consternation. "Let me and the guys bring it down. We'll get you a small corral set up, I'll loan you a few sheep, and we can go from there. When you sell the first load of animals, you'll pay me back, and you'll have enough to keep going."

Jason puffed out his cheeks. It was as good a deal as any he had heard, and it kept him being the one to do most of the work. After a few moments, he shrugged and nodded.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice."

"Not much of one, nope!" Jeremiah grinned, then put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. Half a dozen of his hired men came trooping through the snow, boards slung over their shoulders, and Jason rolled his eyes.

"Ahh, come on. You saved the town, let a neighbor help a neighbor." Jeremiah clapped him on the shoulder. "Now, run in to Paulina's store. Here." He pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket. "Just hand it to her, and she'll be able to take care of everything. I was heading into town anyway; you're just completing my errand for me."

"And you totally didn't mean to stop here." Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Complete accident," Jeremiah winked. "Now, go! Lady's right there on the road, I think. Must have escaped her stall."

Jason could only let out a laugh as he made his way over to Lady. He quickly climbed up onto her back, and she snorted softly. With that, they were off! Man and beast, together, flashing through the steadily falling snow.

As he raced into town, he had to admit feeling more than a small pang of wonder in his chest. With the thickly falling snow, the cobblestones were completely covered up. Everything was covered in a layer of white, for that matter, from the rooftops to the roads to the town well. Candles burned in

windows, lighting the way, and smoke curled from each of the chimneys. Jason let out a long breath, then slowly cantered up to Paulina's store. He almost hated to do it, as he left a long trail of footprints through the pristine snow, but with how steadily the snow was falling, he knew it wouldn't be long before they were filled in.

The bell above the door jingled as he walked into the room. Paulina looked up from the counter and smiled broadly. Theresa was standing there as well, putting some ingredients onto the wooden surface. She smiled and waved as he slowly walked up.

"Still kicking, I see." Paulina shook her head in seeming disbelief. "I know I've said it before, but I never expected to see you stick with that place. After what happened with the dungeon event, I half-expected you to kick out of here. Looks like I was wrong."

"Good to know you have so much confidence in me," Jason muttered.

"I'm saying you're doing well," Paulina emphasized.. "Most people wouldn't have stayed. Now, what can I do for you?"

Jason nodded and passed over the note he had received from Jeremiah. "I was sent on an errand. Jeremiah said you'd know what to do with this."

Paulina took the note and started to read. As she did, her eyes flickered open in surprise.

"You're going to be raising sheep? Ahh, that's so great!"

Across the counter, Theresa, still wearing a brilliant red dress, lit up like a lightbulb. "You have sheep?"

"Apparently, I'm soon going to have them." Jason chuckled. "Still getting caught up on all the details myself, but..."

"You'll do great at it!" Paulina encouraged. "If you're half as dedicated as you were with the crops, you'll be as big as Jeremiah in no time."

Jason held up his hands. "Slow down, there. I'm not looking to become a rancher. Just getting myself through the winter, that's all."

"Uh, huh." Paulina snickered. "Jason the rancher. Has a nice ring to it."

Jason rolled his eyes. Theresa, though, was still glowing brightly. "Can I come see them?" She begged. "Please?"

"Sure." Jason nodded. "I don't even know for certain when I'll be

getting them, of course, but-"

"Great!" Theresa squealed. She scooped up the items she had just purchased, then turned and raced out of the room. The door banged shut behind her, and Jason watched after her for a moment.

"She's... energetic," Paulina explained as the transaction went through. "Nice, though. You might like her."

"I'm not looking for anything right now." Jason shook his head. "Still trying to rebuild my career. I can worry about dating... later."

"You were still trying to build your career when you came after me."

"Yeah, and look how that turned out." Jason chuckled. He pushed himself away from the counter and asked, "Did that take care of everything?"

"Ahh... Yes!" Paulina nodded. "You're all good to go. Tell Jeremiah I said hello, and to stop sending his hired men to do his shopping for him."

"Will do!" Jason gave a wave, then turned and walked back out into the snow. Theresa was busy dashing across the town square, her red dress making her stand out like a robin upon the thickly strewn powder. As Jason climbed up onto Lady, she raced over to his side.

"Can I bring a friend when I come visit?" She asked.

"Sure," Jason chuckled. "I don't know why not!"

"Great!"

With that, she turned and rushed away, vanishing through the door of

the Healer's Den. Jason chuckled after her, then lightly tapped Lady's sides. She trotted off down the road, then cantered through the snow.

They soon came up to Jason's farm, around two hours after he had left. Jeremiah was the only one left and was busy admiring his work. Jason's eyes opened wide in astonishment, and he slowly climbed down off his trusty steed.

"Wow! You... You really did a lot."

"It's amazing how fast you can get things done with a lot of hands working together, along with a few leveled abilities to cut some corners." Jeremiah whistled. "Still, though, you're not gonna find a much better job than that."

Jason walked forward slowly, taking in the sight. His stable had been rebuilt, and even somewhat expanded. Lady still had her own stall, but an extra enclosure had been added, as well. It wasn't enormous, but it was large enough for the ten sheep that now stood inside it to move about comfortably. A small door led out into the corral, which now took up about

a quarter of an acre of Jason's old yard. His storage shed had also been rebuilt, and a quick check of the inventory revealed that several sacks of feed and hay had been added.

"That ought to be enough to get you through to your first sale day." Jeremiah explained. "Here's how it works. I've got ewes up at my place; they give birth every two weeks. When they do, I typically just transfer the babies, after they're weaned at three days, into my main pens. Ten at a time, now, I'll be sending them down here. Sale day is every two weeks, with the first one being about eleven days from now. Feed them and raise them until then, and then we'll drive them into town and sell them. At that point, you can pay me back for this crop. You can then decide if you want to start paying me before I send them, or after, it'll be totally up to you."

Jason whistled. "That's a lot of moving parts."

"There's a reason that more people farm than raise livestock." Jeremiah tipped his hat. "It'll make for a busy winter, but I expect that it'll keep you from getting bored, and it might just help you land upright when spring comes. I expect that that sounds like a good deal to you. Oh! I've got one more thing for you, too. Transfer Skill: Rapid Fencing."

[Skill Acquired: Rapid Fencing: Perform less manual labor when putting up fence]

"Indeed. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart." Jason puffed out his cheeks, then nodded with a grin. "All right, then. Let's do it! What's the worst that could

Chapter Twenty-Three – Better Than Ok

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 16th day of Winter! 75 days until the Winter Festival! The weather should be bright and sunny, so get outside and enjoy it! By this afternoon, the sun should have warmed things up enough that the snow will make for good packing. Expect a heavy influx of foreign snowman visitors to appear in the town. Treat all with respect, don't knock any down until the sculptors give you permission! That said, if anyone hits you with a snowball, don't hesitate to protect and defend yourself!]

Jason guffawed and rolled out of bed. It was the day before the sale, which meant that he had a decent amount to get done. Jeremiah had been instructing him on preparing the animals for the trip, and it was certainly going to make for a busy day. In a rather surprising twist, Jeremiah had informed him that he wouldn't be able to physically help today, as he needed all his actions to get his own herd ready. Jason didn't mind, not really, though he certainly had been looking forward to the assistance.

He quickly got dressed, then made his way to the window. As he gazed out at the small corral, he frowned in confusion. One of his sheep stood just outside the gate, and it seemed to be pawing at the latch. He frowned, then shrugged and made his way downstairs. As hungry as he was, he passed by the kitchen, tossed a few logs onto the fire, and was soon out in the snow.

Sure enough, there was the sheep, just trying to get inside. The rest of the sheep were huddled in a corner of the shed, not really moving. Since the new sheep wasn't trying to escape or run away, Jason took a moment to step around behind the shed and look at the corral. He didn't see any flaws, no breaks or warping, which left him wondering just how the creature had managed to get out. Confused, he walked back around to the front side of the pen and unlatched the gate. The lost sheep stepped back to allow him

forward, and Jason let his eyes fall upon the slumbering, clustered animals. All ten of them were there, lazily just loafing around, and-

Jason's eyes narrowed. All ten of them were there. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, and he spun back to the sheep that stood just behind him. He slammed the gate shut and drew his sword. He didn't exactly know why he did this... But as the creature reacted, he was certainly glad that he did.

With a powerful roar, the sheep rose up onto its hind legs and transformed into a hideous, wolf-like creature. It bent over and roared down at Jason, and saliva dripped from its pointed teeth and splattered down into the snow. Jason leapt forward and struck at it, but the wolf only batted the sword away and lunged at Jason's throat. He fell backward into the snow, desperately thrusting the sword upward as he landed.

The sword penetrated the wolf, and it vanished in a blur of sparks. [Legendary Monster Destroyed: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing]

[Items Acquired: 1 Sheep's Wool, 1 Wolf's Tooth, 1 Claw of

Disguise]

Jason looked down at the items with incredulity and put them into his

inventory. Before returning inside, Jason double-checked to make sure that there were no more monsters. He had heard Jeremiah mention something about a wooly tumblewyrm, and he had looked for the creature with great eagerness, but he hadn't yet seen it for himself, Once back in, he checked his pantry, noted how low some of the categories were slipping, and made himself some simple pancakes.

As soon as he was finished, he made his way out onto the farm. He took a few supplies from the storage shed, then slid through the gate and into the sheep pen. They all stood up and came over to nuzzle him, and he smiled. Lady, too, poked her head through the window that separated her stall from that of the sheep, and he fed her an apple. He then took a bag of feed (mostly consisting of oats, crushed corn, and molasses) and poured it into a small trough. His herd came over eagerly to start eating, and he set to work.

The first thing to do was tag the sheep. This involved putting a tag in the ear of each animal, identifying it as his own. It also recorded such details as the weight, gender, and a few other items that would be useful in determining a final price. We went up and down the row, snipping the tags onto the animals, then set out for the next item on his list: Shearing.

Shearing the sheep, strictly speaking, wasn't required in order to sell the creatures. That said, wool was such a useful commodity that Jeremiah encouraged him to never sell them without taking that step. At first, he had been concerned that sheering the sheep would result in them being unable to handle the cold, but Jeremiah had assured him that all livestock creatures were actually immune to cold weather, meaning that he could work to his heart's content. Each sheep he sheered used up an action (as had the tagging), which soon reduced his remaining actions to a mere 16. As he finished tagging the last one, a loud ding echoed through the air.

[Companion: Your new companions have each been given 10 bonus actions for the day, and you have been granted 5 per companion. Total actions for the day: 31]

Jason blinked, then rose and walked over to the gate. As he did, a smile broke across his face. Three horses clopped onto his property and had soon been hitched to his post. Tess, Leonard, and Theresa quickly dismounted and came walking over to join him, though Theresa walked a bit faster than the rest.

"Ooh! So cute!" She squealed, pointing at the sheep. "Can I come in and pet them?"

"Sure!" Jason transferred the last bag of wool into his farm's inventory, and unlatched the gate for her to come in. Tess and Leonard just walked up and leaned against the gate, and he tilted his head in their direction. "You guys want to come in?"

"I'm allergic to animals." Leonard held up his hands. "Sorry, otherwise I'd love to."

Tess just gave a simple shake of her head. "I'm not really a touchy- feely person. I can see just fine from here."

Jason raised an eyebrow and teased, "Really? I would have pegged you as the type who loves hugs, and who can never get enough-"

Tess shot a glare at Jason that would have peeled paint off a wall. She was in a foul mood, that much was for certain. Jason whistled softly, then turned back to Theresa. She was still happily petting the sheep when they finished eating and bolted for the open corral. Once there, they began to race in circles, churning up a great racetrack through the snow and scattering frozen bits of mud everywhere. Theresa screamed as she was showered in the stuff, though she continued to grin widely.

"Cute." Tess muttered under her breath.

Jason glanced at her, then frowned. "Why'd you come out then, Miss Sunshine?"

"I came because I was asked." Tess shrugged. "Theresa didn't want to go by herself, and Paulina thought that if she came out here, it might send the wrong signal."

"I'm not interested in her anymore, I'm not." Jason held up his hands in defense. "That should be obvious, I would think."

Tess shrugged. "I dunno. Anyway, we're here. Theresa would love to help you out with any work you happen to have."

"I actually do have a bit more," Jason admitted, glancing up at the sky outside the shed. "Looks like it's getting up on noon, though, and I'm hungry. Anyone want food?"

"Pie?" Leonard asked quickly.

"Literally anything but pie, at least for him," Tess muttered as she turned to walk to the house. "He breaks into the Guild pantry every time I turn my back."

Jason chuckled. He pulled open the gate and held it for Theresa as she made her way out into the yard. He closed and latched it tightly, then the four of them soon walked inside.

Taking off their winter clothes was a bit of a challenge, as Jason hadn't yet set up his home for such a thing. A nearby coatrack was soon hauled into place, where all their coats and gloves were hung up. Their boots, though, wound up scattered across the entry hall. Jason knew that he would have quite a mess to clean up later, but he didn't know what else he could do. He then led them into his kitchen, where he started cooking.

"Ooh! Let me!" Theresa jumped in front of the stove. "I've accidentally found all kinds of good recipes when I mixed medicines wrong. Let's see... Ooh, you've got plenty! I'll add a few recipes to your cookbook, if that's okay."

"Fine by me." Jason answered. She was already hard at work. All sorts of different materials went into the pans, and he, Tess, and Leonard seated themselves around the kitchen table. Steaming plates of food appeared before them, and Jason gasped.

The main dish was a souffléd crabgrass and potatoes, smothered in a thick, country gravy. The second dish was a fruit salad, while the third seemed to be some sort of a mincemeat pie. He took a long sniff of the food, and his mouth began to water.

"I've been looking for a recipe for crabgrass!" He grinned broadly. "You've just saved me from starving!"

"It does take a lot of other ingredients to make it half-palatable," Theresa warned. "Don't go experimenting, or you'll burn up a ton of your other ingredients. That said, I do have a few recipes I can send your way, if you want. Shrump scampi is one of my favorites. Looks like you've already figured out how to use tumblewyrm."

Jason nodded eagerly. "Yes, thank you."

"My pleasure." Theresa curtsied, then sat down at the table. They started eating, with Jason greatly enjoying the wonderful meal. Theresa began to babble about the sheep and how excited she was to begin working with them. Tess, though, was quiet. Jason frowned as he noticed her stabbing angrily at the crabgrass and potatoes, and he winced as she attacked the mincemeat pie with equal fury. After a few minutes, Theresa came to a stopping point, and Jason broached the subject.

"Tess? Are you okay?"

"Does it look like I'm okay?"

Jason blinked. "Well... No."

"Then I believe that a more appropriate question might be: Tess, why

aren't you okay?"

Jason coughed and glanced at Theresa. She only shrugged, and Jason turned back to Tess. "All right... Why aren't you okay?"

"That's none of your business."

Jason whistled softly and stabbed his fork into a hunk of meat. That had apparently been the wrong move, as a knife blade suddenly flickered through his vision. He sat upright with a start, and Tess snarled softly at him. Leonard put a hand on her arm and tried to soothe her.

"Tess, honey, it's okay! We talked about-"

"I know what we talked about." Tess turned to him and snarled. "At least, I know what you talked about."

"I really am sorry." Jason apologized. "I... You just don't seem okay today. What's wrong? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Tess sighed deeply, then glanced back and forth around the room. Finally, she spoke in an annoyed, though low, tone.

"We're all friends here, right? None of this, and I mean none of this, leaves this room. Got it?"

Everyone nodded their heads, and Tess reluctantly plowed forward.

"I was finally able to get in contact with the Dungeon Guild. They don't actually control what happens with the dungeons, but they do help manage it, and they certainly distribute the word about it. The messenger who first told us about this 'new and improved' crypt was a member." She paused for a moment, then continued. "Anyway, according to them, the defense that the town of Summer Shandy put forward in combating the infection is proof, in their eyes, that the event was a success. The town was brought together to unite against a common threat, and casualties were low. There are absolutely no plans on ending the event, unless it can be proven that continuing would cause extraordinary and abnormal damage to life, limb, and property."

Jason blinked for a few seconds. It had been so long since the attack, over two weeks, that he had just assumed that the event had been canceled. "You mean... At any time..."

"The moment someone enters that dungeon, monsters can spew out and engulf the town." Tess nodded. "I've spent days studying their attack patterns, and even with a ready supply of the cure, I don't see any way we could possibly fend it off. The only person who's been inside is dead now, so I don't even know if we could safely risk trying to take people inside. Like... Would it even be possible to just go in and clear it out, without risking the contents of the dungeon spilling out and engulfing all of Summer Shandy? Maybe. Maybe not. At this point, I don't have the faintest idea, and it sounds like no one is going to take my claim seriously until a lot more people die."

She huffed and crossed her arms. Jason looked down at his plate and pushed his fork at the mashed potatoes, suddenly losing a great deal of his appetite. Tess, though, continued.

"That's not the worst of it, either. I've posted a guard across the entrance. Day, night, there are always warriors standing watch. I make sure that I'm there personally over half the time, since the conditions are so terrible. For that matter, I'm due back in a single hour, so we'll need to wrap this up, soon." She paused for a momentary breath. "I started with ten warriors. Now, I've got so few people willing to stick around that I'm down to five at any time. If a high-level hotshot were to come into town, almost no one would be able to fend him off, even in a group of five. There are people who spend every second of every day in the dungeons, and it shows. So, five people at any time, and I think that will soon drop even more.

Warriors and adventurers make their living off delving dungeons. With no hope that this one will be functional anytime soon, they're all just leaving. No new warriors are coming by, since they're just passing through or taking other roads to more lucrative locations. Paulina is selling fewer items as a result. The city farmers, who would sell bread and other foods to the warriors, suddenly don't have a good way to make an income. Theresa, here, isn't getting any customers-"

Theresa nodded. "If no one is fighting, there's no one to heal."

"Viola, at the inn, isn't selling any rooms. The town is going broke. There are already people talking about leaving. If this issue isn't fixed, even if no one else enters that dungeon, it will succeed in killing the town."

Jason just shook his head as Tess finally calmed down a bit. "Wow. What if someone went to the Dungeon Guild and spoke to them in person? A concerned resident of the town?"

Tess shook her head. "Wouldn't do anything. They look at numbers, not pleas. Doesn't mean I'm going to stop sending them, but it wouldn't be worth the trip."

"All right..." Jason expressed his dismay, then tried to brainstorm. "What if we get everyone out of town, then let the monsters just destroy everything? Costly to repair, sure, but if it can get the dungeon reopened, it might be worth it."

Once again, Tess shook her head. "They're looking for deaths, not for property damage. That would be a bonus, sure, but unless a lot of people actually wind up dying, it's not going to do much."

Jason scowled down at his plate. Finally, he shrugged and held up his hands. "Well, if there's ever anything I can do, you know you can count on me."

With that, Tess flashed the first smile of the day. "That much is true, I certainly can."

They finished eating on a much brighter note, talking mostly just about the happenings of the day and what to expect from the sale. Finally, bellies full and hearts warm, Jason led the way back out onto the farmstead. The final thing he had to do for the sheep before sending them off to market was to trim their hooves, to make sure they would be able to make the long journey without spraining themselves. This was a great delight, as he and Theresa would tackle the sheep and wrestle them to the ground (something that the sheep seemed to greatly enjoy), and would then use a large, shear-

like device to clip off excess growth. Tess rode away partway through this process, but Jason and his other helpers plowed onward.

When they finished, Jason was soaked from having rolled around in the snow and the mud. He shivered in the cold, though not chilly, air, and flashed a smile as Theresa and Leonard walked back to their horses. Suddenly, on impulse, he bent down and scooped up a handful of snow.

It took but a moment to pack the snow into a ball, and an instant less to fling it into the back of Leonard's head. His guest spun, then grinned and made a ball of snow himself. Theresa laughed and smashed snow into Leonard's face, and with that, the fight was on.

Jason didn't know how long the snowball fight lasted, but as he watched his two friends riding off toward Summer Shandy, the sun was just beginning to set, and a cool wind was blowing. Jason stabled Lady, then went inside and tossed a few more logs onto the fire. He then sat down to warm himself, smiling broadly at the day.

It had been... It had been fun, he decided, to have that many people around to help. The only cloud in the otherwise perfect day was Tess's description of what was happening to the town. It almost made Jason feel a bit guilty, as he was rapidly on the mend while his town friends were struggling. If he could have done anything to help them, he certainly would have.

In the end, though, there was nothing he could do. He only hoped that he could keep seeing Tess... And Theresa... As the days wore on.

Chapter Twenty-Four – Friendly Faces

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 17th day of Winter! 74 days until the Winter Festival! After yesterday's sun, today's gonna be a chilly one. Expect patches of ice pretty nearly everywhere you go. Oh, and make sure you stay off the roads once you see the animals coming! Big sale today.]

Jason rose and ran eagerly to his window. The sun had only just started to rise, but already, great feelings of anticipation and excitement welled up in his chest. He dressed in his warmest clothes, raced through the kitchen and grabbed a simple apple, then raced out onto the porch. A gentle lowing could be heard in the distance, and he glanced down the road to find a long herd of cattle already making their way up toward Summer Shandy.

Jason walked over to his stable and began feeding the sheep. They rushed over and began to gobble down the meal. That much had been an important part of Jeremiah's instructions. If they went to market on an empty stomach, there was no telling what might happen. He fed Lady at the same time, then led her out to the post while the sheep finished up. Not long later, the herd of cattle began to lumber by. Jeremiah's hired men rode at the front of the herd, while several dozen dogs raced about on either side of the road, directing the creatures forward.

"Howdy, neighbor!" Jeremiah came riding up, a grin on his face. "You ready for this?"

"Not knowing what I'm doing, yes!" Jason forced a grin and leaned against his fence rails.

"All right, then." Jeremiah chuckled. "Ahh, you'll do great! Sale days are always fun. Once my cattle get by, the sheep will come right after. Just drive your sheep in with my herd, they'll be able to sort them out based on the ear tags once we get them all in."

"Works for me." Jason nodded. "As always, thank you."

"Don't thank me yet!" Jeremiah laughed as he turned away. "Let's see how this all does at the sale!"

Jason stayed at his stable and watched as the cattle went lumbering on by. They were enormous beasts, standing between five and six feet at the shoulder, and each looked to weigh close to a ton. Thick muscles rippling beneath their skin, they simply plodded along like great beasts of old.

Finally, the herd of cattle passed fully by, and the sheep came up in hot pursuit. These had fewer dogs, as they seemed simply to want to follow the leadership of the cattle. Jason opened his gate, and his own small herd quickly rushed out to join the much, much larger herd belonging to Jeremiah.

Jason quickly climbed up into Lady's saddle and took off after the sheep. For a time, he tried to keep an eye on his own livestock, but this quickly proved to be impossible. Instead, he simply rode along as Jeremiah and his hands rode around the herd, calling out orders, cracking whips, and otherwise just chatting with each other as the situation allowed.

Soon enough, they came into town. The herd rumbled through the town square and out to the eastern side of town, where large holding pens had been set up. Dozens more men were already there, sorting the animals into different pens according to all manners of different factors. Jason watched in awe as gates were rapidly swung back and forth, changing the shape and flow of different alleyways. It took but a few minutes before the entire herd had been swallowed by the pens. Jeremiah rode up next to Jason as his hired hands started riding back toward the ranch.

"Now, for the fun part. You see those guys, over there?"

He pointed at a group of rather large men, all clothed in fancy, dress- up versions of common agricultural clothing. Jason nodded.

"Those are men from the Livestock Guild. They're in charge of a lot of different things, but mostly, they just buy and sell animals," Jeremiah explained. "Believe it or not, there's a Crop Guild as well, but they work a bit differently. They just announce prices, and then the crops are collected and brought to them. That's really that. The Livestock Guild, though, likes to buy each animal individually. Each animal can differ from the others, after all. They'll come through, and you'll get offers. Just accept or decline them, and you get paid from there." Jeremiah lowered his voice. "You really only want to decline them if they're really trying to stiff you. I've done it a few times, just to scare them and keep them honest, but most of the time, they'll just accept the decline, and you'll be left with an extra head of

livestock you have to keep around for the next sale. They do renegotiate on occasion, but it's rare."

"For right now, I think I'll probably just accept." Jason shrugged. "Seems easier that way."

It didn't take long for the offers to come back, as the men seemed to know their business and worked quickly.

[Total Offer: 10 Sheep for Jason Hunter: 100,000 shandys] Jason's jaw dropped. "A hundred thousand? That's..." "Mighty low!" Jeremiah exclaimed. "Hey! You!"

Jason blinked. "No, it's okay, I just-"

"What do you think you're doing to this poor lad here?" Jeremiah cried out. One of the men turned, frowned, and began to make his way over. Jason felt as though he wanted to hide, but Jeremiah kept right on talking. "This is his first sale! Ten thousand a head? That's chicken feed, hardly enough to cover input costs."

"Let me see..." The man pulled out a small notepad and began to flip through it. "Hmm. Jason Hunter, is it? You're lucky we're even paying you that much. The tags were attached incorrectly, which incurred a small fee due to the difficulty in reading them. Their diet also seemed to have been rather inconsistent with normal feeding practices. Records on the animals indicate that no forbs or legumes were given to them, which diminishes value. Maybe now, he'll learn."

With that, the man turned and stalked away. Jason frowned, and Jeremiah huffed.

"Lousy... Well, that'll have to do, I suppose. Nothing to be done about it. Come by my place when you're ready to square up. I can talk numbers with you. Your new lambs will be delivered tomorrow morning, and I'll have your feed delivered by noon."

Jason frowned. "Shouldn't I be going to buy the supplies myself? New feed, all that?"

"Nah." Jeremiah huffed. "It's cheaper to buy in bulk. You can just buy it off me for a fraction of what you can get it in the store, and we'll both be money ahead."

Jason frowned but nodded. Now that he started to think about it, his simple wheat crop pulled in fifty thousand every week and had far fewer input costs. He caught Jeremiah looking at him and nodded.

"Again, thanks for the help."

"I wouldn't do it if you weren't a hard worker!" Jeremiah turned to trot away, having received his own offer back. "You're a good man, Jason!"

Jason nodded, then turned back to the sheep. He watched them for a few minutes longer, then turned to leave. He made his way back through town, where a few dozen people were all staring out at the market. More animals were being brought through the town as other ranchers brought up their own stock to sell, and Jason smiled. With that, he rode on, trotting onto the road and making his way toward the Lazy-H Ranch.

It was an odd sort of a career change that he had fallen into, but it was one that he rather enjoyed. Sure, he couldn't wait to get back to the soil... But all told, things were looking up, at least as far as he was concerned.

Chapter Twenty-Five – A Pet

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 27th day of Winter! 64 days until the Winter Festival! Ahh... That's all]

Jason groaned as he rolled out of bed. He hit the floor with a thunk and shook his head slowly.

"No. No, Jason is not ready to get up and go to work." He sighed and walked to the window, gazing down at the sheep. Every part of his body ached, and most of his limbs rather felt as though they wanted to just fall off his torso. Still, in brighter news, there were no Wolves-in-Sheep's-Clothing to deal with that morning, which was, in his estimation, a good thing. He stumbled to the wardrobe and dressed himself, then walked down the stairs.

The previous day, a prairie jackalope had attacked the farm. Given Jason's previous experience, he would have expected a small, rabbit-like creature with horns to be nice. Compassionate. Perhaps even tamable as a pet. Instead, it had broken through his fences and tried to eat all his sheep, and while he had managed to defeat the creature without the help of the Guild, his sheep had escaped. He had subsequently had to rebuild the fence, then go chase down all his sheep, which by that point had wandered far and wide across the entire countryside. By the time he got them all back inside, the entire day had been wasted. He had stumbled inside, eaten a quick meal, and passed out as soon as possible.

Now, thankfully, the sheep were still inside, but he was sore, and had no plans on doing any real work that day. As he walked into the kitchen, his cookbook began to flip its pages back and forth, and Jason shrugged and waved his hand dismissively.

"Ahh... Uhh... Make me a sandwich. Don't care what kind."

With a flash, an egg sandwich appeared on a plate in front of him. He ate in silence, then blinked as a small chime rang out.

[Tess's Almanac: Update: It's also a Sunday. You're welcome.]

Jason let out a long sigh. Good! He had lost track of the days, what with the craziness of running sheep around. He thought for a moment, then,

as he finished his meal, he rose and walked tenderly into the living room.

It took but a moment to bundle himself up, and soon, he had walked out onto the crisp front porch. Most of the snow had gone, leaving only a great, barren brown patch, but the cold weather was still there. The wind blew powerfully that day, biting through his coat. He shivered, but walked over to the stable, fed both Lady and the sheep, and painfully put on Lady's saddle. She nickered softly, and he fed her a few sugar cubes before climbing up onto her back. With that, he set out for Summer Shandy. He

needed a break, and he thought he knew where he could find it.

As he rode into town, he found the streets largely abandoned. Thick columns of smoke rose from every chimney, as everyone sought only to stay warm and cozy. Lights flickered in Paulina's store, which was a common enough hangout for farmers on Sundays, but on that particular day, Jason ignored it. Instead, he rode over to the Guild Hall, where he

dismounted and slowly walked in the front door.

He wasn't surprised, given his last conversation with Tess, to find it

mostly abandoned. A few warriors lay slumped across the couches and upon large floor rugs, but the majority seemed simply to have packed up and moved on. Tess, Theresa, and the lady who ran the inn sat at a table near the fire and seemed to be sipping on some soup. Tess's head lolled back and forth as she fought against sleep. Theresa was stirring up some sort of a drink, and the third woman simply sat there eating. They all looked up as Jason approached, and the innkeeper quickly rose and grabbed a new chair for Jason.

"Thank you." He nodded as he sat down. He held out his hand, which the woman shook. "Jason."

"Viola." She flashed a small smile at him. She wore her brown hair in twin ponytails and wore a blue dress with white lace that seemed quite picturesque in the firelight. Theresa, as always, wore a brilliant, red dress, while Tess wore her armor.

Unlike the others, however, Tess looked to be a proper wreck. Her armor was quite rusted and dented in more than a few spots, and Jason could see dozens of scratch marks. She groaned and took a sip of the soup, then glared at Jason through half-closed eyes.

"Why are you here?"

"I just thought I would stop by." Jason shrugged. "It's cold, and it's a Sunday, so... A good time for a social call?" He glanced back and forth for

a moment. "Where's Leonard?"

"Still sleeping. He does that a lot." Tess sighed and forced herself

upright. "I'm okay."

"Won't you at least take a little medicine?" Theresa pushed a

steaming cup of cocoa at her. "Come on, you won't even taste it."

"I am not becoming dependent on that junk." Tess spat. "Don't ask

me again."

Jason glanced at Theresa, then at Tess again. "What's going on?" "Don't. Ask."

Theresa leaned over and whispered. "All her guards have gone. She

had one other person who is willing to guard the crypt, but he'll only do it for a few hours here and there. She's been on guard duty for almost forty- eight hours. I just got her away from it about fifteen minutes ago."

"At least she has some time to rest now." Jason held up his hands, hoping that it was an accurate enough statement.

"Some." Theresa grimaced. "The problem is that her replacement will only take it for, as I said, a few hours. Tess has to be back there in less than four hours, or he'll just leave and let the place go unguarded. She's not letting herself rest, because she knows she won't be able to wake up in four hours if she lets herself sleep.

"My discomfort is worth the town's safety." Tess mumbled.

Jason stroked his chin. "Has anyone actually tried to get inside the crypt?"

He rather desperately hoped that the answer was no. Unfortunately, Theresa only gave a short nod of her head. "She's had to fight off someone just about every day, for a little over a week now. A few of them have just been hotshots from the cities, but more and more, they're turning out to be sent by the Dungeon Guild. They're getting angry that Tess still has the dungeon blocked up and isn't allowing chaos and mayhem, so they've been sending people to trigger the event."

"And I'll keep guarding it." Tess murmured. "I'll... I'll..." Her head swooned back and forth. "I just need a bit of food, and then I'll be good to... To..."

"Let me go and stand guard for a bit." Jason heard the words leave his mouth before he really registered what he was saying. Even after he realized that he had just volunteered for a terribly dangerous job, he pressed

on. "I might not be the most skilled person out there, but I can keep someone away for a few hours until Tess shows back up."

"No, you can't." Tess murmured. "Too dangerous."

"He'd be okay if I went with him." Theresa held up her hand. "Come on, Tess, let us go. You need rest."

"No." Tess took a long breath. "Give me that medicine. Fine, I'll take it, just don't make me go back to sleep."

She held out her hand, even as her weary eyes began to drift shut. Theresa glanced between the cup of cocoa, and a smaller goblet of something that looked like wine. She quickly handed Tess the wine, who slurped it down in an instant. In that moment, her eyes blinked wide open.

"Wait! That's not-"

Before she could say another word, Tess's eyes drooped shut, and she collapsed in her chair. Jason leapt forward and caught her before she could tumble to the ground. Working with Viola, they carried Tess over to a couch, and carefully laid her down. As soon as that was done, Jason and Theresa quickly made their way to the door, waved goodbye at Viola, and set out into the wintery cold.

Neither spoke as they made their way around the Guild Hall and down toward the hollow. There, they found a single man standing across the path, holding a broadsword with the point planted in the ground beneath his feet. He looked up as the two of them approached, and he shook his head.

"Sorry! By order of Tess, the great and magnificent, all access to the crypt has been banned."

"We're your replacement." Jason spoke up. "Tess is getting some rest, and-"

"Great!" The warrior sprang past the two replacements and jogged up the hill. "Stupid guard assignment anyway."

He was still muttering as he vanished over the hill. Jason and Theresa took up their positions and settled in for a wait. Thankfully, there wasn't much wind down in the hollow. Less thankfully, it was still bitter cold. Theresa, after a few minutes, walked into the woods to gather up some sticks. Soon, she had a roaring fire beside the path, which Jason quite appreciated. As they stood there, watching the path and warming themselves, Jason shook his head.

"Tess really does care about this town, doesn't she? Way more than anyone else does."

"I don't know." Theresa looked up at Jason and blinked several times. "You seem to care a great deal, as well. You sacrificed your farm, and now you're sacrificing your Sunday. If that isn't compassion, I don't know what is."

Jason didn't quite know how to answer. The two of them simply stood there as time wore on, listening to the crackling of the flame and watching the sun turn slowly overhead. Jason tapped his foot against the frozen ground and tried to think up some sort of a game that they could play to pass the time, but he came up with nothing. Finally, as the sun began to slowly set, he turned and nodded at Theresa.

"How'd you get to the point of running the Healer's Den?"

Theresa just shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. A perfect storm of things, I suppose."

Jason nodded slowly and chuckled. "Storms have a tendency to do things like that."

Theresa sighed and nodded. "Indeed." After a few moments, she shrugged. "My dad was a warrior, an adventurer. He moved from town to town, always fighting, always delving into more dungeons. Liked the thrill of it, or something. Somewhere along the line, he met my mom. She was a maid at an inn, and... Well, that relationship seemed like a thrill to him as well. He stuck around for a year or two, but when the excitement wore off and my mom told him that he would have to stay home and quit doing dungeons, he left."

Theresa sniffed softly, and a tear trickled down her rosy-red cheek. "The whole time I was growing up, I wanted nothing more than to know who my father was. When I was eighteen, he came back through the town, much older, but still up to his old tricks. My mother recognized him and introduced him to his daughter. I asked to come along with him, since... You know... I wanted to know who my dad was. My mother was against it, but I thought that maybe I could pull him back."

Jason felt his stomach twist. "What happened?"

"You can probably guess it." Theresa chuckled softly and painfully. "I followed him around for about six months. All those years of fighting had taken a toll on him, and nothing was as exciting as it had once been. He started taking greater and greater risks, doing things that he wouldn't have been able to do safely even when he was young. He started getting injured, a lot, and I started learning healing tricks in order to keep him alive. He

grew dependent on it, trusting that I could save him if he messed up. He usually needed my help." Theresa paused for a long, drawn-out second. When she spoke again, her voice was the merest breath of a whisper. "One day, I wasn't enough. I buried what little was left of him, then went back to my mother. I lived with her until her death a few years later, and then...I came here. It seemed like a good place to get away from it all."

She shuddered. Jason bit his lip, then nodded. "I... I'm sorry to hear that."

Theresa sniffed. "Trust me, I'd vastly have preferred that a crazy uncle died, and I wound up inheriting the shop."

Jason let out a soft chuckle. "I... Yeah. I'm sorry to hear that."

Theresa said nothing more, and the two of them stood there for several more hours in almost total silence. Quite suddenly, footsteps crunched on the snow, and Jason looked up in surprise. Two warriors stood at the top of the hill and started descending it with a sturdy importance.

Jason took a deep breath, then braced himself. He suddenly realized that he had no weapon, and likely looked exactly like what he was: A cold, scared farmer standing out in the snow without a single way to enforce anything that he could say. Theresa began rummaging in her pockets, and Jason spoke up.

"Halt! By order of Tess, the Great and Magnificent, I command you to turn back!"

The warriors said nothing but kept walking forward. They both wore blood-red armor, with the image of a blazing comet etched onto their chest plates. Their gold-and-red shields had the same symbol. Their faces were concealed behind matching helmets, with their unseen eyes peering out through thin slits. Neither drew their swords, but as they both stood a head taller than Jason, they really didn't need to.

"I said halt!" Jason called out. "You'll regret it!"

"Yeah?" The warriors paused, only a few inches from Jason and Theresa. "I say we're going in. Word on the street is that this is the hottest new dungeon. We'd like to give it a go."

"Never." Jason shook his head. "You'll not get past us."

"I don't think you're understanding." One of the warriors, who was slightly taller, leaned forward. Jason caught a glimpse of the man's eyes, black and cold, as he moved within a few inches of Jason's face. "We're going inside. We don't want to hurt you, and to be fair, I think we could

walk past you with the ease of walking past a chicken, but we won't hesitate to hurt you, if that's the route you'd like to take."

Jason took a deep breath. "I'll not just step aside for you."

The warrior slowly straightened up and looked at his companion. Their eyes locked, and they drew their swords together. The tips gleamed in the winter sun, and Jason held his breath. He didn't want to die, but he wouldn't be seen as a coward. That was what he had always been told, wasn't it? If you stood your ground against a bear, it would turn away, and people were much the same. Even if you had an inferior position, you could triumph through sheer will.

"Hold your breath." Theresa whispered, so softly that Jason could barely hear her. That wasn't a problem, as he was already holding it quite well. Quite suddenly, Theresa's hand gave a flick of its wrist, something flashed through the air, and a thick cloud of red smoke exploded from the feet of the warriors. Jason did his best not to breathe as the fog obscured his vision.

Two loud clunks echoed through the woods, and when the smoke cleared, Jason found himself looking at two fallen figures. He glanced at Theresa, who just shrugged.

"It's the same stuff I gave Tess, but infused into a smoke bomb. I usually use it when I'm treating livestock, but it works just fine on people, too."

With that, Jason let out a loud laugh. "You mean... You..."

"One of those things can drop a two-ton bull moose in its tracks." Theresa laughed back. "Oh, it's always fun to use it on bullies!"

The two of them laughed, loud and long, for several long minutes. Suddenly, a bit of inspiration struck Jason, and he bent down and pulled off the helmets of the warriors. Theresa frowned at him, and he quickly raced into the woods and broke off two large branches. He then made his way to the top of the path and planted the branches in the frozen ground as best he could. That done, he hung the helmets out for display on the two poles, warning away anyone who might come to visit. Theresa laughed when she saw it, and the two of them smiled warmly.

Quite suddenly, hooves echoed on the cobblestone up above, and Jason looked up to see Jeremiah and his wife riding out through Summer Shandy, angling north along the road. Jason waved, and Jeremiah waved back.

"You look like you've been busy today!" Jeremiah called out. "Something like that!" Jason answered. "Where are you heading?" "Out of town!" Jeremiah answered. "Illumitir, actually. Just working

on a bit of business, I'll be back in a week. Why?"

"Can you take along some cargo?"

A warm smile split Jeremiah's face, and his wife gave a bird-like

twitter. "I'd love to!"

A few minutes later, the unconscious warriors had been hog-tied and

thrown into the bed of the wagon, and Jeremiah was riding north once again. Jason watched them go, then went back down to stand guard with Theresa once more.

Several more hours passed, with little else happening except for the occasional story told between the two watchers. They laughed a good bit at the plight of the warriors, wondering what they would do once they woke up without their helmets.

In the end, the sun was just setting when an enraged roar shook the town. A few minutes later, an angry Tess appeared at the top of the trail, fire blazing in her eyes. Jason and Theresa waved up at her, and she glanced down at the two helmets. She remained angry for several long moments while the scene settled in her mind, and then, her eyes open wide in surprise. She walked down, her own helmet tucked under her arm, and gaped at her two friends.

"Do... Do I want to know what happened here?" Tess raised an eyebrow.

"I think so!" Jason laughed. He and Theresa took turns telling the tale, though it took far longer than it probably should have, as they laughed so hard that they could hardly speak. Finally, they managed to get the story out, and Tess flashed a small smile.

"Well..." She finally held up her hands. "I guess I have to say thank- you. You've done wonders, I think, and I have to say that I'm grateful. I doubt I could have done the same thing in my condition."

"You're more than welcome." Jason smiled, and Theresa curtsied. "Let me know anytime you need help."

"I hope that won't be necessary again." Tess answered, though she frowned as she said it. "We'll... We'll figure something out."

Jason and Theresa started walking up the path, only to be stopped at a word by Tess. They both turned, and she bit her lip. When she spoke again,

her voice was soft. "Thank you."

Jason and Theresa both inclined their heads, turned, and walked away. They had saved the town, once again! Admittedly, it was nothing that Tess hadn't done a hundred times over, but it did feel good to have done something. As they walked up and onto the street, Leonard raced past, a grin on his face.

"Tess! Tess, I'll help you!"

He vanished down the slope, and Theresa chuckled.

"Not gonna lie, I didn't expect that relationship to last so long."

"No, indeed." Jason sighed deeply, an odd feeling churning in his

stomach. He couldn't quite figure out what it was, and in an odd way, he didn't really want to know. "No, indeed.

Chapter Twenty-Six – Peaceful Days

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 31st day of Winter! 60 days until the Winter Festival! Looking to be a chilly one today! Anyone who brings warm food and hot cocoa out to the dungeon and/or stands guard with Tess will be awarded her everlasting affection and gratitude.]

Jason sighed as he opened his eyes, then felt a grin break across his face. It was sale day, again! After a moment, though, a bit of nervousness followed it. Jeremiah still hadn't returned from the city, which meant that Jason would have to undergo the rigors of sale day by himself. Weatherhand had come by and informed him that he was more than welcome to run his sheep with them again, but he still felt quite terrified.

Remembering how quickly things would be happening, he leapt out of bed, dressed as rapidly as possible, and ran down the stairs two at a time. He barely even paused long enough to grab a plate of scrambled eggs, then raced out into the open yard.

By then, the herd of Jeremiah's cattle was already rumbling past. The lowing of the cattle rose loud in the frosty air, though thankfully there was very little snow to get in the way. Jason took Lady from her stall and gave her some oats, then went to check on his sheep. They were all there, thankfully enough, and he flashed a small smile.

With that, there was little to do but feed his sheep and wait, and he berated himself for his speed. He took a deep breath as fed the sheep and let his mind wander to Summer Shandy.

In the four days since the incident at the dungeon, he hadn't seen much of either Tess or Theresa. He had inquired about them during a trip into Paulina's store for supplies, but she hadn't known much, and he hadn't wanted to bother Tess. Today, though, he was certain that he would make a trip down to the dungeon, if only to fulfill her request. On an impulse, he rushed back inside and had the cookbook make him another quick dish, then dashed back outside as Jeremiah's sheep were starting to rumble past.

With that, he unhitched the gate and let his own sheep rush out. They quickly raced across the ground and joined up with the herd. Jason mounted up on Lady and followed the herd as it made its way up to Summer Shandy.

There was little that could be said about the trip, save that it was very cold, and that he did little to keep track of his own livestock. Weatherhand raced back and forth, and even said hello to him once, but otherwise he had almost no interaction with any of Jeremiah's men.

When the herd came rumbling up into Summer Shandy, he once again smiled as men and women came out of their houses to watch the procession. A few children tried to run up and join the herd of sheep, and they were called back by their mothers. Jason laughed at this, and soon enough, they passed through town to the holding pens. There, then animals were once again separated, and Jason sat back to wait.

"You look like you're doing good business." Theresa came walking up next to his horse, a large bag slung over her shoulder.

"We'll see." Jason chuckled. "What are you up to?"

"Heading down to relieve Tess at the dungeon. It's her time to get some rest, again."

"She's actually letting other people take up her guard? Voluntarily?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "You didn't poison her again, did you?"

At that, Theresa laughed. "Oh, no. She realized that, with the proper tools, other people could indeed be trusted with the workload. We've distributed a number of the 'sleep bombs', as they're being called, among the populace. Everyone takes turns, and though Tess still takes the most shifts, I think she's feeling a lot better about it."

Jason grimaced. "Her warriors aren't helping?"

"What warriors?" Theresa answered. "That last one, the guy we relieved, left the next day. Everyone's gone. Her Guild Hall is emptier than your field."

At that, Jason felt a pang of guilt. He wasn't sure why, but he felt as though she deserved to be getting back on her feet, not him. "Is she okay? Does she have enough food, money for rent, all that kind of stuff?"

"She owns the building, so no need for rent, but she doesn't currently have much money in case of emergencies." Theresa answered. Her face became downcast, and she shrugged. "There's a reason she put out a call for supplies this morning."

Jason bit his lip, then nodded. "Well, I'll certainly do what I can."

"I'd expect nothing less from you." Theresa turned and started walking away. "I expect that we'll be talking for a while before she leaves, so you're welcome to come and say hello after you're done!"

Jason nodded, then turned his attention back to the sale. It wasn't much longer before the men moved away from the pens of livestock and began handing out their offers. They went to Jeremiah's men first, and only after a time came over to Jason. A rather pudgy man handed a slip of paper to Jason, which he read eagerly.

[Total Offer: 10 Sheep for Jason Hunter: 200,000 shandys]

Jason whistled, and a smile broke across his face. Jeremiah hadn't been joking when he had said that the previous offer had been low. He eagerly accepted it, then began trotting back into town. As he passed Paulina's store, though, a thought struck his mind. He dismounted Lady and walked up to the door, only for Weatherhand to ride past.

"Come by the ranch once you leave town, and we'll get squared up for the next two weeks!" The grizzled man called out.

"I'll be there!" Jason answered. He watched Weatherhand leave, then walked through the door and into the store.

Inside, Paulina was helping another rancher, who had driven in a handful of pigs. He waited in the back until the man had finished, then walked up to the counter. Paulina looked up and flashed a thin smile, though it looked weary.

"You look tired," Jason remarked as he leaned against the counter.

"I had guard duty all last night." Paulina yawned. "Just a bit exhausted today, but I'll be fine."

Jason looked chagrinned. "You know, I'm part of the community too. I could be asked."

"I think Tess is worried about asking too much from you," Paulina hypothesized. "She certainly feels indebted to you. If you say something to her, though, I'm sure she'll include you on the rotation."

Jason nodded, then turned his attention back to business. "I need to buy some fence. Good, strong stuff. We'll say... Twenty lengths? No, thirty."

Paulina nodded and consulted a large book. "That'll be 1,500 shandys."

"Done."

A loud chink indicated that the transaction had gone through, and Jason turned to leave. As he did so, Paulina called after him.

"Wait! Come back here for a second."

Jason turned back. "Yeah?"

"I was just curious..." Paulina looked a bit timid. "Maybe it's none of

my business, but is there something going on between you and Tess?"

At that, Jason barked a laughed. "Me? Tess? No!"

Paulina rolled her eyes but nodded. "If you say so. Thanks anyway!" Jason frowned in returned. "What makes you ask? Tess is dating

Leonard, right? Besides... I don't know. I think she's great, but I'm not... I..."

"I didn't mean to imply anything." Paulina held up her hands. "There just seems to be a lot of chemistry between the two of you."

"No, I don't think there is," Jason answered, chuckling. "Like I said, I've grown to appreciate what she's done for the town, but... No."

"Ahh."

The two of them stared at each other rather awkwardly for a few, long moments, and Jason turned and walked back out into the street. He mounted Lady once more, then turned and rode for the dungeon entrance.

As he cantered up to a stop, his eyes opened wide in surprise. The two red helmets were still there. (He had half-expected them to be stolen back within a day or two.) In addition, though, six more helmets now stood on stakes, lining the path as an odd sort of marker. Two bodies, sans their helmets, lay along the road, with a sign asking anyone traveling out of town to pick them up. Jason laughed, then swung off of Lady and made his way down the path.

Sure enough, Theresa and Tess stood at the bottom, chatting around a small campfire with one another. They both looked up and smiled as Jason approached, and he nodded back at the display above.

"Looks like something really got started."

"I don't know who to thank more: You for starting it, or Theresa for using the sleep bomb." Tess chuckled.

"Well..." Jason winked. "How about you increase whatever thanksgiving to... What was it? Eternal gratitude, or something?"

With that, he pulled an apple pie from his inventory. Tess took one look at it and laughed.

"What is it with you and pies?"

"Pie?" Leonard emerged from the woods, a hungry grin on his face.

"Not for you." Tess teased and took the pie from Jason. "You've already eaten three donuts, a crumpet, five biscuits, and-"

"I'm hungry." Leonard grumbled. "It's hard work standing out here in the cold."

Tess rolled her eyes, though she flashed a smile at Jason and Theresa when she did so. "Believe me, I know."

Leonard walked up next to her, and Tess took his arm, balancing the pie in her left hand. As Leonard continued to eye it, she transferred it to her inventory and started walking up the path.

"Thank you." She nodded at Jason at she passed, then called out to Theresa. "And thank you, too!"

Theresa waved at them. Jason watched them go, then went down to Theresa. "Do you need anything?" He produced a second pie from his inventory. "I brought an extra in case Leonard intercepted the first one."

Theresa burst out laughing. From up the hill, Tess joined in the laughter, though at a glance, Leonard seemed to have missed the comment. They all continued on their way, and Theresa inclined her head.

"I'd love it, thank you."

He gave the morsel to her, and she put it in her own inventory. They stared at each other for a few, long moments, and Jason turned away. He walked quickly back up the path to Lady, mounted up, and rode back out onto the road. He caught a glimpse of Tess and Leonard walking into the Guild Hall, but neither of them seemed to see him.

With that, he rode for his home. It was nearly noon, and he had a great deal of work to get done before he could make his way over to the Lazy-H Ranch. As he came trotting up, his stomach rumbled, and he put Lady in her stall, raced inside and made himself a quick meal, then walked back outside.

As quickly as he could, he began using the fence he had purchased from Paulina. Using the skill that Jeremiah had given him, he was able to build the fence far faster than before, putting up a section of fence every ten minutes. At such a speed, it took a mere five hours to put up all thirty sections, giving him a brand-new corral that took up a space almost twice as large as the sheep pen. With that, he mounted up and rode for the Lazy-H ranch as fast as he could go.

He rode up to the gate just as Weatherhand and the other hired men were riding out. Weatherhand flashed a weary smile at the young man and inclined his head.

"I was getting worried, there. Thought you'd gone off on a date with one of those women you're known for hanging around with."

At that, Jason turned beat red, and Weatherhand laughed.

"Oh, don't get your dander up. You're known for a lot of things, most of them positive."

"Most?"

"Come on in here, we'll get things together." Weatherhand waved at the door of the cabin. "Jeremiah gave me leave over his checkbook, so there shouldn't be any problems."

They walked through the front door and sat down at the table. Quietly, Jason checked his wallet.

[Remaining Money: 75,132 shandys]

"Let's see here." Weatherhand mused softly. "Ten sheep, feed for two weeks... Supplies for tagging and preparing for market... 50,000 shandys even."

Jason inclined his head. He didn't dare try to bargain, since he knew that Jeremiah was cutting him an extremely good deal. Though Jeremiah had told him not to do so, he had checked what the prices would be if he were to try and purchase it all himself, and it was almost three times that amount. Jeremiah was insistent that buying in bulk made the prices lower, and while Jason couldn't necessarily argue, he was also quite certain that Jeremiah was losing money on the deal.

"Done." Jason nodded. With a clink, the transaction went through.

"All right, then." Weatherhand started to rise. "I think that'll be enough. I'll have the supplies sent over in the morning. I don't want to make any of the men stay any longer than they have to."

"Wait." Jason held up a hand, and Weatherhand sat back down slowly. "I... I'd like to receive a loan for something else, if it's possible."

Weatherhand inclined his head slowly. A great deal of reservation was evident on his face, but there wasn't much Jason could do about that. The hired man was an excellent hired man, desirous of nothing more than to protect his master's assets. Most likely, Weatherhand was already concerned about the amount of charity that Jeremiah gave to Jason and was wary about giving more.

"I don't know if it will be possible or not." Jason continued. "And I don't want any altered prices. I'll pay you all back in full, just as soon as I can."

"Spit it out, then." Weatherhand's voice was impatient, but he put a smile on his face.

"I'd like to buy some cattle, with the appropriate feed, and pay you back after some sales."

Weatherhand frowned and stroked his chin. At once, the trepidation was gone, replaced by the calm, focused manner with which he always transacted his business. He motioned for Jason to stay put, then rose and walked into another room of the home. He returned with a pad of paper and a pen, where he began to scribble a number of figures. As he went along, he glanced up at Jason.

"You have a fence? Was that what you were doing today?"

"It's rated as being strong enough for cattle, and most monsters below the level of a Nameless Scourge." Jason nodded.

"Hmm. Hum. Hrrrm." Weatherhand made a handful of odd noises to himself as he worked. Finally, he nodded and spun the pad of paper around to face Jason.

"Here are your options," he answered. "Cattle are higher-profit, but they take one month to mature instead of two weeks. You can either buy them as freshly weaned calves, and raise them the whole time yourself, or buy them at two weeks and just raise them for the remaining two weeks."

"How much per head?" Jason leaned forward.

"For the calves, 25,000 per head. That will include all feed costs." Weatherhand nodded. "For the older ones, 50,000."

Jason didn't take long to make up his mind. "I'll take three calves."

"That's quite a herd you're starting." Weatherhand chuckled, but it was a kind laugh.

"I'll be able to buy more next sale, when I don't have to spend money on fencing," Jason explained. "That will give me two sales of cattle before the end of winter, which should leave me ahead. I can then take the fence I bought and move it back to the field, putting me in a better position in the spring."

"I'll say this: You're an ambitious lad." Weatherhand laughed. "Ahh, it's a pleasure doing business with you. If Jeremiah ever kicks the bucket or retires, I'll be knocking at your door, I hope you know that."

"Please believe me when I say that I truly hope that such a day doesn't come for a long time." Jason rose and shook hands with Weatherhand. The money from the initial transaction was transferred, leaving him with only a few shandys to his name.

With that, he walked back out onto the porch. Weatherhand locked up, and they rode their separate ways.

The cold air stung Jason's face, but he smiled as he made his way back home. He truly was in love with his job, and with the people around him. More and more, he simply couldn't imagine another way of life.

Chapter Twenty-Seven – The Worth of a Smile

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 72nd day of Winter! 19 days until the Winter Festival! We're almost to spring, folks! You can practically hear the birds singing in the trees and smell those flowers! I know, you can't actually do that yet, so don't come after me, but hey! We're getting there!]

[Tess's Almanac: Update: Big snow coming this evening. It's supposed to be a proper blizzard, so make sure you're bundled up!]

Jason rolled out of bed and made his way to the window, where he looked out, as per usual, at his pens of animals. Sheep and cattle filled the small enclosures, milling about in general confusion and expectation. He had only two more sales left before the end of winter, and one of them occurred the very next day. It meant that he had very little time left to enjoy the animals, which... In a way, it made him quite sad. He had grown to enjoy the creatures quite a lot, and it was going to be hard without the lowing of cattle and the bleating of sheep. That said, he was also quite looking forward to getting back to planting. The animals had been a nice break, but... He didn't have the manpower to handle both animals and plants, and he had little desire to switch fully into ranching.

With the sale being the following day, he had a full schedule for the current stretch of daylight. The sheep could be prepared for the sale easily enough, but the cattle, while requiring near-identical treatment, were far more difficult. They were substantially larger, and they had a great tendency to throw their weight around in a manner that made it difficult to get any real work done.

Still, Jason had already sold cattle twice, and he was ready to do it again. Taking a deep breath, he got dressed, then made his way down the stairs.

"Lots of work calls for a big breakfast," he affirmed to himself and sat down. "Cookbook... Sausage and pancakes."

There was a short pause.

[Cookbook: You do not know that recipe.]

Jason frowned, then rose and went to the stove. "All right, then, we'll

do this the hard way. Pancakes."

With a flash, a stack of golden-brown pancakes appeared on the table.

Jason then turned to the pantry and pulled out several sausage links, which he had purchased from the store, rather on a whim, several days earlier. He had been hoping that the recipe would have been among those that Paulina had added to the cookbook all that time ago, but apparently, he wasn't so lucky.

"Hmm." He pulled off a single sausage. "Let's see. Can't be too hard. Sausage is just... Sausage. Right? Here we go."

He tossed the link into the pan. With a flash of fire, a charred and quite inedible sausage appeared on a plate.

[Cookbook: Your combination of Sausage Fire was a success! Learned recipe: Burnt Sausage]

"Oh ha-ha." Jason muttered. "And when did you get a sense of humor?"

The cookbook made no answer, though Jason's mind drifted back to a handful of recipes that Tess had given him several weeks earlier. It had largely been a collection of different pie recipes, but it was more than likely that she had snuck something into his cookbook that made it more snarky than usual. He sighed, then pulled off another link. With a bit of trepidation, he added some oil to the pan, then tossed in the sausage.

The resulting explosion shook the small kitchen. Jason winced and stumbled back into the hallway, then stalked back into the kitchen to find everything blackened. His pancakes seemed more or less unharmed, and he stabbed into them with more than a bit of frustration. The cookbook itself was covered in a layer of ash, which it shook free as Jason finished his meal.

[Cookbook: Your combination of Sausage Oil Fire was a success! Learned recipe: Fried Burnt Sausage]

"Oh, shut up," Jason demanded. He rose and glanced at the room in dismay. "I'll clean this up later."

He quickly walked through the house and strode out into the yard, eager to leave the desolation behind. As he reached the stable, he turned and cast a glance back up at the home. A thin wisp of smoke curled from the

chimney, keeping the house warm. Otherwise, the house looked rather abandoned. Most of the windows were still boarded up, and now the kitchen window had the added distinction of being quite black. He lamented, knowing that he wouldn't be able to start repairs on the home until after he had hauled in his first crop of the spring.

Still, it wasn't all bad, and he turned back to the task at hand. Lady nickered as he led her out to the hitching post and fed her some oats, and he took a deep breath. Throwing every ounce of energy he had into the project, he walked quickly back to the pen of sheep, opened the gate, and walked inside.

The process was simple, and yet still quite time-consuming. He had to sheer and tag each sheep, which while not an enormous process, quickly burnt through twenty of his actions. Without any friends there to help the process, he was forced to tackle each sheep to the ground, wrap his arms around its neck, and work as quickly as possible until the job was done. He knew that Jeremiah had specialized pens for such work, but he wasn't planning on being in the animal business long enough for such to truly be worth in the expense. In any event, he finished up by the time that one o'clock came around, and while his stomach was rumbling powerfully, he had made good progress. Only one of them had any mistakes on it at all, and thus he expected a hefty profit from the lambs.

That done, he went back inside and ate a quick meal (avoiding the sausage), and then came back out to the cattle.

Here, he took a long and deep breath. Twenty of the great beasts milled about inside the bars. Ten of them needed to be tagged, and ten of them would be sold the next week instead. Thankfully, the two groups were of quite different sizes, making it easy to tell which ones were which. Their heads began to turn to look at him, and he puffed out his cheeks and bounced on the balls of his feet.

With tools in his inventory, he began to climb up and over the fence. Unlike the sheep, which were relatively tame, the cattle began to churn about as he dropped down into the muddy corral. Jason watched as several of them began to move closer and closer, pushed by the mob that was forming more of a perfect circle. There wasn't a good way that he had found to do this part of the job yet, which meant...

One of the larger cattle came circling past, and Jason jumped forward and wrapped his arms around the neck. His muscles strained, and he pulled

himself up and onto the creature's back. It gave an enormous snort and began to buck, and Jason knew that he had only seconds.

Moving quickly, he leaned forward and snapped the tag into the left ear.

[Action Used: Tag Steer. Remaining Actions: 15]

Jason then let go, and the steer bucked him into the middle of the corral. He came down on his feet and let out a short breath, then spun as the cattle began to circle again. Once more, he watched and waited, then struck as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

Once more, he hauled himself up onto the back of the creature, tagged it, and allowed himself to be bucked off. This time, he came down hard, landing flat on his face with a loud splat. Frozen mud splashed across him, and he spat out a bit that got into his mouth. He rose and shook off the muck, then took a deep breath.

Snort.

The noise came from behind him. He turned slowly, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. Sure enough, just behind him stood a particularly large steer, a steer that did not seemed pleased at the treatment that its peers were receiving. It stamped its rear feet, then began to paw the ground with its hooves. Jason had seen that behavior depicted, mostly in theater, enough times to know what was coming next. He had exactly two options: Stand his ground, or turn and run. The old axiom about the bear rose to his mind, and he took a deep breath.

"No!" He roared at the creature, hoping to frighten it. "Stay back, you beast!"

With that, the monster lowered its head and charged. Jason dove out of the way, and the herd of cattle parted. The great steer rushed across the pen and turned as it reached the far side, narrowly avoiding a collision. It spun on a dime and turned back, charging a second time. Once again, Jason braced himself, then jumped out of the way.

Quite unfortunately, with the floor of the corral being a slippery mess of mud and ice, he fell flat on his back instead of jumping out of the way. This, as opposed to landing on his face, had exactly one upside and one downside. Looking at the situation positively, he hadn't splashed more of the dark muck into his mouth or his eyes. Looking at the situation more negatively, he was gifted with a rather perfect view of the steer coming down on top of him.

Jason never remembered much of the next few seconds. When he woke up, he was lying on the ground, flat on his back, staring up at the sky. He was outside the pen, between the cattle corral and his sheep pen. He was also in an immense amount of pain, more than he thought was possible to endure while remaining alive. He groaned and tried to sit up, only to find the action more than a bit impossible.

"Howdy, neighbor!" A friendly voice called. Jason opened his mouth to answer but found it quite impossible to say anything. He gasped for air, and the call was repeated.

"Neighbor?"

Suddenly, Jeremiah appeared, riding high on his horse. His face went white, and he jumped down from his horse, raced over to Jason's side, and scooped him up. At that point, Jason began to phase in and out of consciousness for an unknown amount of time. Finally, he rose back to consciousness in a rather cozy-looking room. He lay in a bed covered in thick animal hides, while several torches and a small hearth kept the room lit. The walls were hung with oil paintings of scenic vistas, and a small window was open just a crack to let in fresh air without letting in the cold of the winter. There were other amenities as well, but Jason didn't bother himself with them.

"Hello?" He called out. His voice emerged as a raw croak, and he grimaced. An instant later, Theresa burst into the room with a concerned smile on her face. It widened as he sat up, and she rushed to his bedside.

"You're okay!" She grinned, then pulled a bowl of soup out of her inventory. "Here, eat this, it will help with the pain."

"What-" Jason frowned, the winced as a splintering blast of pain shot up his spine. "Oh... That pain."

He lay back down and consented to the soup. As he ate it, Theresa sat down in a chair nearby.

"How are you feeling?" She asked as he finished. He handed her back the bowl and took a deep breath.

"Well, the pain's gone, so I guess that much worked, at least." He sighed. "How long have I been here?"

"Three days." Theresa answered.

"Three days?" He exclaimed, then blanched in horror. "The sale!" "The sale went just fine. Jeremiah sold all your animals for you.

Weatherhand convinced him to take a small fee for working the animals,

but you should still have plenty in your account."

Jason checked his wallet quickly.

[Earned Money from Sale: 801,623 shandys. Remaining Money:

1,628,951 shandys]

"That seems high?" Jason frowned. "Not that I'm complaining, but-" "Jeremiah told me you might be confused." Theresa chuckled. "The

sheep were 200,000, the first load of cattle were 300,000, and he bought the rest of your cattle for the remaining 300,000."

"He what?" Jason was startled. "I didn't tell him to do that!"

"No, but he gave you full market price for them." Theresa countered. "He'll sell them at a loss next week, but he considered it worth the investment. To quote: 'That scoundrel Weatherhand should never have sold him cattle that he didn't have the manpower to take care of. They're both lucky he wasn't killed.' He also told me to tell you that he was sorry, and that you're more than welcome to come by the Lazy-H, and he'll square up with you."

Jason sighed, then shook his head. "Nah. I think... I think he's probably right. Only a week or two more until spring, anyway, and I think I have enough to fix all the fence and get my feet back under me again when the weather is warmer."

Theresa sighed and nodded down at him. "For what it's worth, you've had a steady stream of visitors. Jeremiah has stopped by every day. Paulina came by, and Tess has shown up, as well."

At that, Jason smiled, though he wasn't sure quite why. Theresa smiled, then nodded. "You know, you and Tess are a lot alike."

"What do you mean by that?" Jason raised his eyebrows. "I may be a lot of things, but I'm not an angry..." He mock-scowled and put his hands on his hips. At that, Theresa laughed.

"I'm just saying that you're both very intense. You don't like doing things halfway." She smiled down at him, a soft, warming kind of smile. Jason felt a fluttered in his stomach. When she spoke again, it grew. "I like it."

They sat there for a few more minutes, and Theresa rose. "Well, I've got work to do, and other patients to attend to. You just lay there and rest, and I'll put up a notice that you're finally awake, but you're not to be disturbed."

"Works for me." Jason nodded. "Thanks."

Theresa just flashed another smile at him, then left. Jason let out a long breath, then shook his head. Well, that was that! His days as a rancher were officially over. All he had to do was get to feeling better... And then make it through the last short wait before spring finally came.

Chapter Twenty-Eight - Gratitude

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 76th day of Winter! 15 days until the Winter Festival! Thanks to everyone who's helped with the dungeon defense. I'm told that we should be hearing from the Dungeon Guild by the first day of spring. Until then, stay strong! Clear weather is expected until the day before the Winter Festival. Expect temperatures to begin warming back up, though they shouldn't get above freezing just yet.]

Jason sighed and sat up in bed, sloughing off the thick, hide blankets. Theresa watched him as he swung his feet over the edge and stood up. The tiniest flicker of pain lanced up his back, but it was almost nothing compared to what he had once experienced.

"How's that feel?" Theresa asked. "Any pain? At all?"

"I mean, I'm not going to say that there's none, but-"

At that, Theresa frowned. "We'd best keep you here another day,

then. No use risking yourself."

"I'll be okay!" Jason quickly edged for the door. "Not that I don't like

your company, because I do, but-"

Theresa looked worried, but she nodded. "You've been here long

enough, I think, if you think you're ready to go. Just don't do anything strenuous for a while, okay?"

"Don't you worry about a thing." Jason bowed at the waist. "You know me!"

"That's why I'm worried," Theresa admitted. "Off with you!"

She followed him as he walked out through the Healer's Den and to the front door. As he reached it, he paused and glanced back at her. She looked up at him, eyes soft and warm.

"Thank you." He inclined his head. "I truly do appreciate it."

"Just doing my job," Theresa replied. "I'd have treated you no different than a stranger."

Jason gibed, "Way to make a guy feel important."

At that, Theresa just laughed. "All right, all right. Get back out there, do your job, but stay safe, okay? I don't want to see you back in here unless it's a social call, got it?"

"Got it." Jason inclined his head, then stepped through the door and walked out into the town square.

As the door fell shut behind him, a loud voice echoed across the cobblestones. "It's him! It's Jason!"

Jason blinked as Leonard jumped up from the town well and raced across the square, armored boots pounding on the pavement. He grabbed Jason's hand and wrung it cautiously, smiling broadly the whole time. "Everyone! It's Jason!"

Largely, this call went ignored. Constable Hank, also at the town well, doffed his hat, but went back to chatting with the women who were drawing water there. Jason blinked, then smiled.

"I don't have any pie, you know."

"I know!" Leonard grinned. "Tess told me to keep an eye out for you, though. I'll go get her!"

"I-"

Leonard rushed off without a look back. Jason watched him go, then started walking toward Paulina's store. With his livestock gone, he could likely stock up on the remaining supplies he needed for spring, and get a jump start on the whole process. The bell jingled as he walked through the front door, and two eager faces looked up at him.

"Jason!" Paulina and Jeremiah both cried out at the same time. They came racing over to him, and Jeremiah wrung his hand while Paulina gave him a hug. He staggered backward, a bit overwhelmed, and his two friends withdrew.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm sure you don't want to be crowded." Jeremiah apologized, then grinned. "Ahh, Jason, it's good to see you up and about! I want you to know that I gave Weatherhand a proper-"

"It's my own fault." Jason shook his head. "I really am sorry about it. I'll pay you back for the cattle you bought, you didn't need to-"

"Keep it, my boy!" Jeremiah shook his head. "I actually found a rich buyer from Illumitir. He's buying almost my entire herd for close to twice the market value, so I'll still be money ahead."

Jason wasn't sure if he believed his friend, but he nodded. "Well... thanks for bringing me in. Your return couldn't have been better-timed."

"That's how life usually is," Jeremiah affirmed. "My business here is done. When you get home tonight, feel free to come by the ranch for a good, home-cooked meal if you don't want to cook for yourself. No pressure, feel free to stay away if you'd rather just recover."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Jason gave a small wave as Jeremiah vanished through the door. The bell jingled as it fell shut, and Jason turned to Paulina.

"Oh, I'm glad you're okay." Paulina gave him another hug before walking over to the counter. "Now, I suppose you need more supplies of one sort or another?"

"Enough fence to finish the field before the Nameless Scourges start popping up in the spring." Jason named. "Oh, and seed for the spring, if you've got it."

"We just got in a shipment yesterday." Paulina nodded and flipped open the book. "Let's see what we have here. Fence... Same length as before, but minus thirty panels... Plus enough spring wheat seed to cover eighty acres... Here you go."

She finished writing on a page and put it down on the counter. [Money Needed: 1,500,000 shandys]

"Done." Jason smiled. The transaction went through, and he let out a

long breath.

"You know, I remember a time when you couldn't even afford to buy

food for your own pantry." Paulina chuckled. "How the times have changed."

"How, indeed." Jason gave a small wave and turned away. "Have a good day, Paulina. Theresa told me you came in to see me. I just want you to know that it means a lot to me."

She only smiled, but that single gesture conveyed a great deal. Jason walked to the door and pulled it open, only to be almost instantly bowled over by Tess. He gasped and fell backward as she blasted inside, a look of fury on her face.

"You're up! Great! Now you listen here, you..."

Her face was a mask of anger, more than Jason had ever seen her display before. She pressed forward, driving him up against a wall, and growled softy.

"If you ever do something that stupid again, I want you to know that I'm going to have you skinned and tanned. I'm then going to hang your

hide on the wall of the Guild Hall and paint a dartboard on it, and hang you from the ceiling from your fingernails while the warriors throw darts at your own skin. And then, if you're still alive, I'll..."

She paused for a breath, and Jason flashed a small grin. "I'm okay, Tess. Jeremiah already bought all the cattle off me, and I-"

"I know! I'm the one who made him!" Tess snarled, then paused. "Come to think of it, I gave him the same threat."

Leonard stuck his head around Tess and winced. "Sorry. This wasn't the reaction I anticipated."

Tess took a deep breath and relaxed. "Are you feeling better?"

Jason relaxed and nodded. "Yeah. I really am. Theresa took good care of me, and-"

"Good." Tess smiled, then lashed out with her gauntlet-covered fist. The cold steel struck Jason on the chin and smashed him back into the wall, and Paulina and Leonard gasped. As he rubbed his jaw, Tess gave a small nod. "You'll remember, now."

With that, she turned and walked out of the door. The door gave a soft jingle, and Jason glanced at Paulina. She could only shrug.

"When Tess cares about someone, she... Ahh... Has an odd way of showing it."

Leonard nodded. "You ought to see how she treats me! You'd think I was her slave, or something, but that's how I know that we're in-"

"Leonard!"

"Coming!"

With that, Leonard turned and vanished through the door. Jason

watched him go, then felt himself starting to laugh. Paulina laughed as well, and after a moment, Jason found himself hardly able to breathe. He wasn't sure what was so funny, but a great deal of tension seemed to have been released inside of him, and he took a long and deep breath. He slowly walked out of the store with one final wave to Paulina, then started walking across the square toward the road. Lady was nowhere to be seen, and presumably was still back at his home. Oh, well. It was a walk that he had certainly made more than a few times and wasn't opposed to making again.

As he walked by the Healing Den, Theresa walked outside, glanced at him, and gasped. She quickly raced up to him and pulled out a cloth, which she used to wipe off his chin. It came away bloody, and Jason frowned.

"What did you do now?" Theresa inquired. "Don't tell me you were climbing a building, or anything else stupid like that?"

"No, no." Jason shook his head and grumbled. "You can thank Tess for this."

Theresa smirked, but nodded slowly. "I guess it's not that unexpected."

They both nodded slowly. Theresa pulled several herbs out of her pockets and applied them to Jason's chin, which took away some of the sting. He hadn't even noticed the pain, as he had just assumed that the sting had been from the cold, but he found himself quite thankfully for the cure. A few parting words were said, and Jason started on his way down the road once more.

As he walked, his mind drifted back to the three girls. Tess, Paulina, Theresa. Paulina was a friend and nothing more, that was obvious, though she obviously did care about his friendship quite a great deal. Tess was... Well, Jason didn't really know what Tess was. She was a friend, certainly, but... Had it really been necessary to punch him? Where exactly on the scale of friendship she lay was anyone's guess. Was the "willing-to-punch- you" phase of friendship closer to the early stages, or something that only her more advanced acquaintances had to worry about? In any event, she was dating Leonard, so the romantic side of things was clearly out of the question. Not that Jason would have imagined himself dating her for even the briefest of a second, but it was quite nice to know that she couldn't possibly feel that way about him.

Theresa, though... Theresa was something else. Jason didn't know her very well, but he had certainly spent a lot of time with her that winter. She had cared for him, and she had proven to be quite innovative. He didn't exactly know if that meant anything, but he also knew that she had described him as "impressive" (or something along those lines), so... Maybe, indeed, there was a chance with her.

His stomach fluttered once more, and an odd resolve began to form in his stomach. He had a plan forming... And he was rapidly developing the boldness to execute it. After all, if he had survived a rampaging steer, what couldn't he

Chapter Twenty-Nine – Snow Daze

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 90th day of Winter! 1 day until the Winter Festival! Expect snow, and a lot of it, today! It's been a hard winter, and a long one, and it's about to end! I cannot enumerate the number of things that will likely improve with this change, so I won't! In the meantime, there's a big storm coming through today and tomorrow. Expect heavy, but calm, snow for most of the day. It'll intensify into a blizzard by tonight, and it will likely end sometime tomorrow morning before the festival.]

Jason rolled out of bed, his breath clearly visible in the cool air of the home. Great. He had forgotten to stoke the fire again. He shivered and walked over to his wardrobe, changing quickly into warmer clothes. That done, as was his custom, he walked over to the window and gazed out across his farm.

To his delight and joy, he looked down upon a frozen field completely surrounded by a thick metal fence. It had taken him two weeks to put up, but without the threat of monsters in the cold air, it had proven quick and easy work. Tess, Leonard, Jeremiah, and Theresa had all come by to check on him from time to time, which he found rather quaint, and thought that he had assuaged all their fears. He had his equipment lined up in a row in the old sheep portion of the stable, keeping the metal plow, planter, and harvester out of the elements. Lady nickered up at the house, and he waved down at her. Yes, things were going well, and barring a major explosion, he was certain that he would be able to actually relax for one of the festival days.

He looked out across the farm for a few minutes as the snow began to fall, then made his way downstairs. As he came into the kitchen, he paused and stood beside the stove. A few thoughts trickled through his head, but he turned away and rekindled the fire in the living room hearth before he made up his mind. Finally, he went back into the kitchen and crossed his arms.

Pulling open the pantry door, he took out his links of sausage. He had only three left, and he was determined to make one of them work.

"Cookbook, please list all the sausage recipes I have access to." [Burnt Sausage]

[Fried Burnt Sausage]

[Peppered Burnt Sausage]

[Fried Peppered Burnt Sausage] [Burnt Sausage and Vegetables] [Burnt Sausage and Potatoes] [Burnt Shrump Sausage]

[Burnt Crabgrass Sausage] [Burnt Sausage and Gravy] [Burnt Sausage Biscuits] [Burnt Sausage Pie]

[Burnt Sausage and Apples]

[Burnt Carmel Sausage]

[Burnt Breaded Sausage]

The list continued onward for some time after this, but he quit

reading. He sighed and took off one of the sausage links, then slowly placed it in the pan. No use triggering the flames until he was ready. After a few seconds, he snapped his fingers.

"Eggs! I haven't tried eggs yet!"

Feeling bold, he tossed several eggs into the pan. There was a flash of smoke, and a plate of charred... Gunk... Appeared on the table.

[Cookbook: Your combination of Sausage Eggs Fire was a success! Learned recipe: Burnt Eggs and Sausage]

"Oh, fine." Jason scowled. "One of these days, I will beat you." He picked up a kitchen knife and stabbed it at the cookbook, which flapped its pages in either fear or defiance. He sighed after a few seconds, then made himself a simple plate of pancakes, devoured them, and made his way out into the snow.

The weather was cold, but not nearly as bad as it had been for the previous several weeks. The snow was coming down hard, and it looked likely to lay several feet of fresh powder across the ground before the blizzard came that night. He took a deep breath, stuck out his tongue to catch a few falling snowflakes, then went around to the back of his house.

There, hidden from the view of the road, was a top-secret project that he had begun working on whenever he had a few spare actions at the end of the day. He had purchased plans and a good deal of wood from Paulina, and

had built himself a small carriage, almost identical to the one that Jeremiah used to carry around his wife. At least, he had mostly built himself a carriage. A single wheel still had to be made, but the rim had been shaped, which just left the spokes.

[Action used: Attach Spoke. Remaining Actions: 35]

Jason continued to work through the morning, while the snow came down around him. It was about eleven o'clock when he finally managed to shove the wheel onto the axel, and a loud ding echoed through the air.

[Equipment Acquired: Carriage]

Jason smiled, then walked over to Lady's stall. He quickly took her out, after confirming that she had eaten plenty of oats. As he led her over to the carriage, he patted her neck.

"You want to go out for a ride?" He whispered softly. "You want to? Yeah, I think you do!"

She nickered softly as he led her into place, then hitched her up. She stood quite patiently, and Jason whistled in the frozen air. He then climbed up into the driver's seat, tested the strength by giving it a small bounce, then nodded.

"All right, Lady! Off we go!"

He gave a soft snap of the reins, and Lady set off with a quick trot. She moved from behind the home and roamed across the yard. Soon enough, she was on the road, her hooves clattering eagerly upon the hard- packed dirt.

A smile split Jason's face as they went along. Driving Jeremiah's carriage had been one thing, but driving something that he himself had built was something else entirely. The squeaking of the wheels, the soft canter, everything had been his construction. It felt marvelous... He only hoped that he would soon enough have someone to share it with.

As he clattered up into town, he found a posse of boys throwing snowballs back and forth at one another, but little else seemed to be happening. Everyone was making preparations for the morrow, he was certain of it. With the other festivals, preparations had only come the day that it was to happen, but now... Everyone was exhausted from the constant threats against the dungeon, and everyone except the farmers had served their term on guard. Jason had later learned from Tess that, despite his willingness to help, the risk of danger from the farms (should any of them be left alone for too long), was great enough that they had been given

a mass exemption from guard duty. Sure, the last two weeks, he almost certainly could have done it, but... Hey! He had gotten a lot done on his farm, and if Tess's reports were at all accurate, the dungeon event was likely to be shut down in just a few days. There was reason to celebrate, that was for sure.

Slowly, Jason pulled up in front of the Healing Den and climbed down. A burst of butterflies shot through his stomach, and he slowly walked up and pulled the door open. The hinges were almost noiseless, but a blast of cold air swept into the room with his movement. Theresa looked up from where she knelt over a cauldron, and she beamed a smile at him.

"I haven't seen much of you in the last couple weeks. I can only assume that that's a good thing."

"I haven't gotten myself in any more trouble," Jason answered, then shined a small grin. "Actually, I managed to do something that I think you'll appreciate. Come on, I want to show you something."

Theresa enthusiastically rose from the cauldron. As she walked out into the snowy air, Jason patted the carriage, and Theresa lit up.

"Oh, Jason, it's beautiful!" She gleefully approached the construction, running her hand along the smooth wood. "You did an excellent job, I'm frankly quite amazed. You did it all yourself?"

Jason shrugged. "I've had a bit of free time. I'm not going to say that it's the most professional job you'll find out there, but it runs smooth. At least it seems to, I'm in the process of breaking it in right now."

"Can I come join you?" Theresa asked. "I don't have any patients today, and I rather doubt that I will. I can take a few minutes off for a joyride."

"I was hoping you'd ask!" Jason grinned, then hopped up into the seat of the carriage. Theresa ducked back inside, presumably making sure that the cauldron would be okay without her, then emerged wearing a thick parka as red as her dress. She climbed up next to him, and Jason snapped the reins.

With that, they were off. Jason chose the road that ran east out of town, and in no time at all, they rumbled past the pens used to sell animals. They were quite empty at that time, of course, and looked rather forlorn in the falling snow. Jason glanced at them, as did Theresa, and they quickly zoomed off into the countryside.

In that part of the country, where Jason hadn't traveled much, the land had far more hills than elsewhere. It wasn't anything extraordinary, by any means, but many ravines crossed the land, forcing the road to rise and fall with the land, or to detour slightly to avoid sharp cliffs or outcroppings. Small cedar trees sometimes grew in the deepest portions of the ravines, but by and large, the area was simply flat and open.

They rode for about half an hour before Jason drew the carriage to a halt. There, just barely visible through the falling show, shimmered the flickering lights of the next village over. It was the town of Nightford, if Jason remembered it correctly, and it was about twice the size of Summer Shandy. They sat there for a few moments, and Jason's stomach rumbled.

"I brought along some food, if you'd like it," he offered.

"Yes, please!" Theresa grinned, then remembered. "I have to be getting back, though. No assistants, and all that. Can we eat while we drive?"

"I don't know why not," Jason agreed and turned Lady around, then set her walking back down the road. The snow continued to fall thickly around them, and he tucked the reins into a small hook just in front of him. With that, he turned around and pulled out a small picnic basket. From inside, he produced a small array of food, including eggs, bread, pickles, and a few other delicacies.

Theresa smiled as she ate. Jason did the same, as it truly was a unique experience. A picnic on the go! In the snow! He imagined that there was a poem there, but he didn't have the creative juices to parse it out. As he ate, he nodded in Theresa's direction.

"You mind if I ask you a question?"

"Go for it." Theresa nodded. "What's on your mind?"

Jason shrugged. "I was just curious why you always wear red. It suits

you, don't get me wrong, but-"

"You're wanting to know why my wardrobe seems rather

monochromatic compared to everyone else in town?" Theresa raised an eyebrow.

"Something like that. Tess also always wears the same thing, I guess, but that's just because she always has her armor on."

"You should see her without the armor sometime," Theresa commented. "It's not a very common sight, don't get me wrong, but you'd hardly recognize her, that's for sure."

Jason laughed at the thought. "If I ever stumble upon her without it, I'll do my best to remember it!"

"Of course, she'll probably punch you so hard you'll block the memory." Theresa added, chuckling. "Ahh, Tess. She's something else."

"You can say that again."

There was a long pause, and Theresa shrugged.

"Anyway, my dress! It's kinda morbid, to be honest."

"I'm okay with that."

Theresa winced, then whispered. "It's so that when I work with

someone who's bleeding, they can't see their blood splashing on me. Helps keep them calmer."

Jason blinked, then laughed. "That wasn't what I was expecting! Do you have to do that very often?"

"You should have seen your right leg when Jeremiah hauled you in," Theresa answered.

Jason didn't have a particularly good response for that statement. He only winced, and they finished their meal. Jason replaced the picnic basket in the rear of the carriage, then took up the reins once more. A few minutes later, they rumbled through the outskirts of Summer Shandy. Jason pulled up in front of the Healer's Den, and Theresa climbed down. She smiled up at him and nodded.

"That was fun! Feel free to take me out on it again sometime, though-"

With the smallest of a squeak, the door of the den opened, and Tess walked out. Her face lit up at seeing Theresa.

"I've been looking for you everywhere! Where'd you go? You don't typically just run off like-"

Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of the carriage. Her eyes made their way upward and met Jason, who smiled and gave a wave. To his great surprise, instead of smiling and waving back, her eyes turned cold and stony, and her voice seemed to become like that of thunder.

"Oh. That's where you went. I..."

She stammered for a few seconds more, then turned and stormed away. In a moment, she was lost amidst the storm, leaving Jason feeling rather stunned. He frowned and climbed down from the carriage, then glanced at Theresa. She, too, looked rather stunned. Instead of staring after Tess, though, she was staring at Jason.

"I get the distinct feeling that I'm missing something here." Jason crossed his arms slowly.

"You just took me out on a date." Theresa whispered softly. "The carriage... The picnic... You took me on a date!"

"Yes?" Jason felt confused. "You agreed to it, I thought..."-"

"No, you numbskull!" Theresa snapped, stamping her foot. "Did that steer knock all the common sense out of your head?"

Jason bit his lip. "Let's go with no, and say that it was never there to begin with. What am I missing?"

Theresa let out a long sigh, then spoke to Jason as if she were talking to a four-year-old.

"Let me explain the situation to you. Tess likes you, a lot. You keep sacrificing yourself for the town, which is kinda her thing, and it makes her really, really want to dump Leonard and go with you instead. The problem is that she's so socially inept that she literally had to have an application process just to choose Leonard in the first place. She hasn't wanted to do anything that might scare you away, so she hasn't done anything. I thought you knew that, or at least knew that she was interested. You've certainly seemed interested enough in her. Everyone's just kinda been waiting for you to make a move, we just figured that you were nervous after what had happened with Paulina."

Jason blinked. "So... When I asked you to help me try it out, you thought that I was working up my courage to ask out Tess?"

"Yes!"

Theresa stamped her foot, then glowered. "You know what I think's worse?"

Jason shook his head. "No, what?"

"I think you do like Tess, you're just afraid of her. I don't think you really have feelings for me at all, which in a lot of ways is even more insulting than what you just did to her."

Jason's stomach was sinking lower and lower. He had dozens of thoughts coursing through his mind, none of which seemed to make a lick of sense. Tess? Him? That was... Crazy? Right?

"I..." Jason stammered.

Theresa gave him no chance to answer, but swept off after Tess. Cold and more than a bit confused, Jason climbed back up onto the carriage. He very nearly ran off after the two women, then paused.

Tess? Did he really have any feelings for Tess? He respected her, certainly, but... Did he like like her? What might that even look like? If he ran off after them, he would have to answer questions, and he wasn't sure he knew what the answers would be.

Confused, and more than a bit frustrated at himself for having inadvertently hurt not one, but two people by his actions, he slowly snapped the reins, and Lady took off down the road at a trot. The wind began to pick up speed as the blizzard arrived a bit earlier than expected. Still, the cold wind was but a bitter echo of the coldness in his heart. He felt more alone than he had felt in a long time, and he didn't have a clue what he could do about it.

As he rode, though, and wrapped himself a bit tighter, the bare hints of a plan formed. He would get home, figure out where he himself stood on all the pertinent issues, and then... talk to the girls in the morning. That would be for the best... He was certain of it.

Chapter Thirty – Last Day of Winter

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 91st day of Winter. It's the day of the Winter Festival. The blizzard ended overnight, so we should be living in the perfect winter wonderland for the festival. Yay.]

Jason sighed deeply as he read the almanac. He closed his eyes and tried to block it all out, but images just kept swirling before him. Images of Tess, angry and hurt, storming away through the snow. Images of Theresa, also hurt, her red dress vanishing amidst the pristine white frost. He groaned and rolled out of bed, allowing himself to thunk to the floor instead of landing on his feet. He took a long, deep breath, then slowly forced himself upright.

As he walked to the window, his breath made a cloud in front of him, but he ignored it. His feet tingled with a frost that covered the floor, but it hardly bothered him. He simply looked down upon his farm, taking in the glorious snow that covered everything. Lady was safe in her stable, his field was ready for spring to come the very next day. Everything was in order, everything was the way that he wanted it to be.

So why did it hurt so much?

He turned and walked down the stairs, not bothering to get dressed. He did throw a few logs in the fireplace, causing a warm glow to fill the home, then walked into his kitchen. As he arrived and dropped into a chair, the cookbook flipped its pages questioningly.

"Sorry." He muttered. "I know, I'm just a ball of energy today. My apologies."

The cookbook slammed shut, then opened again. It did this several times, and Jason shrugged. "Ahh... Make me something simple. Warm, but simple."

With a flash, a plate of fried eggs appeared before him. Jason ate them in silence. When he finished, he rose, then slowly trudged back upstairs. He needed to get dressed, but... what was the point?

As he reached his room, rather than walking to his wardrobe, he simply walked to his bed and flopped down. Did he have to go to the festival tonight? Sure, people would ask about him if he missed it, and Jeremiah would certainly give him a hard time about it, but it had to be at least somewhat common for people to miss out on it from time to time. Besides...

He didn't even know what to think about it all. Tess? Tess liked him? Was that even possible? Did he like her back? Could such a relationship even work? Perhaps most importantly... even if he wanted it to work... would she even take him anymore?

He had none of the answers. Finally, with a groan, he sat up.

"All right, Jason. Be a man." He took a deep breath. "You've just got to go talk to Tess about it, that's the long and the short of it. Face her, and a lot of these questions will go away."

His stomach twisted into a thousand knots, but he forced himself upright and walked over to his wardrobe. It took a few minutes for him to decide on proper attire, and then he was out through the door and striding down the stairs. Something filled his steps... Anticipation, maybe? He wasn't sure, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

He put on his boots and walked out into the yard. Lady nickered eagerly, and he quickly filled her trough. She munched happily, and he walked over to his carriage. It took only a few minutes to sweep off the seat and wheels, and he paused. Did he really want to use the device again? The last time he had drove off in it, disaster had struck. That said... Maybe he could get Tess to come along? Did he want her to come along? Was that a good thing? A bad thing?

"Oh... hush, brain," Jason scolded himself. Inside the stable, Lady finished her breakfast, and after packing a bit of food for her for throughout the day, Jason hitched her up to the carriage, mounted up, and rode away. He trotted down the road, looking out over the impossibly perfect coating of snow. It blanketed the hills and gullies; it lay flat and smooth in some places, and in great drifts in others. Only a few other tracks could be seen along the road, some hoof prints, and one set of wheel tracks. Most likely, Jeremiah had headed into town early, but that wasn't a guarantee.

As Jason reached Summer Shandy, he pulled the carriage to a halt just inside the border of the town square. People bustled about, back and forth, and smoke poured forth from every chimney. There were no tables set up

across the square, which made Jason suspect that the celebration would be taking place inside. His stomach sank as he realized that everyone seemed to be making their way through the doors of the Guild Hall.

It made sense, as it was easily the largest indoor space in the village, and without many warriors around, it was quite empty. Jason watched for a few minutes, looking for Tess, but saw neither hide nor hair of her. He sighed and rode over to the Healer's Den and dismounted, then went inside.

The small room, though lit by a crackling hearth, was empty. All the doors to the individual rooms were open, revealing that they were empty, as well. A large note hung above a small table, which read: "Busy with the festival today! Not too busy to care for you, of course. You'll find me in the Guild Hall if you need me!"

Jason nodded, then turned and walked back out into the snow. By now, there were several other carriages parked near the Guild Hall, and he slowly sent Lady trotting in that direction. A helpful page came out as he rode up and began unhitching Lady for him.

"We're stabling them in the Guild facilities for the day." The page nodded at him. "Complementary, of course."

"Thank you." Jason inclined his head. He sent a small tip, 40 shandys, to the page's account, then turned and slowly walked up to the door of the hall.

As he pushed the door open, he was struck by a cacophony of... senses. Smells of roasting animals poured forth from the hearth, while music rang loudly from the throats of everyone who was eagerly working. Warm air enveloped him, and the brilliant colors nearly blinded him. Streamers were hung from every beam, every hook, everything that streamers could be hung from. Great tapestries had been put on display, as well, showing the history of the town and some of the notable battles that had been fought there. Importantly, a tapestry that looked brand-new hung close to the hearth, depicting dozens of monsters falling upon the town, and a brilliant warrior standing to...

Jason's breath caught in his throat. A warrior, sewn from silver thread, clearly stood guard over the town. Her brown hair flowed in an unseen wind, and her right hand held a sword high. Her left hand, though, held a small flask.

Just below this great warrior, another figure stood tall and proud. This figure held what looked at first to be a rather twisted and useless broom, but

at a second look was, instead, a rather rotten stalk of sorghum. Below this figure was a farm, cracked and broken. Jason felt his heart heave, and he slowly walked up before the great image. Workers, servers, cooks, and decorators all milled around him, but he ignored them all. He was transfixed upon the tapestry, which must have taken the full winter season to sew.

"She was so proud of that." Theresa appeared next to him, still dressed in a dull red dress. "She spent every night working on it, she was so excited to show it off."

Jason spun to face Theresa. "Tess made that?"

"Just for you." Theresa inclined her head, then chuckled. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it shows a good deal of herself as well, but she wanted you to know... She wanted the world to know... That she held you in just as much esteem as her warriors. Probably more, all things considered."

Jason let out a long breath. "I completely missed it."

"You wouldn't have, if you would have waited a single day more to ask me out." Theresa pointed out. "Tough luck, on your part."

"Where is Tess?" Jason finally asked, trying to buck up enough courage to face her. "I don't... I don't know what I'm going to say, and I'll probably just make more mistakes, but I feel like-"

"She's down by the crypt," Theresa answered. "Are you sure it's a good idea to go talk to her, though? I'm not sure if-"

Jason ignored the protest. "Thanks. I'll... I'll be back."

He walked quickly to the door of the Guild Hall, and a moment later was out in the snow. The wind was beginning to pick up, and he shivered, but he forced himself onward. It took him only a moment to reach the top of the path that led down to the crypt, where he had to let out a small laugh even despite himself.

There, instead of just a handful of helmets, well over a hundred helmets hung upon wooden stakes. It was a clear warning to anyone who might dare come close... And it struck more than a bit of fear into Jason's own heart. He drew up short at the top of the path, looking down upon two figures that stood near the forest entrance. Tess and Leonard stood tall, and they appeared to be talking to one another.

Jason nearly turned away. As he stood there, though, he became aware that they were shouting at one another. Suddenly, Leonard turned and stormed up the path, blasting past Jason in a flurry of energy. His face was a

mask of thunder; his fists looked as though they could strike down a dragon. In that instant, Jason realized that the man's occupation of warrior likely wasn't inaccurate. He was... well, he was Leonard, but he had slain many monsters, and he was an incredibly dangerous individual. Thankfully, he seemed to be so consumed that he didn't see Jason, and a moment later, he was out of sight.

Jason slowly began walking down the path, well aware that Tess's gaze was fixed upon him. As he drew up next to her, she stared at him without flinching. He held her gaze, staring into her crystal-blue eyes. In that moment, he noticed how deep they truly seemed to be. Prior to that, he had only ever imagined her eyes as being squinty, cold, and hard.

"I..." Jason stammered. "I talked to Theresa. I..."

"You didn't know." Tess sighed deeply, and in that moment, her countenance seemed to break. "I've had a lot of time to think about it."

Jason puffed out his cheeks and nodded. "I have, too."

They stood there for a few seconds, and Tess glanced at him. "And? What have your thoughts been?"

"Honestly?" Jason held up his hands. "I... I don't know. I've seen you over the last few months, and... I have to admit that you amaze me. Your dedication to keeping the town safe is legendary, and your willingness to sacrifice yourself is nothing short of inspirational." He shrugged. "Truth be told, your willingness to throw yourself into the fight is likely why I was so willing to let my farm be destroyed. If you could do it, lay everything on the line, I could, too. You know?"

Tess made no answer, at least not for a long while. When she spoke again, her voice was soft. "What about me as... Me? Us?"

Jason bit his lip. "I don't know, Tess. I thought you were with Leonard. Guys do a lot of stupid things for girls, but... You were in a relationship. Competing with someone to start dating a girl is one thing, but once she's made her choice... I wasn't going to be that guy! I didn't want to be that guy! If you hadn't been with Leonard, maybe I would have given it a chance, but as-is, I didn't even let the thought enter my mind."

Tess sighed and nodded. "I guess I can understand that. I just thought you knew. I thought I made it obvious enough that you couldn't miss it."

"Maybe you did." Jason forced a small chuckle. "I do tend to spend more time around plants, monsters, and animals than people."

"And I spend most of my time around people who only want to kill things." Tess sighed. "I suppose that neither of us are exactly skilled in the social graces."

They stood there for a few more minutes, just... Being there. This time, it was Jason who broke the silence.

"What are your thoughts on things now? Do you want to give it a try?"

"Do you?" She asked him. "A day ago, you were taking Theresa on a date. I don't know if that was just because she patched you up after you got mailed by a bull, or because you actually have feelings for her, but it happened. You don't just develop feelings for someone overnight. Are you only interested in me because you think I might be interested in you?"

"I know." Jason sighed. "I... I don't know. That's honest."

Tess nodded. "That's how I feel, too. It hurt, a lot, seeing you up there, but I suppose I have myself to blame for it."

"I have a lot of blame, too." Jason acknowledged. "I should have been paying more attention."

They stood there for a bit longer, and a cold wind began to whip down through the hollow. A thought struck Jason, and he turned and flashed a grin at her. "On the bright side, the dungeon is getting changed back tomorrow, right? That should bring your warriors back?"

Tess could only guess. "I don't know what's happening tomorrow. I know that someone's coming, and I'm a little hopeful that we can work it out, but I'm not terribly hopeful."

"Ahh." Jason nodded.

"I did break up with Leonard," Tess offered, changing the conversation back to the matter at hand.

"Yeah, I got that much." Jason chuckled. "He... ahh... looks mad."

"That's a bit of an understatement." Tess frowned. "I don't think he blames you yet, but I'd watch out if I were you."

"Of course."

Finally, Tess groaned. "Alright, here's what I propose. We leave here as friends, just like we were before. Leonard is out of the picture. Maybe something happens between us, maybe not, but let's not... force it? You know?"

Jason thought that that was a singularly terrible idea, but he gave a simple nod of his head. "That works for me."

"Then head on up and enjoy the feast." Tess nodded up the trail. "Go have fun. I'll be up later, when my shift is over. I'm really afraid that someone will try to make a move today, while everyone is distracted."

"Do you need help?" Jason offered.

"No." Tess spoke quickly. "I... I need some time alone. To think." Jason nodded, and he slowly turned and walked up the frozen trail. A

few minutes later, he was back in the lodge.

The rest of the day was, in his mind, quite a blur. He knew that he

talked to Jeremiah, and he knew that he talked to Paulina and Theresa, and he ate some food and listened to music, but that was all he knew. Tess appeared near the start of the feast, and he tried to approach her, but Paulina and Theresa intercepted her and pulled her off into a corner by herself. He wasn't given a chance to speak to her again, and as night fell and he took Lady home, he couldn't help feeling that he had made a great mistake. He didn't know exactly what that mistake was, but he was certain that one had been made.

In the distance, bells began to ring, and a lush, warm breeze rolled across the countryside. In an instant, the snow began to melt into rivers of water, and blades of green grass leapt up from the frozen ground.

Spring had come. It was a time of new beginning, a time of new starts.

He only hoped that it would bring renewal on all fronts.

Chapter Thirty-One – A Dream of Spring

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 1st day of Spring! 90 days until the Spring Festival! Expect near-perfect weather for the foreseeable future! Tornados are likely as time wears on, but for the moment, we've got a wonderful stretch of beautiful, fresh air! What a time to enjoy it! Get outside if at all you can!]

Jason took a deep breath and rolled out of bed. The warm, cheery call of birds rose loudly outside his window, and he walked over and pulled it open. A blast of warm, though not hot, air came rolling in. Along with it came a cacophony of birdsong, the smell of flowers and fresh soil, and so much more. A glance down at his yard revealed masses of crabgrasses, razorgrasses, and even a few shrumps. A tumblewyrm rolled through and let out a powerful roar, and Jason felt a grin split his face.

Life had come back to the land, and all the joys that came with it.

He dressed in spring attire and ran down the stairs, two at a time. He stopped in the kitchen, took a deep breath, and frowned as the cookbook flipped back and forth eagerly.

"All right, cookbook." He reached into his pantry and took out the remaining two sausage links. "First day of spring! That calls for a special meal, I think. You think we're going to get it this time?"

The cookbook clapped several times, and Jason set one of the sausage links into the pan. He then added an assortment of eggs, peppers, and onions.

"There we go!" Jason smiled and pointed at the stove. "Cook!"

Blam!

A muffled blast shook the kitchen, and a plate of charred gunk appeared on the table.

[Cookbook: Your combination of Sausage Eggs Peppers Onion was a success! Learned recipe: Burnt Sausage Omelet]

"Maybe I'll get it tomorrow." Jason wiped a bit of soot off his face, then took a deep breath. "Make me a regular omelet!" With a flash, the dish appeared. He gulped it down, then stood and raced out through the front door. "Nothing's getting me down today!"

As he burst out into the yard, a flash of something caught his eye on the road. It came from near to Summer Shandy itself, likely a reflection shining off a bit of armor. His heart gave a great leap, and he squinted his eyes. The figure was too far away to make out for certain, but he could tell that the horse it was riding on wasn't Tess's horse. A great disappointment settled in his stomach, and he sighed.

Just friends. That was his current status with Tess. Of course, that had been his status with Tess for the better part of six months, but... Somehow, it seemed so strange now. Two days ago, he hadn't been aware that she had been interested in him at all. Now, he wanted nothing more than for her to come strolling onto his farm and say hello. They could go into the kitchen, he could make up a meal, and-

"No." He snapped at himself. "You have work to do. You can think about all this... later."

With that, he equipped his sword and spent several long, nostalgic minutes hacking away at the various monsters swarming around his farm. They were numerous, but not impossibly so, and after about half an hour he had managed to clear out the majority of them. With that, he took Lady out of the stable, then walked up to the fence.

"All right, all right." He stroked his chin as he thought about what to do next. Slowly, he climbed up and looked across the field, as he was finally able to observe it following the snow of winter.

In his estimation, the majority of the land had remained tilled. There were a few small patches that had been damaged and reverted to a more primal state, but the lion's share of the field was fertile and ready for planting. He quickly hitched Lady to the plow, lifted the blade, and struck out across the field. It took him a mere twenty minutes (and two actions) to plow the remainder of the ground, and then he was back at the start.

This, now, was the much trickier part. He unhitched Lady from the plow, then hooked her up to the planter. It was a large machine, capable of planting ten rows of crop at a time. He checked the bin, making sure to import the seed from his farm inventory into the inventory of the planter, and then struck off.

Due to the nature of the planter, he was forced to walk behind the clunky, rattling hunk of metal as Lady pulled it through the ground. Her flanks soon shone with sweat as she pulled it across the ground, and Jason's arms ached as he fought to keep it steady and on track. It took them almost twenty minutes to walk from the gate down to the end of the field, where they turned around. Another twenty minutes were spent coming back, by which point, both Jason and Lady were breathing heavily.

[Action Used: Sew Spring Wheat. Remaining Actions: 33]

Jason let out a long breath. They had to get everything in the ground by the end of that day, or else they wouldn't be able to harvest it on the same day, which would be a problem. He took a deep breath, gave Lady a drink of water and some oats, and struck off once more.

Back and forth they went, back and forth. The hours went by, until finally lunchtime came and gave them a well-needed break. Jason put Lady back into her stall with a good deal of oats and water, then retired into his home. He made himself a large plate of grits and gravy, ate the whole thing, and then ate an entire second portion. The work was hard, and it wore a person out. That done, he walked out onto his front porch and sat down, enjoying the cool spring breeze, and enjoying the chirping of the birds in the air.

All too soon, he realized that he needed to get back to work, and he walked back to the stable. Lady looked at him forlornly, but she didn't complain as she was hitched back up. They had only planted a third of the ground, which meant they had many hours ahead of themselves.

Once again, they lumbered forth into the field, clattering up and down the length of the ground. At one point, they struck a small patch that Jason hadn't noticed, a patch that hadn't properly been tilled. At that point, the planter nearly leapt out of the ground, though Jason and Lady were able to strain extra hard to get the seed in place. He didn't know if anything would grow there or not, but he had at least given it his best effort! In any case, trying to go out and till up that single section would have caused far more trouble than it would have saved, and he decided to worry about it the next time a planting day came around.

The sun blazed down from high above, and Jason sweated through his clothes within a very short time. Still, he pressed on, though he stopped for water breaks for both himself and Lady as often as he felt he could spare.

Finally, as the sun was stooping low and orange in the sky, he reached the end.

A great relief washed over him as he lifted the rows out of the ground, and the two workers wearily trotted out and into the yard. Jason unhitched Lady and led her to the hitching post, where she happily lay down in the grass and sighed in contentment. Jason washed his face and hands, then stepped back to admire his work.

Row after row of freshly worked land stared back at him. It had been hard, but it had been worth it. As long as no monsters struck before the harvest date in a single week, he would make a small fortune off the sale of the crop, and, hopefully, he would finally start to make some progress. It was strange, but... It was nice, too.

In that moment, he rather wished that he could have had someone to share it with. If Jeremiah had come by, he would have appreciated the agricultural aspects. If Paulina had come by, she might have appreciated the volume of material that he would soon be able to lift from the field. If Theresa had come by, she might remark about how many healing herbs could be grown. It Tess came by...

His heart gave a bit of a leap, and he sighed. If Tess came by, indeed. He had no reason to suspect that she would, of course, save perhaps as just a friend. Still, it was the first day of spring, and all his good friends would have their own business to attend to. Jeremiah would be getting his ranch into full swing. Paulina would be assisting clients with all the new seeds and materials they would need. Theresa would likely be treating everyone who went out and got too ambitious, and Tess...

Tess, most likely, was up to her neck in the dungeon business. It was the day that the Dungeon Guild was scheduled to arrive, of course, and that meant that she would almost certainly be pleading not only her case, but the case of the entire town. She wouldn't want to be bothered, nor would she have time to come bother him.

Jason mulled over that thought for a while, then went back inside his home. He made a sandwich, then came back out on the front porch and thought about life while he ate. He told himself that he was simply enjoying the spring weather, but...The fact that he kept looking down the road, constantly watching the path that led straight to Summer Shandy, told him that he was a bit more struck than he himself was willing to admit. Finally,

as the sun set and Tess failed to appear, he put Lady back into her stable, then went inside himself.

The sun soon slipped below the horizon, and he slipped into bed. It had been a full day, and it would almost certainly prove to be a profitable one. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that, despite the work, the whole day had been rather... empty.

He sighed deeply and closed his eyes and was soon asleep. Better days would come, that was for certain. Better days, hopefully with far better company.

Chapter Thirty-Two – New Beginnings

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 6th day of Spring! 85 days until the Spring Festival! Looks like there's a storm on the horizon, folks! Shouldn't be a killer, but if the reports are true, you probably want to bring in all your daily crops before evening!]

Jason quickly rolled out of bed, stood, and stretched as hard as he could. He still felt more than a little sore from the planting almost a week ago, but such was life. Only two days remained until the harvest, making him giddy at the prospect.

"Almost there, almost there..." He walked to the window and looked out across the farm, gazing upon the hordes of monsters that had snuck out during the night. He watched them for a few seconds, mentally prepared himself, changed into clothes, and made his way down the stairs.

He only paused in the kitchen for a moment, where he made himself a stack of pancakes. It was a winter meal, to be sure, but it also tasted and felt quite good. With that settling in his stomach, he made his way out onto the farm, drew his sword, and took a deep breath.

Before he could do anything, two tumblewyrms rolled into view and uncoiled themselves. One of them breathed out a jet of blue fire, while the second one began to pace back and forth, waiting for an opening. Jason laughed and equipped his shield, then charged forward.

With a mighty roar, the second tumblewyrm spat a ball of flaming tar at him. He brought up his shield and blocked the object with a loud thunk, then leapt upon the monster and severed its head. As it dissolved into a blur of sparks, he spun to the first tumblewyrm. It too unleashed a blob of flaming goop, and Jason braced himself.

This time, instead of simply blocking it, he swung his shield arm as hard as he could. Consequently, he used the shield rather like a baseball bat or a paddle and whacked the projectile straight back at the tumblewyrm. It burst into flames and began to writhe around on the ground before vanishing, and Jason gazed at his notifications.

[Item Acquired: 2 Tumblewyrm Meat]

[Item Acquired: 5 Tumblewyrm Scales]

"Huh." Jason chuckled. "Never seen that one before."

He left the place where the monsters had been, returned his shield to

his inventory, and spent a good deal of time walking around hacking at crabgrasses. A shrump saw him and started to hop away, but he chased it down before it could escape. The plump, little creature vanished, and Jason sheathed his sword. That was enough monster hunting for now. He walked over to his field and cast a look across it, then stroked his chin. He still had a decent amount of money left over from the sale of the livestock, and he had to admit that it was burning a bit of a hole in his pocket. He didn't know exactly what he would use it on, but he wanted to get off the farm. Specifically, he wanted to get into Summer Shandy to see a particular... Well, he wanted to get into town.

He took Lady from her stall and climbed onto her back, then rode her quickly out of the yard and onto the road. The dirt seemed to fly by underneath her hooves, and in what felt like no time at all, he had arrived in the town square. Jeremiah waved at him as he walked out of Paulina's store, and Jason waved back. They didn't say anything to each other, though, and Jason fought a butterfly in his stomach as he walked into Paulina's shop.

The door jingled, as usual, but Paulina was nowhere to be seen. As Jason walked up to the counter, a voice called from the back. "I'll be there in a second!"

A few long moments passed, and Paulina appeared. She had a large basket in her hands, which she had filled with apples, bananas, and other such foods. She blinked in surprise at Jason, then smiled and waved.

"Good morning! Happy Spring, I think this is the first I've seen of you since the change!"

"Happy Spring!" Jason flashed a smile at her, though he felt as though it didn't reach past his lips. "I... Ahh..."

He glanced around the store, looking rather desperately for something to buy. Nothing came to mind as something he needed, and he floundered for a few long moments.

"You came into town looking for a pretense to accidentally run into Tess?" Paulina guessed. "You didn't want to just come up and see her, because that would make you seem too intense, but you also couldn't stay away any longer?"

Jason grimaced and held up a finger, then relented and shrugged. "Yeah. That pretty much sums it up."

"Then I'm glad we're on the same page." Paulina set the basket of fruit on the countertop. "As long as you're heading that way, here, take this. It's a gift for the Guardians of the Crypt."

At that, Jason gave a start. "I thought that problem was over? The first day of spring, a delegation was coming to..."

His voice trailed off as Paulina just pressed her lips into thin lines. "You'll have to ask Tess about that. Just do it gently. She's... ahh..."

"Irked?"

"Something like that."

"I'll do that." Jason took the basket of fruit off the counter, then

paused. "Oh! I do have one question. Tumblewyrm scales, do you know anything about them? I've killed dozens of the beasts in the past, but today it dropped something interesting."

Paulina looked perplexed. "Without consulting a guide, I couldn't tell you for sure. Wyrms, dragons, all creatures belonging to that particular sub- group will often drop their scales, if you kill them in a certain manner. They have all sorts of different uses, mostly relating to medicine and armor, though a few have more specific uses, as well. You could always check with Theresa; she'd probably be happy to have a few more ingredients."

"I'll do that, thanks." Jason gave her a wave as best he could while holding the basket, then walked back out into the town square.

Once, there, he made his way over to the Guild Hall, around the end to Tess's office. He paused just outside the door, took a deep breath, and knocked.

"Come in!" Tess's voice called out. She didn't sound annoyed or anything, though with Tess it could sometimes be hard to tell. His stomach flip-flopped, and he slowly opened the door and walked inside.

Tess sat just behind her desk, looking over a pile of paperwork. Her eyes opened in surprise, though she seemed to do her best to compose herself after a moment. Jason bit his lip, then held out the basket of fruit. "Ahh... Paulina asked me to bring this over to you."

"Tell her I said 'thank you'." Tess nodded and stood up, taking the basket from Jason's hands. She set it behind the desk, then stood there for a few long seconds. Neither of them spoke, and Jason folded his hands.

"I... to quote Paulina... 'came into town on a pretense of seeing you'?"

Tess blinked. "Is that a question or a statement?"

"Yes?" Jason took a long, deep breath. "Tess, I..."

"I really don't want to have this conversation over and over again."

Tess met his eyes. "Either we work together, or we don't. Sitting around and talking about it endlessly isn't going to accomplish a thing, except to make us both go mad. I don't know about you, but I don't have that luxury at the moment."

"Me, either." Jason felt a wash of something come over him. It didn't exactly feel like relief, but it was also rather nice to know that they wouldn't just be sitting around talking about their feelings. "Paulina also told me to ask about the dungeon, though I probably would have asked, myself. Why is a guard still needed?"

Tess's face darkened. In response, she picked up a knife off her desk and threw it past Jason's ear. It thunked into the wall, and he spun to see it quivering from within a rather well-done oil painting of a rich, plump businessman holding a sword.

"Behold!" Tess mocked. "Mr. Frank Livingstone Fawna the Third. The president of the Dungeon Guild, who decided to grace our town with his presence. I've been informed that this is a great honor, though I suspect that the team of eight horses hauling his great fat mass might disagree."

"Ahh." Jason nodded slowly. "I take it that your opinion of him isn't terribly high?"

"He told me, to my face, that at least twenty people will need to be reported dead in order for the commission to consider changing the event." Tess raged. "In fact, he told me that the 'team spirit' that has been fostered among the community is noteworthy, commendable, and a testament to the success of the event. Why, I ought..."

She grabbed another knife and flung it at the painting. This knife slammed into his head, right between his eyes. At this point, Jason counted well over ten, perhaps fifteen knives. With a flicker, they all appeared back on her desk.

"I don't suppose you know any good hit men?" She finally met Jason's eyes again, though her face was softening.

"Not a one," Jason stated. "I do, however, know a rather explosive recipe for burnt sausage that I'm sure would be a fine welcome gift if he

decides to come back."

At that, Tess laughed rather loudly. "You're saying that the infamous

Chef of Summer Shandy found something he couldn't cook? Oh, if he returns, I'll have to take you up on that."

Jason laughed as well, then asked, "What are you going to do, then? I can help on the Guard all you need."

"I don't want you larger-scale farmers working on it." Tess shook her head. "Too much room for error. One little slip, and we're looking at another cataclysm. I don't want fields rotting because someone miscalculated something, and I don't want animals getting out, and..." She was clearly vexed. Jason, growing concerned, sat down in a chair opposite her desk.

"What's wrong?" He leaned forward. "Something's bugging you, something that wasn't an issue last season."

Tess confessed, "I'm out of warriors. Not a single one has stuck around; they've all just abandoned the town to its fate. Through the winter, getting people to help wasn't a great problem, but now that spring is here, everyone has their own business to attend to. No one is available nearly as much of the time, and it's causing a problem. We're still taking down every assassin the Guild sends, but I'm worried about gaps forming in coverage. One single slip, and we're right back where we were."

"So, what are you going to do?" Jason pressed.

Tess paused for a long moment, then folded her hands. "I'm going to seal it up."

At that, Jason blinked. He wasn't even sure he had heard correctly. "You're... You're going to seal it up?"

Tess nodded. "I'm working with Paulina on procuring supplies. The problem is that the Dungeon Guild seems to have anticipated the solution, and they have blocked up most of the supply options, at least from the major cities."

"What do you need?"

"Anything strong," Tess explained. "There's a new material called concrete that's making the rounds. But getting ahold of any is about as easy as pulling a bull's teeth. Steel might work. You can cut through it, but it takes a while, so as long as people could check in on the crypt every few hours, we'd probably be good. Tungsten would work, and there are a few others."

Jason stroked his chin. "There are no suppliers willing to sell to you?"

"They're all just asking for proofs of use." Tess shook her head. "Signed, contracted proofs. Those documents can't be forged easily or legally. If we try to get one forged, the Dungeon Guild can nail us to the wall, and since they know that's just about our only option, they'll be watching all the black markets like hawks."

Jason nodded slowly. A plan was taking form in the back of his mind, but he didn't dare say anything to Tess. "I... I'm truly sorry."

With that, he rose and stepped toward the door. As he reached the door, he turned back and shared a small smile. "I enjoyed seeing you again."

Tess bore a thin smile in return. "I... I did, too. Now off with you! I've got a murder to plan."

Jason wasn't sure whether she was joking or not, and he decided not to ask. He strode back out into the street, secure in his plan. He was just picturing the look on Tess's face, when a great steel fist crashed into his face.

He stumbled backward and fell against the wall of the Guild Hall. As he blinked stars out of his eyes, he found a quite angry Leonard staring at him. Thankfully, no swords had been drawn, but Jason got the distinct impression that Leonard wouldn't need a weapon to throttle him.

"Ahh... Hello?" Jason held up his hands, trying to act as innocent as possible.

"Don't play games with me, Hunter." Leonard spat. "I know what you're up to."

"Trying to scratch out a living in a hostile and ever-changing world?"

"You're stealing Tess." Leonard snapped. "Tess is mine. I signed a contract."

"You were dating her, you never married her." Jason pointed out. "I'm also not stealing her. She dumped you. You're out of the picture. End of story. What happens next, whether I wind up with her or not, isn't-"

"Oh, it'll be your concern, all right." Leonard hissed, anticipating Jason's next words. "You're a dead man, Hunter. Know that, if you know nothing else."

, "You're the first to make that threat, but I can't say that I'm terribly intimidated. As long as I keep a supply of pies on hand to distract you, I can always escape."

"Why, you-"

Leonard drew his fist back to strike, but he was stopped by a voice. "Boys! Leonard! Stop, now, in the name of the law!"

Leonard froze, cast a wicked glance at Jason, and slowly lowered his

hand. Constable Hank came striding over, a furious glare upon his face. "Fighting in my town is expressly forbidden. We're a peaceful people

here, and I don't want that peace shattered by a sparring match over a girl." Leonard held Jason's gaze for several long, painful seconds, then turned and nodded at Constable Hank. "My apologies. I got... carried

away."

With that, he turned and strode down the street, vanishing into the

distance. Jason let out a sigh of relief, and Constable Hank gazed at him sternly.

"You watch yourself, Jason." He held up a finger as he, too, turned away. "That boy's trouble, I know it. I don't know what else he had planned for Summer Shandy, but I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him."

Jason sighed. "It was just a breakup. That sort of thing happens all the time."

Constable Hank didn't look back, but just chuckled dryly. "They say that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. To that, I'll add that a fool who thinks himself scorned is a danger to all who stand in his way."

With that, Constable Hank faded into the distance, and soon vanished through the front door of his jail. Jason let out a shaky breath, then made his way back over to Lady. He mounted her saddle, then began to ride lazily back toward his home.

Leonard, if nothing else, was a potential complication in a great number of different things. Did Jason need to be worried about being attacked in his own home? Ambushed on the road? Would Leonard's attack come in a different, even more diabolical form? Would he bluster about, and then just fade away into nothingness?

There was no way to know, save to wait and find out. Jason only hoped that he would be able to survive the journey.

Chapter Thirty-Three – For the Love of Shandy

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 9th day of Spring! 82 days until the Spring Festival! More clear weather! Nothing else to report, really. Keep everything moving, we're doing great, people!]

Jason rolled out of bed, a great smile spreading across his face. He rushed to the window and looked out across his field, the immense stretch of golden straw left over from the previous day's harvest. It had taken him all day (and a good portion of time after the sun had set) to get everything harvested, but before midnight, the last of the wheat had been dropped off into the collection bin. It was the fullest he had ever managed to fill it, and though he supposed that it really didn't have a theoretical upper limit, he imagined that he had filled it near to bursting.

He quickly hopped over to the wardrobe and changed, then raced from his room, leapt down the stairs, and landed at the base with a thunk. His muscles, aching from the previous day's work, groaned under the impact. Still, he forced himself onward. As he sped past the kitchen, he called out "Make me an omelet!" but didn't bother stopping.

Instead, he burst through the front door, ran to the collection bin, and accessed the inventory.

[Money Earned - 50,741,692 shandys]

[Total Money - 50,749,229 shandys]

At that, Jason whistled. He let out a cry of joy and began to dance

back and forth, which seemed to startle a young adventurer riding by on a chestnut horse. As he finished his celebration, he rushed to the stable and gave Lady some oats, then ran back inside and tackled his eggs.

The moment he finished them, he was up again. Many thoughts raced through his head. On the one hand, if he could turn around and get the field planted again that day, he would be able to pull in another haul just as grand in little more than a week's time. That said, though... He could wait a

single day to get the rest of his planting done. With such a massive haul, he would be immensely rich by the end of spring, far more so than he would have thought possible. A wide grin split his face, and he soon mounted Lady and rode out for town. He had a plan, a plan that he hoped would save not only the town, but possibly his relationship (such as it was) with Tess.

He soon arrived in town, where he finally slowed. He needed to go to Paulina's store, but a glance at the windows made it look as though she wasn't even open yet. He rode Lady up to a hitching post and dismounted, where he leaned against the wall of the store and tried to look inconspicuous. After all, if it looked like he was waiting for the store to open, it might-

"Hey, Jason!" Tess called out as she walked around the corner of the store. Paulina was with her, and both of them smiled.

"I'm so sorry!" Paulina pulled a set of keys from her pocket and rushed forward. "I didn't mean to be late! We were just-"

"No worries." Jason shrugged. "I'm early, I know. Just trying to get a jump start on the day, you know?"

Tess frowned at him, but she nodded. Paulina unlocked the front door of the store and stepped inside, then stuck her head back out just a moment later.

"Give me five minutes, and I'll have the place ready for business!"

"Take your time, take your time." Jason urged her. The door slammed shut once more, and Jason glanced at Tess. As the early morning sun rose over the eastern horizon, it seemed to shimmer off her brown hair, and she blushed.

"What were you two up to?" Jason ventured, then backpedaled. "Not that it's my business, of course. I was just..."

Tess chuckled and shook her head. "No, it was nothing major. We went camping last night, all four of us. Theresa and Viola went back earlier, but Paulina and I stuck around. You know... Girl stuff. Nail painting, gossiping, conspiring to take over the Dungeon Guild."

At that, Jason laughed, though it was a rather humorless one. "Still no luck?"

"No," Tess lamented. "I managed to convince someone in the Forest Realm to sell me a bunch of good, solid Granite Cedar wood. The stuff's stronger than almost anything else you can find, and it's almost impossible to cut down. They were going to sell it to me, no questions asked, which, ya

know, is rather normal when dealing with construction materials." Tess sighed deeply. "The deal was about to go through when they suddenly backed out. A contract was broken in the process, so I do have a legal angle I could use to attack, but that could take months or even years to see out, and I need to get this dungeon locked up now."

Jason frowned. "I'm sorry, I truly am."

"Just know that I'm going to get this figured out." Tess held up a finger, then lowered it and started walking away. "All right, then. I'm going to go guard the crypt. You can stop by, if you'd like, before you go, but I also understand if you need to get rolling."

"Anything you're hungry for?" Jason called after her.

"Meat!" she called back, with no other answer. A few moments later, the door swung open, and Paulina appeared in the doorway.

"Sorry for that! What can I do for you today?"

"A handful of things, actually." Jason walked into the shop as Paulina raced behind the counter. "First, a hunk of meat for Tess, whatever her favorite happens to be."

"One smoked ham. That'll be... 150 shandys."

"She has expensive tastes. Good to know." Jason chuckled. "Next, I need seed for eighty acres more."

"100,000 shandys. We'll just make it an even number for simplicity's sake." Paulina nodded. "Anything else?"

"Yes." Jason nodded. "I... Ahh... I need to build a barn."

"A barn?"

"Yes. For... storage," Jason improvised. "I have something that I

need to keep locked up, and I want to make sure that it stays very locked up."

Understanding began to dawn in Paulina's eyes. "I'd say you're looking at some solid anti-theft technology, then. The very best building materials, I assume?"

"Make sure it has as many enchantments as the experts can think up." Jason nodded. "I'm rich now, so I want no expense spared."

Paulina scribbled down a few notes on her pad of paper. "That'll be... 100,000,000 shandys."

Jason blinked. "Okay, maybe a couple expenses can be spared."

At that, Paulina burst into laughter. "All right, then. Scratch the meteor summoning enchantments, along with the void generators, and...

50,000,000 shandys." "Done."

Ka-ching!

[Achievement Reached: Big Spender: Buy something worth at least 50,000,000 shandys]

"All right, then." Paulina produced a document from below the counter. She spread it out across the surface and handed him a pen. "This is going to scan you, and you'll be bound by the words. It states, essentially, that you are buying the materials for the intended purpose, and that you'll not use them for anything else. Failure to abide by the regulations of this contract will result in your immediate and instant death."

Jason whistled. "And what happens if someone steals the materials? I wouldn't have any control over that, then."

"There's a clause that causes the contract to become null and void if stolen," Paulina answered. "That said, there's also a clause that prevents you from hiring someone to steal it for you."

"Then it's a good thing that no thieves will know the route that the materials are being taken," Jason stated and sighed the contract. "When do you expect it to come in?"

"A week, maybe? I'll let you know!"

"I look forward to it."

Jason turned and walked from the store, then made his way across the

town square to the crypt. He had the ham in his hands, and Tess lit up as he started walking down the path.

"My favorite!"

"Good thing that Paulina is more honest than Constable Hank." Jason transferred the object to her inventory, then gave a wave. "I hate to just run, but I have a bit of other business I need to attend to."

"Say no more!" Tess gave a wave at him. "Go save your crops! Get rich! All that other stuff."

Jason nodded and smiled, then turned and walked back into town. Paulina would tell her about the purchase soon enough; there was no need for him to go tooting his own horn. As he reached Lady, he mounted up, waved at Paulina through one of her windows, then turned and rode out of town as fast as he could.

The dirt road flew by under Lady's feet, and he soon reached his farm. Instead of stopping, though, he blew straight past and angled for the

Lazy-H ranch. Animals milled back and forth as Jeremiah's hired men tried to get a group of cattle back into their pen, and Jason glanced at a large patch of scorched ground with a bit of confusion. Jeremiah was sitting high on his horse not far away, and he glanced at Jason with a broad smile.

"You're here! Good to see you, my lad! What can I do for you?"

"Business, actually." Jason shrugged as he rode up next to his good friend. "If you've got a minute."

"Ahh, business." Jeremiah shook his head. "The crushing blow inflicted by the government on our otherwise peaceful way of living."

At that, Jason chuckled. "And where did that axiom come from?"

Jeremiah just laughed. "Oh, sorry. Tax collector came through earlier today. He demanded a massive share of the profits from the farm, and Weatherhand told him off. Dragons sometimes try to steal hordes of money by pretending to be tax collectors, you know, so you have to be careful. Well, the guy didn't take kindly to it, and there was a bit of a standoff."

Jason blinked. "Is he okay?"

"No, he turned out to be a dragon, and we shot him with all our cannons," Jeremiah revealed. "We're having a dragon meat cook-off in three days, if you're interested."

Jason snorted. "Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is that a real tax collector then showed up. Turns out, they sometimes follow around the dragons to see who's hoarding loads of money. I had to pay them 25% of this year's earnings," Jeremiah groaned.

Jason blinked. "Are taxes something that I need to be worrying about?"

"Apparently only if a dragon comes knocking," Jeremiah jested, then swung off his horse and hitched her to a post. Jason did the same with Lady, and the two of them walked up to the log cabin. As they walked inside, they found a grand meal being prepared at the long table. A few of Jeremiah's hands were making their way inside as the cattle were locked up, and Jeremiah led Jason into a small study just off the main room. Once inside, they closed the door, and Jeremiah sat down in a rather creaky chair.

"All right, my boy! What's on your mind?"

"I'd like to pay you back," Jason expressed. "I know that you've always sold me things at an extraordinary discount, and you've given me more free labor than I'm worth. Well, I just pulled in my crop, and while

I've already spent a decent amount of the money on some necessities, I'd like to at least start chipping away at the debt I owe you."

Jeremiah blinked, then grinned widely. "Ahh, Jason! You've made it, haven't you? You're really up there!"

"Well, nothing's showed up to flatten my field, and no monsters' attacks have come, so..." Jason trailed off.

Jeremiah paused for a moment, then folded his hands. "Let me ask you something, Jason. Why do you want to pay me back? Just to even the playing field, get out of some perceived debt? Nothing that I did for you was to be repaid. Never did I expect a reward. If you were to become the biggest farmer in the country, or if you were to fail and fall into ruin, I'd have expected the same thing. Your friendship. In that respect, you've paid me over in full."

Jason nodded. "I know, I know. Believe me, I've seen your operation. I don't know how much money you're pulling, but I know it makes my farm look pathetic in comparison. You could have spent ten times the amount of time and money on me that you did, and it wouldn't have made a dent in your pocketbook. I just..." He hesitated. "It seems like the right thing to do. If I did nothing, just accepted the deeds and gave nothing in return, I'd feel like an ungrateful beggar. Willing to take, unable to share."

"You've already proven yourself willing to share!"

Jason persisted. "It's a symbolic gesture to say that I understand what you did, I don't take it for granted, and I'd love to pay it back if I can."

At that, Jeremiah chuckled. "I was hoping you'd say something like that. All right, my boy, I'll allow it, but only for your sake, not my own." He reached over to his desk and grabbed a small notebook. Jason caught a glimpse of his own name written across the front, and Jeremiah started flipping through the pages.

"Let's see... Let's see... Total expenditures... 1,851 shandys."

Jason blinked. "That's it?"

"Yep!" Jeremiah nodded, smiling.

"But..." Jason stammered. "All the time you and your hired men

spent on my farm... That labor alone should have been worth a million or two."

Jeremiah shook his head. "I don't charge for my own time; I do with it what I please. My hired men are paid to do what I tell them to do, wherever I tell them to do it. If I tell them to work on your farm, that

doesn't change anything. The only costs I've had have been materials and a bit of price adjustments when you've bought things. The materials, though, have largely been leftovers sitting around on my farm, and the price adjustments have mostly just been to round things out and avoid lots of random change. I'm an honest man."

"Well..." Jason stammered, then nodded in agreement. "Let's get that bit of debt taken care of!"

A moment later, the money changed hands, and Jason walked back out into the sunlight. Jeremiah asked him to stay for lunch, but Jason declined. He wanted to get back to his own farm and get things ready for planting on the following day, as well as to muse about what Tess might say when she learned about the building materials.

A bright smile broke across his face as he rode back down the road. The threat of Leonard still loomed large over everything, but even that shadow seemed a bit less dark in the light of everything else. Life was good... and he expected that it would only continue to get better.

Chapter Thirty-Four – Waiting on a Shipment

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 16th day of Spring! 75 days until the Spring Festival! The weather is clear, but there's a report of bandits on the loose. Stay home unless you have to go out! If you have any large orders coming in from major cities, make sure to guard them carefully! You have been warned!]

Jason rolled out of bed and took a deep breath. Today was the day! Paulina had sent him a message the night before, stating that the shipment was due to arrive that night. He could come and pick it up at any time, he just had to show up. Jason hadn't seen Tess since the day he made the purchase, but he imagined that she must be over the moon.

He walked up to the window and looked out, gazing down upon the golden waves of his spring wheat. It would need to be harvested the very next day, a fact that pleased him greatly. The harvest had been hard, but in more ways than one, it had been exceptionally satisfying.

He opened the window, stuck his head out, and took a deep breath, then went back inside and closed the window tightly. With that, he dressed himself and went downstairs. He grabbed little more than an apple for his breakfast, then strode out onto the front porch.

Wham!

A fist collided with his jaw, and he stumbled and collapsed onto the wooden deck. He blinked and looked up, expecting to find Leonard standing over him. Instead, he found a rather benign-looking Tess, though she was certainly clad in rather... dismal... armor.

Instead of her standard, silvery-chrome suit, she wore a dark, sleek suit that looked as though it belonged to a thief, rather than to a warrior. She had a black helmet tucked under her left arm, and she held out her right hand. Jason took the help and allowed himself to be pulled upright, then inclined his head.

"Thanks, I guess?" He rubbed his jaw. "Was that really necessary? Most people just say thank-you."

"Most people tell other people when they do something extreme like... Oh, I don't know... Spending your entire fortune to solve my problem." Tess scowled, though the scowl didn't seem to extend past her eyes. "Are you just trying to show me up?"

"Is it working?" Jason chuckled. "You're a hard act to follow."

"No harder than you." Tess muttered. They stood there for a few seconds, and Tess shrugged. "In complete seriousness, I did just come by to say hello. What you're doing... I can't say enough. When Paulina came and told me, I could have wrung your neck. I also do understand why you did it that way, though."

Jason shrugged. "Well... You're welcome. I'll see you on the other side?"

Tess inclined her head, then put on the helmet. With a flicker, she vanished into the air. At least, she very nearly vanished. If Jason squinted, he could just see the faintest little waver of the air, like heat distortions on a hot summer day. She quickly ran off into the prairie grass, and Jason chuckled.

A few minutes later, he had hitched Lady up to the carriage and was heading into town. Jeremiah met him along the road, coming up behind him on his own horse. Two of his hired men followed, all three of them holding rifles.

"Howdy, neighbor!" Jeremiah waved. "Getting the project to build your barn?"

Jason nodded. "Did Tess come and talk to you?"

Jeremiah nodded. "It's a downright shame that the delivery people couldn't just bring it all the way out to your farm. Seems like an oversight, if you ask me, but what do I know? I'm just a simple little farmer, you know?"

Jason chuckled. "You're something, all right."

"Indeed!" Jeremiah laughed. "We're coming along for extra protection. Extra eyes never hurt anything."

Jason couldn't argue with that. If, indeed, the Dungeon Guild investigated, there would be multiple witnesses who could swear, under oath and after signing magical contracts, that the material had been good and properly stolen. It was foolproof... he hoped.

They arrived at Paulina's store, which was already unlocked. Jason didn't even have to dismount from his carriage; Paulina simply came out holding a large, wooden crate in her arms. She strained to hold it, and Jeremiah jumped down to help her carry it. They soon placed it inside the rear of Jason's carriage, and Jason gave a small wave.

"Drive safe!" Paulina called out. "Watch out for bandits!"

"Always!" Jason answered. "Have you ever known me to be less than cautious?"

"Always!" Paulina retorted, then vanished into the shop.

Jason then took the reins, snapped them lightly against Lady's back, and turned slowly through the town square. Dozens of townsfolk came out as Jeremiah and his hired men rode out behind them. It was an odd procession, but it was very clearly a procession of some sort. Now, instead of just four witnesses, dozens of people could attest to the care and attention that was being given to the transport of the cargo.

With that, Jason rumbled out of town and back down toward his farm. He kept Lady at a slow pace, wanting to give everyone as much time as possible. Still, the farm drew closer and closer, and nothing seemed to materialize. In fact, he had nearly reached the driveway when an arrow sniped out of the prairie grass and imbedded itself into the seat beside Jason.

"Halt!" A commanding voice rang out. Three figures materialized on the road, all clothed in the same armor that Tess had been sporting. "You are being robbed! Hand over your cargo!"

A fourth figure raced out of the grass and came up to the rear of Jason's carriage. That figure unloaded the crate and started to lug it away, and Jason sat frozen.

[Magical Contract: You do not seem to be resisting this robbery.]

"Please, don't take that!" Jason called out. "That cost me my entire fortune! Guards, shoot them!"

Jeremiah and his guards lowered their rifles and fired. Smoke filled the air as spears of fire stabbed across the road. In return, arrows flashed out of the grass and stuck themselves in Jason's carriage. Quite suddenly, a rock seemed to zing up from the stones and struck him in the face. A soft explosion shook the carriage, and the world went black.

When he awoke, he found himself in Constable Hank's office. It was a room he had never visited before, and he found it rather dungeon-like.

The walls were made of stone and seemed quite damp, and the man himself scowled down at them from behind his desk. Jeremiah sat just next to him, as did his hired men. The others seemed to have been awake for some time now, and they looked at Jason with expectation.

"Ahh, you're awake!" Constable Hank boomed. "You can tell me what happened! I intend to catch those robbers! That was a major theft, the likes of which I've never before seen on my soil! Tell me all the details you can remember!"

"Ahh... I was robbed?"

"What were the robbers wearing?"

"Black."

"How tall were they?"

"Human-sized?"

Constable Hank's jaw worked slowly, and Jason fought off a grin. As

the man blustered (he had been left out of the plan, largely due to the need for a real lawman to be able to participate in a more official capacity), Jason answered every question as poorly as he could. During a break, he checked to see the status of the magical contract.

[Magical Contract: Dissolved. Clause: Theft Confirmed.]

Jason resisted letting out a cry of joy, and instead simply stuck out his bottom lip and complained about his missing fortune. Finally, after almost an hour, Constable Hank let them go. He promised results within a week, and Jason, Jeremiah, and the hired men thankfully stumbled out into the fresh air.

They waited until they reached the town well to celebrate. Jason turned and grinned at Jeremiah, who simply grinned back.

"If you have any other needs, you know where to find me." Jeremiah tipped his hat, then climbed up onto his horse. "It's truly a sorrow to hear about your loss. If you need another loan, just let me know!"

With that, he and the hired men rode off. Jason watched them go, chuckled, then turned and made his way past the Guild Hall. As he approached the ever-growing row of helmets, he began to hear the pounding of hammers. He slowly came into view of the trail, and though the crypt entrance was still obscured by trees, he could see people milling about just inside the edge of the trees.

"Now where did this come from?" Jason smiled broadly as he walked into the grove of trees. Never having been inside this far, he found himself

in a bit of awe. The path delved through the trees for a distance of perhaps a hundred feet, then came to a large pile of rocks marked by a wooden door and a number of skeleton carvings in the stone. Of course, the wooden door was rapidly being obscured by a thick metal door, while large metal beams, plates, rivets, and rows upon rows of nails lay upon the grass of the clearing.

"Must have fallen off a cart or something," Paulina answered, from where she stood, holding a large set of plans. "I dunno. Fortune favored us today, I guess."

"Sure seems like someone got mighty unlucky." Jason crossed his arms and played dumb. "Oh, well. All's well that-"

An invisible fist whacked into his chin once again, though it was with far less force than before. Caught off-guard, he stumbled and collapsed, then laughed as Tess materialized in her dark armor. She took off the helmet and grinned down at him, then held out her hand once more.

"That's going to get old, real fast." Jason rubbed his jaw.

"Stop tooting your own horn so much, then." Tess snickered at him. "You did something. Great. Now you've slept through most of the work! Pick up a hammer and start doing something productive instead of just sleeping."

Jason glowered as she put the helmet back on and vanished, and he made his way over to the work zone. He quickly began hammering in rivets as other people held up plates of metal, and he found himself surprised at just how quickly the work was progressing.

"You know, if you hadn't hit me with a sleep bomb, I might have been able to help a little quicker." Jason finally spoke up. "There were lots of other ways to make it look convincing. What would have happened if I had fallen off and been run over?"

"The wagon was stopped." Tess answered. She was still invisible, but her voice came from the air just next to him.

"All right, what if I fell off?" Jason repeated. "I could have broken my neck!"

"Did you?"

Jason scoffed, "I guess not."

"He did fall off, though!" Paulina called out. "Someone broke cover

to catch him, though. I wonder who that might have been?"

At that, Jason blushed and glanced at the air. He was rewarded with a third punch, though it was on his shoulder, and was far lighter than either of the other two. He laughed, and invisible footsteps quickly faded into the woods as Tess moved away.

The group worked quickly, not even taking a break for dinner. Torches were brought out as the sun set, and they finished sometime around ten or eleven o'clock. Tired and sore despite the extended nap he had taken earlier in the day, Jason stumbled back and looked up at the handiwork.

A large, chrome-steel structure had been built across the entrance to the crypt. It was more than a simple door: The small barn went up and over the entire cluster of stones. Enchantments shimmered across the surface, and as they stood there, a dome flickered into existence that extended about five feet beyond the walls themselves.

"That dome is actually a sphere, and it extends underground." Paulina walked up next to him. "It's rated as being able to withstand the brute force of a dragon. You'd need a level 80 attack to breach it, and while that's technically possible, anyone with a skill that high isn't going to be working for the Dungeon Guild. Should that barricade be breached, the walls will attack anything that even touches it. There are fire enchantments and lightning enchantments to start, and if the target proves to have an immunity to such things, it comes back with a cycling strafe of acid, frost, thunder, physic, and more. Importantly, at this point, it will also begin to sound an alarm that can be heard three towns over.

"Now, even if someone manages to survive those attacks and silence the alarm, the metal itself is rated as holding its shape up to 5,000 degrees, which is comparable to the surface of the sun. The door has a lock rated at Level 150, which is basically inaccessible to everyone including the person who set the lock. Should anyone actually manage to get inside, there are further attacks, which I will not enumerate at this time."

With that, a round of applause began to shake the forest. Jason clapped as well, and together, the assembly began to disperse. As Jason followed them back up, an invisible hand took his arm and held him back. Soon, just he and the invisible person were walking by themselves, slowly tramping up the path toward Summer Shandy.

"I'll sleep better tonight than I've slept in a long while." Tess whispered in his ear. "We haven't seen the end of this problem, I'm sure of it, but we've gone a long way toward ending the threat."

Jason felt heat rise to his cheeks, and he shrugged. "Just happy to help."

"I think it's more than that." There was a short pause, and Tess sighed. "Thank you, Jason. I can say no more, and at this point, I'm convinced that I can offer nothing that could possibly compare with what you've done."

"How about you come on a carriage ride with me?" Jason asked. "I have harvest tomorrow, but my pockets will be full on the day after. I can buy a glazed ham, and-"

"Ooh!" Tess sounded excited. "There's a circus coming through Nightford. Take me?"

"I can't wait."

There was a short pause, accompanied only by the sound of Tess's clanking armor. Cheers of celebration rose from Summer Shandy, and Tess spoke up once more.

"We're having a feast over in the Guild Hall. Want to join us? Since we didn't have dinner, I thought it was appropriate."

"Appropriate? Yes." Jason sighed. "I need to be getting back, though. It's late, and harvest takes all day. I need to get at least a bit of rest. Lady does, too."

Tess sighed. "I understand that, I suppose. Lady is in the Guild stables. We gave her some apples and oats; I think you'll find her well taken-care-of."

"I'm sure I will." Jason took a deep breath. "I'll see you in two days, Tess."

"You too, Jason."

With that, the pressure on his arm vanished. Jason felt as if his spirit were lifting into the clouds, and he smiled broadly. Where Tess had once seemed to be a strange prospect, she now seemed to be the perfect choice. What better woman was there in the town, who could possibly give more of herself than Tess? He was falling for her, and falling for her hard. That much, at least, he could admit to himself. The date, if nothing else, would prove interesting. With luck, it would be the first in a long line of dates.

The town was safe, and for the first time since his arrival in Summer Shandy, his love life seemed on the upswing. He felt secure. Solid. Invincible. They had cheated every obstacle and emerged unscathed.

Nothing, as far as he was concerned, could go wrong now.

Chapter Thirty-Five – The Foggiest Idea

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 18th day of Spring! 73 days until the Spring Festival! Clear weather, clear skies, not a trace of anything horrible in the air! A great day to get outside and just enjoy life!]

Jason took a long, pained breath as he rolled out of bed. Every fiber of his body ached, overextended from the long, exhausting harvest from the day before. Still, he had gotten it done, and he would be a good deal richer once he checked his collection bin. He rose and walked to the window, gazing out across the harvested field, and took a deep breath.

It needed to be planted, and there were several sections that were beginning to need to be plowed again (as it turned out, that was a side effect of larger-scale crops, something that he hadn't realized until just then). Still, he wasn't going to deal with that. Not this day, at least.

A flutter went through his chest, and he made his way to the wardrobe. It took him several long minutes before he selected a dapper suit, something he had purchased from Paulina several weeks earlier on a whim. It fit him well, and he smiled at himself before he made his way downstairs.

"All right, cookbook!" He clapped his hands as he walked into the kitchen. "I need a breakfast of champions, and then I need enough food for a picnic with Tess. Think you can handle that?"

The cookbook clapped its covers in excitement, and Jason grinned. While the cookbook got to work, he made his way out into the yard, where he fed Lady and brought her out to the hitching post. She happily began munching on the grass, and he smiled. With that, he turned and walked back into the home. She needed a bit of time before the day began, as it would likely prove to be a long one for her.

When he reached the kitchen again, he found a proper smorgasbord waiting for him. A simple omelet sat on the table for his breakfast, while a loaf of bread and a large chunk of smoked ham, a block of cheese, several

apples, a bowl of peeled carrots, and appropriate carving knives were all awaiting him. He ate his breakfast quickly, then packed all the food (and some plates and silverware) into a basket and walked outside.

He allowed Lady to enjoy the early morning for a bit longer as he drew his sword and dispatched a handful of monsters that were skittering around the yard. His crabgrass meat supply grew by a few hundred more, and he dueled with a razorgrass for a solid ten minutes before he got bored and just shot it. There were no tumblewyrms, sadly, which spoiled the mood (though not by much).

He was nearly ready to go before he walked up to the collection bin and slowly pulled it open.

[Money Earned - 51,147,159 shandys]

[Total Money - 51,152,465 shandys]

"That'll do nicely." Jason whistled. He made his way over to the

carriage, made sure that the food was stowed properly --and then ran back into the house for a blanket, which he had forgotten. That done, he took Lady from the hitching post and hooked her up to the carriage, then mounted the seat.

It was a brilliant, cool morning as he set off down the road. A gentle breeze blew across the fresh, green prairie grass. Dew glistened in the morning light, shimmering like a billion diamonds strung across the prairie in the most glorious necklace he had ever seen. He took a long, deep breath, and felt himself immersed in utter bliss.

As he came trotting up into the town, he began to feel a bit awkward. The door to Paulina's store was cracked open just a bit, and he could see her peering out into the morning. Theresa's face could be seen peeping from one of the windows of the Healer's Den, and he fancied that he could see at least one face peering from behind the blinds of the Inn, as well. Constable Hank was nowhere to be found, which was a relief, to be certain. Still, all the eyes on him made for an awkward trip.

As he pulled up to the door of the Guild Hall, he took a deep breath. Butterflies exploded through his stomach, and he forced them all down. Slowly, painfully, he climbed down and stepped up to the door. He raised a hand and paused, then closed his eyes and knocked.

"Coming!"

A moment later, the door opened, and Tess stepped out. In that moment, Jason's heart simply stopped. She still wore armor, but it was a

suit that he had never seen before. Made from the shiniest silver, it was highlighted with rivulets of gold that looked like condensed fire in the light of the morning sun. A red cloak hung from her shoulders, falling nearly all the way to the ground. It flapped softly in the breeze, and he let out an involuntary whistle.

With that, he finally looked up to her face. There, her hair hung behind her head like a waterfall, and her brown eyes peered out like the beam from a lighthouse. Jason felt as though he had been speared, and he flashed a smile at her.

"You... you clean up well," he whispered. It was a terrible opener, but he simply didn't have the words to say anything more.

"Thanks?" Tess snorted. "You could say the same thing by stating something like you look beautiful, or something along those lines."

"Well, you do." Jason stammered. "I just... I..."

"Come on." Tess walked up to the carriage, then paused and held out her hand. Jason took the gauntlet-covered hand and helped her up, then climbed up behind her. A moment later, they were trotting out of town toward Nightford, and a cheer rose in the air behind them.

"I didn't realize that going on a carriage ride was a spectator sport." Jason muttered.

"Ahh, you get used to it," Tess assured him. "Everything I do is a spectator sport, and you're rapidly achieving such a status."

"Not intentionally," Jason grumbled.

"And that's the best part." Tess reached over and ruffled his hair. Several strands caught in the chinks of her armor, and he gave a startled yelp. She pulled back in surprise, then looked down. "Sorry about that."

"No, it's okay." Jason took a deep breath, then snapped the reins. Lady began to trot along faster, and he glanced at her. There was a bit of a pause, and he took a deep breath. "So... What does one typically talk about on one of these excursions? I've not yet been on one that was terribly successful."

At that, Tess laughed. "No, indeed, you haven't been!" She giggled and rested her arm on the side of the carriage. Prairie grasses rumbled past on all sides, and she glanced at him. An odd curiosity shone in her eyes, and Jason winced. "So... How do you like it here? Not in general, you obviously seem invested, but like... How is it compared with where you came from? I know you came from Illumitir, but that's all I know."

Jason inhaled deeply, again feeling the cool spring air flowing through his lungs. A great smile fell upon his face, and he nodded.

"It's marvelous." He relaxed, finally. "I grew up... It wasn't a huge family, but it wasn't small, either. Honestly, it was about as average as you could get!" He chuckled. "Six brothers, one sister. The sister was the youngest; I was just two years older. My dad made furniture, my mom pretty much just watched us, though she helped teach the neighborhood children whenever she could. We lived near the walls of the city, but not quite in the slums. It was just... life."

Tess nodded. "And your uncle lived down here?"

"Yes, though none of us really know why," Jason admitted. "My mom and dad both had a few siblings, all of whom either lived in Illumitir, or in the neighboring larger cities. He was the only one to make a go of things in the country. We all thought he was a little loopy, and... Well, given the state of the farm, I can imagine that he wasn't necessarily the best at his job!" Jason sighed. "Still, now I know why he never came back."

Tess nodded slowly. "Do you know how he died?" she asked, softly.

Jason shook his head. "We just got a note saying that he had died and been buried, but that was it. Didn't even see the messenger, actually. No one else wanted the farm, and I was getting ready to move out of the house anyway, so I just decided to go for it."

"Have you contacted your family since then?"

"No." Jason felt a sadness settle in his heart. "There aren't any established mail routes between Summer Shandy and Illumitir, and things have just been so crazy that it hasn't really... I forgot."

"Well, soon enough, we'll have to get you up to Illumitir!" Tess declared. "You can show your family how successful you've become!"

Jason chuckled. "I think we'll downplay that part, if you don't mind. If they find out that I'm doing well, they'll swarm down here in a heartbeat to try and steal everything I've worked so hard to build."

"In that case, we'll dress in rags, and spend time begging on the street corners while we're there, just to keep up the illusion!"

At that, Jason laughed. "That sounds wonderful!"

It wasn't a lot longer before they rumbled over the last hill before Nightford. Sure enough, a great tent had been set up in a meadow just outside the town. It didn't look like anything was happening at that exact

moment, but a crowd of onlookers stood nearby while several entertainers juggled and performed flips.

Jason happily drove Lady down to a large, complimentary stable. He unhitched her from the carriage and led her into her stall, then joined Tess and walked over to the jugglers. They watched, delighted, for the better part of an hour. In the background, enormous animals were led back and forth by their trainers, all of which vanished into the red-and-white striped tent.

Finally, a ringmaster came out to allow them inside. The crowd quickly moved into the interior, which was quite dark, lit only by a few flaps that hung partway open. These were soon closed, though, as the show began.

"Prepare yourself!" The ringmaster called out. He walked to the center of the room, where two glowing balls of light appeared to hover around him. "Prepare yourself for wonder, excitement, joy, and fear. Prepare yourself!"

With that, the light went out, leaving the tent in total darkness. Suddenly, a ring of fire appeared in midair, blazing with a fierce, orange light. A lion, ridden by a man in a red cloak, came riding out of the night and leapt through, and the crowd burst into applause.

Jason found himself enraptured as the event went on and on. Act after act came and went, filled with elephants, horses, and magic. It was a wondrous time, and more than once he glanced at Tess to see how she was enjoying it. He found her entranced with the display, laughing, cheering, and screaming along with the rest. He smiled euphorically at the sight, feeling more than a bit content with... well, everything.

The show went on for two hours. At the conclusion, great pillars of fire rose from the floor of the circus and began to dance about. Acrobats leapt back and forth between the gyrating flames, only narrowly missing the inferno by inches at a time. With one final twirl, the lights went out, and the ringmaster appeared once more.

"That's all, folks!" he called out. "We'll be going again in two hours, and then we'll have a third show this evening. Tell your friends! Tell your family! And most of all, come spend lots of money in the merch tent just outside! Thank you! Thank you!"

The flaps of the tent were pulled open once more, and light again came flooding in. Tess and Jason grinned at each other, then rose and made

their way out into the daylight. They both blinked with the harshness of it, then laughed and made their way back to the carriage.

Rather than hooking up Lady once more, Jason simply took out the picnic basket and made his way over to an open spot in the grass where there wasn't anybody around. He spread out the blanket, then opened up the basket and sat down. Tess did the same, and they both smiled at one another.

"This was..." Tess took a long, slow breath. "This was nice. Thank you. I really mean that."

"Of course." Jason inclined his head as he started pulling out food. "Do... Do you think this means that we could work?"

There was a pause, and Tess stroked her chin. Her eyes, though, were playful, and she gave a simple nod of her head.

"You know what? I think it does."

Jason's grin split his face. They quickly cut up the bread, ham, and cheese, and made lovely sandwiches for the spring day. As they were finishing up, Jason nodded in Tess's direction.

"What's the word on the dungeon? Has the Guild showed up yet?"

At that, Tess laughed loud and long. When she had quieted down, she sighed deeply and nodded. "Indeed, they have! They sent a single warrior down the night we finished. He walked right into the force field and knocked himself out. The next day, five more appeared and spent almost three hours just throwing things at the field. Bombs, lightning, fire, you name it. One of them almost tried to open a portal to allow a dragon to come through, but I intervened at that point. They're madder than a nest of kobolds, but their power has been crimped. I think I'll be getting another delegation soon enough to discuss matters, but for now, everything seems to be working."

"I'm glad to hear it." Jason mimed raising a glass. "What do you think will happen?"

At that, Tess just shrugged. "Not a clue, to be honest. There are certainly still ways of getting through the barricade, and I have little doubt that the Dungeon Guild is going to hire everyone it can to break into the dungeon before they just give up. I'm working on a few contingencies with Paulina, but I don't really expect to have to use any of them."

Jason blinked, then laughed. "If someone can get through all of that, what contingency could possibly stop them?"

"Blowing up the entire dungeon."

Jason laughed again, then stopped when he realized that she was serious. He blinked and sat up, frowning in confusion at Tess.

"You can do that?"

Tess nodded. "There's a particular type of weapon used mostly for mining. It's one of the only things that negates the 'immortal object' status of environmental features. Paulina calls it... let me see... dynamite? Anyway, she thinks that three or four sticks of the stuff would be enough to ensure that no one ever goes in the crypt again."

"How many are you going to use?"

"A hundred."

At that, Jason felt his heart stop. "What will that do to the town?" "Nothing, I hope." Tess shook her head. "If, indeed, worst comes to

worst, I'll teleport the dynamite inside the dungeon using an admin privilege I have. The skill is technically supposed to be used to send emergency aid to struggling parties of warriors; but abusing it once shouldn't be an issue. Paulina is working on procuring the supplies, and we're fairly confident that we can have a shipment of the stuff within a week or two."

"The Dungeon Guild didn't put a ban on it?"

"They seem to think that we wouldn't dare do anything so drastic," Tess imagined. "And, admittedly, the thought has only crossed my mind as of very recently. It'll all be okay, though. I'm sure of it."

They sat there in silence for a moment, and then Tess shook her head.

"Enough of the doom and gloom! Let's talk about something more exciting!"

Jason grinned. "I'd love to! What's on your mind?"

"Your house." Tess shrugged. "Now that you have a bit of spare money, I can only assume that you'll be working to fix it up?"

Jason nodded. "I have to plow and plant tomorrow, but pretty soon after that, yes."

"And I can help?"

"Why not?"

"Great!" Tess grinned. "So, here's what I was thinking. Obviously, we

have to get all the general repairs done first. Windows, siding, that sort of thing. Once that's done, I think we'll start with your bedroom. That's the most important one, of course. I'm thinking we get a queen-sized bed, ooh!

With a canopy! I've always wanted a canopy. I just have a cot back at the Guild Hall, you know. It keeps you warm, and it intimidates the warriors, but I wouldn't mind something a bit flashier. Ooh, and then the upstairs rooms we can start outfitting for the kids. I'm thinking we do one room blue, and one pink. We don't know which one will come first, of course, but I can only imagine that we'll have enough that-"

At all of this, Jason's head started to spin. He tried not to show it, but he must have started to look rather sick. Tess suddenly paused and frowned at him.

"Jason? Are you okay?"

"I... Yes." He nodded firmly. "I just hadn't realized you were so committed already."

Tess frowned in confusion. "You asked me if I thought this would work. I said yes. Isn't that what you meant?"

"I..." Jason stammered again. "I mean... I asked if it would work for us to start dating. Marriage is the ultimate end of dating, of course, but don't you think we should get to know each other a little better first? I hardly know your backstory at all. I know you like ham, but I don't know you." Tess had frozen, and seemed to be starting to shake, and he held up his hands.

"Please, don't get me wrong! I wouldn't have asked you on this date if I couldn't see us getting married, I just hadn't realized that you were so ready."

Tess blinked, then shrugged and looked at the ground. "Then... I guess I am ready. If you must know, I... I've never seen anyone so brave, so committed. The way you protect the town is unlike anything I've ever seen, and the way you consistently give of yourself without any hope of repayment is beyond description. I can't imagine a better father for my children. Maybe you have some annoying habits, we all do, but I'm willing to live with those. I don't see any reason to wait."

Jason's jaw worked back and forth. "When would you want to have the wedding?"

"We could go back right now. Constable Hank is certified for it, or we could stop by the chapel here in Nightford. The priest can marry us, and we can go back to Summer Shandy together."

To say that Jason was stunned would have been an understatement. This was a side of Tess that he had never seen before, though in a strange

way, it really didn't seem to surprise him. "This is all... very sudden." He finally murmured. "I..."

Tess began to quiver once again. "I'm sorry." She mumbled and rose. "I'm sorry. I... I'm sorry."

With that, she turned and ran off, vanishing down the road. Jason rose and ran after her.

"Wait! Tess! Wait!"

She neither slowed nor turned around. Jason sighed, then went and packed up the picnic and stowed it into the carriage. He then hitched up Lady and set out as fast as he could, desperately hoping that he could catch up with Tess before she reached town.

As he rode from hill to hill, he caught a glimpse of a distant figure, armor and red cloak flashing in the sun. He pushed Lady as fast as he dared, but they were still half a mile back when the figure vanished through the outskirts of the town. As he came rumbling up and came to a halt, he caught a glimpse of Paulina slipping through the door of the Guild Hall. He leapt from the carriage to follow, but he was stopped as Theresa raced out of her Healer's Den and interposed herself between him and the hall.

"Let me through." Jason started to push past her, but Theresa produced a sleep bomb. He drew up short, and she sighed.

"She scared you?" Theresa finally asked, her voice soft.

Jason stammered. "I... I just..."

"Look, I'll go talk to her." Theresa started backing up. "I'll have her

come by your place as soon as she can. Until then, it's probably best if you don't come around."

Jason hung his head and bit his lip. "Whatever you think is best," he whispered. "I don't want to lose her."

Theresa nodded, then turned around and raced into the Guild Hall and vanished.

Jason felt like an utter failure as he climbed up onto the carriage and sent Lady cantering down the road. If only he had known that Tess was going to jump straight to marriage. It made sense, to be sure, but... He hadn't even had the barest inkling that such a thing would happen. He desperately wanted to run to her, but, as with most of his interactions with her, he didn't have the faintest idea what he could possibly say. Instead, he simply returned to his home in disgrace.

He desperately hoped that he would be able to salvage the situation. The only issue was that he didn't have the foggiest idea how to do that.

Chapter Thirty-Six – A Storm on the Way

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 32nd day of Spring! 59 days until the Spring Festival! Looks like there's a huge storm coming through this afternoon, so batten down those hatches! Reports indicate a strong possibility of tornados, so if you don't have a root cellar dug, now might be a good time!]

Jason sighed, and he rolled out of bed. He walked to the window, easily noticing the dark strip across the horizon. It would be here by lunch time, he was sure of it. Given that he still hadn't gotten the windows repaired, he knew what his order of business had to be. He groaned and walked over to his wardrobe, dressed, and made his way down the stairs.

It had been two weeks since his date with Tess. In that time, he had made several trips into town in an attempt to see her, but nothing had come from any of them. Once, she had been away on business of some sort. Three or four other times, Theresa and Paulina had intercepted him and prevented him from seeing her. Only once had he actually come into contact with her at all, and she had simply vanished into the Guild Hall and locked the door before he could get close enough to say anything. As such, he had been so consumed with... all of it, that he had done very little work on the farm, save the ordinary planting and harvesting as was necessary.

That day, though, he needed supplies. He dressed quickly and made his way out into the yard, bypassing the kitchen altogether. He had little appetite, and he wanted to get things in place before the storm hit.

He fed Lady, stabbed a few monsters while he waited for her to eat, then climbed up into the saddle and took off. He didn't ride her quickly, since at that point, he rather dreaded the prospect of making the trip, but it needed to be done.

As he came riding up into town, he found Tess and Paulina just walking out from behind the item store. It looked as though the girls had all gone camping again, judging from the large tent he saw Theresa carrying

some distance back. He sighed and dismounted quickly, holding out his hand.

"Tess? I..."

Tess took one look at him and turned beet red. She started to walk away quickly, and she soon vanished through the door of the Guild Hall. He watched her go, then sighed and walked up to the door of Paulina's store. Paulina looked at him with something resembling pity, unlocked the door, and let him inside.

"I just don't get it." Jason grumbled as he walked up to the counter. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I understand the situation, but like... I still like Tess. I still want to be with her. Does she not feel that way anymore?"

Paulina sighed and drummed her fingers on the countertop. "I think she does, deep down. She's just a little confused."

"Maybe we could get a little less confused if she would come and talk to me." Jason crossed his arms tightly.

At that, Paulina just flashed a small smile. "I'm sure it will work out in the end. She just needs some time."

"Does she need time, or are the three of you telling her to take time? Judging from what she told me, she's not the person to sit around on a decision once she's made it."

At that, Paulina flashed a small smile. "Tess is... intense. You know that, though, I think."

"And that was a deflection of the question, which I think gives me my answer." Jason snapped, then relented. "Sorry. I just... yeah." He bit his lip, then shook his head. "I do need some supplies, though. I made a list."

He pulled out a long strip of paper, upon which he had written down all the supplies that would be needed to fix up both the inside and the outside of the house. He had also added a few other things, such as recipes for his cookbook, and more changes of clothing. Paulina took the list without looking at it, and simply fed it into her store's inventory.

"That'll be 500,000 shandys."

"Done." Jason sighed.

"It'll be delivered later today."

Jason nodded and turned to go, then paused. "When... when do you

think I can see Tess again?"

At that, Paulina only shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. She..."

"You are going to let me see her again, right?" Jason demanded as a sudden suspicion struck him. "Tess trusts the group of you implicitly. If you convince her to never come near me again, she'll do it."

"That's not what we're doing. You can lay that to rest," Paulina reassured him. "We just... I've known Tess for the entire time I've been in Summer Shandy. You're not the first person she's started to get serious with. The problem is that she does want to get things resolved, just like you, and she's going to become extraordinarily agitated if things don't work out immediately. We all like you here, and... Frankly, I think we'd all sleep a good deal better at night if we knew that the two of you, as a united front, were watching over us. We want you to succeed. We just have to get Tess cooled off a bit first before it's worth putting you back together again. If she still feels embarrassed..."

She let her voice trail off, and Jason nodded in disappointment. He gave her a wave and walked back out of the store, noting as she called out to inform him that his supplies would be delivered in just a few hours. He hoped that such a time would be quick enough to beat the storm, but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it. He climbed up on Lady and rode home, where his steadily ripening crops were waiting for him.

Once there, he had little to do but stab monsters until the delivery came. The moment it was in his inventory, he rushed up into the house and began moving from room to room, putting in the new windowpanes just as quickly as he could move. It was easy work, thankfully enough, as each repair only used a single action and took less than five minutes. He was just putting the last windowpane inside, when the sky seemed to grow dark, and a cool wind began to blow.

He rushed back outside, where Lady was still tied up at her post. Moving quickly, he pulled her back into the stable and locked the door tightly, then started walking back into his own house. As he did so, though, an extraordinary roar echoed across the prairie, and he turned to the south.

Standing tall, framed against the deep, blue clouds, was what he could only assume was a tornado. It was half a mile away at the least, maybe closer to a mile or even two, but it could still be seen with ease. It towered high into the sky, a column of cycling winds and fury. As Jason watched, it sprouted two arms and made a terrible face, glowering down at the prairie. Jason gulped and ducked out of sight. He had heard that

tornados were particularly powerful monsters, capable of destruction on an almost unfathomable level.

The tornado continued to roar, and Jason ran back inside and dove far into his basement. He pushed past large piles of wood scraps and metal shavings that had been salvaged from his fence, then dove into the crates and boxes that had been left by his uncle. The tornado outside raged powerfully, then quieted, then began to roar once again. He stayed there, frozen, and an image flickered to life in his mind.

If the tornado even dared to come near Summer Shandy, he knew that Tess would be there to stop it. He could see her standing tall, dressed in her finest armor, complete with her red cloak trailing in the wind behind her. She would draw her sword, and she would force the tornado to retreat into the clouds from whence it had been born. It was a lovely sight, and it made him long for her ever the more.

As the winds raged above him, he pulled himself into a ball and whispered softly to himself. He knew, instinctively, that he wouldn't have been afraid if she had been there.

He only hoped that, some day, she would, indeed, be able to call the place home.

Chapter Thirty-Seven – What Comes After

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 33rd day of Spring! 58 days until the Spring Festival! It's a Sunday, folks, so use your rest wisely! It looks like Summer Shandy itself was spared the wrath of the tornado, but I've not yet heard any reports from down south, where the beast eventually went. Hoping everyone is okay out there! Let us know if you need any help!]

Jason quivered and stretched, groaning, in the small space in the corner of the basement. While he had expected the tornado to go away quickly, it had not. Presumably, this was because there were no warriors in Summer Shandy to chase it away. He slowly climbed to his feet, stretching his aching limbs once again, and staggered up into his house.

At a glance, everything seemed to be okay. He peeked out a window and confirmed that the field was all right, and that the stable was still intact. Lady had her head stuck out through a window, and she seemed largely unconcerned with the course of events. Jason smiled, then made his way through the home.

He was already wearing the proper clothes, and he grabbed an apple as he walked through the kitchen. He then made his way out onto the lawn, letting Lady come out to her hitching post. From there, he turned and gazed out across the landscape.

Summer Shandy, not far away, indeed seemed to be all in one piece. As he turned to look south, however, he saw only desolation. The prairie had been shredded. The grass was almost completely gone, leaving only bare earth in its place. The road could hardly be distinguished from the rest of the area, and bits and pieces of debris lay scattered.

Jason's eyes opened wide as he looked upon a particularly large chunk of splintered wood. It was more than just a chunk of something random - It was the roof of a home. Jeremiah's home, if he was not

mistaken! Not waiting for Lady to finish eating, he hopped up onto her back and rode out, making his way toward his friend's abode.

He was forced to move slowly as he began to notice just how much debris had been scattered across the road. Lady had good shoes, but the splintered bits of wood and nails that lay here and there made for dangerous travel. He kept his eyes on the ground, and he only let her proceed at a slow canter. As a result, the steady clop-clop of hooves soon sounded in his ears as someone began to overtake him.

He turned, largely out of curiosity, and felt his heart stop. There sat Tess, tall and radiant, on her black steed. She nodded at him, turning red, and started to press past him, but he held up his hand.

"Wait!"

"I don't have time to-"

"The road." Jason warned. "Your horse could injure itself."

Tess frowned, then glanced down at the road. Her eyes flickered open

in surprise, and she nodded shortly. "So it seems. Thank you for letting me know."

"Of course." He nodded, and they began to trot onward. With the slow gait, it would be many long minutes before they reached the Lazy-H Ranch, and they both knew it. Jason formed words more than once, but it was Tess who finally broke the silence.

"I know you've been trying to come talk to me, and I know that the girls have been keeping you away. For what it's worth, I wouldn't listen to them if I didn't want to. I haven't been duped, or anything like that."

Jason nodded slowly. "Then... what is it? I know things didn't exactly go as planned last time, but-"

"I don't know." Tess snapped, then sighed. "I don't know. I was scared about going on a date with you at all, because I knew you had just tried to take out Theresa. I didn't want you rebounding onto me just because you knew I was a possibility. Now... I don't know. I don't want you asking for my hand in marriage just because you know I want it."

At that, Jason's heart gave a leap. "You mean... you do still want to be together?"

"More than anything." Tess murmured. "I know, I know, I'm Tess the warrior, who doesn't have feelings or emotions beyond just being angry, but-"

"You don't have to defend yourself." Jason held up a hand. "I get it, at least mostly."

"Not all the way." Tess shrugged. "Look, I want you. You're not at that point yet, and that worries me. How long do I have to wait? What happens in the meantime?"

"I..." Jason bit his lip. "I don't know." He paused for a moment. "Maybe we could meet up again sometime. Nothing major, just a dinner or something? Talk through it all?"

Tess snorted. "Now is not the time to be asking me on a date." She clucked her tongue, and her steed began to move faster. Now it was Jason's turn to look down at the road, where he found that it had largely become clear again. "Come on, we've got a ranch to save."

Jason and Lady picked up speed, and they soon came riding into the Lady-H Ranch. Jeremiah stood amid utter devastation, and Jason held his breath.

Everything was gone. The home was gone, reduced to mere splinters. The innumerable fences were gone, scattered across untold miles of prairie. The cattle were gone, the sheep were gone, his horses were gone; nothing remained. Jeremiah turned slowly to look up at his friends as they rode up to him, and Jason dismounted.

"On the bright side, there's nothing left to tear down," Jason offered. "You can start rebuilding from scratch."

At that, Jeremiah barked a humorless laugh. He continued to turn, just taking it all in. When he finally spoke, he sounded pained.

"I spent almost twenty years building up this place. I've suffered tornados before, don't get me wrong, but I've always been able to take care of them well enough. That one yesterday, though... It just wouldn't go away. Kept coming back, again and again, like it couldn't get enough of me." Jeremiah's voice trembled.

"You can thank the Dungeon Guild for that." Tess spat. "Not enough warriors in the town to scare it away. Since all the other towns in the area did have active warriors, they just kept bouncing the thing back toward us." There was a short pause. "If it's any consolation, I think this is the only place that was damaged."

Jeremiah shook his head. "There's a hog farm a few miles further down the road. I haven't seen the owner yet this morning, but his roof is in my outer pasture, so I'm sure he needs help, too. There are a few places

down that way, technically beyond the border of Summer Shandy land, that I think might have been affected as well. Hard to know for sure, though." He took a long, deep breath. "I'm just glad no one was hurt."

"Where are your men?" Jason asked. "Shouldn't they be helping you clean?"

Jeremiah shook his head. "Weatherhand is around here, somewhere; I think he's out looking for the cattle. Everyone else is gone. They know I can't afford to keep them all on my payroll anymore, so most of them just left before I could fire them. Makes it easier for them to get other jobs, so I don't really blame them, but... Still hard."

"How can we help?" Tess started to swing down from the saddle, but Jeremiah stopped her with a wave of his hand.

"Don't worry about it. Jason can stay and help me, and I'd be glad for the company, but you can go on, Tess. See about the other farmers, a lot of them have far bigger operations than myself. Bigger families, too, and might need medical assistance."

Tess nodded, turned, and rode back out onto the road. Jason watched her go, feeling his stomach sinking. He rather desperately wanted to spend time with her, but he supposed that such was life. He would see her again, one way or another. Resigning himself to the wait, he joined Jeremiah in walking across the farmstead, picking up anything and everything they could find.

It was tedious work, but Jason was growing somewhat used to picking up the rubble from destroyed farms. The sun peaked in the cloudy sky, and still they went on. The farm was so huge that Jason imagined that it would take days to complete all the work. Jeremiah seemed to sense the same thing, and rose tall, rubbing the small of his back.

"I'll be, Jason, I'll be. We're making right good progress, I think." Jeremiah nodded in contemplation at the steadily dwindling piles of rubble. Jason didn't know where all the debris was being stored, as all the storage sheds had blown down and the cabin didn't appear to have a basement, but it all went somewhere. "Could you do me a favor? I'd owe you, for sure."

"Name it, and you won't owe me a dime." Jason answered.

"I could use some lunch. A good lunch. Almost nothing in my pantry survived, and I'd rather not start roasting the farm rats unless I have to."

"I'll be right back!" Jason nodded eagerly. He climbed up onto Lady and rode off, making his way back down to his home. When he returned

about twenty minutes later, he found Tess and Jeremiah at work once again. They both looked up, and he soon spread a blanket across a section of the ground that seemed not to have nails. They all sat down as he pulled out his simple offerings, and Jeremiah exuded his appreciation.

"Thank you. Thank you both."

"Not a problem." Tess answered. "Just glad to help."

"Well, I'm glad to have it. Takes the sting out, that's for sure."

Jeremiah nodded and bit into an apple.

At this, Jason turned to Tess. "Everyone down south all okay?"

Tess nodded. "The roof of the hog shed was blown away, but the pigs

are all fine. The hired men will be along within a day or so to pick up the roof and get it back in place. Everyone else was unharmed. It looks like the tornado just found its victim in your ranch."

"Glad I could keep it entertained," Jeremiah muttered. "I hope all those cattle it ate give it a bellyache."

"Surely, it's dispersed by now," Jason hoped.

"Probably," Jeremiah guessed. "Still..."

"Where's your wife?" Tess asked Jeremiah, as she began slicing

bread to make herself a sandwich.

"Up in Illumirir." Jeremiah answered. "She's got some relatives there,

just like I do. She probably hasn't arrived yet, but I sent her away yesterday when the tornado appeared. No use keeping innocents around when there's danger, you know? She'll come back tomorrow. She'll probably scream and wring my neck for not protecting the place, but you know how that goes."

"Did you try firing the cannons?" Jason asked, a bit excited about the prospect of fighting a tornado.

At that, Jeremiah laughed. "Not this time! I did that back the very first time I saw a tornado, though. My wife and I were still dating at the time, come to think of it. I only had a single cannon, and I intended to give that rascal what-for!"

Tess grinned. "I bet I know what's coming next."

Jeremiah only nodded. "I fired that cannon, and it caught the cannonball and flung it straight back at me! Almost hit me, too. I will say that it plowed the straightest furrow I ever did see on this place. 'Course, the thing came and tore up a bunch of my fence and utterly ruined the furrow a few seconds later, but such is life."

Jason chuckled. "So, you know a thing or two about rebuilding."

Jeremiah adamantly agreed. "There ain't nothing that can be built that can't be torn down, and there's nothing that can be torn down that can't be built again."

Jason nodded and stroked his chin. At that thought, Tess froze. At first, Jason wasn't sure what she was doing, and then... He heard it. A distant wailing, like an imprisoned banshee howling for its release. In an instant, Tess raced to her horse, leapt up onto its back, and rode away.

"Stay away!" She called as she left. "I'll deal with this and give you the results later!"

As she vanished, it dawned on Jason, and he gulped. "The dungeon!"

"Let her go after it." Jeremiah put a hand on Jason's shoulder as he started for Lady. "She'll do just fine, and you'll only get in the way. You've saved the town more than once, but never by fighting. That's her wheelhouse."

"I guess." Jason sighed. "I just..."

"Hey." Jeremiah clapped him on the shoulder. "I've heard plenty about what's going on between you two. Know that... what I just told you works for more than just buildings. There's still a lot left of the two of you, and I think it's going to turn out all right. Just you wait and see."

"Easy for you to say," Jason grumbled. "You're not the one going through it."

At that, Jeremiah laughed. "I think I said the exact same thing to my father, back when he gave me the same advice. Worked out for me. I reckon it will for you, too."

Jason sighed, but he nodded. He quickly set to work with Jeremiah once more, picking up debris and helping get the farm ready once more. He didn't see Tess again that day, but he knew that that state would change.

Things were off to a rocky start, but they were off to a start. That, in his estimation, was the most important thing of all.

Chapter Thirty-Eight – Better Together

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 53rd day of Spring! 38 days until the Spring Festival! The weather's still clear, so be thankful for that fact! Jeremiah continues to offer free chili to anyone who comes and helps him rebuild! Oh, and if anyone sees a particularly plump traveler who looks like he might be the President of the Dungeon Guild in disguise, feel free to stick him full of arrows. No payment will be given for this, of course, as that would constitute a premeditated hit job.]

Jason chuckled, then rolled out of bed and slowly walked up to his window. His wheat grew tall, waving in a soft wind as the brilliant sun appeared over the horizon. A few sparrows flitted down to land on his fence, then flitted away. Off in the distance, Jason thought he saw a Nameless Scourge rumbling through the grass, though it was impossible to tell for certain.

He took a deep breath, then turned back to his wardrobe. The older, chipped, and rather dull wardrobe had been replaced by a far grander, oak- wood wardrobe, paneled with carvings of great warriors. His bed stood tall, complete with a purple canopy that, indeed, looked quite grand in the small room. He surveyed it for a moment, then changed clothes and made his way down into the kitchen. Here, he ate a small omelet, then made his way out onto the farm.

"Hey, Lady." He poured her some oats, then leaned against the wall of the stable and gazed up at the farm. "What do you think?"

The only answer was the steady munch-munch of her own breakfast, and he sighed in contentment. The outside of the house was now bleached white, and every window was in its place. Tulips bloomed on the porch, and a thick garden grew in the small patch next to the house. The apple tree he had planted the year before was in full bloom, and it would likely produce a crop of fruit come the summer. All told, it was marvelous... And at that, he gazed in contentment.

Following the tornado, Jason had helped Jeremiah for three days straight before Jeremiah forbade him to give any more assistance. He still went down every three or four days to try and sneak into the crowd helping him rebuild, but he was chased away as often as not. Tess had been given the same treatment, though she was again growing busy with the business surrounding the crypt and its ever-present event.

On that day, as Jason stood there, a flash of light came off a suit of armor. He turned to see Tess riding in, tall and proud on her horse, and he gave a small wave. She didn't wave back, but she came to a stop just a few feet from him. Concern began to foster itself in his stomach, and he held his breath as she swung out of the saddle and landed in front of him.

"Have you seen anything strange today?" Her voice was low, though not quite a whisper.

Jason shook his head. "No, not a thing. Why do you ask?"

Tess bit her lip, then shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe just the blustering words of an old fool, but I'm inclined to think it may be something more. You remember what happened, the day after the tornado?"

Jason nodded, then paused. "Remind me, just to make sure I'm not forgetting something important."

"Right." Tess agreed. "So, in the aftermath of the storm, the Dungeon Guild sent in a team of the most powerful warriors they could bribe. They weren't high leveled, for sure, but they were good enough. There were three of them, and they managed to breach the outer shield. The alarm then went off, and the enchantments infused into the metal of the enclosure itself knocked them back, but they did manage to damage it. Following that, old Hurricane Breath himself came into town and demanded that it be taken down. He accused me of all sorts of things, most of which were, strictly speaking, true..." She flashed a thin smile at him, then continued. "Since then, the attacks have only intensified. They can now breach the outer barrier almost every time, though they still haven't managed to get through the metal itself. That said, they've started coordinating their attacks. Each one will strike at the exact same place as the last one. It'll take them months yet, but they're going to be able to cut a door and get inside unless we're able to do something."

Jason bit his lip. "Collapse the dungeon?"

"I'm considering it." Tess nodded slowly, then groaned. "If I do that, though, and it's determined that I destroyed the property of the Dungeon

Guild without due cause, I'll be strung out to dry. Probably locked up in Illumitir, or worse."

Jason stroked his chin. "How do we get out of it, then? Is the Dungeon Guild doing anything illegal?"

"Strictly speaking, no. In fact, barricading the dungeon door is a crime in some places, especially for financial gain." Tess crossed her arms. "They're not going to take me to court, because it would be too difficult to gain a sympathetic jury, but I'm the one who's treading closer to the edge of the law than they are. I agree with your sentiment, though. Catching them doing something illegal, or just meeting the stupid requirement of having ten people die, is probably the only way that we get out of this."

"Hmm." Jason pondered. "Hmm."

"I'm not asking for answers right now, though I do appreciate how quick you are to offer them." Tess flashed a smile at him, then sobered. "I'm actually here because of a letter I got this morning. I won't quote it verbatim, but it essentially threatened the people close to me. In my estimation, that means the other girls, and... you."

Jason's heart leapt. He hadn't had a chance to talk to Tess about much of anything since the tornado, largely because of the increased duties that they were both having to fulfill.

"I'm close to you?"

"Oh, don't get mushy on me." Tess snapped. "You could very easily be in danger, and I just want to make sure that you're aware of it."

"Thanks." Jason beamed. "I... I appreciate it."

"Stay safe." Tess mounted up on her horse. "I'll be back to check on you tonight."

"I'd be a lot safer if you stayed here!" Jason called after her. "A lot happier, too!"

Tess merely flashed a thin smile at him as she started to ride away. A distant wailing came racing down over the hills, and she spurred her horse into action. In a moment she was gone, and Jason let out a long, slow exhalation.

"She's something, isn't she?" A dark voice whispered from just behind Jason.

Jason jumped and spun, but he saw nothing. Suddenly, something rippled in the air, like a heat distortion on a hot summer day. Or, perhaps more accurately, just like Tess's invisibility armor.

With a snap, a warrior appeared, clad in the dark, stealth suit. The warrior then reached up and pulled off his helmet, and Jason responded with exasperation.

"Leonard? Are we really still doing this?"

"Oh yes, we are." Leonard snapped. "You know good and well that you stole Tess from me."

"I did no such thing!" Jason held up his hand. "All I did was-"

"All you did was save the city half a dozen times, worm your way into Tess's heart with your offers of pie and your homespun ways, and make yourself into exactly the man she's always dreamed about." Leonard snarled, then paused. "Though you could do with a bigger sword. She always used to comment that she'd love to see you in a half-decent suit of armor."

"Then I think we can both agree that I'm innocent here, and-"

Leonard's fist lashed out and struck Jason across the jaw. Stars danced before his eyes, and he stumbled backward but didn't fall. Desperate, he reached into his inventory and recalled the first thing he could find.

With a flash, his pitchfork appeared in his hand. At that, Leonard laughed, then equipped his own sword. "You know what? This is going to be fun! Let's dance, lover boy."

Leonard lunged so fast that Jason could hardly see him coming. He brought up the pitchfork to block, but he caught only air. The sword cut him down his left arm, then slashed down his right as well. Both wounds were superficial and hardly worse than any of the accidental injuries he had received form monsters or from dropping things on his toe, but it was still a powerful warning.

Leonard laughed and stepped back, holding his sword to the side. "All right, you can't defend yourself. Let's see you attack me." Behind Leonard, Jason caught sight of both a razorgrass and a

tumblewyrm lurking in the shadows of his storage shed. He took a deep breath and lunged at Leonard, certain that he would simply miss and go stumbling past. This happened just as he predicted, with Leonard dancing out of the way with the grace of a swan. Jason's pitchfork clawed nothing but the wind, and he stumbled on the packed dirt of the yard.

"Pathetic." Leonard spat, even as the tumblewyrm and the razorgrass started to skitter in Jason's direction. "You'd think that she would find you

as vile as I do. Weak, unable to defend yourself. The man is supposed to be the strong one, the woman is defended by him. You're not that, and you never will be."

With that, Leonard lunged forward, driving his sword at Jason's heart like a spear. Jason dodged to the side, allowing Leonard to race into the path of the two oncoming monsters.

Had the two creatures not been there, Jason was fairly certain that Leonard could have simply pivoted, followed him, and finished him off. As it was, the monsters jumped up at Leonard and attacked, and he was forced to defend himself. The razorgrass brought several sword-like blades to bare, stabbing at Leonard's stomach, while the tumblewyrm unleashed a storm of fire. As Leonard began to duel the two creatures, Jason took advantage of the distraction to switch weapons. He pulled out his flintlock pistol, and he had it leveled at Leonard's back long before the man finished off the nuisances.

As he turned, a wicked light came into his eye. Jason let his finger lay across the trigger, and he spoke softly.

"I don't want to shoot you, but I will. Here's the deal. You lost Tess. Maybe something happens between her and I, maybe not, but that's not your concern. Leave now, and you'll live. Try to attack me again, and I'll shoot. You're fast, but you're not faster than a bullet. I doubt your armor is strong enough to take it, either."

Leonard watched him through squinted eyes and made no answer. Suddenly, he gave a single flick of his wrist, and Jason realized that he had been scrolling through his inventory. Jason tried to fire, but he found that his hand simply wasn't under his control anymore. A green aurora surrounded it, a glow that soon spread to his entire body. As it covered his head, he realized that he couldn't even move his eyes of his own accord. He was a slave to Leonard, pure and simple.

"How the mighty have fallen." Leonard whispered. "This will only last for a minute, but that should be enough. I wonder what Tess will think when she returns and finds you dead from your own hand?" Jason's hand began to turn the pistol to point at his own chest, and he got a very sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. "An accident? An anguished lover? What will the verdict be?"

In desperation, Jason called up an inventory for the farm. In that moment, he found that he could, indeed, access it only by thought, without

any physical movement at all.

Show status of all farm objects. He tried to focus the thought.

With a flash, a long list appeared.

[Stable: Durability: 95]

[Carriage: Durability: 98. Cleanliness: 80]

[Garden Fence: Durability: 51. Cleanliness: 25]

[Metal Fence Link 1: Durability: 99]

[Metal Fence Link 2: Durability 95]

[Metal Fence Link 3: Durability 74]

On and on it went, listing out every single length of fence and

discarded item that lay around upon the farm. Leonard continued to talk, but Jason only caught a few words.

"...Tess...hero...bad...love..."

His finger began to tighten upon the trigger, and a single plan sprang into his mind. Focusing all his metal prowess, he issued a single command.

Withdraw Metal Fence Link 50 into farm inventory.

In reality, it could have been any of the lengths of fence, as long as it came from the metal barrier surrounding his field. Somewhere off in the distance, though Jason couldn't see where, a single stretch of metal fence vanished as it was recalled. In this instant, a number of things happened all at once. The first, and most important, was that Leonard decided that it would be a good idea to make Jason pull the trigger before he lost control. The second was that a Nameless Scourge, suddenly realizing that there was an enormous plot of wheat that wasn't fully fenced-in, decided to attack. For that matter, hundreds of thousands of monsters quite suddenly swarmed through the grass and erupted onto the farmstead in what seemed to be a tidal wave of feet, tentacles, fire, and pincers.

Leonard, being the most high-leveled person there, was swept under the monsters in an instant. He let loose a flurry of attacks, driving them back for a moment, and the pistol went off in Jason's hand just as he regained control of his body. He flung the weapon away from himself, but he was the shortest portion of a second too late. The bullet punched through his left side, and pure and utter pain erupted through his body.

"Put the fence back." He gasped as he fell to his knees.

[Action complete]

With that, the Nameless Scourge turned, and, quite bored with the

farm now, began to rumble away. Of course, Leonard hung dangling from

the monster's tendrils, and was carried off as he waved his sword back and forth wildly. Jason watched him go, then groaned and staggered to his feet.

He needed a doctor, and he needed it quickly. Thankfully, he wasn't far from a healer... And he knew that there wasn't a single "no-visitor" policy in the world that would keep Tess away once she had found out what happened.

Chapter Thirty-Nine – Be Happy

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 90th day of Spring! 1 day until the Spring Festival! Summer will be here in just a couple days, folks! If you've got anything else you need before the change of the seasons, now's your time to pick it up! There's a 30% off sale happening at Paulina's store for anyone who's interested, today only!]

Jason chuckled and rolled out of bed, wincing a bit in pain as he stood up. Even so long after the bullet wound, it was still tender. Theresa was convinced that Leonard had somehow cursed the bullet, but Jason wasn't so sure. Still, he couldn't argue with the expert. He dressed quickly and made his way down the stairs, where he found Tess scowling over a plate of pancakes.

"You know, I really don't need you camping out in the front yard every night." Jason commented as he walked into the kitchen. "Make me some pancakes," he addressed the cookbook, then turned back to Tess.

Her fateful gaze didn't diminish as she munched on the pancakes with fervor. His own plate appeared with a flash, and he tucked in.

"Until Leonard is caught, I can't take any chances," she muttered. "You're the one they're after, and you're the one they'll keep coming for."

Jason held up his hands. "They're just doing it to keep you away from the dungeon, and you know it. Don't play their game."

"If I don't, you could wind up dead," Tess answered. "There was someone around here last night, I heard them."

"Leonard?"

"Who knows?" She sighed and closed her eyes. "Look, I... I'm sorry."

"About what?" Jason frowned as he continued to eat. "You're doing everything you can, and more than I think you need to be."

"And you would do the same for me. You have, in the past," Tess answered, a scowl on her face. "I just... I don't know. This is all my fault."

Jason raised an eyebrow. Tess was acting odd, and that made him a bit nervous. Of course, she had been more intense than usual ever since Leonard had attacked him, but this was something different. "Really? It's your fault that the Dungeon Guild is desperate to put lives and livelihoods at risk, to the point of hiring a love-crazed madman to attack a defenseless farmer?"

"When you put it that way..." Tess reconsidered. "I don't know. I just... They're after you because they're trying to get to me. Keep me busy, you know?"

"Yeah," Jason whispered. "I'm sorry for that, too. I'm sorry you have to stay so busy, always running back and forth and-"

"Jason?" Tess took a deep breath. "You know something?"

Jason blinked. "I know a handful of things. Why?"

There was something in her voice that he didn't really like,

something... nervous.

"We never actually talked about what happened at the circus. We kind

of agreed to keep moving forward, but we've never talked about it," Tess reminded him. "I made it clear that I want to move onward together. You seemed to want to take it slower. Since then, nothing has been defined. We're something more than friends, certainly, but we're not even officially dating. I find that to be a problem, but it's something that you don't seem to mind at all."

At that, Jason blinked. "I... I thought we were dating."

"No." Tess pointed a fork at him. "If you're going to date someone, it has to be official. Same with marriage, so on and so forth. Now, we've both had lots of time to think, and I've not seen you make any further commitment toward me. To me, it seems like your idea of dating is just hanging out with someone of the opposite gender. Correct me if I'm wrong on that, but I don't really think that I am."

Jason felt more than a bit out of his comfort zone. "I... ahh..."

"Look," Tess commanded and stood up. "Because of your relationship with me, whatever it is, you're in danger, and I'm being taken away from my work. If this is going to be something more, I'm more than okay with that. In fact, I would welcome it! If this is just going to be something casual, it needs to end."

At that, Jason's heart turned to ice. Quite suddenly, though, something more flared up inside him. "Are you really doing this to me

again?"

Tess blinked and took a step back. "Doing what?"

"The last time, everything fell apart because you just sprung

something on me. Would I have been willing to get married that day? Maybe, maybe not. Would I have been willing in a week? Probably, but you just dove in and left me confused, and then ran off. Now, you're doing the same thing." Heat filled Jason's heart, and he plowed onward. "I'm being given a single chance to say the right thing, and if I don't give you the right answer in the next thirty seconds, you'll walk, and I'll be left alone. Please, give me..."

"I want to know what your gut is telling you." Tess snapped. "If it's not coming from your gut, it's not genuine. If a dragon is charging you, you don't have time to sit there and analyze it. That time has come and gone. You have to act."

Jason snapped. "I'm not a monster. Neither are you!"

"Well, now's the time to act!" Tess yelled at him. "What's your heart telling you?"

"I love you!"

The words escaped Jason's lips, and he froze. Indeed, they had come from his gut, and for a long moment, they just hung in the air. Tess blinked several times, and tears began to trickle down her cheeks. With that, she turned and fled, racing through the home and vanishing through the front door. Jason ran to the window and watched her leap onto her horse and gallop away, leaving her tent alone in the front yard. Jason's heart swirled with anguish, and he was left wondering what to do.

Should he go after her? Should he chase her down like in the romantic legends of old, or should he wait, as Theresa and Paulina would no doubt recommend? He didn't have the faintest clue, and he sighed deeply.

"Well, well, well." A deep and familiar voice cut through the air. "That wasn't what you were expecting, now was it?"

Jason turned to see Leonard standing in the doorway, a smug grin on his face. After waiting a moment, Jason simply sighed and turned back to the window. Leonard, meanwhile, walked over to the fireplace and cast a small object into the hearth. A thick, red smoke began to billow upward, rising through the chimney.

"Are you satisfied now that I didn't steal her away? She's gone now." Jason mumbled.

"Gone, yes." Leonard chuckled. "And, in a way, that's almost better. Well, better for me. Worse for you, I suppose. Now, there's no one around to hear you scream. No one to come to your aid. No one to prevent you from coming to the rescue once more."

At that, Jason blinked. Horror settled in his chest, and he let out a long breath.

"You found a way into the crypt, didn't you?"

Leonard, whom he was watching in the reflection of the glass, took a step forward. His sword hung in his hand, ready to be raised, but not yet in striking position.

"Bravo! The insolent little farmer who thought he could find a way around the law finally understands."

"Let's pretend that I don't." Jason answered. "Tell me what you did." "Nah."

"Tell..." Jason paused for a moment. "I've heard from Tess that the

Dungeon Guild warriors haven't been able to breach the shed yet. That means you had to have found a second entrance. Either found one or... made one." He blinked at the possibility. "You had been into the dungeon before! You had Tess guide you through the crypt multiple times, which means that you knew all the nooks and crannies. You were able to draw a map of the dungeon levels, then figure out how to tunnel down into it."

"When the monsters come pouring out, I'll be rich beyond my wildest dream," Leonard laughed. "The Dungeon Guild has offered me almost a trillion shandys in exchange for the job. I finished the tunnel last night, then came straight here. If anyone can save the city, it's you two. I wish I could have trapped you both here, but Tess will be so consumed with grief that she'll hardly be in a condition to fight."

"When are the monsters set to come out?"

"Does that matter?" Leonard hissed. "You're missing the whole 'grief' bit. I'm not talking about your breakup! Oh no. When I kill you, I'll go back to Summer Shandy and let her know that I was, indeed, spying on you, but that I found your dead body. She'll rush back here just as the monsters come running out. I'll place the blame for your death on the Dungeon Guild, which will seem plausible, and be held as a hero again! Meanwhile, the guild will pay me a small fortune, and I'll..."

As he rambled, Jason glanced at the kitchen door. It was only a few feet away, but he knew from experience just how fast Leonard could be. Maintaining his calm posture, he began to send mental commands once more.

Check Pantry inventory: Sausage

[Pantry: Sausage Inventory: 5 links]

A smile flickered across Jason's face. He had bought more of the sausage in a rather desperate attempt to cook something from it, but he had only succeeded in discovering a great deal more burnt recipes. It seemed, now, that this had ultimately been a good thing.

In thirty seconds, make 5 Fried Burnt Sausages

[Cookbook: Timer started]

Jason began to count in his head. As he reached the end, he finally turned his attention back to Leonard.

"...even live here! I'll have to redecorate, of course. I'll leave the portraits up for a year or so, out of mourning, but then I'll take them down. Oh, and that repulsive canopy you put up! Disgusting! Tess would never like something like that. Truly, you'd think that you had only known her for a few days, and-"

As the count reached the single digits, Jason turned and bolted for the kitchen. Evidently content to play cat-and-mouse, Leonard followed slowly and surely. Jason paused in the doorway leading out of the backside of the kitchen, and Leonard walked through the main door. In this, he (quite thankfully) stood just in front of the stove.

"What is this, Jason?" Leonard spread his arms wide. "Pies don't work on me anymore."

Jason couldn't help grinning widely. "What about-"

He rather hoped to get out a stinger of a one-liner, but he was unable to finish as the cookbook completed its task. In an instant, five pans all appeared on the stove, crowding one another. A sausage rested in each pan, bathed in a thick oil bath that swished back and forth as all five pans fought for dominance. Some of the oil splashed over the edge, and the world turned to flame.

KA-BLAM!!!

The blast nearly lifted Jason from his feet. Leonard, absorbing the brunt of it, caught on fire. His stealth suit evidentially contained a number of fibers woven throughout it, and he instantly turned into a human torch as

smoke from the burnt sausage links filled the kitchen. He screamed and ran from the room, and Jason bolted once again.

This time, he burst through the little-used back door of the home and raced across the ground toward Lady. She looked up from her breakfast of oats (which Tess seemed to have poured at some point earlier) and kicked at the door of the stable. Jason threw open the door and jumped up into the saddle, then raced off as fast as he could go.

Lady's hooves pounded on the road as he flew up toward Summer Shandy. Behind him, a single glance revealed Leonard slapping out the last of the flames, and then hopping up onto a horse of his own. The enraged man came on with all due speed, making a good bit better time than Jason himself. Jason took a deep breath and sent Lady running along, ever-faster.

By the time they reached the edge of town, Leonard was only a few feet behind him. Jason risked a glance back, and he beheld the face of a madman. Long scars from the flames ran down his face, and his eyes were cold and dark. There wasn't a trace of mercy inside them, not a trace left of humanity.

As Jason entered the square, he found Tess talking to a delegation of warriors. They all had official-looking suits of armor, and one of them was enormously fat. This had to be the president that Tess had always been talking about. Jason whipped up to the group, and Tess looked past him.

At that, a semblance of sanity returned to Leonard's face. He pulled up short, only a few feet away, and cast a longing look across the warriors from the Dungeon Guild. Not a one of them returned his gaze. Finally, Leonard sneered.

"Fine, then. If you're too cowardly to admit you know me, I'll do it myself. They know the plan. Let's see if anyone can stop me."

With that, he rode his horse to the north. Jason watched him go, a feeling of dread sinking in his chest.

"Go after him!" He called out to Tess. "He dug-"

"I know what he did." Tess spoke softly. "The illustrious president here has been telling me everything. Apparently, Leonard approached them with a plan, which they flatly turned down. He then decided to enact it anyway, in the hopes that they would let him into their good graces. They've come here out of the generosity of their hearts to warn us."

"I assure you, the Dungeon Guild is concerned with the fair treatment of those-"

The president, Jason couldn't remember his name, started to talk, but Tess pulled something out of her inventory and threw it at him. A large piece of cloth unfolded and wrapped itself around his head, gagging him tightly (but otherwise leaving him unimpaired). He scowled fiercely, and Tess turned to Jason.

"It seems to me that we have two options." Tess crossed her arms. "We can either go after him, to help him, and to ensure that no monsters flood into our city, or we can respect his wishes. He wants to try the crypt so badly... Let's allow him to do it. Paulina?"

Paulina appeared instantly, dashing across the ground. Theresa was right behind her. Each of them held a large crate, and Jason's eyes narrowed.

"What might that be?" The president blustered (having sliced away the gag) as the girls pulled the crates open.

"We've been mass-producing the cure to the illness in the dungeon!" Theresa declared. "Without it, he'll be overcome in a minute! We're just going to send him some in order to help him take on the beasts below."

Jason glanced at the contents of the box, which, indeed, seemed to largely consist of vials of a dark, thick liquid. Several of the Dungeon Guild adventurers looked over Tess's shoulder, and they nodded in approval.

"Unlocked Ability: Send Aid." Tess held her hands over the boxes. "Target: Leonard."

There was a short pause, and the president crossed his arms.

"They have to be in the dungeon for that to work! You can't simply teleport it anywhere you-"

With a flash, the boxes vanished. Jason held his breath, and Tess glanced at him with a worried look. A moment later, a resounding blast shook the town of Summer Shandy. Jason was knocked to the ground, along with Paulina, Theresa, and the president. Some of the other warriors fell as well, though a few (and Tess) remained standing. Meanwhile, all around them, chaos ensued. Walls fell down, fences broke, chimneys collapsed, and nearly every window in the entire city shattered into a thousand pieces. An enormous plume of smoke curled up from the northern side of town, and the entire city quickly picked themselves up and raced past the Guild Hall to see.

Jason found himself standing next to Tess at the front of the crowd. There, where the hollow had once been, now stood nothing but an

enormous crater. The walls of the pit were sheer and jagged; it was a certainty that anyone trying to climb down would be cut to ribbons. It extended down hundreds of feet, and Tess whistled.

"Whew! Leonard must have been carrying some powerful dynamite to have done all that. Kinda ruins the view, don't you think?"

"Why..." The Guild president sputtered as he climbed back to his feet. "I'll have you know that--"

"Why don't we talk over this tragedy in my office?" Tess cut in, pointing at the Guild Hall. "Nothing to see here, folks! Everyone, go back home!"

As she passed by Jason, she flashed him a smile and whispered softly. "I'll see you tomorrow at the celebration. I'm sorry... And thanks."

With that, she vanished into the crowd. Jason watched her go, and Paulina came up and clapped him on the shoulder.

"What just happened?" Jason glanced at her, more or less understanding, but still a bit confused about a number of specific events.

"I think we all got our happy ending that we were looking for." Paulina flashed him a smile. "At least, most of us. The Dungeon Guild is going to be hurting for a while, so they don't really count." She chuckled, then sobered. "I'm not sure you're getting one either, come to think of it. At least, not yet."

At that, Jason's stomach flipped, and he turned to her. "What do you mean?"

Paulina simply flashed him a smile and leaned in close.

"I think, if I'm not mistaken, that you're going to be getting a happy beginning instead.

Chapter Forty – End of the Year

[The alarm went off; it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 36 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 91st day of Spring! It's the day of the Spring Festival! Expect warm weather on all fronts, and prepare for a fantastic growing season ahead! More importantly, make sure to pay attention to Tess's speech at the opening of the festival tonight!]

Jason groaned as he rolled out of bed. He hadn't slept well at all the night before, as a mixture of trepidation, anticipation, and a host of other - ations swirled around in his gut. He wanted to talk to Tess, and he wanted to do it as quickly as possible, as he was extraordinarily confused by-

"I was right. The purple canopy is nice."

"AHH!" Jason screamed and jumped into the air as he beheld Tess, wearing her radiant dress armor, standing in his doorway. She crossed her arms and blinked at him.

"It's just me."

"Yeah, but I don't typically expect people to be in my room when I wake up."

"Then set your alarm to go off earlier. Come on downstairs, I know you're dying to talk."

With that, she turned and walked away. Her armored boots clomped on the stairs, and Jason blinked several times. He slapped himself more than once, then changed out of his night robe and into his overalls, and he made his way downstairs.

As he arrived in the kitchen, he found a swirling mix of smells that nearly overwhelmed him. Sausage links, eggs, pancakes, bacon, hash browns, and far, far more cluttered the surface of the table. Tess smiled and sat down, then gestured at the food.

"Come on! Eat!" She flashed a small smile. "We'll talk when you're done. I might even tell you the secret to cooking half-decent sausage."

Jason nodded and sat down obediently. They tucked into the food with gusto, and Jason had to admit that he was more than a bit hungry. As

he finished, he sighed and crossed his arms. Tess leaned back in her chair, and he pointed a fork at her.

"So... What exactly happened yesterday? I feel a little out of the loop."

"Yeah. Sorry about that." Tess scratched the back of her head. "I... Well, I didn't lie to you, and that's the important part. Two nights ago, I did hear someone around the house. I used my observation skills and realized that it was Leonard. Having been gone for so long, and with the date being so close to the spring festival, I could only assume that he had everything in place and was preparing to strike."

Jason nodded slowly. "Right. And you didn't just come out and say that?"

Tess grimaced. "I needed Leonard... I needed the Dungeon Guild... To enact their plan. If I had just attacked Leonard on the spot, nothing would have happened, and we'd still be in a stalemate. If I rode off to protect the town without a suitable reason, Leonard would have signaled the Guild that I knew what was happening, and nothing would have happened. I knew that you would be taken aback by another sudden encroachment, so... I pushed a few buttons."

At that, Jacob chuckled. "Seems like you know me well."

Tess could only nod and flash a small smile. "I did see him signaling as I Ieft, that was the red smoke, but I can only presume that he informed them that I was leaving without being made aware. Thus, on my arrival, the Guild hung him out to dry. I can't know for sure what they expected him to do... In fact, I'm not sure exactly what he expected to do, but whatever the case, everything was progressing according to their plan. At the least, according to one of their contingencies."

Jacob nodded slowly. "After that, you just waited for him to enter the dungeon, then transported him a bunch of dynamite hidden in flasks of cure."

Tess nodded. "Something like that. The top few vials actually were cure, to fool the detection and analysis skills of the warriors. The rest was a liquified version of the dynamite that Theresa managed to cook up."

Jason grimaced. "Do you think he's alive?"

"I don't see how he could be." Tess shrugged. "Still, anything's possible. There were a few seconds between transport and detonation. He might have teleported out in that time. Still, I don't think it's likely."

"Do you think he deserved to die?"

"Taking a human life isn't something I do lightly. Still, he was going to lead the monsters straight into Summer Shandy. He was going to sacrifice tens, maybe even dozens of lives just for whatever sum he had been promised by the Guild. Whatever he got, he brought on himself."

A thought struck Jason, and he crossed his arms. "Let's take a few steps back, then. You knew that Leonard was around, and yet you still left me alone with him? I almost died!"

"First off, you didn't," Tess reminded Jason. "You're incredibly good about getting out of such situations. Better than anyone else I've met, actually. Secondly..." She paused. "I was hoping that he wouldn't kill you after I left in such a huff. If he thought that we weren't an item anymore, he wouldn't have a need to kill you."

Jason snorted. "That worked out well."

"I guess it means I need to learn how human character works." Tess leaned forward. "For what it's worth, there's something else I didn't expect you would do."

"And what's that?" Jason's stomach flip-flopped, though he expected that he knew the answer.

In response, Tess smiled at him. It was a lovely, welcoming smile, more radiant than a thousand suns.

"I love you, too."

It was a simple phrase, but it struck straight to his core. Jason practically melted into the chair, and a broad grin split his face. At that, Tess scowled for a brief moment, though it was a good-natured scowl.

"Don't push your luck. The proper response is-"

Jason stood and walked around the table. He took hold of Tess's arms, looked into her eyes, and bent close. Their lips met, and a resounding barrage of fireworks went off in Jason's head. As they pulled back apart, Tess blinked, then smiled.

"That works, I think."

She stood up as well, and the two of them started walking toward the front door. As they reached it, Tess turned and glanced at Jason.

"I do want to apologize for one thing, though."

Jason frowned, confused. "What's that?"

"I realized that I really have been a bit intense," Tess confessed. "I'm

used to dealing with warriors, with monsters and dungeons and... stressful

combat situations. I'm not really used to this whole relationship thing. When I started hitting you with everything back at the circus, I threw you off-guard. That's not how you work, and... I'm sorry." She looked deep into his eyes, and Jason's stomach flipped just as powerfully as it ever had. "I want to be with you, Jason. That doesn't have to mean marriage, though I do look forward to such an event. For now, I'm looking forward to attending the Spring Festival with you, as an item. At the end of the day, I'll look forward to tomorrow, and whatever it might bring."

Jason felt a smile break across his face, and he licked his lips. "Well... I should apologize, too. I don't know why I said some of the things in the past that I did. The fact of the matter is that... Well, I do want you here. I'd show you what I did with the bedroom, but you already peeked, I think."

At that, Tess laughed. "I have a few more alterations I'd like to make, but it was a good start."

"And I welcome whatever more you have to say." Jason grinned, then held out his arm. "For now, shall we head into town? I presume there will be a dance, and I'm going to have to show off just how terrible I am."

"That sounds wonderful to me!"

Tess took Jason's arm, and they walked out into the glimmering sunlight of the morning. It didn't take long to hitch up Lady, and soon enough, they were off.

Upon arriving in the town, a great sense of celebration permeated every aspect of the town's life. Despite the cracked and ruined buildings, despite the general sense of poverty that seemed to pervade the place, a smile was upon each and every face. The fear of the dungeon had hung over them for nine months now. For three full seasons, they had either been waiting for the dungeon to open, posting guard around it, or desperately praying that the thick barricade would be strong enough to prevent both the Dungeon Guild from breaking in, and the monsters from breaking out. Now, despite the lack of a rather enormous portion of the northern countryside... everyone was happy. Evil had been defeated. Peace could reign once again.

The preparations for the feast took the entire day. Tess and Jason were together for most of it, helping set out tables and preparing an immense feast. When the sun began to set, a band struck up a tune, and people began to dance in the streets. It was a marvelous time... and it only got better.

"People of Summer Shandy!" Tess called out, climbing up onto one of the tables between a large hog's head and a bowl of mashed potatoes. The dancing stopped around them, and all eyes swiveled to look at her. "I wish to commend you for all that you've done. I know that the situation looks dire right now, but rest assured that your sacrifices have not gone unnoticed. The threat to the city is over! No longer do we have to go about our business with our hands on our key rings, never knowing if we'll have to run to the door and lock it tight before a horde of monsters comes and knocks down our home. No longer do we have to keep a constant eye on our children, always fearing that they may wander too far from the home and not be able to make it back in time. No longer do we have to fear."

She paused for a moment, then continued. "A new crypt will be built in the place of the old one, but it will not contain the same event. In fact, such an event has been labeled as 'dastardly,' and will never again be used across all the land controlled by the Dungeon Guild. Importantly, though..." She paused for a moment. "The Dungeon Guild had been forced to realize that this event has caused significant damage to the psychological state of its residents, along with the physical state of its inhabitants. This may or may not be due to certain documents linking a promised payment with a particular warrior whose name we won't mention, but the result is the same. In recompense, the Dungeon Guild will supply workers to rebuild the city within the next week, and they will provide a payment to each and every family and individual living under the protection of the city, to account for all perceived damages. This includes loss of revenue due to a decreased stream of warriors, payment for standing guard, increased threat from monsters due to a lack of warriors, and more. Each person's wages have been calculated, and they may be obtained in my office at any time."

With that, a resounding cheer shook the ground. Before the celebration could continue, though, Tess held up her hands once more.

"We've all fought as hard as we could to protect our fair city, and we have prevailed. Let tonight be in honor of our great bravery, and the knowledge that nothing will ever triumph over the town of Summer Shandy!"

With that, she was unable to contain the crowds any longer, and the celebration began at once. Tess climbed down, and Jason smiled broadly.

"I thought you told me everything that happened yesterday." Jason chuckled. "Seems you left something out."

"I didn't want to gloat while we were having a serious moment." Tess cackled. "You have no idea how fun it was to watch that windbag sweating. I don't think they'll have enough gold left in their coffers to hire a monkey once everything has been paid out, let alone try to retaliate."

"Then I'm glad." Jason took a long breath and looked into Tess's eyes once more. He hoped, beyond all hope, that he would get to do so again many, many times, for the rest of his life.

They stared at each other for a few long moments, and their lips met once again. All around them, the sounds of celebration rang out ever-louder, and actual fireworks began to explode in the sky above.

Jason knew, more than he had ever known something before, that he had found his place in the world. He had friends who loved him, and he had a girlfriend that was, in his humble opinion, the most incredible woman in the world. His farm was on the upswing, and he had a small fortune to his name. Sure, there would still be problems that would inevitably arise, but what did that matter?

He was in Summer Shandy. He was in his new, and hopefully permanent, home.