Casual far Ming

by Taylor and Laura

Farmer

2. Book 2

Chapter One: Back To 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.]

[Permanent Companion - Gain 2 actions per day due to your established relationship. Starting actions: 38]

[Tess's Almanac: 1st day of Summer! 90 days until the Summer Festival! We've got lovely weather predicted for the next week, at the least. There's a storm coming up within the next few weeks, but it isn't likely to be a major one. Get those crops in the ground and enjoy the warm weather!]

Jason yawned and yawned some more as he rolled out of bed and landed on the floor. The previous night had been a long one, indeed. Glad to be free of the Curse of the Crypt, as the previous year's activities were rapidly becoming known, the Spring Festival had lasted nearly until morning. Even after it cleared away, Jason had spent more than a little time hanging out with Tess, watching the stars, and otherwise enjoying one another's company. It had been... Lovely.

As he stretched and looked around the room, his heart gave a small ache, but he forced it down. He would see Tess soon enough, but she had work to do that day, and he did, too. They were only dating, so it wasn't like he could expect to see her every day or anything. Still, he couldn't keep a smile off his face as he dressed in his overalls and made his way down the stairs, through the creaky old farmhouse and down into his kitchen.

"All right, cookbook!" Jason grinned as he dropped into a wooden chair. "What do you have for me this morning?"

The pages of the cookbook flapped back and forth in excitement.

[Cookbook: I have over thirty recipes that are edible, and a great deal more that are not. What would you prefer?]

"Nothing with sausage," he muttered. "I still can't figure out how to make that dish work."

[Cookbook: You could always try buying new recipes from Paulina's store.]

"Yeah, but that would involve spending money on something I don't actually need." He stroked his chin, then brightened. "How about biscuits?"

[Cookbook: You have not learned a recipe for biscuits.]

"Of course." He tapped the arms of his chair, then moved on. "Display pantry inventory."

[Pantry Inventory: 50 units flour

25 units sugar

50 units oil

22 units butter 20 units salt

35 potatoes

20 peppers

111 tomatoes 2,824 onions 101 lettuce heads 62 pumpkins

35 units squash

26 units gourds

12 eggs

3 units apples

1 unit blueberries

189 shrump meat 49,999 crabgrass meat 6,541 histle meat 2,185 razorgrass meat 7 tumblewyrm meat 254 smut slime]

"All right." He clapped his hands. "Let's see... 3 units of flour, 2 units of butter, a unit of salt, a unit of sugar, and... Yeah, let's try that!"

There was a flash, and a lumpy blob of dough appeared in the pan.

[Your combination of 3 Flour 2 Butter 1 Salt 1 Sugar was a success! Recipe discovered: Fry Bread!]

"Huh!" He grinned as a rather flat piece of bread, almost resembling a pita, appeared on his plate. "The things you learn. I guess this is what I'm having."

He found the bread to be quite wonderful and devoured almost the whole thing. When he finished, he cleared away the dishes, then rose and walked out into the morning light.

As he stepped onto his porch, the brilliant rays of the summer sun shone down upon him, and he took a breath of the pleasant air. Slowly, he looked down at his arms, at the muscles that had grown there and the much darker shade of skin that greeted him. It had been a year since he had started farming, since he had rather unexpectedly inherited the farm when his uncle died. It had been an unexpected sort of a year, that was for certain, but he had loved... Well, it wouldn't be right to say that he had loved every minute of it (or, in all reality, even a sizable percentage); but at the end of the day, he loved his new life. Twin apple trees grew in the yard between his house and the road, trees that were bursting with blossoms and would soon be giving him a steady supply of fruit. Lady, his trusty horse, nickered from her stall, and he perked up.

"All right, let's get to it!" He walked over to Lady and took her from the stable, then hitched her up to a post to let her graze while he got things ready. He added a few oats to a feed trough near the post, then went to the storage shed and checked his inventory there. He had plenty of seed, and a quick glance at the field seemed to indicate that all eighty acres remained tilled and were ready for seed. Still, Lady wasn't yet ready, so he drew his sword and started making a lap around the field.

Eighty acres certainly wasn't large, but it also wasn't small, and it took Jason about forty-five minutes to walk a loop around the field. The entire place was ringed by a metal fence, upon which blazed eternal torches that kept away some of the worst types of monsters (especially the ones that only came out in the fall). A handful of crabgrasses were already throwing themselves at the fence, but they seemed to do little damage to the sturdy walls. Still, a few of them noticed Jason himself, and they turned in his direction with loud clacks.

Crabgrasses were... interesting creatures. They were spindly little things, skittering about on their roots, and armed with large pincers that hurt if they latched onto your leg. Thankfully, none of the worst types of monsters were out yet, and the farmer charged forward, carving through the crabgrasses just like old times. Once, he had been forced to fight them away from his crops without the use of a fence. It was... It was nice to fight them mostly out of nostalgia rather than necessity. When he finished his flurry of strikes, he took a deep breath, and he smiled down at the remains of the monsters as they dissolved into a flurry of blue sparks.

[Items Gained: 121 Crabgrass Meat]

[Achievement Unlocked: Extreme Hoarder! Gain 50,000 of a single item. Using this item is now twice as effective, in all its potential applications.]

Jason chuckled at the message, then turned away. He wasn't certain what that meant for the crabgrass meat. Would meals made with the meat taste twice as bad? Would it be twice as stringy? He laughed at his own jokes, then finally made it back to the start. Lady had finished eating, and he quickly hitched her up to the planter and drove her through the gate and into his field.

"All right, here we go," he whispered, then tapped Lady lightly with the whip. "Haw, girl!"

Lady lurched forward, dragging the planter across the ground. They made it all the way down, then back, before a message appeared.

[Action Used: Sew Seed. Remaining Actions: 37]

"How do you like that?" Jason whistled softly. "Still have more than I used to have when I started the day!"

He continued to plant, dragging the plow back and forth, until the sun was high in the sky. When he took a break for lunch (and allowed Lady to lay down in her stable, eat more oats, and drink some water), he still had 26 actions left. He ate a simple lunch of an egg sandwich, then sat down on his porch while he rested for a few minutes.

He was still sitting there when his neighbor, Jeremiah, came trotting past on his enormous horse. Jeremiah turned and waved, and Jason waved back.

"The first day of summer is an odd one to head into town!" Jason flashed a small smile. "Forget something?"

Jeremiah scowled. "No. I let Weatherhand pick out the new bulls at the sale a few days ago, and he slipped up and bought the orneriest thing you ever did see. We took this bull out to pasture, and he started jumping and bucking. Knocked down a quarter-mile of fence, injured three of my hired men, and dumped two of my cannons into the lake. I'm heading into town to fetch Theresa, then I'm stopping by Paulina's store to order new supplies."

Jason winced at that. "What'd you do with the bull?"

"Let's just say that I'm eating steaks tonight." Jeremiah laughed. "If you want any, feel free to come over. Bring Tess, too!"

At that, Jason blushed. "I... Ahh..."

"It's good to be in love, ain't it?" Jeremiah just smiled down at him, then started trotting away. "No obligation, in any case! Catch you later!"

Jason watched his friend leave, then shook his head, rose, and walked back out to Lady and the planter. She seemed a great deal refreshed, and he certainly felt much better as well. It took but a few minutes to hitch her up, and then they were off once more.

It was nearing five o'clock by the time he finished. He was pretty sure he had caught a glimpse of Jeremiah riding back down toward his road with Theresa, but he wasn't certain. He had been at the far end of the field when he had seen the two riders go by, so it was hard to know who it had been. Theresa, in any case, was the town healer, and while she mostly spent her time tending to injuries incurred in the dungeon, she did sometimes treat farm injuries. Jason himself had wound up in her healer's den after being mauled by a bull.

As he and Lady walked out of the field and closed the gates, he sighed contentedly. It had been a pleasant day, and, if he wasn't mistaken, it was about to get a good deal better. He put away the plow and Lady, went to his small garden and harvested the crops growing there, and then, actions spent, made his way back into the house.

"All right, all right." He walked into the kitchen. "Let's see... Cookbook?"

[Cookbook: Yes?]

"Make me something romantic, using the recipes I have available." He had an idea. "Can you put candles on the table, as well?"

[Cookbook: Yes, assuming you have them in the farm's inventory.] "Right." Jason nodded. "Do we have candles in the inventory?" [Cookbook: I do not have permission to access the general

inventory.]

Jason rolled his eyes. "Farm Inventory: Candles."

With a flash, several candlesticks appeared in the middle of the

table. The candles were old and yellowed, covered in an immense amount of dust, and cracked down the sides. The candlesticks themselves were grotesque, looking rather like gargoyles awkwardly holding swords. Jason grimaced, then recalled them to the inventory.

"We'll do without." He puffed out his cheeks. "All right, make the food as soon as Tess walks in the front door."

[Cookbook: Done]

Jason nodded, then dashed back up the stairs and into his room.

"How dirty am I?" He muttered as he stopped before the mirror that he had purchased on Tess's behalf.

[Mirror: You are filthy. Not fit to be seen by a fair maiden]

"And I don't need sass from you, either." Jason quickly removed his clothes and tossed them into his hamper, then changed into a suit. He didn't have time to heat the water for a full shower, but he quickly went out back, grabbed a sponge, and dabbed off the mud and sweat that were caked on his arms and face. That done, he quickly walked to the living room to wait.

[Grandfather Clock: Six o'clock!]

The clock went off with a loud bong, shaking the house, and a knock echoed on the door. Jason went over and pulled the door open, revealing Tess standing there, smiling at him. In that moment, Jason's jaw dropped, and his breath froze in his lungs.

Tess was... a lot of things. They had been through a lot the previous year, and they had somehow come through it together. One thing that always defined Tess, specifically, was the utter... power... of her personality. She most often displayed this, at least exteriorly, by wearing a suit of armor everywhere she went. After all, she was the head of the Warrior's Guild. Tonight, though, she wore a suit of decorative, ceremonial armor he had never seen before.

It was made of gilded silver, with golden rivets holding it all together. A skirt of metal plates fell down past her knees, glittering in the light of the setting sun. A rose-colored cape fell from her shoulders, and a golden rapier with a ruby-encrusted hilt hung at her waist. Her helmet, though, was the most exquisite of all. It was silver, as well, but it was etched with elegant swirls and designs that sparkled in the waning light of the day.

"May I come in?" She flashed a small smile when he continued to just stand there, jaw slack.

"Ahh! Yes!" Jason tried to recover and stepped back. "I'm surprised you asked instead of just demanding entrance."

"I am trying to... Ahh..." Tess searched her memories. "How did Constable Hank put it? Be... polite? Have manners?"

Jason chuckled. "The town owes its existence to the fact that you can be a little rough."

"In that case, let me in!" Tess still had a smile on her face, and the two of them quickly began walking through the house toward the kitchen. The door swung shut behind them, and they entered the small room as the cookbook flipped back and forth frantically.

With a flash, an apple pie appeared in the middle of the table, followed by mashed potatoes and histle giblets. A side of pumpkin fritters also appeared, and Tess inhaled, savoring them.

"Mmm, smells good!" She sat down and flashed a small grin. "Shall we get started?"

"I'd love to." Jason sat down, plates appeared, and they both tucked into their meals. After only a few bites, Tess's beau nodded in her direction. "How was it today? Has rebuilding the town started yet?"

Tess grinned. "Yes, it actually has! I got a messenger this morning from Illumitir with the funds promised by the Dungeon Guild. Paulina used most of the money to put in an order for all the stone, wood, mortar, and other such supplies that we'll need for the rebuilding, and the rest of the money was distributed among the townsfolk. I don't think it'll be more than a couple weeks before Summer Shandy looks just like it used to look, before all the... All the chaos."

She sighed and looked down at her plate, poking at the giblets for a moment with her fork, then shrugged.

"You know what? It's all coming together well, and I'm excited enough for that."

"Good!" Jason flashed a small grin. "What of the new crypt? Have you heard anything new about that?"

"Indeed." Tess nodded. "They delivered a set of plans for the new construction along with the money. Of course, that means that they've had the plans sitting on their desk for a year now, ever since that old dungeon event went bad, but..." She took a deep breath. "I'm not going to get angry about it. I certainly didn't throw a few more darts at the portrait of Mr. Frank Livingstone Fawna the Third."

At that, Jason chuckled. "I rather liked seeing the look on his face in person when you blew up the dungeon."

Tess laughed, loud and long. "It was fulfilling, wasn't it!" She paused for a moment. "I've been looking over the plans as best I can, but they're pretty vague. It looks like they're trying out some sort of new monster-spawning system, which... You know, I just love things that are

new like that, but it doesn't look too malicious to me. I suppose time will tell. Construction should begin within a week or two and is set to finish on the day of the Summer Festival."

They both sighed, and then she nodded at Jason. "How was the first day of summer for you? Anything interesting happen around the farm?"

Jason shrugged. "Nothing like a new dungeon! But I got the whole field planted, which was nice." He took a deep breath. "Sometimes, it's nice to just... Farm. You know? It's so simple when you don't have all sorts of monsters trying to kill you."

"You literally have more monsters trying to breach your fence than I ever had down in my dungeon." Tess remarked. "Yeah, but those are monsters that I can kill." Jason pointed out.

Tess chuckled. "True enough."

After a pause, Tess declared, "All right, Jason. Truth time." Her voice got deadly serious, and Jason flinched. "What's your favorite color?"

He laughed, and he answered quickly. "Red, for sure!"

Tess laughed back at him, and he quickly asked the same question. The night wore on, and they continued to play the simple sort of game. Jason quickly learned a great deal about her, including the fact that her favorite color was green (most monsters had green blood), her favorite food was onion (monsters hated onion), and her favorite type of sword was a short sword, though she also enjoyed the weight of a great sword and the weight distribution of cutlasses and halberds.

When they finally said goodnight, and Tess set off into the night back toward Summer Shandy, Jason sighed contentedly. She wasn't the woman that he would have dreamed about when he was younger, but he couldn't imagine being with anyone else, that was for certain.

He only hoped that the relationship would go as smoothly as his life seemed to be progressing.

Chapter Two: Rainy Day

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 14th day of Summer! 77 days until the Summer Festival! Looks like it's going to be a rainy day today, at least once noon clicks around. If you've got work to do, get it done this morning! Shouldn't be any nasty weather, though I am getting a report that a tornado might be seen within the next few days.]

Jason yawned as he rolled out of bed. This time, instead of walking to the wardrobe, he walked up to the window and gazed out across his farm. Lady stuck her head out of the stable and tossed her head back and forth, stamping uneasily. If Jason knew Lady at all, that meant that the storm was going to be more intense than Tess was wanting to let on. Still, the wheat in his field was growing steadily. He had already harvested it once and was preparing for the second harvest. By his calculations, it would be ready on the following day, the 15th, which meant that all he had to do that day was to get things prepared.

"All right, then. Let's get this party started," he encouraged himself as he walked over to the wardrobe, changing into the cleanest set of overalls that he had available. That done, he quickly made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen, where his cookbook clapped its pages in excitement.

"Make me something simple. Eggs, I think." He sat down as the dish appeared in the middle of the table. "Lots of work to do, and not much time to do it!"

The cookbook flapped its pages again, then slammed shut. Jason took the gesture to mean that he needed to get to work, and he quickly walked outside, allowed himself a moment to soak in the sun, and he then took Lady out of the stable and hitched her up to the post. As she happily rolled through the grass, he made his way to his garden and began harvesting the produce there.

"Here we go." He whistled softly as he looked down at the assorted peppers, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and other vegetables that were growing

there. He equipped a large sickle, then slashed it across the whole garden in one move.

[Action Used: Harvest. Remaining actions: 37.]

A flurry of produce filled his inventory, and he smiled. To make things even better, most of the plants were perennial, which meant that he didn't have to re-plant them after every single harvest. He took a celebratory breath, then turned back to his stable.

The previous winter, Jeremiah had helped Jason to build a stable for a handful of sheep, which had been connected to Lady's stable. He had absolutely no desire to ever raise animals on his farm again, but the stable had proven to be invaluable once he started buying larger equipment. It now served as a shelter for his plow, his planter, and his harvester. That harvester, more than anything, now needed to be his focus for the rest of the day.

He made his way over to the shelter, pulled the gate open, and walked inside.

"Inventory: Tool set."

With a flash, a small, rusty toolbox appeared on the ground next to the harvester. He nodded and sat down next to the device, whistling softly as he looked it over. The machine was an odd contraption, to be certain. There were several blades, three in all, that were connected to the axle. As Lady pulled it along, the blades whirled around, cutting down the crop and dumping the grain into his farm's inventory. Unfortunately, when he had harvested the wheat the previous week, he had discovered that all three of the blades had come loose over the previous winter. As a result, a message had informed him that he had lost 10% of his crop. It wasn't the biggest problem in the world, but it was an inconvenience.

"Class Skill: Diagnose Breakdown."

[Diagnose Breakdown: The bearings on the three blades have become rusty due to a lack of oil. They will need to be replaced, and they should be oiled after every harvest to prevent future issues.]

"That would have been good to know when I bought the thing," Jason lamented. He pulled a wrench out of the toolbox and held it up to the blade. There was a flash of light, and... Absolutely nothing happened.

[Action Used: Attempted bolt removal. Error: Wrong size of wrench. Actions remaining: 36]

"This could take longer than I thought," Jason acknowledged, then he groaned and pulled a second wrench out of the toolbox. This had the exact same result. For that matter, it took him five full tries before, with a flash, a different message appeared.

[Action Used: Attempted bolt removal. Error: Bolt is too rusty. Actions remaining: 30.]

"Oh, come on," Jason pouted. "And what gets rid of rust?"

There was no answer, and Jason stood and kicked at the harvester. He accomplished absolutely nothing except stubbing his toe on the rusty piece of equipment, then turned and stomped out into the yard. After a moment, he turned and walked back into the stable, knelt down by his toolbox, and started sorting through the tools.

"Ah, ha!" He grinned as he pulled out a small wire brush. "This ought to do something!"

He reached over and touched the brush to the bolt. Instead of a flash of light, there was an odd grinding, rasping noise that set Jason's teeth on edge.

[Action used: Rust removal. Actions needed to remove all rust on target: 124. Actions remaining: 29]

Jason grimaced, then grabbed a hammer and just whacked the bolt as hard as he could. This time, a resounding bong shook the stable, and his hand stung as the handle of the hammer struck his hand.

[Action Used: Venting Frustration. Actions remaining: 28]

"Oh... Fine." He gave up and walked back out into the yard. He wiped his hands off on his overalls, lowering the cleanliness stat by 5, then ambled over to Lady, unhitched her, and saddled her up. Mentally preparing himself, the farmer swung up into the saddle and started off toward the town of Summer Shandy.

Jason lived just a few miles outside of town. It was a walk of several hours when he needed to make the trek, but the journey went much faster when he was on horseback. He spurred Lady onward, and the ground flew by underneath of him as he zoomed off toward the small settlement.

As he drew up to the city, he glanced around. Summer Shandy wasn't large, consisting of a town square, a road radiating outward in each of the four cardinal directions, and a few small houses and shops clustered around the roads. Jason came from the road that ran from the south. The northern road led up past the crypt, then (eventually) on up all the way to

Illumitir. The eastern and western roads led to other small settlements, out on the open plains of the land. The town well sat at the exact center of the square, and the four principal businesses sat around the edges. He glanced longingly at the Guild Hall, where Tess worked, then turned his attention to Paulina's store. It rose high on the western side of the square, two stories of granite blocks and stained-glass windows. A few horses were hitched up outside, and he quickly cantered over, hopped off, and hitched Lady to one of the posts.

He walked through the front door, letting it fall shut behind him with a soft chime. There, he found a handful of people milling throughout the innumerable shelves and aisles of the store, but, more importantly, he found Paulina, Tess, and Theresa standing around the counter. All three looked up at him as he entered, and he smiled and waved.

All three of them were wearing their usual attire. Paulina bore an eggshell blue dress with white trim; Theresa wore a dark red dress (that way, if she was treating someone who had been severely injured, they wouldn't notice their own blood on her clothing); and Tess wore her standard steel armor. None of them looked particularly happy, though Tess did lean over and give him a kiss as he walked up to the counter.

"Hey, there." Tess flashed him a small smile. "I didn't expect to see you in here today."

"Can't say as I was really expecting it, either." Jason chuckled, then glanced at Paulina. "Do you have anything that gets rid of rust? Preferably something really powerful. Oh, and if you happened to have a user's manual for that harvester I own, I'd appreciate it."

"Rust remover I can provide." Paulina nodded at the farming section of the store. "Those little blue cans with the yellow letters. EF-30, I think. Stuff works like magic. The user's manual I'll have to go look for. Do you know the make and model of the harvester?"

Jason frowned. "It was... Ahh..."

"I'll go look it up." Paulina offered and turned to walk into the back. "At least I'll be able to make a few more sales before I'm driven out of business."

As he vanished through a rear door, Jason turned to Tess in confusion. She prepared to explain.

"You know how I told you that the rebuilding of town was going well?"

Jason nodded in confusion. "Yes? Has that changed?"

"Just a bit." Tess looked downcast, then motioned for him to follow. "Come here, see for yourself."

Theresa stayed by the counter as Tess led him through the front door of the shop, then around to the back. The backside of Paulina's store was a lean-to, which was filled with lumber and a number of larger items, such as carriages and pieces of farming equipment. Previously, behind that had been open prairie, stretching out for miles upon miles. Now, instead, there was a large patch of ground that had been cleared away, and planks of wood had been laid out as if preparing for a foundation. No workers were present, but it was obvious that it was a construction site of some sort.

"What's going on here?" Jason crossed his arms. "New store? Surely not..."

His voice trailed off, and Tess nodded. "It seems that everything that happened last year put Summer Shandy on the map. People want to come see the town that successfully repelled the advances of the Dungeon Guild. Adventurers want to come see the dungeon that will be built to satisfy the needs of such an important community. With all the interest, new businesses are taking advantage, as well. This, at least based on what I could pry from Hank, is likely going to be a new general store. Direct competition with Paulina."

Jason looked concerned, then turned and slowly re-entered the store with Tess. Paulina already stood at the counter, items in hand. Jason bought them and transferred the items into his inventory, then shook his head.

"Well, whatever happens, know that I'll always be your loyal customer."

Paulina flashed him a small smile, though her eyes watered. "I just... I..." She sniffed. "What if it's one of those big franchise stores? They have them in all the larger towns. If they put one in here... I've heard the horror stories. They'll lower their prices, since they can afford to take a loss in one store while the other stores hold them up. Everyone goes there, I go out of business, and then they raise their prices back up once they're the only ballgame in town."

Jason nodded slowly, then brightened. "Ahh, don't worry about it! I'm sure it'll all work out. We managed to skirt around things last year. I'm sure we can accidentally set a bonfire or something."

Paulina soured at his words, Tess whacked him upside the head (which hurt quite a great deal, given that she was wearing her steel gauntlets), and Theresa brightened.

"That's what I've been saying!" Theresa grinned.

"I will not be that person." Paulina protested. "Backstabbing and sabotage are how people in the big cities get by."

Jason shrugged. "That's a bit of an exaggeration."

"You know what I mean!" Paulina shook her head. "I'm not going to resort to burning down their place just because I'm afraid of having competition." She lowered her head. "I just... I love it here, and I don't know what I'll do if I have to close down my shop."

Jason nodded and started to turn away, when he came face-to-face with a furious Tess.

"If they start doing something that endangers anyone, I will be the first to lead a crusade to wipe them off the map," Tess snarled. "Until that point, no harming anyone."

Jason nodded and gulped. "Ahh... Right."

Tess held his gaze for a moment longer, then brightened. "You're harvesting tomorrow, right? And then planting the day after that?"

Jason nodded. "You're welcome to come by if you want, but I'll be pretty busy."

"I'll come by on the day after that." Tess nodded. "That'll be the... Seventeenth, I think?"

"It's a date." Jason flashed a small grin, then waved again at Paulina and Theresa and walked out through the door. A few moments later, he was on Lady, cantering back toward his farmstead.

As he rode, a thousand thoughts swirled through his mind. He was frustrated for Paulina's sake, and for his own. He still remembered the crowded streets of Illumitir, and the serene farmer had absolutely no desire to see Summer Shandy grow into anything larger than a quiet farming village. Still, there wasn't much that could really be done about it.

The second thought, however, was somewhat different. The open prairie behind Paulina's store was being developed into something new... What made the prairie around his own farm any different? Could he expand his own farm? Anytime he had tried in the past, he had simple received a message letting him know that it was undeveloped land, but... Was there a way to change that?

It was an interesting thought, to be certain... And it was one he planned on following.

Chapter Three: Thistle Flowers

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 17th day of Summer! 74 days until the Summer Festival! Weather reports indicate that there's likely a severe storm rolling through this evening, possibly with tornados involved. All members of the Guild have been placed on alert, but it would still be wise to prepare accordingly.]

Jason stretched and rolled out of bed, a grin spreading across his face. He walked over to the wardrobe and dressed in his standard overalls, then walked up to the window and pulled the drapes back. It was a wonderful summer morning, with the sky just beginning to brighten. A few small sprouts poked up out of the wheat field as the fruits of the previous day's planting had started to take shape. Hordes of monsters clustered around the fence, and as he watched, several histles and even a tumblewyrm slithered into view.

"Yes!" He exclaimed. The histles, which were essentially snakes with thistle flowers in place of heads, and a good deal of thorns up and down their bodies, were of little concern to him. The tumblewyrms, though, which were small dragons that curled up and rolled around with the wind, were far rarer, and tasted wonderful when basted in gravy. The one he could see started prowling around Lady's stable, hissing and spitting, and Lady drew back inside. She was in no danger, and Jason soon made his way down into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

"Make me... Pancakes!"

With a flash, the dish appeared on the table. He started to eat, and the cookbook flapped its pages inquisitively.

"I've got company coming today." Jason smiled around a mouthful of pancake. The cookbook clapped in excitement, and Jason nodded. "Yep, it's Tess! She's going to come out and help me with some of the work around the farm. Always fun to have her."

The cookbook flapped in agreement, then fell silent as Jason finished his meal, cleaned the dishes, and made his way out the front door.

Truth be told, he didn't have a lot to do that day, but there were always odd jobs around the farm that could use doing. Once Tess arrived, he planned on potting flowers with her for his front porch. That was a fun couple-y thing to do, right? So far, everything with Tess had been easy, but he wanted to make sure it stayed that way. Once they exhausted all the getting-to-know-one-another questions, what would be next? Jason didn't have the foggiest idea, and though he suspected that Jeremiah would be more than willing to help him with ideas, he also wasn't certain that Jeremiah would necessarily be the best person to ask. He could sometimes get a little energetic when it came to Jason's dating, and... Well... Tess was energetic, but not like that.

He struck out into the farm, harvested his garden, put Lady out on the hitching post, then started walking around the farm looking for anything that might need to be done. The apples were almost ready for picking, which was exciting. By the time he'd finished his walk, Tess still hadn't shown up. Feeling a bit agitated, he sat down on his porch and leaned back in his chair, watching the road that led into Summer Shandy. Had she forgotten? Was there trouble? He wondered.

"Howdy, neighbor!" Jeremiah's voice rang through the air. Jason turned and smiled as the man came riding up on his horse, then swung down from the saddle and walked up to Jason's front gate. Jason stood up and headed out to meet him, and the two of them leaned against opposite sides of the fence. The structure swayed a bit, and Jason made a mental note to repair the fence as one of his next large activities.

"Hey, Jeremiah." Jason puffed out his cheeks, then forced a smile. He wished it had been Tess that had come by, but he'd take what he could get. "What's up? You sure seem to come by the place an awful lot."

Jeremiah laughed. "Oh, just imagine if our two houses were reversed. You'd be coming by my house every time you went into town, which I imagine is a decent amount now that you're dating Tess. Of course, you went in quite a bit before that for... You know... Literally every other girl in Summer Shandy, but..."

He laughed, and Jason blushed. "I never did go after Viola. Only even talked to her on a few occasions. She doesn't seem to hang out with the other three nearly as much as they all do."

"Oh, she does her best." Jeremiah chuckled. "That inn keeps her awful busy. The wife and I stayed there a few times, you know, for mini-

vacations and stuff, and it's a nice joint. She doesn't have a lot of staff, though, and her elderly mother lives with her, so it's a lot of back-and-forth for her. She gets out when she can, but she's just got too many responsibilities."

"Fair enough." Jason shrugged. "She seems nice enough, from when I've met her."

"Oh, heart of gold." Jeremiah nodded, then slapped his thigh. "Well, I could stand here jawing all day, but I've got work to do, and I reckon you do, too. This time, I'm actually not heading into town, just had something I wanted to bring by."

Jason blinked, and Jeremiah reached into his pocket and pulled out a small packet of seeds. It was unlabeled, and as Jason took it, he could feel the seeds inside shivering, as if they were bursting with energy and wanted to come roaring out of the paper sack.

"You'll want to hang onto that!" Jeremiah chuckled. "I have a five- pound bag that was delivered to my ranch, didn't realize what they were, and when I tore it open, my hired men and I spent the next six hours chasing them around the ranch!"

"What are they?" Jason dropped the seeds into his own inventory, with the transfer registering as a gift. "Jumping beans?"

"No, though you'd want to hang onto those, as well!" Jeremiah burst out laughing. "Okay, okay. Side story. One time, one of my hired men convinced me to plant some jumping beans, then fed them to the cattle when I wasn't looking. Turns out, jumping beans are magical, and for the next two weeks, there wasn't a fence on the property that could keep those cattle inside. He thought it was the funniest thing in the world. I had to fire him, of course, but... Well... In retrospect, it was rather humorous!"

Jason chuckled as he imagined it, then shook his head. "So, these seeds?"

"Right." Jeremiah nodded. "They're brand-new, developed by some sort of geneticist up in Illumitir. He managed to cross an orchid with some sort of carnivorous plant that someone pulled out of a dungeon, and... Well... Long story short, they're called Mars Monstertraps. Truth be told, they'll eat just about anything they can get their jaws around, so you'll want to watch where you keep Lady if you plant any of them around here, but I've been experimenting with them, and they do wonders to keep down things like crabgrasses, histles, and other stuff like that."

"Really?" Jason gazed at him quizzically. "They just eat the monsters, and that's that?"

"Just that easy!" Jeremiah nodded. "I've been planting them around the outside of my fences. I've got a hundred miles of fence to cover, so I'm not even close to getting all of it done, but the places where I do have them are experiencing far fewer monster attacks. And, best of all, since they're technically classified as monsters instead of plants, you don't really have to worry about managing them after you get them planted. Sure, you have to beat them back every now and again as they start to spread, but they're not like crops that turn undead if you let them spoil."

"Even better." Jason whistled, then nodded. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

"If you have any trouble with them, just let me know." Jeremiah nodded. "Catch you later, neighbor!"

With that, the friendly neighbor pushed back away from the fence, climbed on his horse, and turned around to ride back for his ranch. Jason watched him go, then shrugged and pulled out the seeds. The packet continued to quiver, and he chuckled. If all Jeremiah described was true, it would make his life a lot easier.

By now, it was nearing noon. He sat back down on his porch and waited until almost one o'clock, then, with Tess still not showing, he went inside, fixed himself a small meal, then went back out and started working around his field.

The seed packet only held twenty-five seeds. He peeled the top of the packet open slowly, then took a small trowel and started walking around the edge of the fence, planting one of the seeds at each fencepost. It was a tricky job, as the seeds were covered in small thorns that stung his fingers, and they kept trying to run away as soon as they caught a glimpse of an opening. He had to stop and chase them down on multiple occasions, and even once he got them planted, it wasn't terribly uncommon to find the seeds trying to burrow back up out of the ground if he didn't get them planted firmly enough.

He had gotten ten of the seeds planted when a flash of light glinted off a suit of armor walking into his yard. He grinned and stood, then stomped on one of the seeds that was started to creep out of the hole he had just dropped it into. By the time he got the soil packed down over top of it, Tess stood next to him, and he rose to greet her.

"Tess!" He smiled broadly. His smile faded, though, as he caught side of her rather... Annoyed? Scowl. She shook her head and smiled back at him after a moment, but it was obvious that she was distracted. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry." She sighed. "I know I'm late getting out here, I just... I..."

"You don't seem like you're really here even right now." Jason chuckled.

"That's fair!" Tess laughed softly. "I... I just... Things are a little crazy right now, back in town."

"Well, help me get these seeds planted, and you can tell me all about it over dinner." Jason handed her the trowel. "I'm almost out of actions for the day."

"Oh, right." Tess nodded and shook her head once more. "Let's... Let's do it!"

Working side-by-side, the remaining seeds were soon in the ground. Tess's armor was stained with dirt by the end, and they both had a bit of a laugh at it. Jason then brought out the flowerpots and tulip bulbs, and they worked until nearly dinnertime. Jason finally used up his last action, and Tess looked down at her dirt-covered armor.

"I look like I just went through the Dungeon of the Mud Worms." Tess chuckled as they walked into the house. "I'm going to go wash up, if that's okay."

"Be my guest. I'll get food on the table." Jason walked into the kitchen, and soon had a steaming bowl of spaghetti and sauce sitting at the ready. The utensils were set out, and he leaned against the counter as Tess came walking back in.

"Now that's not something you see every day!" He whistled as Tess blushed. She was wearing a dress, and not a dress made out of armor. It was yellow, completed with several embroidered flowers and vines. She blushed again and sat down, and Jason sat down across from her. "I don't know if I've ever seen you without some form of armor on."

"Paulina convinced me." Tess chuckled nervously. "Do... Do you like it?"

"I do!" Jason flashed a grin, then sobered. "Now, tell me what's going on."

"Oh, I don't know." Tess took a large serving of noodles and dropped them onto her plate.

"Yes, you do." Jason countered. "You just don't want to tell me because you're trying to seem... Ladylike."

"Are you saying I'm not ladylike?" Tess's face darkened.

"No!" Jason protested. "Just that... I don't know. I love the warrior maiden who saved Summer Shandy. You're not Paulina, or Theresa, or Viola, and if you try to be any of them, you won't be... You. You can tell me what's-"

Tess's face darkened even more, though Jason had the distinct impression that it wasn't at him. "In that case, the new store that's being built is a fraud, and the new dungeon design is only going to get people killed!"

Jason brightened. "Now that's the Tess I... What?"

He blinked in surprise, and Tess rolled her eyes before continuing. "Construction on the new store is proceeding rapidly. As soon as the rain a few days ago went past, they brought in a full crew. I just... I... I might have sneaked a look at the blueprints, and..."

Jason flashed a small smile. "And what was that about staying above the law?"

"I didn't take anything, and the land is technically still owned by the city while the paperwork goes through, so I wasn't even trespassing." Tess glared at him. "That's not the important part. I was looking through the blueprint, and..." Her voice lowered. "It's being funded by the Dungeon Guild."

Jason scratched his head. "Trying to recoup their losses?"

"No!" Tess scowled. "I don't know what they're doing! They've never delved into commerce before, but I'm certain that they're trying to extract their revenge against Summer Shandy."

"Did you talk to Constable Hank about it?"

Tess rolled her eyes. "I did. To quote, it 'couldn't be used in court.' What does it matter if it can be used it court? Get a posse together and run them out of town!"

Jason just chuckled softly, and Tess shrugged. "Anyway, that's annoying, but at least I know. No one else saw me, so I should be able to watch them from a distance without them suspecting a thing. More importantly, a representative from the Dungeon Guild came by yesterday and talked through some of the plans for the new crypt with me."

"You learned more about the new system they're implementing?"

"Yes." Tess scowled. "It's... Well, it's original, I'll give them that much."

"As dangerous as last time?"

"Maybe? I can't tell." Tess shrugged. "Instead of monsters just spawning into certain locations in this dungeon, the spawning system will use something called eggs. They might look like actual eggs, but most likely, they'll look like crystals or gold coins or something. After someone enters the dungeon, the eggs will start to hatch on a timer. If an explorer moves quickly, he or she can get to the eggs before they hatch, though I'm led to believe that this will be fairly difficult. At least in theory, most warriors won't really notice a difference, but on the back end of things, it will mean that fewer monsters are actually spawned in at any given time, which affects a handful of different skills and abilities."

"I'll pretend that I understood that." Jason flashed a small smile. "What are you worried about?"

"The fact that the eggs won't register as monsters," Tess explained. "If someone can get to them, they'll be able to store the eggs in their inventory and take them out of the dungeon. I mean, the representative assured me that the eggs couldn't be acquired using standard means, but I'll admit that I'm rather skeptical."

"Interesting." Jason reassured his partner, "If there's anyone who can sort through it all, it'll be you."

Tess smiled faintly at Jason. "Thanks for your confidence. I just... I'm scared. This town took a beating last year, and that was when we knew what the danger was. The Dungeon Guild is planning something, and I don't know if we'll be able to survive it."

"We'll come through all right." Jason smiled. "I know it. You'll lead us through, and I'll be here to help."

"I'm glad for it," Tess acknowledged. "Oh, I hope this goes better than last year."

Jason nodded grimly. He, too, hoped that things went better than the year before. He loved Tess immensely, and if she lost herself in her work, well... What could a poor farmer have to offer when the going got so rough? Outside the house, thunder began to boom in the distance. Desperately, he began to pray that the storm would never penetrate those dusty, welcoming halls.

Chapter Four: Cattle Stream

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 23rd day of Summer! 68 days until the Summer Festival! There's a cattle drive coming through the town today, so make sure to keep your kids off the street. For that matter, it probably wouldn't hurt to keep yourself off the street, unless you don't mind being flattened under a herd of angry bovines.]

Jason chuckled as he read the message, then rolled out of bed and ran to the window. Cattle were already starting to stream down the road, with Jeremiah's hired men riding alongside the herd, keeping them straight. Jason grinned, then changed clothes, ran down the stairs three at a time, skipped breakfast, and dashed out into the yard. There, the thundering hooves shook the ground, and the soft lowing of cattle echoed through the air. He brought out Lady and hitched her up, then sat down on the porch to watch.

"Howdy, neighbor!" Jeremiah called out as he came walking past on his horse, smiling broadly as the herd assembled. "How goes it today?"

"Good as ever!" Jason called back. "You look like you've got your hands full!"

"It's a day, all right! We had a streak of twins, so we've got quite the herd today!" Jeremiah pulled out a handkerchief and mopped his brow. "You're more than welcome to come along if you'd like. I could use the extra hand, and you're good with the cattle."

"I'll be right there!" Jason grinned, then ran to Lady, saddled her, and quickly climbed up. With that, they set off, and soon rode alongside the rumbling herd.

Driving cattle, despite how chaotic it looked, was relatively easy. As long as the leaders went in the right direction, the rest tended to follow. The job of the men on horseback was to ensure that no other aspiring leaders broke away and took the herd in a different direction. Jason inhaled deeply as he trotted along, keeping an eye on the great, thousand-pound beasts.

As the herd reached Summer Shandy, the residents of the town all came out en masse to watch the procession. Mothers hugged their children tightly, for even though the cattle were friendly, they were also enormously large. Fathers called out to their friends among Jeremiah's hired men. Jeremiah himself seemed to be waving at everyone. There were few people who couldn't count him among their acquaintances, that was for sure.

Jason's eyes narrowed as he came up to the town, though. Just behind Paulina's store, scaffolding rose high into the sky. It looked as if the new store was going to be built up at least a dozen feet taller than Paulina's own shop. Dozens of men clustered on the ladders and planks of wood, and they were working steadily even as Jason watched. Ahead, Jeremiah slowed and allowed his horse to trot to one side, and Jason joined him as they gazed up at the structure.

"Quite a building, isn't it?" Jeremiah whistled softly. "If it wasn't for poor Paulina, I might consider shopping there myself. You can say what you will about the franchises from the big cities, but they do have good deals. Why, the last time I was in Illumitir... You remember that whole business, with the illness?" Jason nodded. "Well, I went into this store, and there was a fruit tree that they were selling that had apples, pears, peaches, and plums. I never saw such a thing, but there it was! You only get that sort of thing in..."

Jason quit listening as he watched a woman come marching out of Paulina's store. She was no local, that was for certain. Her dress was elegant and fluffed out, billowing into an enormous bell that had to be as wide as she was tall. It was pink and gold and covered in frills, and she wore a hat that looked rather like a bird's nest. Paulina burst from the store a second later, tears streaming down her face.

"...love one of those things for the farm, you know? I don't know what we'd do with it, but-"

"Jeremiah?" Jason cut in. "Look."

Jeremiah quit talking and instead joined his neighbor in focusing on the interaction between the two women. As they watched, though they couldn't hear what was being said over the thunder of the hooves, they could see Paulina begging the woman for something. In response, she turned and pulled a small whip out of her inventory.

At that, Jason blanched. It was something he had seen among the upper classes in Illumitir. It was designed to scare away stray dogs, the

lower class, or really anything that the snobbish upper class didn't want to touch themselves. Before Jason could react, the woman cracked the whip down across Paulina's shoulder, tearing a long rip into the blue dress. Paulina shrieked and backed into her store, sobbing as she did so. The woman watched her go, then stuck her nose up in the air and marched back toward the new construction.

"The new owner?" Jeremiah turned and frowned at Jason.

Jason shrugged. "Seems like it."

"You know, I'd never hit a woman, but I've never wanted to do so

more than right now." Jeremiah sighed, then cupped his hands around his mouth. "Theresa!"

The door to the Healer's Den, which was only a few feet away, swung suddenly open. Theresa came running out, concern written on her face.

"Yes?"

"Paulina needs help." Jeremiah took a deep breath. "And... Oh, I reckon a bunch of other people are about to need it, too."

Theresa's eyes narrowed. "You know I can't sanction whatever it is you're about to do."

"You will, once you're done with Paulina." Jeremiah spurred his horse onward. "Jason, get ready to help with cleanup."

"Cleanup with what?" Jason asked.

Jeremiah gave no answer, but he rode faster. The cattle were driven through the town square, then along the road that ran west from the town, just to the north of Paulina's store. That road also, now, ran just north of the new construction.

Jeremiah pushed his way through the herd, until he stood just to the north of the road, directly across from the new construction. He then, as workers milled about and the snobbish woman began marching through the building observing everything, pulled a rifle out of his inventory, aimed it at the sky, and fired.

The result was instantaneous. The cattle spooked and bolted, with the ones directly in front of Jeremiah turning and crashing straight into the heart of the new building. Jason could hear the woman's scream over and above the noise of the chaos, a fact that made him rather happy. Workers scattered, and a great number of boards began to crack and split.

"Oh, no!" Jeremiah called out loudly as the construction site erupted into utter insanity. "Whatever has happened? Quick, my hired men... Go get everything back on track!"

The hired men, working quickly, kept the cattle who were still in line from spooking and got them back on track. They did not, however, seem particularly interested in rounding up the twenty or so cattle that were now barging recklessly through the construction site. Theresa came running around the corner of Paulina's store as the woman came stumbling out, holding her nose and screaming. Theresa promptly ignored her and rushed over to a worker who lay on the ground moaning, then turned and glared up at Jason.

Rather reluctantly, Jason spurred Lady into motion and trotted up to the open doors. Outer walls had been constructed around the entirety of the structure, which rather penned the cattle in quite nicely and made it easy for them to just run back and forth, destroying everything. Workers clung to rafters, while scaffolding lay in splintered heaps beneath them. Other workers simply raced back and forth, screaming and diving out of the way as the cattle became angry and chased them down.

"All right, all right!" Jeremiah called as he walked up to the doorway. He pulled a large chunk of hay out of his inventory, waving it in the air. Instantly, the cattle turned and started running over to him, and they calmed down as he fed them the treat right then and there.

"Alfalfa," he explained to Jason. "There's not a treat in the world that they like more, except for maybe sugar cubes. I buy mine from a farmer way out west, where it's dryer and a bit better-suited for such crops."

Jason nodded slowly as Jeremiah simply started chatting about the herd of cattle. Finally, as they finished, he stepped around behind them and drove them back through the doors and into the main herd. They joined in the procession and started trotting along toward the large, portable pens that had been set up for the sale, and Jason just shook his head and chuckled.

"I demand an explanation!" The woman, whose nose was indeed bleeding, came stumbling up.

"And who might you be, ma'am?" Jeremiah asked with a drawl that he didn't seem to normally exhibit.

"I, for your information, am Lady Benford, of the House of Benford from Illumitir!" The woman sniffed and tilted her nose back even further, if that were even possible. "I demand to know why you intentionally drove

these cattle into my new establishment! I hope you know that I intend to sue, and I shall bring all due processes of law against you!"

Jeremiah simply doffed his hat. "Your pardon, ma'am. I just saw a snake, and I fired the gun to take care of the problem."

At that, Lady Benford seemed to pale. "A snake! Did you kill it?"

Jeremiah glanced at Jason and let the corner of his mouth twitch upward. "Unfortunately, no. Injured it, though."

"I suppose that will have to do." Lady Benford shivered. "Oh, I do hate this dreadful place. So uncivilized! Will this be a regular occurrence, do you think?"

"That likely depends on the snake, ma'am. If it changes its way, stops striking people, I imagine I'd get along just fine with it."

"Yes, but such animals rarely stop behaving like... Animals." Lady Benford shuddered.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, ma'am."

"Well, I do hope you know that, despite how polite you're trying to be, I do intend to take this to court." Lady Benford shook her head. "There must be some sort of proper law imposed on this land. You'll thank me in the long run, I assure you of it."

"If, my good madam, I ever thank you for such a thing, I imagine that such a day will be marked by nothing less than the end of the world."

Lady Benford humphed, then turned to her work. Jeremiah and Jason slowly walked back out into the sunlight, then burst out laughing as soon as they were out of earshot. They were still laughing when Tess came walking up, glaring fire at Jason.

"That was really stupid, you know that, right?"

Jason shrugged. "Yeah, but it was funny."

"What about all the workers you hurt?"

Jeremiah shrugged. "Theresa's getting them patched up. You told

me just a few days ago that... Oh, and you should have seen Paulina!"

"I did," Tess confided. "If we do anything this overt to them again, they could have us brought to trial. If that happens, they could run us out of town without ever having to destroy the place. Don't give them that

chance."

Jason stifled himself as she turned and walked away, then started

laughing with Jeremiah as she strode into town.

Had it been a bit juvenile? Maybe... But, then again, far worse was whipping a fellow storeowner because you practically considered her a dog. Jason's resolve began to harden, and he glared at the new store. Whatever its purpose was, it spelled nothing but trouble, he was sure of that.

Whatever Tess said, he was going to do everything in his power to ensure that the Dungeon Guild, or whoever truly owned the place, wasn't in a position to hurt, maim, or kill anyone else.

Chapter Five: Perfect Weather

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 39th day of Summer! 52 days until the Summer Festival! Expect blazing hot weather for the next two weeks, without a drop of rain! Perfect weather for fires to rage out of control. Anyone in charge of a construction project involving large amounts of wood should probably be careful.]

Jason blinked and yawned, then rolled out of bed and climbed to his feet. That, of course, was when he bumped quite firmly into the suit of armor standing there. Tess gazed at him with an odd look, and he screamed and jumped back into his bed.

"It's just me." She rolled her eyes. "You'd think you'd get used to that by now."

"First off, that's only the second time I've woken up to find you standing in my room, so I hardly think you can say that I should be used to it." Jason tried to calm his racing heart. "Secondly, what would you do if you woke up and found someone standing next to your bed?"

"Probably stab them," Tess admitted. "You don't sleep with a dagger under your pillow, though."

"If we ever get married, you'd better not do that, either." Jason shuddered, then climbed back down onto the floor. "What's the special occasion?"

Tess replied, "I just haven't been able to see you for the past few days, so I thought I'd come spend the day with you."

Jason nodded and flashed a small smile. Indeed, it had been the better part of a week since he'd seen Tess at all. He'd only gone into town once, and she had been busy with Guild business.

"Well, you get dressed, and I'll get some breakfast on the table." Tess turned and started to walk out the door. "I bought you some new recipes from Paulina. Hope you don't mind."

With that, she left, closing the door behind her. He changed quickly into overalls, then made his way down to join her in the kitchen. To his

delight, a platter of biscuits sat in the middle of the table, along with a large bowl of sausage gravy.

"You mentioned that you'd been struggling to cook anything with sausage." Tess shrugged. "I'm pretty sure you mentioned sausage and gravy specifically, but I can't remember for sure."

"Yes!" Jason grinned and sat down, inhaling deeply. After a moment, he looked up at Tess in confusion. "How were you able to cook the sausage?"

At that, Tess laughed. "I saw all your burnt sausage recipes. I do have to ask... Fried sausage and apples?"

"I was getting desperate." Jason shrugged. "Now, the secret. Spill it."

Tess shrugged. "You need to use a cast-iron pan."

Jason blinked. "You can change out the pans on your stove?"

Tess nodded and picked up the large, black pan that now sat on the

oven. She then nodded toward the silver pan that had been serving him so well ever since moving into the home. When he continued to stare at it, aghast, she laughed and sat down to join him.

"Now, in due fairness, your lack of discovery on the matter did help you escape Leonard last year." She pointed a fork at him as they started to eat.

"Yeah, only because you left me with a homicidal maniac," Jason grumbled.

"Hey, I did what I had to do," Tess retorted good-naturedly. "You survived."

"Barely."

Tess laughed, and Jason did the same. They both tucked into their meal, and soon finished the hearty breakfast. Then, together, they walked out into the already-blazing sun of that morning.

The sun had barely crested the horizon, but already, the heat was making Jason start to sweat. There wasn't an ounce of wind, it was just... Hot. Hot and muggy.

"All right." Tess clapped her armored hands, not seeming to care about the heat. "Where do we start?"

Jason began, "Today's actually going to be a pretty light day. I don't harvest for a few more days, so a lot of what I'm doing is... Hey! Would you look at that!"

He strode off toward the field, where the Mars Monstertraps had started growing. They had sprouted several weeks earlier but had only recently flowered and started putting on heads. Now, this morning, they had finally matured, and they looked ready to go about their business.

Each of the twenty-five plants now stood about three feet tall, and each had between one and three primary stalks. The tops of the stalks held heads that looked largely like the flytrap plants that Jason had seen in years past, except that... well... they were a lot larger. Each one was almost six inches across and had two spindly eyestalks that swiveled back and forth.

As Jason watched, a crabgrass started skittering toward one of the monstertraps, and the plant responded in kind. It lashed out, snatching up the small beast and devouring it in a single gulp. Jason whistled... At least until the monstertrap turned in Jason's direction, and it began to send several runner vines along the ground, stretching toward his feet. Jason took a few steps back, and the runners retreated, wrapping themselves around the stems of the plant until they were almost invisible.

"What in the world are those things?" Tess gasped.

"Mars Monstertraps," Jason chuckled. "Jeremiah gave me a few of them as a test. They're supposed to be quite helpful when dealing with monsters."

"I'll say!" Tess exclaimed. "Do... Will you be harvesting seeds from them?"

Jason nodded. "They'll start seeding as soon as they start eating. The number of seeds they produce is equal to the number of monsters they eat. And... Look there!"

He pointed down to the base of the stalk, where a small sack had formed. It was a yellowish color, merely the size of a small coin. As more crabgrasses started to shuffle onto the farm for the morning, the monstertraps started to feed, munching up everything that came close. This, of course, only attracted more of the inquisitive crabgrasses. Jason chuckled as they were devoured left and right, and bits and pieces of uneaten crabgrass splattered across the ground.

"Do you mind if I take a few seeds back to the Guild Hall with me?" Tess glanced at Jason. "Those would go wonderfully with the decor of the place."

"Go for it." Jason nodded. "We just have to... ah... get the seeds off the plants."

Tess chuckled and drew her sword. "That should be easy enough." "I do still need them alive. You know, for monster protection?"

Tess sighed, then sheathed the sword. "All right, then, mister farmer.

You go first. Show me how it's done."

Jason took a deep breath, then rushed forward at one of the plants.

He was hoping to take it by surprise, but... Well... All three heads noticed him. Runners lashed out from the base of the stem, and he was suddenly tripped up as they wrapped around his ankles and dropped him firmly to the ground. He was yanked the remaining distance to the plant, and all three heads chomped down on his leg.

"YOW!" He screamed as their teeth chomped through his overalls and into his leg. They started twisting and yanking, trying to tear off chunks of flesh, and he snarled and drew his own sword, hacking at the mutinous plant. The monstertraps dodged the clumsy attack, then spat him back out when it became clear that he wasn't going to be an easy meal. As he lay there on the ground, Tess walked over and helped him up. The heads hissed at her but didn't attack.

"Maybe now they're pacified?" Jason guessed and started inching forward once again. The monstertraps began to hiss once more, and he paused until they had calmed down, then he lunged forward toward the seed pods. They reacted instantly, lashing out and snapping at his face. He was forced to withdraw after getting a far too up-close look at the gullet of the monster, and he fell back to stand next to Tess.

"Now, will you let me?" She smirked at him.

"Oh... Yes." Jason scowled.

Tess equipped her helmet, then walked forward slowly and

purposefully. The three heads of the plant snapped at her, striking at her metal carapace, but they were unable to do any significant harm. She simply strode up to the Mars Monstertraps, reached down, and plucked the seed pod into her inventory. At that, the monstertrap went wild, striking at Tess with every bit of fury in its photosynthetic body. Tess merely laughed and retreated, then handed the seed pod to Jason.

"Easy as pie," she gloated.

"I'm not sure what kind of pie you like to eat, but I'm fairly certain I don't want any." Jason snorted, then nodded at the fence. "Shall we get a few of these planted?"

Tess nodded, and they quickly started working their way down the row. It was easy work with the two of them, even when seeds managed to escape their grasp and go skittering away. They would work together to chase them down, and as often as not, the pair wound up falling over one another, laughing at their plight.

Eventually, they got all the seeds in the ground. Jason had used almost half of his actions, and as they made their way back to the established monstertraps, he found their seed pods already bulging from the enormous quantities of monsters that they were devouring. Jason shook his head as he saw the sacks growing.

"How big will they grow before they... ahh... burst?" Tess ventured to ask him.

"I'm not sure, though I'm becoming a bit more nervous about that prospect." Jason frowned. "Not much you can do about it, though. They're clearing up the farm, and that's enough for me."

Tess helped him harvest the remaining sacks, then pocketed about thirty of the seeds for use back at the Guild Hall. The rest were transferred into Jason's inventory, and they leaned against the fence as the sun started to set. Their actions had been exhausted, and both of them were breathing fairly heavily.

"I'll consider that a day's work." Jason nodded. "Not what I planned to do, certainly, but it was..."

"Fun?" Tess offered. "Exhilarating?"

"I was going to say peaceful." Jason offered. "It was... It was nice getting to work with you."

"You, too." Tess agreed. "Unfortunately, I think it'll be a week or more until I can come back out."

"Trouble in town?"

"Nothing I can't handle. I hope.," Tess affirmed. "That snobbish... Oh, don't remember what her name is. The owner of Paulina's new competition, she's causing trouble again. Part of the reason I came out today is because I think things are about to get ugly."

Jason grimaced. "I hope it's not because of Jeremiah's actions."

"Don't pin it all on him. You were right there at his side, and you were loving it." Tess pointed a finger at him, but she smiled as she said it. Her smile faded quickly, though. "No, that's not the trouble. She did try to take Jeremiah to court, but Constable Hank dismissed the case out of hand.

She, of course, accused him of showing favoritism and threatened to take the matter to a higher court, but he called her bluff, and she backed down. She doesn't want any more attention than necessary, though it does seem like she's willing to make a fuss if she feels the need."

Jason nodded slowly, then pressed a bit harder. "So... What's the problem?"

"The problem is what Theresa discovered on all the workers." Tess revealed. "I have to admit, you did us a favor, though you didn't know it. Most of them refused treatment, but a few of them were battered so badly that Theresa just had to do something. On every single one she examined, she found a tattoo of the Dungeon Guild's logo. It was in all sorts of different places, but usually on the forearm."

Jason whistled. "They're all working for the Dungeon Guild? Since when did the high-flying Dungeon Guild learn how to do construction?"

"I think they're slaves," Tess whispered. "I can't prove it, and Constable Hank forbade me from examining them again, but..."

"Isn't slavery illegal?!" Jason exclaimed.

"Very illegal," Tess agreed. "I've never heard of anyone getting away with it in a civilized country, not for a hundred years or more, but... I just have a suspicion. You know why most people in this land don't have any tattoos?"

Jason felt unsure. "You see a lot of them up in Illumitir."

"Yeah, where you have lots of gangs and cults," Tess hissed. "Tattoos are almost always magical. When you get one, especially if it's the symbol of a gang or an organization, it gives that group power over you. That power can take different forms, but... It's scary all the things they can do to you. I've seen warriors who got tattoos of dragons, and when they walked into the wrong dungeon..." She shuddered. "I'm telling you, the Dungeon Guild either tricked a bunch of people into getting tattooed, or they forced it onto them. They're all slaves, I'm sure of it."

Jason nodded slowly and let out a long breath. "How's construction coming along?"

"The store's set to open in three days. You should come and make sure to visit Paulina when it goes up; I think she'll need all the support she can get."

"I'll be there."

They stood there for a long moment, then gazed into each other's eyes. Jason could hardly pull himself away from the deep wells of Tess's eyes. They were a dark brown and seemed to hold a wisdom and pain deeper than anything Jason had ever experienced before. After a few seconds, Tess let out a long breath.

"I should be going."

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Jason motioned toward his house. "I'd love to, but I promised Paulina I'd meet with her. We're all

going over to Viola's inn to try and cheer her up."

Jason nodded slowly, and Tess started to walk away. Before she got

too far, though, Jason reached out and took her hand.

"You're... I love what you're doing for Paulina." He flashed a small

smile. "You really are the protector of the town."

Tess said nothing, but she allowed herself to be pulled back in for a

kiss. As they pulled apart, Jason encouraged his partner, "Go. Be the hero everyone needs you to be."

Tess flashed a small smile, then turned and started walking away. As she left, though, a single thought began to trickle through Jason's mind.

If the Dungeon Guild really was up to something in Summer Shandy, it was a certainty that whatever they were doing with the new General Store was only the opening salvo. If they could successfully challenge Paulina, who had helped out with the defense of Summer Shandy the previous year, who would be next? Theresa? Jason? Tess herself?

And, more importantly... What would those attacks look like? Would they be able to see them in time to

Chapter Six: Special Sale

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 42nd day of Summer! 49 days until the Summer Festival! We're almost halfway through the season, folks! Wouldn't you know, just to celebrate that fact, Paulina is running a special sale over at her store! Everyone who needs anything should come check it out, you won't want to miss out on the fun!]

Jason yawned as he rolled out of bed. He walked up to the window, where the wheat waved golden and ready for the harvest. He really needed to start cutting it or he was going to lose some of the yield of the crop, but... Such things couldn't be helped. He had to support Paulina, and that was just the long and the short of it.

He walked over to his wardrobe and put on a tunic that, while hardly being high-brow, certainly wasn't his hard-worn work clothes. He strode down into the kitchen and ate a quick breakfast of eggs, then strode out the front door. Lady was already nickering at the door, and he fed her some oats, then sat back to wait for her.

"Howdy, neighbor!" Jeremiah came trotting in the driveway. "You're heading up to support Paulina, I presume?"

"Did Tess ask you, too?" Jason chuckled.

"Between Tess and Theresa, I don't think there's anyone in the county that hasn't been asked." Jeremiah laughed. "She also asked me to bring along a cannon for Paulina to examine, so it could accidentally go off and blow a hole through the Guild store, but..."

"The Guild store?" Jason chortled. "She's not even going to pretend it's a general store anymore?"

"She's pretty well convinced that it's the Dungeon Guild. Hank had to threaten her with jail time in order to get her to shut up. He's afraid that if snub-nose hears, she might try to launch a defamation lawsuit."

"Really bringing out the big guns, I see." Jason chuckled.

"It's really no laughing matter, all things considered," Jeremiah opined, bringing the conversation back to a tone of solemnity. Jason,

meanwhile, opened the door to Lady's stall and took her out, then quickly saddled her and climbed on up. As they trotted out the driveway, Jeremiah continued. "Lawsuits can be dangerous things. We can laugh and joke about blowing the place up all we want, but if Tess is right..." He let his voice trail off, and Jason nodded.

"I've thought about it myself. If we take any action against them before they strike, they can just claim that we're attacking them without provocation, and they win. If we wait until they strike, they'll have managed to push through whatever dastardly plan they're... well... trying to push through."

"All told, it doesn't leave us with many options." Jeremiah felt frustrated, then optimistic. "Still, I have Weatherhand running some tests to see if a stray cannonball could reach all the way to town, and we can always go support Paulina."

"That much, we can!" Jason smiled as they rode out onto the path. Suddenly, though, something snapped out of the grass at him, and Lady leapt to the side, nearly crashing into Jeremiah and his horse. Jason frowned and spun, where he saw a small Mars Monstertrap growing out of the ditch.

"Now, that's a problem." Jeremiah whistled. "Have you been harvesting the seed pods every day?"

"I've been trying to," Jason lamented. "I have a hundred or so spaced out around the fence now. Do you have any idea how hard it is to harvest a hundred of those seed pods every day? For that matter, do you know how hard it is to harvest one of those seed pods per day?"

Jeremiah just chuckled. "I've still got a scar on my arm from the last time I tried it. Still..." He pulled out his rifle and fired across the prairie. In response, several hundred Monstertrap heads poked up out of the grass, then withdrew when they realized that there was no easy prey. "That's a problem."

"I'll take care of it as soon as I can," Jason affirmed. "Right now, we've got to get into Paulina's store."

"Yes!"

They spurred their horses onward, and they were soon riding into Summer Shandy's town square. The whole town seemed abuzz with energy... and everyone they saw was walking right past Paulina's store and on to the new, upstart business.

As Jason tilted his head back to look at it, he did have to admit that it was impressive. It rose high above Paulina's own store, and it looked to be made of thick stone blocks cemented together with a white mortar. It was a veneer, a few inches of coating plastered over the wooden walls, but it did look impressive. Jason and Jeremiah forced their horses through the throngs of crowds, came up to the front door of Paulina's store, and were soon walking inside.

"A customer!" Tess's voice rang out. "See? Someone did come!"

Jason felt sad to see that Tess and Theresa both stood by the counter, where Paulina lay slumped in a heap. Her head lay next to the cash register, and her hair looked to be tangled. As she raised her head, she glared at Jeremiah and Jason.

"You asked them to come in."

"I did no such thing!" Theresa exclaimed.

"Not you. Her." Paulina scowled. "They're not real customers."

"As a matter of fact, I do need some supplies!" Jeremiah smiled.

"My wife and I are about to celebrate our twentieth wedding anniversary. I need an expensive gift for her, and probably a cake."

"You've been here enough. You know where to find it all." Paulina lowered her head back to the counter. As Jeremiah walked into the back, she called out again. "I know your anniversary isn't until the fall! Day 57, if I'm not mistaken!"

"So, I'm getting ready early!" Jeremiah called back. "Trust me, you do not want to see my wife when I'm even a single day late. Better safe than sorry!"

Jason laughed, and Theresa giggled, but Tess and Paulina remained stoic. After a moment, Paulina pushed herself upright. "Jason, would you do me a favor?"

"Ahh... Probably?" Jason held up his hands. "As long as it doesn't require me to break the law, betray Tess, or-"

"Go check out the new store." Paulina sighed. "Please? I just... I have to know if it's as great as it seems to be."

Jason glanced at Tess, who just shook her head.

"They won't go." Paulina glared. "They say that it'll only hurt me. I just... I have to know, but I can't bear to set a foot in the place myself."

Jason kicked at the floorboards. Tess glared at him, and he glanced at Paulina.

"I said that it couldn't make me betray Tess."

Theresa laughed again, then sobered as both Tess and Paulina glared at her. After a moment, Jason acquiesced.

"If it's really what you want, I'll go."

Paulina inclined her head, and Jason slowly backed up and soon stood in the street. For a moment, he hesitated, then turned and followed the crowds streaming over to the brand-new store.

As he walked up to it, he had to admit to himself that he felt more than a small feeling of awe. The grand sign over the door read, proudly, "The General Store." It was simple, but it also claimed, by its simple name, precedence over any competitors in town. He groaned as he walked up to the entrance, then, with a deep breath, walked inside.

It was... enormous. The ceiling rose all the way up to the highest point of the roof, providing a towering canopy that left one with a feeling of awe. Stuffed monsters hung from the walls, and in the exact center, a statue of a soldier faced down a taxidermic dragon. Not a large dragon, mind you, but it was certainly impressive.

The rear of the store seemed to hold its warehouse and offices, just behind a long counter where three full cash registers had been placed. Half a dozen workers stood there, while more bustled about, stocking shelves. Jason whistled, especially as excited men and women ran back and forth, looking at everything.

With that, though, he frowned. The merchandise was, for lack of a better term... lacking. Despite having a floor plan nearly twice as large as Paulina's store, the shelves were widely spaced-out, and they seemed to largely hold the same things of a variety of brands. There was one aisle that sold nothing but daggers. There were loads of different types of daggers, certainly, but... They were, for all intents and purposes, the same.

The same was true of the rest of the store. There was an aisle with candy, but it all looked brightly colored and poorly flavored. There were a handful of dungeon supplies, but nothing more than some basic healing items and other such trivialities. There was a smattering of farm supplies, but at a glance, the seeds were all overpriced, and the tools looked like they would fall apart if they struck a stone.

"May I help you?" A familiar voice echoed in his ear. He spun to find himself staring at Lady Benford, clothed in a green dress that was no less garish than the one she had been wearing the first time they had met.

"No, I'm just looking around." He crossed his arms. The woman obviously didn't recognize him. After all, it was difficult to tell one stray dog from another. "In particular, I was looking at your farming tools."

"Ahh, you're a patron of the rich agricultural history of our land!" Lady Bendord swept over to the display. "What in particular were you looking for?"

"Oh, nothing specific," Jason fought the urge to smile. "I was just looking at your horseshoes. My horse, Lady, is about to need a new pair."

"Then you've come to the right place!"

"Have I?" Jason stroked his chin. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's not ordinary steel." He walked up and traced his finger along one of the shinier horseshoes. "It's brighter, and you probably make more sales, but that probably comes at the price of less carbon in the recipe when you forged it. I could be mistaken, but I believe that lowers the durability from 500 to 400. Not a huge issue, if you're not looking for top quality, but I seem to clearly see that sign stating that your horseshoes are all set at 500 durability."

He turned back to Lady Benford, and was delighted to find that her face had turned quite red. Other customers had taken notice, and he shrugged.

"Now, to be fair, you can avoid getting in trouble with the Merchant's Guild since you do have a single 500 durability horseshoe on display..." He pointed to a rather dull-looking shoe off in the corner, nearly tucked behind the end cap. "But you do have to admit that your sign is a little deceptive."

Lady Benford's face kept a smile plastered on, even as she strode forward and hissed in Jason's ear.

"You tread carefully, son."

"Oh, I am." Jason nodded. "When I see a snake, I always tread on it."

With that, Lady Benford turned and swept away, vanishing into the crowd. Her cheery, too-high voice echoed out through the store a moment later, and Jason chuckled. That had worked well, in his opinion!

He turned and walked back out of the store, stepping into the sunlight and taking a deep breath. A few people who had witnessed the event followed, but the majority continued to sweep into the new establishment. Moments later, Jason was back inside Paulina's store, where

Tess continued to glare at him. Jeremiah was checking out at the counter, and Theresa was nowhere to be seen.

"How bad is it?" Paulina whispered.

Jason waved his hand dismissively. "It won't be a problem. It's flashy, I'll give it that, but their merchandise is garbage, and there's hardly anything inside the store to begin with. Maybe it could get by on show and flair alone up in Illumitir, but people here will quit going as soon as they actually buy anything. Oh! And it's crazy overpriced. A hundred shandys for a packet of seeds! Have you ever heard of such a rip-off?"

At that, Paulina brightened. "You're not just saying that?"

Jason reassured her, "Go check it out yourself."

"I'll pass, but I do trust you. I know you'll shoot straight with me."

Paulina seemed relieved. "I guess that's that, then. I'll just wait, and... I have enough savings to get by for a little while."

Jason nodded. "I mean, what's the worst that can happen? I survived on almost nothing for quite a while. Shrump meat isn't great, but it'll get you by."

Paulina gagged. "Yeah, but rent requires regular payments. I have about three months of it saved up, but if I'm not able to get sales back after that, I'm going to be facing eviction, or worse. Bankruptcy."

"Well, we won't let that happen to you!" Jeremiah promised. "Will we? You'll do just fine, I'm sure of it."

Tess nodded firmly. "Yeah. Trust us, Paulina. I know you're scared, but it'll work out okay. She can't buy your store out from underneath of you, and people know quality when they see it." She flashed a small smile. "After all, what's the worst that could

Chapter Seven: Gravy Train on Biscuit Wheels

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 49th day of Summer! 42 days until the Summer Festival! It's going to be a stormy one today, folks! If you don't have to leave the house, don't! If you have someone you can visit, get there before the worst of the storm hits, then bunker down and enjoy!]

Jason chuckled as he read the entry. It was a subtle hint, one that no one else would get. After spending several days cheering up Paulina, Tess and Jason had set up another date. The storm had been pegged several days earlier, and they had chosen it as a good day to just hang out. She would be coming over to help him work on decorating the house, getting it more... How did she put it? Civilized?

He chuckled and rolled out of bed, and he was somewhat surprised when he didn't find his partner standing in the room. Oh, well. She had mentioned that there might be some guild business she had to deal with in the morning. He could wait. He walked over to the wardrobe and changed into overalls, then walked up to the window.

Rain was coming down in sheets, blanketing the farmyard. He could hardly even see Lady's stable, though he knew that she would be nice and dry. He took a deep breath, then slowly tromped down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"I'm heading out to take care of Lady, then I'll be back inside for the day," he called out to the cookbook. "Make me some biscuits and gravy when I come back inside!"

The cookbook flapped its pages, then fell shut. Jason walked onward until he reached the front door, then slipped on his rain boots and a raincoat and stepped out onto the porch.

There was nothing quite like a rainstorm in the middle of the prairie. Water gushed like a waterfall off the edges of his porch, thundering so loudly he could hardly hear himself think. The air was humid as spray from

the rain filled the area, and he took a deep breath, soaking in all the moist smells. It was wet and uncomfortable, but it was good for the crops, there was no denying that much. After a moment, he steeled himself and pushed out through the wall of water into the farmstead.

A loud scree split the air, and a monstertrap latched down onto his leg. He yelped, pulled out a sword, and whacked off the head of the creature. The plant withered and vanished in a burst of blue sparks, and he angrily looked down at the spot where it had been. Two more monstertraps had sprouted up next to his porch, and they drew back as he charged at them. He struck them down with impunity, then started making his way across toward Lady.

To his annoyance, three more monstertraps had grown up next to the stable and were snapping at the door. He cut them down as well, then sighed, grabbed the oats, and slipped inside with Lady. He filled her trough with oats quickly enough, then patted her down and stepped out into the torrent of water once more.

The monstertraps were quickly becoming a problem. They stayed out of his actual field but had spread down the entire northern edge of his property and into the open grassland itself. He could see hundreds of their heads poking up out of the prairie and knew that there would be even more by the next day. They were multiplying faster than anything he had ever seen before, and it was becoming slightly terrifying. Sure, he didn't have to worry about monsters... At all... But he was also becoming rather nervous that one day, he wouldn't show up ever again. He waved his sword at a few others, but given the intensity of the rain, he decided not to press the issue. He could deal with it the next day. For now, he had a date to prepare for!

He made his way back inside, took off his rain gear, and prepared a fire in the hearth. His breakfast appeared on the table, and he tucked into the rich meal. When he finished, he relaxed and sat down in an armchair. This proved to be quite boring, and he soon stood up, opened the front windows, and then sat down once again. Sure, all he could see was the road and torrents of rain, but it was better than nothing. Soon enough, he'd be able to see Tess on her way down from Summer Shandy!

An hour passed, and he rose, found a book in the small library of the home, and started trying to read to pass the time. A number of factors conspired to make this nearly impossible, largely the fact that he was anxious for Tess to arrive, the fact that the book's pages were so worn that it

was difficult to read the words, and the fact that the book was about... Well, truth be told, he didn't quite know what it was about. The applications of farming giant spiders? It was creepy, that was for sure, and not something that he particularly wanted to keep in his home.

When noon ticked around, he walked out onto the front porch once more, but found that he couldn't see Tess coming out of town. He resigned himself to heading back inside, waiting all the way until one o'clock before he ate. When she still didn't appear, he raised his eyebrows and made his way back out into the rain. Lady nickered as he entered her stall, but she said nothing as he saddled her up, then rode out for Summer Shandy.

He wasn't quite sure why he did it. After all, he trusted Tess implicitly, and she had mentioned that she might be busy with Guild business that morning. If she was still entangled in the business, he would be absolutely no help... whatsoever. Still, he felt compelled to head into town, if for no other reason than to talk to her a few minutes. He could always hang out in the Guild Hall by the fire they usual kept going all the time if she wasn't available.

When he reached the town, he rode slowly toward the Guild Hall, then paused. Tess's enormous black steed was hitched under the awning by Constable Hank's jail. The jail, as it was, was built just next to Viola's inn, on the opposite side of the town square from Paulina's store. Jason frowned, then rode Lady over in that direction. He was able to squeeze her under the awning as well, then dismounted and walked up to the front door.

He hesitated for just a moment at the door, then steeled himself and stepped inside. Maybe he would regret it, but... then again... maybe it would turn out all right. A blast of heat rolled out from the interior, and he stepped into Constable Hank's office.

"...telling you that he deserves to be run out of town by a proper posse!" Tess screamed across the desk at Constable Hank. The constable, for his part, was stroking his long mustache and regarding Tess with something that rather resembled amusement. Next to Tess sat a rather fat man wearing a dapper suit, complete with golden buttons and silver tassels.

"It would seem that this meeting has reached an impasse, and given that we are now being interrupted, I suggest that we postpone to a later date." The fat man started to stand up. He cast a glare at Jason that was... equally sinister and amused, and Jason felt more than a little uneasy at the gesture.

"We will not be continuing this... Oh! Jason!" Tess's voice changed mid-sentence, and she came walking over to him and gave him a peck on the cheek. She was wearing her full set of battle armor, complete with a rather enormous sword that hung from a sheath on her back. "You're just in time to witness me get rid of some vermin trying to sneak its way into the town."

The fat man laughed. "I take it that this... ah... peasant is a romantic interest to you? Seems a bit below your stature, if you don't mind me saying so."

In an instant, Tess whipped the sword off her back and held the tip of it to the man's throat. His eyes bulged with a very real fear (making him look rather like a bullfrog), and his jowls quivered.

"You will not insult the people I hold dear," Tess hissed, then returned the sword to its sheath as Constable Hank coughed. "Now, as we were saying, this matter must be dealt with. I'm the legal owner of the Warriors' Guild in Summer Shandy, and that's all there is to it. I filled out the proper paperwork back when I set it up, I pay all my dues to Guild headquarters, and I follow all the bylaws."

"Ahh, not all the bylaws!" The fat man sneered. "As you can clearly see in this paperwork, you're required to send an extra processing fee to the Dungeon Guild every year, and you have not done so since your time in office."

"Because that law was only passed a week ago, and you brought it with you when you came here." Tess snarled. "We both know it's a technicality that will never hold up in a court of law."

"Yes, but until such a time as you can be properly tried, I'm afraid that, as a qualified representative of the Warriors' Guild, I have to insist on taking over your command."

"You'll do no such thing."

"All right, all right." Constable Hank rose and held up his hands. "We're not going to hash this out again. You've been running around in circles, yelling over one another for the last four hours."

"Five." Tess corrected.

"Five, then." Constable Hank sighed. "I'm sick of hearing it, to be completely honest."

"Then give us your answer!" The fat man boomed. "Speak now and let us be done with this matter!"

Constable Hank slowly picked up the paperwork that the fat man had indicated earlier, then shrugged, crumpled it up, and threw it into the fireplace. It burnt to a crisp in a moment, and the fat man howled.

"I'll hear no more of you." Constable Hank glared at him. "I understand that you have the legal high ground, but do not underestimate the fact that I am the law in this town. If you want to do anything legal, you go through me. Is that understood?"

The fat man snarled. "Yes."

"Good. In that case, be off with you. Tess understands the law, now, and she will take all due actions necessary to maintain her position. In the meantime, by the time you get another copy of the law, due process will have taken its course. Get out of here, and do not come up with a different scheme to try and force her out."

The fat man snarled, then turned and stomped out into the rain. As the door slammed shut, Constable Hank groaned and sat down in his chair.

"That makes two attacks against us." Tess pressed forward, staring down at Constable Hank. "Are you going to believe me now?"

"It's not that I don't believe you," Constable Hank explained. "It's just that I don't think there's anything we can do."

"They built a store to rival Paulina, and they're doing everything in their power to drive her out of business," Tess snapped. "They're creating laws and loopholes to try and get me out. What happens when they come after Theresa for violating some new medical law? That's going to be a lot harder to sidestep. What happens when they come for Viola, or the farmers?"

Constable Hank spun to gaze into the flames.

"What happens when they come for you?"

"I've had just about enough of this," Constable Hank cautioned as

he spun back around. "They're doing some terrible things, I know, but they're being careful. If we move too quickly, we'll only hang ourselves out to dry."

"If we don't move at all, they'll be the ones to hang us out to dry!"

"Tess, I'm doing everything I can," Constable Hank insisted. "It wasn't that long ago when I turned a blind eye to the theft of that shed you built over the dungeon. Yeah, I know it was you. Everyone knew it was you. You're treading on thin ice. I know you think that you're the sole protector

of this town, but I'd like you to know that I'm here, too, and I care just as deeply as you do."

Tess quietly acquiesced. With that, she turned and marched toward the door, then paused and gestured at Jason. He followed, and together, they stepped out into the thundering rain. The fat man was visible on the other side of the square, marching with impunity toward the entrance of the General Store. Tess balled her hands into fists and made a menacing gesture, then relented and turned to Jason. They walked over to the small awning where their horses were waiting, and Tess slowly climbed up.

"Sorry about that," she mumbled. "And... Thank you. I could have been there all day, arguing with him."

Jason grimaced. "Sounds like trouble."

"He isn't even trying to hide the fact that he's working with the Dungeon Guild," Tess snarled. "They're just waving it in our face, prancing around like they already own the place."

"In fairness, you did rather humiliate them," Jason reminded his partner as he climbed up onto Lady. "I'm not saying they didn't deserve it. They did, after all, try to kill, like, half the town; but because you stopped them, in their mind, they have reason to hate you."

"That's fair," Tess granted reluctantly, then backed her horse up into the rain. The water pattered down on her armor with a steady drumming noise, and she nodded at the northern side of town. "Come on. There's something I'd like to show you, if you're up for it."

Jason simply followed as she cantered north, up the road that wound past the Crypt. As they reached the gaping hole where the old dungeon had once been, Jason looked down inside, and was surprised to see it nearly halfway filled. Wooden beams rose from the ground, while stone archways and tunnels were being built. Tess brought her horse to a halt, gazing down at the structure, and beamed.

"I know it's no farm, and farming is kinda your deal, but... I don't know. This is my life, and I just wanted to share it with you."

"No, it's really cool." Jason flashed a small smile, then turned and looked at Tess. Her eyes were riveted on the half-finished dungeon. They flicked back and forth, following the paths that the monsters and warriors alike would soon travel. If he knew her at all, she was mapping out where the traps might be located, where hidden rooms might pop up, and all sorts

of other such things. When she finally turned away, Jason grinned through the rain.

"You'll have to take me down inside it sometime."

At that, Tess laughed. "We stopped doing escort missions a long time ago!"

Jason blinked. He didn't really understand the joke, but he made himself laugh along with her.

"It's getting later in the day," the dungeon delver observed. "I know it wasn't your plan, but if you'd like, we can just head back to the Guild Hall. There's a fire going, and a bunch of the warriors are going to try to roast a raingrub."

"What's a raingrub?" Jason asked.

"It's this giant grub-thing, about five feet long, that only comes out during heavy rainstorms. There's a wild area, basically an above-ground dungeon, about ten miles north." Tess gestured along the northern road. "They're about ninety percent water, so they're almost impossible to cook, but if you do it just right, they're apparently quite tasty. I've never seen anyone actually manage to do it, but I suppose there's a first time for everything."

Jason was up for anything with his partner by his side. "In that case, let's do it."

"Great." Tess led the way as they trotted down toward the Guild Hall. It wasn't how Jason had planned the day to go, but at the end of it, it wasn't bad at all. He got to spend time with Tess, and that was the important part.

As they walked inside, though, a thread of fear began to gnaw at his stomach. If there truly was someone in town to oust Tess... And, worse, if they succeeded... What would she do? Would she stick around?

Unfortunately, there was only one good way to find out.

Chapter Eight: Happy Harvest

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 81st day of Summer! 10 days until the Summer Festival! It's a bright and sunny day today, and the weather will likely stay that way up until Fall comes around. Nothing else of note today!]

Jason yawned and rolled out of bed, then slowly shambled up to the window. As he gazed out across the farm, he found his enormous field of wheat bursting at the stalks, ready for the harvest. Lady seemed to sense this as well, and she stuck her head eagerly out of the stall and snapped at the air. Jason took in the sight, then walked over to his wardrobe and changed, then made his way downstairs.

"All right, cookbook." He sat down at the kitchen table. "I need something with lots of energy!"

With a flash, a plate of eggs and sausage appeared in front of him. He expressed his approval, ate quickly, then made his way out onto the front porch. Harvest days were long days indeed, and he wanted to get as early a start as possible. As he stood there on the porch, a warm wind whipping in off the prairie, a sharp ding echoed through the air, and he spun to see the mail slot in his door quivering.

[Mailbox: You have a letter from Tess.]

Slightly anxious, Jason opened the door and grabbed the small letter, which had landed neatly in the box just below the slot. He unfolded the note and read it quickly, his heart falling as he skimmed the neat lines of print.

"Happy Harvest, Jason! I'm really sorry, but I'm not going to be able to make it out today, after all. Alfred Blacksuit is trying to cut out the Guild's territory with a new wing of his building, so I have to keep an eye on him. I'll try to see you tomorrow, though!"

Jason moped, wadded up the note, and tossed it inside the house before pulling the door roughly shut. It crashed a bit harder than he had intended, and he let out a long breath.

It wasn't the prospect of waiting to see Tess on the following day that bothered him. It was the fact that he'd hardly seen her at all since her

meeting with Alfred Blacksuit, the fat man from the Dungeon Guild. He had purchased a plot of land directly adjacent to Tess's Guild Hall, and their foe had immediately begun construction on an even bigger hall. Of course, it wasn't a proper Guild hall, of course, since Tess was the legal owner of the Warriors' Guild in Summer Shandy, but everyone knew it was a "Guild Hall". Tess had been kept busy trying to stave off Jason's advances ever since. Even when he came into town for supplies, she couldn't always find the time to do anything more than say a quick hello. It was disappointing, though he supposed he couldn't really blame her that much. He was busy with his farm, too. They both had their jobs. It had just been a lot nicer when hers had allowed more free time.

He strode out into the yard, gripping his sword tightly as he did so. Mars Monstertraps had grown up overnight throughout the farmstead, and dozens of open jaws snapped at his ankles as he walked past. He slashed left and right, cutting down the beasts, but there were simply too many to bother with killing all of them. On the bright side, however, there wasn't a crabgrass or a histle in the entire place.

When he had cleared out all the monstertraps from the area around the stable, he took Lady out and hitched her up to the post (a task that required clearing away a number of other monstertraps). He then started doing a few last-minute tweaks to the harvester, and then, when it was time, he hitched Lady up to the contraption.

Such as it was, the harvester was a great beast of a machine. He stood on a small platform just above the rear axle. As Lady pulled it forward, the blades beneath began to whirl madly, carving a swath of destruction through the monstertraps in that area. Blue sparks poured out from underneath the machine, and they soon pulled up to the field itself. Lady drew to a halt, Jason leapt off and pulled the gate open, and with that, they went roaring into the field.

There was nothing quite like harvesting, that was for sure. The air filled with straw and chaff as the blades sliced the wheat off just about six inches above the ground. The heads were collected in the bin (and subsequently transferred into the inventory of the farm), while the straw was all either blown into the air or dropped down below the harvester.

Despite the fact that the ground was mostly level, there were certainly more ruts and holes that had formed out in the field. Whenever the wheels bumped into one of them, or over a fallen log or something, the

harvester lurched back and forth, nearly throwing Jason from his position. His arms ached as he tried to hang onto Lady's reigns, keep himself positioned on the platform, and keep an eye on the direction he was traveling.

By the time he reached the end of the field, he was already more than ready for a break. Nonetheless, there was no time for rest and the farmer reluctantly turned Lady around and rumbled on back. The straw sliced into Jason's arms as it was blown through the air, and the sun burned down from above. He took a brief break for lunch around noon but allowed himself only a short rest. He knew if he sat down for too long, he wouldn't have the energy to get back up again. On and on the day went, rumbling ever toward dusk.

Despite the monotony, Jason found that he wasn't bored in the slightest. It took so much energy to keep things moving straight that, as odd as it sounded, he didn't have time to be bored. When he finally finished, an exhausted Lady stumbled into her stable as he unhitched the harvester, and he himself sank down to sit in the grass next to her door. A monstertrap snapped at him, and he sighed and moved a bit further out of its range. His arms were too weary to bother with stabbing the thing; he just wanted to make sure that he didn't get bitten.

"You look like a dragon chewed you up, spat you out, and then stomped on you."

Jason looked up and wondered if he was dreaming as Tess smirked down at him.

"I have absolutely no gauge of what that might look like, but I'll take your word and assume that it's not pleasant," Jason jested as he climbed slowly to his feet. "I thought your message this morning said you weren't coming."

Tess explained, "The construction crews on the anti-Guild Hall all went home, and the sun was still up, so I decided to ride out and say hello."

"It's appreciated." Jason nodded at the home. His stomach growled. "Dinner?"

"I'd love it."

Jason staggered toward the house, and they were soon inside. Tess ordered the cookbook to make up a large platter of steaks and potatoes using some meat that she brought from town, and Jason wearily sat down at the table. But before he could get comfortable, Tess took his hand.

"Come on," she beckoned him mischievously with a smile. "There's something I want to do." He could only nod, and she snapped her finger. "Put everything in a picnic basket."

With a flash, all the food was transferred into a wicker picnic basket, and Tess grabbed the handle and strode out into the evening air. By the time Jason got outside as well, Tess had hitched his carriage up to her own horse, which glimmered in the night air. She sat in the driver's seat and reached down to help pull him up onto the seat next to her. Together, they rode off out of Jason's farm as the sun slowly began to sink below the horizon.

"Where are we going?" Jason wondered aloud as they took off across the prairie, heading straight east from Jason's farm. Summer Shandy was just visible to the north, a tiny and perfect settlement that looked like a cluster of black squares against the darkening sky.

With the sun behind them, they went up and down a number of gently rolling hills. Jason had never been this far before, and soon, they came upon a particularly tall hill that rose over a small river trickling through the grassland. Tess drew the carriage to a halt and soon had a blanket spread across the zenith of the hill. They both climbed down and soon had the meal spread out, and Jason beamed.

Below, the river wound just to the east, running largely from north to south. He followed its journey south, where, only a mile away, he could see it pass beneath an enormous fence and into the vast pastureland belonging to Jeremiah. To the north, it vanished into a small cluster of trees that grew just outside Summer Shandy. Jason enjoyed the bucolic setting as the sun set fully and the stars began to twinkle overhead.

"It's good to see you again." He smiled as they dug into the meal. "Seems like you've been busy."

Tess apologized, "I really am sorry for it all. I just... I hope you know that I'm not just doing this out of spite, or some sort of personal vendetta against Blacksuit, or..."

She paused, and Jason indicated that he understood, saying, "I mean, if the Dungeon Guild gets control of Summer Shandy, there's no telling what kind of chaos they could unleash."

"I'm glad you understand." Tess flashed a small smile. "They have Hank's hands tied behind his back, and he's too much of a coward to be bothered with actually standing up for himself. Everything Blacksuit has been doing has been a deliberate attack against me."

"Like what?" Jason felt concerned. "You said that he was trying to seize your territory, or something?"

Tess rolled her eyes. "That. Yes. He was trying to build a new wing of his hall onto property owned by the Warriors' Guild. If he managed to actually do it, and I didn't say anything, he would have wiggle room in the courts to demand the property itself, under the common law of usage. It's a little-known law, but it's a nasty one, and is quite badly worded, so it's easy to take advantage of it."

Jason took a moment to ponder that threat. "You're not worried he'll do anything more tonight?"

Tess shook her head. "I chucked a bunch of stink bombs into the General Store. He was recalled as soon as they went off, which gave me the room I needed in order to get out here. Paulina is keeping an eye on them, in any case."

Jason expressed his concern. "How is Paulina doing? How have things been going with that new store?"

"Not good," Tess confessed. "You were right. I went inside, and the store doesn't have anything of substance, but it's flashy. None of the locals are buying from it, mind you, but everyone from out of town is going there. I don't think any of us, even Paulina, realized how much of her business came from the out-of-towners. The warriors all see a familiar business and want to go there rather than risk some podunk establishment that might just be trying to scam them. The people who are just traveling to or from elsewhere, just passing through, have the same line of thought. She's staying afloat, but she's already contemplating changing up the merchandise she has available. She just can't afford to replace things like weapons and potions when people aren't buying them."

Jason brainstormed on his friend's behalf. "She should make a list of everything that isn't moving right now, transfer it into her warehouse, and then focus on selling other things for the time being. When the crisis is over, she won't have to re-buy everything."

"That's what I keep trying to tell her, but she's getting panicky. I think she's going to just pack it all up and sell it to a trader headed up for Illumitir," Tess lamented.

"Seems like a waste," Jason bemoaned.

"I know, but there's not much we can do about it. Just... Be there for her." Tess thought, then cheered. "On the plus side, the dungeon is set to

open on schedule. They have the top all closed up; they're just making the last few changes down inside it."

"The day before the Summer Festival?" Jason mused. "That seems to be when they typically open."

Tess concurred. "Per my request, yes. That way, the rush of the dungeon doesn't correspond with everyone else flooding into town, and everyone will still be around to spend lots of money."

Jason tentatively inquired, "Do you mind if I ask a really stupid question?"

Tess laughed. "Go for it."

"Why exactly do we bother building dungeons, anyway?" Jason crossed his arms. "What's the point of building places that are just filled with monsters that do their best to eat you and generally cause as much chaos as possible? You'd think that there would be better uses for our time and money."

Tess responded forthrightly, "That's just the way it is. That's where all the money in the land ultimately comes from. I heard once about a place across the ocean, where they just had their banks always printing new money. You didn't have to work for it, they just added it to people's accounts with something called interest. Getting it from a dungeon sounds way cooler."

"That's fair." Jason chuckled. He scooted over to Tess and leaned against her shoulder. It was covered in armor, of course, but it was warm, and he felt content. "I love you; I hope you know that."

"I love you, too."

Jason took a deep breath, then took her gauntlet-covered hand in his own. "Thank you for this. It was nice, and... Well, good luck with everything. I'll make sure I'm there on the opening day of the dungeon."

"I'd love for you to see it." Tess grinned, then paused. "You know, if you had Jeremiah bring along some of his cannons, I sure wouldn't mind."

"I'll see if he's available." Jason looked into his partner's eyes. "You expect trouble?"

"I expect the Dungeon Guild to do something, and if there are a few cannons there loyal to me, they just might temper their response." Tess chuckled.

"Then I can't wait." Jason took a deep breath, then squeezed her hand tightly. "To whatever comes next."

She gave the briefest nod of her head, flashing a small smile at him. "To whatever comes next.

Chapter Nine: Pies

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 90th day of Summer! 1 day until the Summer Festival! The day is wonderful today, and so's the new dungeon! Come one, come all, to the grand opening of the new Crypt! Entry only allowed for those with a valid pass from the Warriors' Guild.]

Jason smiled, then rolled out of bed and dressed quickly. He put on a dapper suit -- nothing too extraordinary, but still enough to make him look a bit more distinguished than usual. That done, he ran down the stairs, stopping only briefly in the kitchen.

"Make me an omelet!" He ordered, and the dish appeared with a flash. As he scarfed it down, he paused, then added, "If you wouldn't mind, can you make me ten or fifteen pies, too? A mixture of apple, blueberry, and strawberry."

With a flash, fifteen pies appeared on the counter, and with another command, they were transferred into a picnic basket. That done, Jason rose, grabbed the basket, and walked out into the early morning light. He quickly moved Lady out to the hitching post, then loaded the pies into the carriage and sat back to wait.

"Ten-hut!" The cry came from the road, and Jason looked up as Jeremiah came trotting past. He was at the head of a procession of ten men on horseback, with each horse pulling a cannon behind it. To top it off, he was dressed in a rather over-the-top general's uniform, complete with bright red fabric, golden tassels, and a number of shimmering medals.

"Now just what are you wearing?" Jason laughed as Jeremiah drew to the side. His hired men continued onward, and Jeremiah just tilted his head back and laughed.

"Ahh, this is just a little something from my early days. There was a group of us that did acting; we put on little plays and such, just to goof around." Jeremiah shook his head, chuckling. "This was one of my old costumes. My wife told me I was never allowed to wear it again, and I

made her promise that I could wear it if an appropriate opportunity arose. Somehow, I convinced her this morning that this counted!"

"Well, you look the part of a noble defender!" Jason laughed, then turned back to Lady. "I'll see you there!"

"I look forward to it!"

Before he could leave, one of the monstertraps reared up from the grass and snapped at his horse. Jeremiah drew a pistol and shot it, but that only caused the rest of the monsters to look up and snarl at him. Jason grimaced and let his gaze wander out across the farmstead. By now, they nearly surrounded the entire field.

"I know, I know, they're bad, but I just don't know what to do." He felt exasperated. "I'm just hoping they go away when fall comes."

Jeremiah gazed at them, then confessed, "To be completely honest, they've kinda gotten away from us, too. Their seeds are so fast! If you miss a single one, you'll have a new monstertrap eating your cattle within a couple days. We can't keep up with them, I'll tell you that. I've had to put two of my men on full-time control duty trying to wipe them out, but it's not enough. I can only imagine what it's like with just one of you."

Jason winced in agreement. "At this point, I'd rather just have the monsters that they were supposed to eat."

"You and me, both," Jeremiah agreed. "On the bright side, winter ought to kill them all!"

"I sure hope so!"

"Well, I'll see you out there!" Jeremiah spun and cantered out onto the road, and Jason watched him go. Soon after, Lady finished eating, and he quickly hitched her up to the carriage. They sailed out onto the main road, and Jason smiled as they whirled toward Summer Shandy.

When he arrived, he found the town all abuzz with activity. The townsfolk were, quite understandably, more than a little nervous about what the opening of the dungeon might bring. A massive line of warriors, eager to test out the new dungeon, stood at the ready. Tess could be seen marching up and down the assembly of warriors, but he was too far away to hear what was being said. It looked as though the majority of the town was being held back away from the entrance, though Jeremiah and his men were, at that time, pushing their way through.

Jason cantered through the town square, with men and women parting as they recognized who he was. As he reached the line of warriors,

several of them turned and put their hands on the hilts of their swords, but Tess waved them away.

"He's good!"

They parted as well, though they continued to snarl at him, and he had to resist the urge to smirk down at them as he cantered northward toward the dungeon. Tess flashed a weary smile up at him, and he returned the gesture. Soon, he had reached the top of the dungeon, where Jeremiah and his men were spacing out the cannons. Jeremiah waved at him, and Jason parked the carriage just across the road, then climbed down and walked over to join him.

The original crypt had been built down in a basin, with a grove of trees protecting the cave-like entrance. A small path had wound down the side of the basin, a path that had eventually been lined with the helmets of those who stood in Tess's way. Now, while the entrance still was technically in a basin, it was a far shallower basin. The entrance itself looked like a small church, complete with two gargoyles perched on the top. A bell tower even sported a cracked and rusted bell, while the stained glass was exquisite. Jason and Jeremiah gazed admiringly at it.

"It's something, ain't it?" Jeremiah observed.

"They did a good job." Jason agreed. "Have you ever been inside one of the dungeons?"

"One or two," Jeremiah acknowledged. "Back when I was trying to impress girls, I'd grab a sword and run into the kiddie dungeons, then come out dripping slime and holding what few bones I had managed to pull from the depths. I think it made me look more pathetic than anything else, but I sure had a lot of fun with it!" Jeremiah chuckled. "When it came to deciding on my career path, though, I just couldn't get my head around doing something that would endanger my life on a daily basis. Fun, sure, but a single mistake leaves you dead."

"Yeah." Jason laughed. "If I had such high stakes out on the farm, I'd have been in the ground years ago! Well... a year ago. I guess I still haven't been here long."

Jeremiah nodded at his cannons. More of his hired men were arriving, presumably after finishing their chores, and they started helping get the weapons ready. Three men stood at each cannon, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

"You think we'll need these?" Jason wondered.

"I dunno," Jeremiah admitted. "If we don't, I've got half a mind to find that Blacksuit guy and let off a few shots just to make it worth the trip."

"Speaking of..." Jason scowled as the familiar, pudgy figure of the black-suited man came trodding out of town. Jason was certain that he had invented the name on the spot, but there was little way to prove this. At his side was Lady Benford, her nose just as high in the air as ever. They came sweeping up next to Jason and Jeremiah, and the elitist pair sniffed down their noses at the two locals.

"Ahh... Yes." Blacksuit sniffed. "It would be the familiar of Tess, would it not? And... I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you?" He addressed Jeremiah.

"You've not." Jeremiah flashed a crooked smile. "I doubt you'd find it much of a pleasure, anyway. After-"

"Right." Blacksuit cut off Jeremiah, then interjected, "I'm sure you've noticed my particular piece of real estate?"

Jason shrugged. In truth, it was hard to miss the enormous building that rose just next to Tess's Guild Hall, but he had been doing his best to pretend that it didn't exist. Tess's building was long and low, with an arched rooftop made of wood. The Guild Hall just next to it rose twice as high and looked like a proper fortress. Wooden poles, each a foot or more thick, rose from the ground to form a high wall dozens of feet tall. Inside the walls was a thick, stone building complete with parapets and archer notches. Hanging above the doors was an immense spread of moose antlers, and torches blazed from horn sconces hanging on the walls.

"It's okay," he finally acknowledged. "Looks strong."

"The strongest building in this town." Blacksuit declared.

"Then I don't suppose you're worried about our cannons getting

loose?" Jeremiah raised an eyebrow.

"If you so much as put a scratch in my precious fortress, I'll-" Jeremiah shrugged and turned away, then nodded at Jason. "What

do you reckon the fall's weather will be like? Lots of freezing rain, wind? You know, I have a memory of a tornado that came through one fall. It was the strangest thing, they typically only show up during spring and summer, but..."

Blacksuit muttered a few words that Jason rather wished he hadn't heard, then turned and stomped away. Lady Benford followed him, and a

moment later, they were gone. They seemed to be walking toward the dungeon entrance, and Jeremiah let out a whistle.

"Tess incoming."

Jason stood up straighter, and Tess came marching forward at the head of the column of warriors. Blacksuit and Lady Benford parted as she came marching up to the entrance of the new crypt, then turned and gazed out across the crowd.

"Welcome, everyone!" Her voice echoed loudly across the basin. "It's wonderful to see the turnout today! If you're still missing dungeon supplies, Paulina's store is an excellent place to pick up your much-needed items and weapons. If you're ready, form up! This new dungeon allows for six people at a time."

An excited murmur ran through the crowd, and Jeremiah leaned over to Jason.

"I'm told that four is the typical number."

Jason nodded in thought, and Tess continued.

"I'll be going in first, with a team of five that I've already selected.

We'll be mapping the traps and bosses and such, and then we'll emerge. If there's anything particularly critical, we'll let you know at that time. Then, while we're analyzing the data, everyone who doesn't want a guide will have their chance to enter. Anyone who wants a guide, I'll try to start those tours by noon."

At that, Blacksuit marched forward. He now sported a cane, and he sauntered up to stand next to Tess. She looked like she wanted to bite his head off, but she wisely stepped back as he took the stand.

"Welcome! Most of you don't know me, but my name is Alfred Blacksuit, the proprietor of the new and vastly improved Hall just behind you! You know what I say? Why bother with these formalities? If you want to wait for a guide, go back home to your mothers, then come again in a few weeks! This is an event for true warriors, and I say go for it!"

The warriors let out a cheer and surged forward. Tess moved to block their path, but she was bowled aside as they simply charged for the small building. Six of them pushed through the door and vanished into the gullet of the dungeon, and Jeremiah let out a whistle.

"In the meantime, while we wait for them to emerge, or perhaps once you've come out the other side, feel free to come over to the hall!

You'll find food and drink, more than you can consume, and plenty of good company!"

Jason grimaced as Tess lunged forward, only to be stopped by Constable Hank himself, who leapt from the crowd and interposed himself between Tess and Blacksuit. Tess continued to fume, and she even drew her sword (to the delighted gasp of Lady Benford, who screeched out, "She's going to kill us for resisting her tyrannical rule!"

Realizing that she had lost, Tess turned and walked away, slipping between the ranks of warriors who readily enough parted to allow her through.

"You go help her," Jeremiah suggested. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on things. I doubt they will risk anything more than this, but you never know."

Jason nodded, then took off after Tess. She vanished into the real Guild Hall and slammed the door, and he let out a long breath.

It had been a simple thing, but he more than understood the implications of what had happened. Tess's authority came from the fact that the warriors respected her. In that moment, she had been ignored without consequence, and then the town constable himself had stepped in to prevent her from doing anything more. It didn't look good for her... And unless something changed, Jason doubted that the situation would improve.

Chapter Ten: Summer's End

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 91st day of Summer! 0 days until the Summer Festival! It's a day today. Bring your stuff into town, have fun, you know the drill.]

Jason yawned as he rolled out of bed and climbed shakily to his feet. He had been up with Tess for hours the previous night, trying to get her calmed back down. It hadn't been an easy task, and it had really only been accomplished when Theresa slipped some sleeping powder into Tess's goblet when she wasn't looking. She would be as angry as a hornet when she woke up, but there was little Jason could do about that fact.

Tess's worried boyfriend walked over to his wardrobe and changed, then went out into the yard. He wanted to get an early start to the day, and he quickly took Lady out to her hitching post and fed her some oats, then went back inside. He only ate a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs, not really hungry for anything more than that. As he scraped his plate clean, he stood up, rather concerned.

What was happening to the town? What was the angle that the Dungeon Guild was playing at? He understood wanting to hurt them, but what was the point of setting up alternate businesses? Sure, there was the desire to outsell them, steal away all their customers, but... There was a Merchants' Guild for such things. What was the point of doing all of this? For that matter, what Tess did wasn't exactly a for-profit operation in the first place. All her income came out of the dungeon itself; she didn't charge for the use of the Guild Hall. There was little purpose that Jason could see for what they were doing, except to prepare for something far worse.

When he made it outside once again, he loaded up the carriage with as much food as he could handle. Watermelon, cantaloupe, squash, lettuce, tomatoes, and other things. He had been planning on giving away all the fruit pies on the previous day, but events had conspired to prevent such things, so he now had those to provide for the feast as well. All that done,

he hooked Lady up to the carriage, and they set off for Summer Shandy at a proper clip.

Jeremiah was already in town, having stayed there with his men overnight. They had kept at least one man on each cannon throughout the night, sleeping in shifts, to make sure that the Dungeon Guild didn't try anything. Jeremiah had also turned three of the cannons to point at the new hall, though that was largely just for show. Constable Hank had threatened him with about five hundred years of jail time even for an accident, but Jeremiah had enjoyed seeing the terrified look on Blacksuit's face.

As Jason came cantering into town, as was usual on a festival day, he found that the place was already alive with activity. People bustled back and forth, setting out tables and cooking up last-minute additions to the feast. It was a wonderful time, to be certain, and for most people, it wasn't particularly clouded, either. Paulina stood outside her store, a cross look on her fade, and Tess wasn't anywhere to be seen. Jason drove Lady over to where Paulina stood, and she looked up wearily as Jason climbed down.

"Hey, Jason. How goes it out in the country?"

"Well, my Mars Monstertraps have taken over about a hundred acres of native prairie." Jason chuckled. "There's no Prairie Guild or anything that's going to censor me, is there?"

"I doubt it!" Paulina chuckled. "Though there is a new Farmers' Guild that's being formed up in Illumitir, I heard. I mean, I've been hearing the same rumor for the past three years, so it's really anyone's guess if it'll ever actually get up and running, but..." She chuckled mirthlessly, and Jason grimaced.

"Business isn't good?"

Paulina looked forlorn. "I know Tess talked to you about it. Nothing's changed for the worse, but nothing's really gotten better, either. I ought to just buy a bunch of sparkle-glow powder or something and coat the inside of my shop with it. Might make it bright enough to draw attention away from that thing."

Jason shook his head. "They'll go out of business soon enough. Surely, they can't support themselves on just the traffic that comes through Summer Shandy. They have a dozen employees, and they're certainly still having to pay off their building as well as buying new stuff to put on the shelves."

Paulina flashed a dry smile. "I asked Hank about it. He confirmed that they're losing money hand over fist, but they don't seem to care. They just want to make life miserable for me, I guess."

"Just like this new guild hall just wants to make life miserable for Tess." Jason paused, chagrinned, then moved on to a happier subject. "Well, tonight's a night of celebration. Have you seen Tess yet this morning?"

Paulina shook her head. "The sleeping powder had a duration that should last for just a bit longer. She's at Theresa's healing den, and-"

"THERESA! JASON! PAULINA!" Tess's voice exploded from the healer's den, and a moment later, she came storming out into the town square. Civilians scattered, and she came racing up to Jason. She was still wearing the same armor as when she had fallen asleep, and her eyes blazed with an inner fury. Theresa came running over, eyes wide.

"I claim full innocence." Jason held up his hands. "We just wanted you to get some rest before the day started."

"Oh, really? And did Blacksuit rest while I was out?" Tess snapped.

"Actually, yes." Paulina held up a finger, then blushed. "We checked on him. Theresa dosed him as well. Unless Lady Benford has some pretty powerful anti-medicine skills, he'll be out for a while."

"Help!" Lady Benford came rushing out into the square. "Someone, help! Lord Blacksuit has been poisoned!"

Constable Hank, who had been standing next to his office, threw his hat on the ground and ran off after her. Jason watched him go, then inhaled sharply.

"Well, he'll be awake soon enough." Jason crossed his arms. "Also, Lord Blacksuit? When did that title get bestowed upon him?"

"It wasn't even poison." Theresa scowled. "Just a bit of a soothing mixture of turkey and... oh, a few other ingredients."

"Ingredients designed to induce someone to fall asleep?" "Something like that," Theresa muttered. "Still not poison."

"Well, I, for one, think that we shouldn't let this get us down." Jason

clapped his hands. "This is a party, and it's one that I think we should enjoy!"

"I agree!" Theresa jumped up and down. "I'll go get Viola!"

The healer scampered off, and Paulina pondered how she could contribute.

"I'll go... I'll go look and see if I have enough ingredients left to make a cake or something."

She turned and walked back into the shop, and the door fell shut with a small thud. Jason reached out and took Tess's hands, and she started to relax. Finally, she turned and began walking across town toward the Guild Hall. Jason followed, and they soon reached the wooden door and stepped inside.

Jason gasped in something resembling horror as he entered the building. The hearth had burned low, and a charred hunk of something that had once likely been meat hung from the spit above it. Otherwise, the entire place had been abandoned. The chairs and couches were empty. No one sat around exchanging tales of the brave, new dungeon. Tess looked defeated as she walked to the far side. They emerged to find that a line still stretched out from the dungeon, filled with warriors who had apparently even gone to sleep in line in an attempt to get in quicker. There was a constant flow of warriors between the dungeon and the new guild hall, and Tess felt demoralized.

"So, this is all it takes to erase my legacy. A new building, one with a flashier exterior and more torches." Tess scowled, then brightened. "At least the cannons are still there."

"Right you are!" Jeremiah smiled, turning away from one of the closest cannons. "I've stood watch on many a dark night, when the dragons were raiding our herds and we didn't know if we'd still have a farm come morning. I assure you, nothing escaped our watch. Including, perhaps, that we could often see Lady Benford pacing back and forth in the northwest tower, sixth level. That window right there, next to the carving of the head of an arrow."

Tess glanced in that direction. "An office?"

"That's what we think," Jeremiah agreed. "She sure slammed the window shutters awfully hard when she caught us looking. I can hit it with a stray cannonball if you give me an opportunity."

Tess's eyes lit up for a moment, then she demurred. "No, probably best not to push any buttons that we don't have to push. Hank's watching me close enough as it is."

"That's fair," Jeremiah acknowledged. "Well, if you change your mind..."

The offer having elicited a wicked grin, the Warriors' Guild leader approached the dungeons. The warriors still in line, recognizing her, all snapped to attention. Tess regarded them all with a strange eye, then shouted out.

"All right, then! I want a report. How many people injured or killed yesterday?"

"No deaths," a nearby man answered. "There were... fifty life- threatening injuries?"

"Fifty?!" Tess roared. She took a deep breath, then pointed up at the new hall. "Is that where they're all being kept?"

The man could only nod slowly, and Tess groaned. She spun back to Jason, then shrugged in exasperation.

"That's the third strike now. Theresa will be out of a job once the warriors stop coming to her." Tess scowled. "They're probably being maimed and outfitted with trackers and stuff up there. Implanted with monster eggs so they'll turn into hideous beasts as soon as the Dungeon Guild wants them to."

At that, she blanched and spun toward the building, and Jason put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, that one's a stretch, even for you."

Tess relaxed a bit, "I suppose you're right. Still..." She clapped her hands. "Well, there's nothing I can do about it right now, I suppose. They want to get me down, right?"

Jason nodded slowly. "Right."

"Then we're going to go have a party, and we're going to make it the best party that Summer Shandy has ever seen, and they'll realize that they can't get us down so easily!" Tess declared. "Tomorrow, we'll start working on clearing them out of town for good. Their plan should start to reveal itself shortly enough."

Jason nodded, and he started walking back toward the town. Tess lingered for a moment, just long enough to holler at Jeremiah.

"You can take the cannons home if you want. I appreciate everything, but we're thinking too much like we did last year. They aren't going to do something so bold, not yet."

Jeremiah nodded, but he kept his face in a small grin. "I'll tell the men to stand down, but I don't think I'll pack up the cannons just yet, if you don't mind."

With that, Tess and Jason sauntered into the town square, where the festival was properly taking shape. Jason unloaded his carriage, and the food was added to the tables. As the day turned into evening, the festival broke out properly.

To say that it was a joyous occasion was an understatement. Jason had experienced four of the seasonal festivals thus far, and each one was very much its own beast. On this occasion, a band set up a small stage by Paulina's store and began playing a lively tune that resounded across the small square. Men and women alike began dancing up and down between the tables, even as food was set out and the feast began. There were no words of inauguration, it simply began, and everyone tucked in with whomever they had come with. Jason and Tess wound up sitting with Paulina, Theresa, and Viola. They all laughed and cheered along with everyone else, though Jason could see the lines of worry stretched across everyone's face. Viola in particular looked far more haggard than he had noticed before. Admittedly, he hadn't interacted with her a lot, but he certainly knew her well enough to know that something was wrong. Paulina asked about it, but Viola declined to answer, and Jason contented himself with that fact. After all, if Viola wasn't going to open up to one of her closest friends, she certainly wouldn't open up to him.

The evening wore on in style, with the group doing their best to join in. Warriors came wandering over as the night wore on, and gradually, the farmers were replaced by adventurers. Finally, about eleven o'clock, Jeremiah brought out his cannons and lined them up, facing out to the great expansive plains of the east, and brought his arm down.

All ten cannons fired at once, and the resounding noise shook the town. The warriors absolutely loved this fact. The mothers who poked their heads out of their homes, yelling about children being woken up, seemed to love it a great deal less, and Jeremiah quickly packed up the cannons and scurried home. Still, it was a fitting end to the day, and Jason soon after walked Tess to the door of the Guild Hall.

"It'll all be okay." He took a deep breath. "I don't know what they're planning, but I know we'll beat it."

"I'm sure we will, too." Tess crossed her arms. "In the grand scheme of things, evil rarely wins, at least not for long. They'll be beaten back, but... Last year, they wanted to kill people. What are they doing in that

hospital of theirs? What are they feeding people at that hall? What are they selling to people? What... What are they up to?"

"I don't know." Jason admitted, then sent a reassuring smile to his partner. "Just know that you can count on me. If there's anything I can do to help, just send out a holler, and I'll be there."

"I'll call the moment I need anything," Tess assured him. "Until then..."

Their lips met for a brief moment, and then Tess vanished through the door and was gone. Jason let out a soft sigh of contentment, then retrieved Lady from the stables, hitched her up to the carriage, and set off for his home.

He was about halfway back to the farm when a bell echoed across the landscape, and the warm air changed suddenly into a cool breeze. The grass gave a rustle, and Jason shivered in his now-too-cool clothing.

Autumn had arrived in Summer Shandy.

What that would bring... He didn't have the faintest idea.

Chapter Eleven: Dungeon Guild

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 1st day of Fall! 90 days until the Fall Festival! Expect leaves to begin to fall and the weather to cool rapidly. On the bright side, no storms should be seen for a few weeks!]

Jason rolled out of bed and stood up, taking a deep breath as he did so. He still wasn't sure what to think about everything happening with the Dungeon Guild and the takeover of Summer Shandy, but he did know that he needed to get to work in his fields. Fall was an interesting time of the year, to be certain. He had purchased all his seed from Paulina several days earlier, which left him more than ready to go.

He got dressed quickly, putting on overalls and a long, button-up shirt, then made his way outside and took Lady from her stable. She was still a little weary from the night before, and she wandered out to the hitching post and gratefully started eating her oats. Monstertraps rose up and began snapping in her direction, and Jason quickly made a lap of the area and slew all the ones that were closest and most threatening. There were thousands of them now, covering an enormous swath of territory. As he watched, a number of smuts rose up from the grasses in the distance, snarling at him and waving their pseudopods at him, but failing to come any closer. The monstertraps all reacted to this and began lunging in the direction of the animate fungi, but the smuts simply skirted out of the way and started oozing off into the prairie.

"That's a relief," Jason muttered. He hated smuts more than almost any other monster that he had faced, with the possible exception of a wolf- in-sheep's-clothing. As Lady ate, he walked back into the house and made himself a small breakfast, then took a deep breath and gazed out the window. With no other excuse to keep him busy, he walked back outside once more, drew his sword, and set to work.

Hundreds of the monstertraps were clustered in front of the gates to the field, which meant he had work to do before he could even get to Lady. He began slashing back and forth, cutting the heads off the plant-like

monsters left and right. As he did so, their seeds scattered, with the tiny objects bouncing merrily away across the ground. He stomped on the ones he could manage to catch, but the majority eluded his foot, and those he did manage to land upon merely stuck in the rubber soles of his boot. He groaned as the trapped seeds began wiggling his boot back and forth, then did his best to just ignore them.

It took the better part of half an hour to clear the way to the field, by which point his arms were aching. He rather longed for a visit from Jeremiah with some sort of fancy, new device that could kill all of them in a single blow; but alas, his neighbor didn't make any sort of grand appearance. Instead, at the end of it, Jason was left simply with his planter and a large field that was ready for fresh seed.

It took but a moment to load the planter with sorghum seed, at which point he took Lady, hitched her up, and struck off into the field. As he pulled in, he drew her to a stop and pulled the gate shut (hopefully preventing the monstertraps from gaining a foothold inside his field), then pulled a lever that lowered the seed disks into the ground. That done, he nudged his mount's sides gently with his knees, and Lady lumbered forward.

He had three pieces of equipment in total. The plow, in his experience, was by far the worst. It lurched back and forth fiercely, bucking left and right every time it hit a root or a rock or... anything. The harvester was the next worst. It rode so high off the ground that even a minor dip or bump caused him to be flung back and forth, and the fact that he was standing above rapidly whirling blades was certainly no consolation.

In comparison, the planter was actually quite pleasant. The disks only made small divots in the ground and cut through dirt that had already been broken apart by the plow. It was low to the ground, as well, and as such, it rode quite easily as Jason performed his work. In no time at all, he had planted a single row, spun around, and come back.

Working quickly, using a single action for every trip down and back, he had finished almost three-quarters of the field by when lunchtime rolled around. He put Lady back in her stable. Tess had purchased several more varieties of meat for him several days earlier, so when he went inside, he was able to eat a hearty meal consisting of a ham sandwich and a sausage link. Then he emerged and sat down next to Lady's stable. All he had left to do that day was finish planting, and that gave him a bit of time to relax.

Of course, he was still lying there with a thick, black blob latched down on his foot. He looked up and gulped as a smut slithered into view, and Jason felt dismayed. It had elongated itself and flattened down to the ground, and then it apparently had just slithered between the monstertraps like a snake, staying good and out of the way. As it rose up, Jason imagined that it looked just as surprised as he himself had been.

"Ahh... hello?" Jason grabbed his sword and thrust it into the body of the smut. It was now a blob about three feet on every side, and it seemed to writhe in fury. The sword passed cleanly through the blob without doing a lick of damage to it, and Jason staggered to his feet with nothing more to show for the action than a number of blobs of black snot dripping off his sword.

The smut hesitated for only a second, then lunged forward. It struck Jason in the chest, smashing him back against the stable. Black ooze pressed around from all sides as it formed a shackle of sorts, and tendrils began stretching up toward his face. He gasped and dropped the sword, then simply reached down and grabbed the smut with his bare hands. To his amazement, he actually managed to grab hold of some sort of membrane, and he pulled with all his might. The smut let go, just barely, and he was able to push himself away from the wall and stagger out into the middle of the farmyard.

His overalls were black, as was his shirt. It would take a small fortune to buy a soap strong enough to get the stain out, he knew that fact well enough. Still, he couldn't be bothered with such things, as the smut lunged forward once again. It slithered and bobbed across the yard, flattening the dead grass beneath its advance. Several other smuts began to arrive at the edge of the area that Jason had so recently clear of monstertraps, and he was peeved.

"Inventory: Eternal Torch."

With a pop, a piece of black wood appeared in his hand, topped by a flame that would (at least according to the advertisement) never go out. The smut drew back in surprise, and Jason advanced upon the creature. It began to back up, and Jason smirked. He started forcing it toward a long monstertrap that stood not far from his garden, and he took a deep breath.

"Die, smut!" He held the torch like a sword and charged at the creature. It fled backward... Straight in the monstertrap. Jason laughed as

the monstertrap lunged up and grabbed hold of the creature, and a true monster battle began.

Caught in the jaws of the monstertrap, the smut was largely helpless as the plant began to tug at it, jerking it back and forth. Another monstertrap grabbed hold as well, and the two monster-killers started pulling the smut back and forth between the two of them. The other smuts had now drawn up short, and Jason held his breath.

The smut, for its part, didn't stay helpless for long. One of the monstertraps yanked too hard, tearing off a large chunk of the smut, and swallowed it in a single gulp. With that, the smut lurched forward and utterly enveloped the remaining monstertrap. Jason watched, breathless, as the large blob thrashed back and forth violently. It jerked first one direction, then the next, and... finally... lay still.

For a moment, the black blob just sat there on the ground, looking rather like a puddle of gelatin. Then, as Jason watched, it began to shrink, and after a few seconds, the monstertrap drank up the remainder of the blob of smut. It appeared after a few seconds, slurping up the last of it, though its leaves and runners remained stained just as black as Jason's clothing. With that, it started snapping eagerly at the other smuts, even as its seed pouch began to bulge with new seeds.

"All right, enough of that." Jason took a deep breath, then turned to the smuts that had seemingly just been watching the fight unfold. He threw his eternal torch at the closest one, and as the flame touched the membrane of the smut, it exploded and showered the farmyard in even more black goop. The final two smuts had seen enough, and they turned to flee. As they did, though, they ran smack into several more monstertraps, and in no time at all, they had been consumed as well.

Jason let out a whistle as he observed the carnage. He wasn't sure quite what to think of it, really, but he had to admit that it was impressive that the monstertraps could bag smuts. By and large, smuts were immune to conventional weapons, which, if nothing else, was a small point in their corner. He still wished he could get rid of the carnivorous plants, but as long as they were around, it was nice to see them being useful.

With that, he took Lady out of her stall, hitched her up to the planter once more, and again struck out into his field. A few more hours passed while he seeded the remainder of the sorghum, and altogether too soon, the

job was done. He put Lady back into her stable for the evening, put away the planter, and then sat back to think.

He still had a few more hours before the sun went down, and since Tess wasn't around, he thought it would be beneficial to put the time to good use. His eyes turned toward the Mars Monstertraps, and with a deep breath, he drew his sword and struck out.

Starting just next to the gate into his field, he started working his way through the immense swath of monstertraps that grew there. Every swing of his sword cleaved through two or three of the creatures, and yet, he was never quite able to beat them back. Within minutes, his arms ached, but he knew he had to press onward. Swing after swing, strike after strike, he forged through the thick expanse of plants.

The sun sank through the sky, and when it finally started to drop below the horizon, he realized that he hadn't even made it a quarter of the way around his field. There were so many of the beastly plants, more than he had ever dreamed could exist, and he sighed and shook his head.

How would he beat them back? How could he beat them back? He didn't have the slightest idea, and with everything happening with Tess and the Dungeon Guild, he wasn't always even sure that he needed to be taking them down. By the time he slunk into his home, he was exhausted, sore, and more than ready to just collapse into his bed.

It had been an odd sort of a day, but at the end of it, it had still been a good one. He had gotten a lot of work done, and he had a base from which to work as the fall progressed.

He could only hope that Tess was faring just as well as him.

Chapter Twelve: On The Horizon

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 8th day of Fall! 83 days until the Fall Festival! We're looking at a proper cold snap, folks! Expect to find frost this morning, though it should all go away soon enough. There's a pretty nasty storm approaching in just a few days, so be ready for that!]

Jason sighed and rolled out of bed, not really wanting to move. The monstertraps were becoming quite a problem. The night before, he had been up until almost midnight just trying desperately to force the things back to a more manageable level. His limbs ached, and as he walked up to the window and gazed out across the farmyard, he was somehow unsurprised to find that they had sprung back up in many of the same places from which he had hacked them down the day before. Hundreds of them looked up at his window, and he groaned. He drew the drapes shut, then walked over to his wardrobe and changed clothes. A few minutes later, he was down in the kitchen, wearily dropping into the chair.

"Ahh... Something full of energy," he muttered. "Tea would be nice. Do we have tea?"

The cookbook flapped its pages, but Jason already knew the answer. Oh, well, he thought. "What about coffee?"

The cookbook slammed its cover shut several times, likely in laughter. Jason hated coffee, and he had avoided buying it at all costs. Still, that morning, it sounded nice.

"All right, ahh... I dunno. Eggs and bacon."

With a flash, the meal appeared in front of him. He scarfed it down, pondered eating a second breakfast just for the sake of staying in the house a bit longer, then reluctantly rose and walked out the front door. As he stepped onto the front porch, the chilly wind struck him, and he shivered.

Autumn in Summer Shandy was always an interesting time of the year. One day, it would be almost as warm as summer. The next day, it would be nearly as cold as winter. Admittedly, most days it wound up being somewhere in between, but you could never really know for sure.

Jason took a deep breath, then drew his sword and stepped slowly down onto the sidewalk.

BLELCH!

A monstertrap reared up, black ooze dripping from its leaves and jaws. Jason reacted instantly, slashing his sword through the neck of the monster. The head fell away, only for a new one to reform in its place. Jason proceeded to slash his sword through the beast, over and over, until it lay in little pieces on the ground. Then, and only then, did it dissolve into a blur of sparks. Before he could enjoy the victory, a slimy jaw closed on his leg from behind, yanking his feet out from underneath him. He fell to the ground and began hacking at this new attacker with all his might. It, too, was black and slimy, and he snarled as he tried to put the monster down.

He wasn't sure what to call the new variety of the monstertraps, but he was certain of one thing: He hated their guts. He wasn't sure if they developed the slimy, regenerative abilities after eating smuts themselves, or if they could inherit the trait and pass it along to their offspring when they gave off seeds, but Jason was certain that it was one of the two. Ever since autumn had arrived, the monstertraps had been getting more and more unwieldy. Now, about half of the monstertrap infestation on his farm had become "infected," and he didn't have the faintest idea what he could do about it, save to just hack away.

On the bright side, though, he had very little that he needed to do that day, farm-wise. As he downed the monstertrap that was holding him hostage, he rose and began fighting his way toward the field, and within about ten minutes, Jason stood at the gate overlooking the eighty acres of sorghum. The heads, still bright green, were just starting to appear, and they would be ready for harvest in about three more days. They took longer to mature than wheat, but they also sold far better, so in the end, the fall crop was absolutely worth planting. As he admired the field, Lady began to snort and stamp from within her stall, and he returned to her stable.

Three monstertraps, thankfully of the normal variety, stood just outside the door. Jason cut them down with ease, then made his way over to her hitching post. Half a dozen more monstertraps were waiting there, and he spent a few minutes cutting all of them down. When he was satisfied that there were no more hiding in the grasses, he slowly pulled the door open and led Lady from the enclosure.

The monstertraps reacted instantly, and though he had cleared a sufficient area, they began emitting loud growls and snapping their jaws ever-more fiercely. Apparently, they were hungry for horse meat that day. Jason kept his hand on his sword, but none of them were able to get close enough. Though Lady's eyes were wide, she didn't spook, and he soon had her tied up at the hitching post. She slowly relaxed and started eating, and he set back to work clearing away the monstertraps, starting with the area closest to Lady's post and working his way outward from there.

"Stupid monstertraps," he muttered as he worked. "They don't even drop anything good. If I had a token, or a leaf, or something for every single one of these that I killed, I'd have more monstertrap M meat than crabgrass meat."

No one answered him. He had worked his way nearly over to the stable when Lady let out a powerful, whinnying scream. He turned and bolted back toward her. Just next to her trough, a monstertrap had sprung up and had latched its jaws down onto her face, snarling and snapping at her beautiful, pristine coat.

"Get away from her!" Jason roared, leaping forward and cutting down the trap in a single stroke. It had likely been hiding underneath the trough when he had cleared the area out earlier. He had noticed that the traps were getting more intelligent in that manner, and it rather annoyed him. Lady, though, was properly terrified. She reared up on her hind legs, pulling against her tether and kicking powerfully at the air. Jason stumbled backward, only narrowly avoiding being kicked in the head.

She came down with a crash, where she continued to pant and snort, glancing left and right at the grasses surrounding her. Jason hurried over to the stable, took down her saddle, and had soon mounted up. As he started walking her toward the road, more monstertraps reared up, and she cantered first to one side, then the other. Finally, as one of the slimy monstertraps let out a bloodcurdling gurgle, she broke into a run, flashing past the remaining monsters and out onto the road.

Jason needed to encourage her very little as they tore down the road toward Jeremiah's ranch. Lady finally slowed as they approached the gate, and he rode in to find the place in organized chaos.

Cattle thundered back and forth through the various alleys of the ranch, with Jeremiah's hired hands urging them first one direction, and then the next. Jason flashed a small smile as Jeremiah, standing on a catwalk

overlooking a particularly large pen, turned and gave him a wave. Weatherhand, Jeremiah's top man, came striding out of a barn and walked up to him, and Jason dismounted.

"Anything I can do for you?" Weatherhand took Lady's reins.

"If you'd be willing to give her some oats and a small coral to run around in, she'd greatly appreciate it." Jason nodded at the small cuts that ran up and down her snout.

Weatherhand let out a whistle and nodded. "I'll get some ointment for that bite, too. Nasty things, those are."

As if to confirm his words, a monstertrap growing by one of the fences reared up and snapped at them, and Lady jumped sharply. Weatherhand cooed and calmed her down, then started leading her off toward the barn. Jason let out a long breath, then walked over to where Jeremiah was standing, and climbed eagerly up onto the catwalk.

"Howdy, neighbor." Jason called out as he stood next to his friend.

"Howdy." Jeremiah returned, not taking his eyes from the cattle churning below. The farm hands were driving new cattle into the herd, then sorting out others. "We're getting things ready for the sale. They're changing up how they want the cattle presented. Everything has to be by breed now, so we're having to reorganize all our pens."

Jason just shook his head. "I do not miss livestock in the slightest."

"You're gonna be awfully bored come winter, then, unless you get a proper greenhouse built by then." Jeremiah frowned. Idly, he pulled a toothpick out of his pocket and stuck it in his mouth, and he began idly chewing on the small stick. "What can I do for you? Come by to say hello, or can I help you somehow? Sorry I'm not better company, I'm just trying to stay focused."

"You're good. I'm sorry to intrude." Jason confided, "I was just wondering if you'd managed to find any good way of controlling the monstertraps yet. Lady got bit by one this morning, and I'm just... I can't keep up with them."

"You and me, both." Jeremiah grimaced. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. If I had known what these things would do to us, I'd have never brought their seeds onto the property."

"I understand," Jason consoled his neighbor. "You were just trying to help. I appreciate the thought, I really do, but I'm getting attack by them, Lady's getting attacked, I've got to do something." He paused for a

moment, then revealed, "They've also started taking on the characteristics of the things they eat, it seems like. They're all slimy now, just like a smut. You've got to cut them into a zillion pieces to kill them, and they stain your clothes something fierce." He glanced down at the long, black stains that ran across his overalls.

"I've been seeing the same thing," Jeremiah muttered, then pointed down across his corral. "Watch right there, down by that spindly, little tree." Jason squinted his eyes. There was a man on horseback down by the tree, and as Jason watched, he leapt from the horse and charged at

something. In response, there was an enormous blast of fire that the hired man only narrowly managed to dodge. Jason's eyes opened wide, and Jeremiah inclined his head.

"Since the fall started, I've been noticing the same thing. We don't get the same monsters down here that you do, but in a lot of ways, that's even worse. One of them ate a dragon... Just a little one, mind you... And now I've got a whole strain of monstertraps out in the northern quarter of the ranch that breathe fire. A bunch of the hired hands learned that if you stick raw meat on the end of your sword, you can get it roasted just perfectly if you antagonize them properly, but I've also lost more than a few cattle to them." Jeremiah kicked at the wooden boards. "Out in the east quarter, I've got them growing fifteen feet tall and throwing full-grown plants at anything that comes near. Oh, it's a proper nightmare. I've managed to keep the skeleton wolves at bay. I can't imagine what an undead, skeletal monstertrap might look like."

Jason grimaced. "Nothing pleasant, that's for sure. Why do you think their behavior changed?"

Jeremiah shrugged. "I sent out a letter to the guy who supplied me with the seeds, asking that exact same question. I haven't gotten a reply yet, but I'll bet you half my farm I know what he'll say. The monstertraps know that winter's coming, and they know that they won't be able to survive the freeze, so they're looking for adaptations that might help them make it through."

"Well, it's annoying." Jason scowled.

"Trust me, I'm aware of the fact," Jeremiah acknowledged through gritted teeth. "I'd offer you my solution, but I just don't have one. If you'd like, I can send my hired men out your way for a day. They'd be able to beat the infestation back quite a bit, all working together."

"And what would that do?" Jason asked, despondent. "There are thousands more seeds scattered throughout the grass that you can't see until they sprout, and every time the things eat a new monster, they just produce more seeds. I can't figure a way to properly shut them down, except maybe to build a fence around all of them to keep out their food source, then systematically hunt them down as they keep sprouting."

"Now there's an undertaking." Jeremiah whistled. "You have any success with that, you let me know."

Jason inclined his head and changed the subject. "Actually, on that note, I've been wondering something. The new guild hall, the new general store, they were all built on ground that had previously been undeveloped. How do you go about buying undeveloped land? Anytime I've ever tried to cut down the grass around my property, I just get a message that says that I don't own it."

"You buy it from Constable Hank," Jeremiah revealed. "His office manages all the land in the area. He's pretty easy-going. The money from the sale goes into the tax fund of the town, and since Summer Shandy doesn't exactly have a lot of upkeep or overhead costs, he tends to be pretty lax when it comes to the sale price of land. How much are you wanting?"

Jason contemplated the question. "I don't even know for sure. I'm at the point where I can manage everything with all my actions, and I usually have actions left over by the end of the day. Just thought it might be worth buying up a bit more land, to have something to do."

Jeremiah nodded thoughtfully. "Well, if you're serious about it, I've no doubt you'd be able to do it. You haven't done any major improvements on your farm for a full season; and given how much you had to have generated through all that wheat you had planted, you'd probably be able to pick up an extra quarter of ground or so."

Jason was confused. "A quarter?"

"A quarter of a square mile. One hundred and sixty acres," Jeremiah explained. "You typically buy land in increments of a square mile."

"The things you learn. Well, thanks for everything. If it's okay with you, I'm going to let Lady rest here for a bit before I head back home. She got shaken up pretty badly, and I doubt she's ready to go back."

"Stay, stay," Jeremiah welcomed. "Stay for lunch, for that matter. We won't be having anything fancy, since we just have to get back out to work, but it'll keep your stomach full enough."

Jason agreed, more than grateful for the opportunity. Jeremiah's wife could make an incredible meal, and he climbed down from the catwalk and made his way up to the ranch house, where he sat down in a chair to wait. The morning passed by, and soon, the hired men all came trooping inside for a meal of beef sandwiches covered in mayonnaise and cheese, bowls of prepared fruit, steamed asparagus and other vegetables, and fresh, homemade bread. It was a wonderful assortment, and Jason found himself unable to eat a fraction of what had been put in front of him. Jeremiah's definition of nothing fancy was, in Jason's opinion, unduly modest.

When he finished eating, he walked back out to Lady, where she had calmed down a great deal. He mounted back up on her, and with a final wave at Jeremiah, they struck out for home again.

As he rode down the road, thoughts churned through his mind. The morning excursion, while it had been nice, had done absolutely nothing to deal with the problem. He still needed to solve the issue... And that, if he wasn't mistaken, would take some creativity.

Chapter Thirteen: Lightning Cracks

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 13th day of Fall! 78 days until the Fall Festival! Today's a nasty one! Stay inside unless you have to go out!]

Jason didn't need to read the almanac to know that it was a stormy day. Lightning cracked outside his window, and the rumble of thunder shook the panes. He shuddered and crawled out of bed, then walked up to look out at the farm.

The rain came down in torrents, blasting against the home as if it were trying to tear the whole thing down. Outside, the freshly harvested field lay barren, with puddles of water forming on the open mud flat. He hadn't yet had a chance to plant the field again, as the previous day had been a Sunday, and Saturday had been the harvest itself.

"Not planting today," he chuckled. He could only imagine trying to get Lady to slog through the mud and the muck amid the raging storm. He shuddered at the very thought, then chuckled again and made his way downstairs. The one and only bright side to the storm, as far as he could tell, was the fact that all the Monstertraps were cowering against the ground, unwilling to stand tall in defiance of the wind and the rain.

He ate a quick breakfast of biscuits and gravy, then started heading toward the front door. He needed to feed Lady, at the very least, and he could probably stand to take a trip into town. He hadn't seen Tess or been into Summer Shandy since the Summer Festival, though they had certainly exchanged a handful of letters. As he stepped out onto the front porch, a blast of freezing air nearly knocked him flat, and he shivered. Wrapping his coat around himself as tightly as he could, he dove out into the rain and began slogging toward the stable.

All around him, monstertraps raised their heads, but the meticulous farmer put them down again after a mere moment. None of them really wanted to challenge him, and he was just fine with that fact. Lady backed up against the rear of the stable as he walked inside, wanting to stay as far

away from the rain as possible. Jason couldn't blame her for that, and he soon poured her some oats.

"There, girl," he whispered and patted her on the neck. "How's that?"

She nickered softly, and he let out a long breath, then walked to the rear of the stable and sat down in the soft hay. With the doors all pulled shut, it was actually quite warm and cozy, and he leaned his head against the wall. Rain pattered on the other side, but there, he was warm and cozy.

"Oh...," he sighed. "I spoil you too much, you know that? I need to go into town, but I just can't bear to take you out in this storm."

Lady nickered and continued to eat her oats. Jason rose and added a few more oats into her feeder, then grinned at an idea.

"Inventory: Sugar cubes. Three."

There was a pop of displaced air, and three small bits of sugar appeared. He tossed them into the oats, and Lady gave a sort of snort. She eagerly gobbled up the treats, and Jason grabbed a brush and began to groom her. Several long minutes passed, and he prepared to buckle up. He didn't want to go out into the storm, but... well... Life was life.

Bracing himself against the wind and the rain once more, he pushed the door open, stepped outside, shoved the door back shut, and latched it tightly. Confident that no monstertraps were going to get at Lady, he struck off for town, forging his way through the thickly falling rain.

It wasn't easy, but onward he pushed, splashing through deep puddles and slogging through running water. Overhead, lightning flashed, thunder boomed, and the wind blew so hard that he nearly fell over. Hours passed as he made his way into town, until, finally, he came tromping up into the deserted town square.

No other soul could be seen, though lights blazed brilliantly behind all of the windows. Smoke curled from every chimney he could see, and he quickly made his way over to Paulina's store. As he pulled open the door, he found himself stepping into a welcome embrace of warmth, and he quickly pulled the door shut behind him.

"Hey, Jason!" Paulina called out from behind the counter. "How goes it?"

"Oh, it goes." Jason glanced around the store. Everything was in the same place as before, though the shelves were noticeably more bare. The weapon racks had open slots between each blade, the displays of seeds were

hardly even half-full, and in general, the whole store looked rather piecemeal. He slowly walked up to the counter, glancing back and forth for customers. "Slow day?"

"Pretty much everyone except you decided to take Tess's advice and stay inside," Paulina confided. "Not that they've been coming on most ordinary days, but... still..." she lamented.

"Business still getting worse?" Jason grimaced.

Paulina nodded. "The General Store decided to actually take some business classes, and they expanded their inventory. Their stuff is still poor quality and highly overpriced, but their selection more or less matches my own. Even some of the locals are going over there, now. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to stay in business."

"Oh, you'll do fine." Jason flashed an encouraging smile. "How's Tess holding up?"

"About how you would expect Tess to hold up." Paulina forced a smile to her face, though it didn't reach her eyes. "She's obsessing over everything the two newcomers are doing, treading as close to the edge of the law as she can get, and annoying Hank at every turn."

"That does sound like Tess." Jason chuckled. "You think it's okay if I head over there?"

"I think she'd love that," Paulina asserted. "She mentioned to me that she's been missing you, but she's too terrified to leave Summer Shandy. She's afraid that the moment she's not keeping watch, they'll strike and kill everyone."

"In fairness, it's not entirely unfounded," Jason conceded. "Well, the reason I'm here is actually pretty simple. I need some assorted parts for my machinery, and I need something to kill loads of monsters."

"Ahh. Jeremiah told me about the Mars Monstertraps when he was in here a few days ago." Paulina winced. "He feels terrible about it, for what it's worth. Blames himself and wishes he could make it up to you."

"Oh, I don't blame him in the slightest." Jason waved his hand. "He was trying to do me a favor, it just kinda backfired. That sorta thing happens."

Paulina inclined her head. "Well, I can sell you the same thing I sold to him. I can't guarantee a thing, but it's worth a shot. A thousand shandys, if you've got it."

Jason quietly consulted his account. Jeremiah had been right; he hadn't exactly been spending a lot of his money. The previous year, every time he had started to build up a bit of a nest egg, something had happened, and he had been forced (or chosen) to spend it all. Now... Now, he had a lot more.

[Money: 11,542,123 shandys]

"I can afford that," he stated confidently. "What are we looking at?" "It's a newfangled weapon. It was designed for clearing lots of small

critters out of dungeons so warriors could focus on the larger ones," Paulina explained. "I don't have a clue if they'll work on the monstertraps, but I happened to buy a few when I saw them in the catalogue, so... Well, I'll just show you."

She turned and walked into the back, then came out with a small, black case. With a flick of a latch, the lid popped open, revealing a small, metal rod about six inches in length, topped by a crystal that glowed with an odd, blue light.

"It uses something called... Uranium, I think? You stick it into the ground, then run. They say not to look at it. It'll kill all monsters under level ten within a hundred-foot radius. They also say not to take it out of the case for more than a few seconds before you detonate it, since it's kinda harmful to humans, too."

She snapped the case back shut. "Strictly speaking, the case itself is about ten thousand shandys, but I trust you to bring it back to me."

Jason whistled softly and shook his head. "It would take a hundred of these to cover the entire area I've got infested."

"Sorry, I don't even have a hundred in stock," Paulina apologized. "The demand for them's pretty high, and no one's produced more than a handful at a time. I suspect that the price on them is about to go through the roof, though I can't be sure."

"Well, I'll take this one, in any case," Jason confirmed. With a loud ka-ching, the item vanished and appeared in his inventory. "I'll let you know how well it works or doesn't."

"Thanks." Paulina let out a long breath. "Now go see Tess. Like I said, I think she'll love to see you."

"Heading that way, trust me." Jason turned to leave, then turned back. "Before I go, could I get a few fire crystals?"

"You mean... Like the ones warriors use in the dungeons for making giant explosions?"

Jason nodded. "That'd be the ones. Five or six ought to be enough, at least for my experiments."

"Jason, the mad scientist," Paulina chuckled. "I like the farming version better."

"Well, the farming version will have a lot easier of a time farming if he doesn't have to worry about being eaten by the crops that he planted," Jason snorted. At that, Paulina laughed, and a few moments later, he had the items in his inventory. With that, he walked out into the pouring rain, wrapping his coat tightly around himself. He had already forgotten just how cold it was, and he had begun to shiver by the time he slogged all the way over to Tess's Guild Hall.

When he pushed open the door, he found a warm and cheery atmosphere, just like inside Paulina's store. Also, just like Paulina's store, there were almost no people inside. A few soggy-looking warriors lounged on the couches and sat near the blazing hearth, but it was much more deserted than Jason would have expected. He glanced around, looking for Tess, and one of the warriors jerked a thumb at her office.

"She's in there."

"Thanks." Jason gave a wave of his hand, then started walking in that direction, toward the wall where the hearth was built. He had only made it about half of the way, though, when the door came crashing open.

"And stay out!" Tess's voice thundered as an enormous male warrior clad in spiky red armor came stumbling out. "I don't want to see your face in this establishment again! That's right, run back to your parents, you little grub!"

The warrior glanced around, took a deep breath, and seemed to regain some of his lost confidence, then sauntered to the door as though it were his decision entirely. As he vanished out into the rain, Jason walked up to the open door and knocked lightly on the frame.

"What do you-" Tess snapped, looking up with fury in her eyes. She was bent over a very large pile of paperwork that was covered in a rather alarming amount of red ink. Her face softened as she recognized Jason, and she flashed a small smile. "Oh! Sorry, didn't realize it was you. Come in! Come in!"

Jason stepped inside and pulled the door shut. Her office was built with a wall adjacent to the hearth itself, which made the office, as always, rather stuffy. Steam began to rise from his clothes, and he sat down in a large chair. Tess went back to working on her paperwork, and she glanced up in his direction as she did so.

"What's up? I'm sorry I haven't been able to come out, I just..."

"No, it makes sense," Jason reassured her. "I miss you, don't get me wrong, but... I'm glad I get to see you now."

"Me, too," Tess agreed, though as she didn't look up from her paperwork, Jason wasn't exactly sure how she could see him. "What's up on the farm?"

"Just trying to figure out how to clear away all the monstertraps." Jason revealed. "I'd hire a bunch of your warriors to do the job, but I'm afraid I'd have to hire them for something like a month all in a row, and I doubt many people would be willing to keep it up for so long."

"Yeah, probably not." Tess still wasn't looking up from her paperwork. "I'm really sorry. I'll try to help clear them out when I come out there next. Hopefully this weekend."

Jason nodded slowly, then frowned. "You... ahh... What's going on? You're awfully busy with that paperwork, and... well... If you're concerned about people leaving to the other hall, kicking them out of your establishment probably isn't the best way to do that."

He chuckled at his own joke, but Tess's face only turned red. "Pathetic little Dungeon Guild plant."

"Really?" Jason crossed his arms. "Tell me about it."

"Oh, I will." Tess brought her hand slamming down against the

desk, and she looked up with fire in her eyes. "You know how my income comes directly from the dungeon, right? I get to take treasure when I'm helping people clear it out, and I get paid a nominal sum when I take expeditions in?"

Jason nodded slowly. "You also sell maps of the dungeon, show people where hidden treasure rooms are located..."

"Exactly," Tess confirmed. "Well, those... Those people wearing armor, who haven't earned the name of warrior, figured out how often the dungeon resets its treasure hordes. Some things respawn immediately after the person delving the dungeon leaves, but other things respawn on a timer. Well, they have a rotation set up, and they keep cleaning out the treasure

rooms as soon as they respawn. Anytime I try, they just come in with me and force me away from it. Sure, I might be able to get a single treasure chest here or there, but they're cleaning up everything for themselves. When I guide people down into the dungeon, there's no treasure to give them. When they go guide someone down into the dungeon, they salt the dungeon ahead of time to make sure that the person feels accomplished. My reputation is tanking, and no one cares. I'm a laughingstock in the warrior community."

Jason let out a long breath. "Oh Tess, I'm so-"

"And that's not the worst of it!" She pointed down at the paperwork. "Blacksuit managed to get back and work with whatever lawyer friend of his created the law that technically put him in charge of the Warriors' Guild. You remember that whole argument, back in Constable Hank's office? Anyway, he just unloaded a whole new set of laws and technicalities upon me. This time, I'm technically being given advanced notice, but I have to fill out all this paperwork before I can retain my license. I've already done it twice, and it keeps being sent back as incomplete. The deadline is tomorrow, and... well... I'm at a loss to find what I didn't complete."

"I'm so sorry." Jason leaned forward. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Kill Blacksuit?" Tess muttered. "Make it look like an accident, of course."

Jason couldn't tell whether she was joking, but he laughed quietly just in case. Tess didn't seem amused, and he sighed deeply.

"Well..." he shrugged. "If you need me to cook anything... Maybe a pie, or some sausage, or... I don't know. I'm here for you."

Tess gave a simple nod of her head, but she didn't look up from her paperwork. Jason watched her for a few long minutes, then resigned himself to her being too busy to connect that day and stood up. Soon, he was out in the rain once more, slogging for home.

In his inventory, he had something that he hoped would help him solve the issue of his farm. The issues with the town, and with Tess? Those, he didn't even have the faintest of ideas how to fix. He did, however, know that he would do almost anything to ensure that the situation resolved itself, and that life again went back to normal.

Chapter Fourteen: Layers of Fog

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 20th day of Fall! 71 days until the Fall Festival! Ahh... The day should be nice. Nothing major.]

Jason blinked. Tess's almanac entries had been getting shorter and shorter, but this one was unusual even for her stressed, overwhelmed state. He rolled out of bed, then walked up to the window. A light layer of frost covered everything, and the breath of the monstertraps was visible as little puffs of fog.

There were a lot of these puffs of fog.

Jason scowled down at the monstertraps, then shrugged, changed clothes, and headed downstairs. As he reached the kitchen, something rattled in his mail slot, and he eagerly walked over to find a small letter from Tess. His heart gave a leap, and he grabbed the letter and walked back to the kitchen.

"Pancakes," he ordered as he sat down. They appeared with a flash, and he unfolded the letter. The sweethearts had been exchanging letters for the previous week, ever since the day of the major storm. If she kept her word, she was taking the day off and would come out and help him test some of his monster-killers. Unfortunately, as he unfolded the paper, he groaned.

The handwriting was small, but easily legible.

"I'm so sorry, Jason, but things have come up. I caught one of the warriors smuggling monster eggs into the new guild hall. I have to deal with this, but I'll try to come out tomorrow. Love you! Tess."

Disappointed, Jason wadded up the letter and tossed it over his shoulder. It clattered to the floor, and he quickly ate the large stack of pancakes. They were marvelously fluffy, but he just couldn't enjoy them. He had been saving the different weapons he had purchased to try out with Tess, but the monstertraps were getting even more out of hand than before, and he had to give them a try.

When he finished eating, he quickly headed to the front door, put on his boots, and glided out into the morning sunlight. Monstertraps now grew thick across almost his entire yard. There had to be a hundred thousand of them total, stretching from the road all the way to the rear of his field. All hundred thousand turned to look at him and began snapping their jaws, letting loose a deafening racket that sounded more than a bit like something out of his worst nightmares.

He took a deep breath, then pulled the protective case out of his inventory. It came down with a clunk on his porch, and he knelt down and began flipping the latches. As it came open, the same blue glow radiated outward, and Jason let out a long breath.

"Hello, beautiful," he whispered. "Time to find out just how good you are."

The weapon made no sound, and he started to walk out into the yard. Two new monstertraps reared up on either side of the stairs, snapping at his legs, and he drew back. Both of them were the slimy variety and drooled a rather enormous portion of black ooze across the wood.

"That's gonna stain!" At least the paint was peeling, anyway, he consoled himself. Desperate, he gazed out across the expanse. He didn't have the faintest idea where to plant the bomb, for there wasn't a chance in the world that he would be able to get into the thickest areas of growth, but it seemed a waste to simply drop it in the area that he cleared out every single day.

In the end, he drew his sword and hacked through the monstertraps guarding the steps, then charged out into the yard. Just to the east of the stable, between the stable and the fence of the field, was a thick group of monstertraps that Jason had been unable to penetrate in weeks. All told, now, about three quarters of his monstertraps were the oozing variety. As he rushed forward, dozens of slimy jaws stretched out to grab him, and he gripped the weapon tightly in his hand. He used his sword liberally, almost like a scythe, chopping off the heads of the monsters and then running past before they had a chance to regrow. As he reached the center of the growth, he bent down and shoved the stake into the ground, then continued to run onward, not stopping. He had just reached the fence when, quite unexpectedly, a monstertrap latched down on his heel, and he fell headlong across the ground. More monstertraps started snapping at his exposed face and hands, and he quickly covered himself up.

A moment later, the weapon detonated with a powerful scream, and a blinding light flashed across the plain. Even lying face-down on the dirt, Jason's eyes ached at the lightshow, and an odd tingling passed over him. The monstertraps snapping at him all let go, and he slowly sat up.

Just as advertised, a hole about a hundred feet across had been blasted into the monstertraps. The edge was a clearly defined circle of remaining monstertraps, but the inside had been utterly dealt with. Jason was lying near the edge, though still a good deal further inward than he would have liked. He climbed shakily to his feet, and the surviving monstertraps on the edge of the ring began to snap at him.

"Now, now, none of that," he chided them, then pulled one of the fire crystals out of his pocket. He then drew a pistol with his other hand, hefted the crystal in his palm, and threw it at the ring of Mars Monstertraps.

Apparently thinking it was food, one of the monstertraps snatched the crustal out of the air. It was one of the slimy ones, and Jason smiled. He sighted in on the monster, then squeezed the trigger.

With a resounding bam, the bullet was flung from the barrel of the gun and into the slimy body of the monstertrap. He wasn't sure if it actually struck the crystal or not, but whatever the case, the result was wonderful. A crackle-hiss-whoosh echoed even louder than the gunshot itself, and flames poured across the area. The ordinary monstertraps burst into flames, instantly transformed into living torches. Moreover, just like the smuts that they had begun to emulate, the oozing monstertraps simply exploded.

For a few long and quite disgusting seconds, it rained black goop on a stunned (but happy) Jason. The bomb had worked wonderfully, if messily. As the last of the monstertraps burned down or exploded, he was left with an area cleared that was even larger than the area cleared by the uranium bomb. It was perfect. He pulled a second fire crystal out of his inventory, began to wish that he had actually bought an entire crate, and threw it a bit further than before.

This time, the monstertraps all failed to catch it, and it simply slammed into the ground and detonated without fanfare. The flames whooshed along the ground like a raging river, unbound and unleashed following the collapse of a dam, and once again, the monstertraps were decimated. This area had been more densely populated than the first, and Jason ran backwards as the black ooze came down with loud, resounding

splats. By the time the last of it finished dropping, the ooze stood almost two feet thick, and Jason crossed his arms in approval.

"Now, that's how you do it!" Jeremiah's voice rang out over the chaos. Jason turned as Jeremiah cantered into the driveway, then dismounted. "It's a better idea than anything I've tried, although I also don't have anything that reacts to flame like that."

Jason waved at his neighbor. "Your dragon versions are probably immune altogether."

"They're immune to everything," Jeremiah grieved. "Their scales are practically indestructible. I've half a mind to try and get a copy of the legendary sword Excalibur, but I can't decide if it would be better to do that, or just buy a bunch of dynamite and blow the whole farm up."

"If you take that route, I want a front-row seat." Jason chuckled, then threw another fire crystal into a fairly dense cluster of the monstertraps. It was snapped up, and Jason took careful aim.

Blam!

The shot went wide, though it did succeed in killing two of the ordinary monstertraps. Jason scowled, but Jeremiah simply took out a rifle and fired. This time, the shot struck home, and another wide swath of the monstertraps was eliminated.

"Seems like you've got something that works, in any case," Jeremiah praised as he lowered the rifle.

"I've got something. We'll see how well it works in the long run," Jason replied. "I'm just glad to have some half-decent way of killing them. Paulina said you tried some of those uranium bombs?"

Jeremiah waved a hand across his chest like a warning. "Yeah. Not buying them again, I can tell you that much! They worked just fine, near as I could tell, but my hired men who were out using them all got sicker'n dogs. They're still in bed. Kinda glow, too. I don't know what they managed to stick in those bombs, but it's not anything that mortal men should have their hands on."

"I'm glad I only took one, then. Made all my hair stand on end, I'll tell you that much." Jason worried for a moment, then refocused. "What are you coming through for, then?"

"Just heading into town for some more feed. The next cattle drive is in a week, so I'm just making sure I'm ready. Nothing too interesting, I'll tell you that much. You have any more of those fire crystals?"

Jason apologized. "I only bought a few, just to test the theory."

"I'll pick you up a few while I'm in, then. Looks like you could use them!" Jeremiah chuckled. Suddenly, his smile vanished, and he frowned and nodded at the waving grass. "What's that?"

Jason turned and frowned in the same direction. "What's..."

His blood froze as the grass started to quake. He had seen it many times during the previous year, when swarms of monsters had been approaching. Was the death of the monstertraps enough to convince all the old monsters to come back? Jason drew his sword, and Jeremiah did the same, putting his rife back into his inventory at the same time.

With a resounding roar, dozens of monstertraps came tumbling out of the grass. They all looked, more or less, like the original variety, with one key difference: They were walking on their roots just like crabgrasses. Jason gulped, especially as the horde of the creatures began to grow.

"Retreat!" Jeremiah shouted. He turned and leapt on his horse, and Jason scrambled for the safety of Lady's stable. He threw open the door with all his might and ducked inside, pulling it shut just as the hordes of plant-monsters came crashing up against it. The wood shuddered, and he knew he had to act quickly.

The door of Lady's stable, strictly speaking, had two parts. The lower part remained shut almost all the time, but the upper half could open independently, to allow Lady some fresh air during nicer weather. Jason had been keeping it shut ever since autumn had arrived, but in that moment, he slowly pulled it open, allowing him to see out across the farmyard.

Jeremiah was in full retreat, riding his horse back toward the road as dozens of the monsters chased after him. They were slow, but they were persistent, and with a wave at Jason, he took off down the road toward Summer Shandy. Jason was sure that he would come back with reinforcements or weapons and help get Jason out.

That did not, in the immediate sense of the word, help him.

The monstertraps all slowed as they realized that Jeremiah was getting away, and as a group, they slowly turned back toward Jason. He gulped, then pulled the top door shut as they came charging at him, and a moment later, there was a resounding crash. The wood shuddered under the impact of the monsters, and roots scrambled against the sides as they all began piling on top of one another. Soon, he could even hear the monstertraps up on the roof, and the relatively new farmer gulped as he

heard them start to bite and tear at the wood itself. Splinters were torn off, and he took a deep breath.

Would he come out of this alive? Probably. Would he come out of this with anything resembling a functional farmstead? Probably not. As it was, it was nearly impossible for him to do any work, what with the ferocity of the monstertraps. With this newest adaptation, it was going to be nigh-impossible to do anything. They were too hard to kill, too fast, and altogether too numerous. Sure, the crabgrasses, histles, razorgrasses, and other monsters of the previous year had been numerous, but they had only really cared about eating his crops. These monstertraps wanted to eat him, and in his mind, that was a very critical difference.

He wasn't sure how long he had sat there before a loud, crackling noise filled the air. Fire! Smoke began to waft in through the cracks in the stable, and Lady's already-wide eyes grew even wider. Her nostrils flared, and Jason patted her on the neck as the blaze crackled on.

When the noise finally died down, he carefully pulled the upper door open to find Jeremiah standing tall, along with two warriors from the guild. They all had crystals in their hands, and the warriors began throwing more of the weapons as they advanced on the rest of his property. Jason let out a sigh of relief and slowly stepped out into the yard, closing the door to keep Lady inside.

Neither he nor Jeremiah said a word, they simply turned and gazed at the destruction. A large portion of Jason's yard had been burned away, though, of course, the monstertraps were also gone. He let out a sigh of relief, then held out his hand. Jeremiah shook it, then transferred a hundred crystals straight into Jason's inventory.

"How much do I owe you?" Jason asked softly as the warriors continued their crusade against the monstertraps. The entire prairie was engulfed in flame, they certainly weren't taking any chances.

"We'll just say you owe me a favor." Jeremiah shook his head.

"So... The next time I do something to you that causes you unquantifiable pain and torment, and then come along and help you out of it, we'll call it even?"

He smiled even as he said it, and Jeremiah could only chuckle. "Yeah, something like that."

With that, he turned and walked away, mounting his horse and

riding off down the road. Jason watched him go, then relaxed a little. He

knew Jeremiah felt terrible about the ordeal with the monstertraps, and he had no desire to make his friend feel worse than he already did. Still, he had a sinking suspicion that simply burning the prairie wouldn't fix the issue... And he knew that he wouldn't have to wait long to find out whether that theory was true.

Chapter Fifteen: A Helping Sword

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 39th day of Fall! 52 days until the Fall Festival! There's another big cattle drive happening today! As per usual, if you don't want to get squished, stay out of the way. Mr. Blacksuit, Lady Benford? I'd like to formally invite you to a meeting the town square, starting at precisely 8 AM.]

Jason laughed at that, then rolled out of bed and walked up to the window, gazing down at his farm. The heads of the monstertraps looked up at him, staring from the scorched earth as if the event with the warriors hadn't happened at all. He felt resigned to further battle, though on a positive note, he did have to admit that there were fewer of them than before. The mobile variety, at least, seemed to have been eliminated by the onslaught, though the oozing variety was still more than prevalent. Jason watched it for a few long moments as Jeremiah came cantering into the farmstead. The older man drew a sword and began to hack at some of the monstertraps, and Jason felt gratitude alongside his frustration.

He changed clothes and made his way down the stairs, then poked his head out the front door. Jeremiah glanced over at him and waved, then started to walk over in that direction. Jason stayed where he was until Jeremiah came walking up. He had a sheepish sort of smile on his face, and Jason frowned.

"What's up?" Jason asked. "Something wrong? Come in for breakfast if you want it."

"I already ate. I get up at four every morning. Only way I can get things done on time, with such a large herd." Jeremiah bit his lip. "I'd... ah... like to call in that favor you owe me."

"The favor that I owe you because you saved me from your own plague?" Jason flashed a small smile.

"Yeah, that one," Jeremiah forced a chuckled, then resumed his frown. "I really do hope there aren't any hard feelings. I'm truly sorry about Lady, and everything else that-"

"Oh, don't worry about it." Jason waved his hand dismissively, then shivered as a gust of cold wind blew across the prairie. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you could help with the cattle drive today." Jeremiah proposed. "Enough of my men have been hospitalized by the different... oh, everythings, that I'm a little shorthanded. Not to mention the fact that there was a herd of the crabgrass monstertraps seen up near Summer Shandy. I'm a little nervous that they'll try to eat the cattle."

Jason flashed a crooked grin. "Take Lady out to her hitching post, and I'll head out as soon as I'm done with breakfast."

"Much obliged." Jeremiah doffed his hat, then started walking toward the stable. Jason watched him go, then walked back into the house and into the kitchen. He made up a plate of biscuits and gravy, and by the time he was done and had walked back outside, Jeremiah was long gone, and Lady was happily munching on her oats. Jason walked up to the road and cast a glance down toward Jeremiah's place, where he could see a cloud of dust rising as the cattle were driven out.

"Better get ready," Jason muttered, then started walking back toward Lady. In a few moments, he had saddled her, unhitched her, and rode her up to the gate. A few minutes later, the first of the cattle started rumbling past, and he fell in line.

On they went, up toward town, the thunderous hooves of the cattle shaking the ground. Jason couldn't keep a smile from his face. He loved herding cattle, there was no doubt about that, despite the fact that he utterly hated every single other aspect of livestock care. Weatherhand rode up next to him and doffed his hat, and Jason nodded.

"Thanks for the hand," Weatherhand expressed. "You'll want to get on the other side of the road, I think. What kind of weapons do you have on you?"

Jason mentally reviewed his inventory. "My sword, some fire crystals, and a pistol. Mine is a black powder pistol, however, so I can only get off a single shot before taking time to reload."

Weatherhand nodded wearily. "Don't use the fire crystals unless you have to, but don't hesitate if it looks like the monstertraps are going to cause problems. I don't want the flames to cause a stampede, but... If the cattle run, we can always chase them down again. If they get eaten, there's not a lot we can do to turn a profit."

"You got it." Jason nodded and started working Lady through the herd of cattle, and he soon emerged on the opposite side of the road. The cattle lowed and rumbled excitedly, and Weatherhand began to crack a whip, urging them onward.

"Haw! Git!"

They rumbled on toward the town, and, as usual, Jason saw the residents scrambling to get out of the way. He had to withhold a smile, especially as Tess herself came walking out of the Guild Hall to lean against the wall. She waved, and he waved back, then drew up just at the edge of Summer Shandy. One of Jeremiah's other farm hands came up to join him, and Jeremiah himself soon rode up next to the farm hand, but the rest of them continued to drive the cattle onward.

With the front of the herd now crossing the town square, the rear of the herd was still down by Jason's house. The scale of the group boggled Jason's mind, but he forced himself to stay focused on the grasses in front of him. Something rippled not far out, but a small sheep was only bounding back to its mother, which was bleating in one of the stables up near town.

Suddenly, the hired man raised a rifle. "I see one," he whispered. "The hill just next to the twisted tree."

Jason gazed anxiously as Jeremiah brought up his gun as well. He squinted and could just barely see the grasses there rippling back and forth as a herd of... Well, he couldn't tell, but presumably they were the monstertraps in question... Started rumbling in their direction.

"Fire at will!" Jeremiah called, and his rifle barked sharply. The hired man fired as well, and they both set to reloading. Jason took a deep breath, then drew his sword. "One more shot apiece, and then we'll charge them!"

Jason nodded and took hold of Lady's reigns. By now, Tess could tell that something was wrong, and she rode her own steed out to meet them. She nodded in the direction of the traps, then glanced at Jason.

"Those are the marks?"

Jason inclined his head. "We're to kill them without fire, if possible. You heard about the fire incident, right?"

"You wrote me several letters about it," Tess reminded him, then flashed a grin. "Sounds like it was quite the time. Now, I get to see them in person."

Jason let out a long breath, Jeremiah and his hired man fired one more time, and the four of them lurched forward as fast as their horses could go. Tess quickly outpaced the others, though Jeremiah was only a fraction behind. As they came racing up to the hill, Tess let out a shout of surprise and wheeled her horse around sharply. Jeremiah did the same, and Jason frowned. A moment later, he knew why.

The side of the hill was covered in Mars Monstertraps. Thousands of them, almost as many as had been around at Jason's farm, with the key distinguisher that they were all mobile. They quickly zeroed in on the four horse riders, scampering forward with the force of a tidal wave. When one tripped or stumbled, the others just climbed up and over it. This caused smaller "waves" of sorts to form, which would have been quite entertaining had the situation not been so dire.

"Get back!" Jason shouted, as he pulled several fire crystals out of his inventory and threw them as hard as he possibly could. Every single one was snapped up by the hungry jaws of the monsters, and Jason let out an exasperated snort. He grabbed a few more and threw them as well, then a third handful.

By now, the monstertraps were surging up around Lady's feet, and she let out a startled snort, reared up on her hind legs, spun, and began to gallop away. Jason grabbed one final handful of crystals, glanced over his shoulder, and threw them with all his might.

Finally, one of those crystals actually struck the ground and exploded with the ordinary force that he was used to seeing. Flames rippled through the grasses, burning an area a hundred feet across. As the monstertraps caught on fire and began to writhe, the monstertraps that had swallowed the fire crystals exploded. Powerfully. Flames erupted across the prairie in a growing, compounding chain reaction. Within moments, several acres of ground had been scorched away, and thousands of the creatures had been destroyed.

It wasn't enough, of course. Despite the fact that he had destroyed the bulk of the advancing monsters, there were still far more pouring in from behind. Jeremiah and the farm hand leapt from their horses and drew their swords as they reached the herd of cattle, and Jason took a deep breath. Tess came up next to him, then put her fingers in her mouth and whistled.

Jason wasn't sure what she had expected to happen, but it was quite clear that nothing did happen. Her face became a mask of anger, and she drew her own sword.

"Together?" She glanced at Jason.

"Together." He nodded.

They turned and faced the oncoming tide of monstertraps... And

then, without warning, Lady reared up, bucked Jason straight onto the ground, and turned and charged into town. Jason was still sitting up when a monstertrap rushed out of the grass, jumped onto his chest, and began trying to bite his face off.

Jason growled, drew his sword, and began desperately hacking at the thing. He managed to cut it in half, more by luck than anything else, and stood up to find the monstertraps rushing past him and biting at the heels of the cattle. The great bovines lashed out with their hooves, kicking more than a few of the monstertraps into little more than blue sparks, but it just wasn't enough. The monsters grabbed hold of the legs and bellies of the cattle, and they were drug along as the cattle bellowed and began to run.

Jason had never seen a proper stampede before that day. In an instant, utter chaos erupted all around him. Cattle ran past on all sides, their hooves churning the ground into a thick dust that clogged his lungs and caused him to start coughing powerfully. He did his best to slash at the monstertraps when he saw them, but it was almost impossible to do so without striking the cattle themselves. Suddenly, one of the cattle came charging straight at him, and he leapt to the side to avoid being hit. Unfortunately, this motion carried him straight into the path of another cow, and in an instant, he was battered by a thousand pounds of pure muscle and knocked firmly to the ground. Hooves churned around him, and he gasped and put his hands over his head.

This was not how he had planned on the day going. He tried to stand up more than once but was only battered back to the ground again. Finally, after what felt like hours, the thunder came to a stop, and he slowly stood up and groaned.

Every part of his body ached, that was for certain. The cattle were scattered, formed up into half a dozen small clusters of cattle that tore across the prairie in as many different directions. Jeremiah's hired hands were all pacing the cattle, but they seemed unable to control them, at least

for that moment. Tess's black horse could be seen chasing down one of the groups, but he couldn't tell whether or not she was on it.

Jason took a deep breath, then tried to take a step forward. His leg buckled. Groaning, he fell to one knee. As he did so, something stirred under his knee, and he jumped backward as a rather battered monstertrap pulled itself upright and opened a crooked jaw to snap at his foot.

"Oh, shut up." He scowled, then lobbed the head off the monstertrap. It dissolved into blue sparks, and he forced himself upright again. Theresa came running out of the village, and he eagerly accepted her help as he started staggering toward town.

He wanted to be out there helping round the cattle up, but he didn't even know where Lady was. He was also quite convinced he wouldn't be able to ride her without help, and he experienced pain and frustration as Theresa sat him down on a bench.

His mind spun as he walked back over the event in his head. He had many thoughts, mostly pertaining to what he should have done differently, but a few thoughts in particular stood out. First, how had the mobile monstertraps been able to escape the warriors who decimated his farm? Sure, they had missed one or two, and those had regrown the crop of monstertraps at his farm, but they had been quite intent on hunting down all the mobile ones. Sure, there was a chance that another monstertrap had eaten a crabgrass, but as crabgrasses were mostly spring and summer monsters, that didn't make a lot of sense.

The second thought, though, was a bit more pressing in his mind. When Tess had whistled, what had she been trying to accomplish? Presumably, she had been trying to call for more help, but... Not a single person had answered the call. Had her reputation really dwindled that much? And, if so... What did that mean for the

Chapter Sixteen: Daily Grind

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 47th day of Fall! 44 days until the Fall Festival! It's a Sunday today, so make sure to get your rest! That means you too, Dungeon Guild! I'd love a break, you know.]

Jason read the message a few times, trying to figure out exactly what she was talking about. She had some sort of an agenda, he was certain of it, but he really didn't have the faintest idea what it might be. After he had gotten mauled by the cattle, he had spent a day recovering in Theresa's healing den, at which time Tess had stopped by for a brief visit, but that was it. He had tried to stop in and say hello before heading back home, but it had been a similar experience as the time she had been filling out paperwork. She had simply been so busy that he hadn't had a chance to say more than a quick greeting, and then he had been off to head back to the daily grind.

Thankfully, though, it was a Sunday, and he gratefully changed into something more comfortable: one of his nicer tunics. As he made his way down the stairs, the house creaked, and he started making a mental list of the projects he would have to tackle come the winter. He hadn't yet gotten a greenhouse built, but he had accumulated enough money from the sale of his crops that he didn't have any particular worries about going hungry or being unable to afford anything. It would be nice to take a break from the daily grind of planting, harvesting, and attacking monstertraps, and just settle in to work on the house.

When he reached the kitchen, the cookbook was already waiting for him. No sooner had he sat down than a plate of pancakes appeared in front of him. He nodded gratefully.

"Thanks. What do you think I should do today?"

The cookbook closed itself with a loud slam, and it remained shut for several long moments. Jason nodded in agreement.

"A nap does sound nice."

The cookbook gave an excited flap of its pages, then lay still again. Jason finished the pancakes, then took out a paper and pen and started writing.

"Hey, Tess. Haven't heard from you in a few days. Hope everything's going okay up there. I've fully recovered from the stampede. Jeremiah's been apologizing every day or so; he feels terrible about it all. I feel kinda bad for him, honestly. He hasn't meant to hurt me at all, but he seems to be accidentally inflicting quite a bit of pain! I think his wife came after him with a rolling pin when she found out about the stampede, at least that's what Weatherhand told me." He felt wistful, then kept writing. "I miss you. I hope all this stuff with the Dungeon Guild gets resolved soon. Talk to you soon, Jason."

He finished writing, then folded up the note and walked up to the mail slot. Slowly, he dropped it into the box, and a message appeared.

[Mailbox: Please state intended recipient." "Tess, of the Warriors' Guild."

[Mailbox: ...]

[Mailbox: ...]

[Mailbox: ...]

[Mailbox: Message sent]

Jason nodded, then walked into the living room. The wind howled

around the house, making the ancient windows of the place shudder, and he sat down in his easy chair near the fireplace. He soon had a blaze going in the hearth, and the warm light flickered throughout the room. It felt empty without anyone else there, but it also felt... Nice. He had been beat up one side and down the other, and even after surviving the stampede, he had returned to a farmstead once again infested with the monstertraps. If even a single one survived, it could continue to propagate the species, and within days, they would be everywhere. It hadn't gotten as bad as before the warriors decided to help him out -- that had certainly been the worst -- but it also wasn't exactly getting any better. Still, though, he had that specific day to relax, and that was the important part.

No sooner had he put his feet up, and started to doze off, than a rattle came in the mail slot. He sat up in excitement and rushed over to the box, pulling out a small letter. His excitement faded as he realized that Tess hadn't been the one to send it, though. It was a crisp, white piece of paper,

and as he unfolded it, he found only a neat set of type that could nearly have been written by a typewriter.

"Jason, this is Constable Hank. I need your help. Thanks."

Jason frowned, then tossed the letter into the fire. It crackled and burned, and he began to snuff out the flames. As the last of the fire died away, he put on a coat and walked out into the cold wind that howled from the north.

Monstertraps across the yard turned and snarled at him, snapping their jaws fiercely. With all the grass burned away, there was nowhere for them to hide, and this fact seemed to annoy them greatly. Jason wearily drew his sword, hacked down the ones that were standing in his way, and otherwise ignored the creatures as he made his way to the stable.

Inside, Lady was happily munching on oats that he had poured out the night before. She looked up at him and nickered happily, and he soon had her saddled. She cast a single, longing glance back at the oats as they entered the cold wind, and then they were off.

The miles flew by under her hooves as he rode for town. Jason's mind spun, since... well... Constable Hank wasn't the type to call for help. For that matter, unless it was some sort of sarcastic remark, Constable Hank wasn't really the type to talk to Jason as all. To be fair, Jason rather avoided the man, but that was large in part because of the prank he had played on Jason when he first came into Summer Shandy.

When Jason arrived in town, he found Hank standing just outside his office, hat in his hand. Jason came riding up, and Hank looked up, gratefulness in his eyes.

"Thanks for coming on such short notice." he rumbled. "I saw your letter appear in Tess's box, and... Well, the idea hit me, so I sent a letter back to you."

Jason scowled. "You read my mail? Isn't that a federal offense? I thought you were all about upholding the law."

Hank pointed a finger at Jason. "First off, if you have a warrant to search someone's residence, personal mail is included in that warrant. Secondly, it's actually a provincial offense, and the various penalties vary from province to province. Here, I actually get a good deal of leniency in the punishment, which means that I could, strictly speaking, open someone's mail and then sentence myself to a slap on the wrist."

Jason blinked. "You had a warrant to search Tess's office?"

"Yeah. It's been... Oh, it's been a day." Constable Hank waved at the Warriors' Guild. "Go stable Lady, then come to my office. You're going to be here fora while. Sorry to ruin your day off. I'm sure you were looking forward to it."

"You have no idea."

Jason held Constable Hank's gaze, then rode off toward the Guild stables. He was somehow unsurprised to find them completely empty. Even Tess's horse was missing, which was only another extraordinarily odd thing amid everything else. He soon had Lady bedded down, then walked around the Guild Hall to find Constable Hank already inside.

When he arrived at the door, he heard arguing from inside. He took a deep breath, then pulled the door open and walked into the office. Constable Hank stood on one side of the desk, now with his hat squarely on his head and his arms crossed tightly. He stared across at Alfred Blacksuit and Lady Benford, and Jason suddenly began to get a somewhat clearer image of the situation.

"Ahh, Jason! Good of you to drop by." Constable Hank's eyes didn't move from the two Dungeon Guild members. "I was hoping we'd have a chance to talk to you."

"I'm telling you, sir, she must be executed this instant!" Blacksuit thundered. He was actually wearing a rather purplish suit, and his jowls quivered.

"She's been accused of trespassing. The harshest sentence in the land for such a crime is a year in prison, and that's only up in the mountains," Constable Hank held his ground.

"She ran!"

"You shot at her. Most people would run." Constable Hank looked up at Jason and added context. "According to these fine folk, Tess was seen last night trespassing in the new hall."

"Guild Hall." Blacksuit corrected.

"You still haven't managed to wrestle control of the guild from Tess, though I do have to admit that your efforts are getting more creative." Constable Hank pointed a finger at Blacksuit, then turned back to Jason. "They don't know what she was doing for sure, but they say that she was clearly attempting to break into the office and steal trade secrets. When she was encountered, she ran, a fight broke out, and she fled with her horse."

Jason tried to process all this information. "Have you searched the new hall to ensure that she's not just being held as a prisoner? They could have turned her horse loose and made up the story."

Blacksuit and Lady Benford both turned a rather odd shade of red, and Constable Hank shook his head. "I did, yes, and she's not there. I was actually hoping that you'd be able to track her down. I'm not trying to arrest her, but I do need her side of the story in order to figure out what in the world is happening to this town."

Blacksuit spluttered. "She's a menace to this city! I expect her to be locked up for good and hanged if necessary!"

"Keep talking, and I'll start looking into those medical certificates you waved past my face when I first inspected that hospital room of yours." Constable Hank raised an eyebrow. "Now beat it, both of you."

The two of them sniffed, then turned and strode from the room. As the door fell shut behind them, Constable Hank groaned, and both men sank down into their seats.

"Before you ask, yes, I'm quite certain she wasn't taken prisoner. A few months ago, she gave me a tracker that would allow me to find her in the event of her sudden disappearance. She's pinging as being on a nearby hill, though I'm not exactly sure which one. Please, just... Go bring her back. If she was innocent, she'd be here trying to lop off their heads."

"That's... Very true." Jason reluctantly agreed. "I'll be off." He started to rise, then chuckled. "I thought you said I'd be here a while."

Constable Hank just shrugged wearily. "I half-expected them to just try and kill me or depose me. The way they dispersed is further proof that they know they're in the right, and that they intend to prove it."

Jason contemplated this, then rose and hurried out the door. A few minutes later, he was back on Lady, riding out into the wilderness. He had a pretty good idea of where to go, and within half an hour, Tess's worried partner was closing on the hill where he and Tess had shared a picnic. Her horse wasn't visible, though as he rode up onto the hilltop, he caught a glimmer of her armor lying amidst the grass. Lady came cantering to a halt, and he dismounted.

"You shouldn't have come." Tess muttered.

"If you actually didn't want to be found, you would have ridden a lot further away than this," Jason countered gently, as he sat down in the cold grass just next to her. She sat up and stared at him, eyes puffy, and he

realized that she had been crying. "What's going on? Tell me what happened."

She lifted her shoulders and gazed out at the town. For a few long moments, she didn't reply. When she finally did speak, her voice was nearly a whisper.

"I almost had them. They're... I know they're doing something in there."

Jason nodded supportively, but added, "The problem is that outwardly, all they're doing is offering a bit of stiff competition."

"I know that!" Tess roared, then quieted. "I just... Yesterday, something happened. The warriors at the new hall have started to reduce their watch, so I've actually been able to get into the dungeons, lead a few people around it successfully. Well, I went down inside, and I found something in one of the treasure troves that hadn't fully respawned yet. It was a bottle of potion, but not one I'd ever seen before. It didn't have a label, so I didn't want to just test it, but I did take it. It registered as a custom potion, which, if you've ever done any sort of experimenting with, are a total mixed bag."

Jason shrugged. "I haven't; but continue."

Tess revealed, "I took it back to the Guild Hall, where I started testing it on some frogs. It froze them. Not like icy freeze, like... It froze them in time. A drop of it froze them for about ten minutes, and then they'd just reanimate like nothing had ever happened. Being stupid, I decided to try a drop of it myself. A single drop touched my tongue, and just like that, ten minutes had gone by. I wasn't conscious of it. It just... Happened."

Jason nodded slowly. "What did you do from there?"

"I went over to Theresa, and working with Paulina, she was able to figure out what the potion was made from. It's an utter hodgepodge of ingredients, I have absolutely no idea how anyone ever discovered it, but... There it was. Anyway, we were just sitting there, and we started trying to figure out what it might be used for, and... The options aren't good, Jason. Any of them. Some of them are less terrible than others, but they're all bad." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "So... I broke into the new hall to try and see if I could get to the bottom of it. Things went poorly, and you know the rest."

Jason let out a long breath. "They're calling for your execution."

"They know how close I am, even if they don't exactly know what I know."

Jason grimaced. "On the bright side, Constable Hank will probably let you go with like a week of jail time."

"If I'm in jail, I can't be-"

"Tess, if you push this any further, you'll wind up getting yourself into something you can't escape." Jason let out a long breath. "Please, Tess, for my sake, go back and let Constable Hank give you the lightest punishment he can manage. You'll be back at your job in no time."

"What if they take that time to do something?" Tess argued.

"Then you'll be in town instead of staying in exile in the country," Jason pointed out. "They've gotten this far by being subtle. Going in aggressive will only send you into their trap. We have to figure out how to play their game and play it better."

Tess let out a long breath, then inclined her head. "I don't like it. I'd rather just punch something."

"I know." Jason flashed a small smile. "Just know that I'm right here, beside you."

"I do."

"Good." Jason took her arm, and they slowly climbed to their feet. "Come on, then. Let's go figure out how to beat them.

Chapter Seventeen: An Uneasy Feeling

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 57th day of Fall! 34 days until the Fall Festival! Ahh... Nothing of terrible importance happening today. Lots of wind, but that's about it! No major storms expected for a week or two, though the weather is likely to be getting chillier as we approach the start of winter.]

Jason yawned and rolled out of bed. He stretched and glanced around the bedroom, half-expecting to find Tess waiting there. He had dreamed about her, fighting the Dungeon Guild, and getting locked inside an infinite, oppressive dungeon that kept her there, fighting monsters until she... well...

He closed his eyes and put the dream out of his head. Ever since his conversation with Tess on the hill, he had been plagued with nightmares of what the Dungeon Guild was planning. More and more, he was convinced that the war that the guild was waging against Summer Shandy wasn't one of monsters and swords, but simply of sheer will. If that was the case, Summer Shandy was losing, and badly.

Needing a distraction from his dismay, Jason slowly walked up to gaze out at the farm. Sure enough, it was a windy day, with even the various monstertraps blown almost flat against the ground. His sorghum rippled and waved in the wind, and he flashed a smile. It was harvest day, and that was reason enough to snap out of his funk and get to work.

He quickly strode down the stairs and into the kitchen, where his cookbook greeted him enthusiastically. He sat down and drummed his fingers against the tablecloth.

"Make me... ahh... Biscuits and gravy."

With a flash, the dish appeared in front of him. As he started to tuck in, the cookbook waved its pages around, and Jason chuckled.

"I know, I know, I've been eating these a lot, but they're good!"

The cookbook slammed its cover shut, with the back of the book showing. It then flipped back open, and Jason felt on the defensive.

"I know it's not the healthiest meal in the world, but I don't think I'm going to die from it."

The cookbook seemed to disagree, and Jason threw a small blob of gravy at it. It seemed to be deeply offended by this gesture and slammed itself firmly shut. Jason watched it for a few moments, then shook his head, finished eating, and rose.

"Tell you what? When I come in for lunch, I'll let you cook me the healthiest meal you can dream up."

The cookbook opened again and flapped its pages in excitement, then flipped to a recipe that Tess had bought for him. Jason read it with more than a bit of disgust.

"Kale and zucchini bake. That sounds like something that Jeremiah's cattle would eat."

The cookbook simply flapped its pages, reminding Jason of his promise, and Jason chuckled and walked to the front door. A few minutes later, he was out on the front porch, surveying the area and preparing for the harvest.

The monstertraps, because of the wind, were easy to handle that day. A few of them tried to snap at him, but their heads were so large compared to their stems that they could hardly raise themselves high enough to do any real harm. Jason cut them down with ease, and he soon arrived at the stable and brought Lady out to her hitching post. This time, he checked very carefully to ensure that there were no monstertraps in the area, then went over to his harvester and set to work. He applied a bit of oil here and there, tightened a few bolts, then grabbed Lady and hitched her up to the machine. With that, he was ready to go, and even as the wind whipped against him so hard that he nearly fell from his perch on the rear of the machine, Lady lumbered forward up to the edge of the field.

Sorghum was, by all accounts, one of the strangest crops that Jason had ever worked with. The heads were a brilliant red, covered in seeds that looked like tiny beads, mounted on a thousand small stalks all bunched together. When Jason drove Lady and the harvester into the field and the blades set to work tearing down the old crop, Jason coughed mightily as dust filled the air.

Other forms of crops, such as wheat, were fairly easy to harvest. Wheat created a bit of dust, but nothing too terrible. Sorghum, though, just exploded into a thick cloud of red dust that clogged his lungs, stained his

clothes, and made every single part of his body itchy beyond belief. A thick cloud of dust trailed out behind the harvester as he rumbled through the air, and he hung on for dear life.

With the added wind of that day, the dust blew straight up into his face, making it almost impossible for him to see where he was heading. He relaxed the reins and largely let Lady take over. She knew her job well, and she soon pulled the harvester to the far end of the field. With that, they swung around and came back, rumbling across the uneven ground as best they could. In this direction, Jason found himself with somewhat of a reprieve, as the dust was blown back toward his farm. Lady, though, soon began to chafe at her halter, and Jason had the sinking feeling that she was getting quite a lot of the irritant built up underneath her straps.

By the time they paused for lunch, both horse and rider were coated in a thick layer of sorghum dust and were well-battered by the wind. Jason wearily led Lady back out through the gate and into her stable, where she dropped down to the ground with a muffled snort. His own stomach rumbled, but he forced himself to push through, and he grabbed a bucket of water and began to clean down Lady's sides (after, of course, pouring her a healthy supply of oats). She ate and nickered happily, and when he finished, Jason slumped against the side of the stable, too exhausted to move.

Hooves clopped in the driveway, and Jason looked up to see an enormous, black horse riding up to him. Armored feet came down in front of him, and he found himself staring up at Tess, who watched him with an odd smile on her face. He climbed to his feet and smiled, though he continued to lean against the stable.

"Hey, Tess" He exhaled some of his tension. "How's it going? I didn't expect to see you today."

Tess offered, "I can leave, if you want."

"No, I'm glad to see you." Jason forced a smile to his face. "I'm just tired. This is... It's a lot, today."

"I could see the cloud of dust from Summer Shandy," Tess chuckled. "You're redder than a tomato. Looks terribly uncomfortable."

"It's not pleasant." Jason's stomach rumbled, and he brightened. "Did you bring any food along with you?"

Tess apologized, "No... Should I have?"

"No. No reason for it, really. That said, if you'd be willing to go inside and make me some lunch, I'd greatly appreciate it. I promised my

cookbook it could make me a vegan meal when I came inside. If I don't come inside, I'm clear until at least dinnertime." He paused for a moment. "For that matter, I might just go buy a tent from Paulina. Who needs a real farmhouse, anyway?"

Tess laughed, loud and long. "All right, then! I'll go fix you up something. Back in a flash!"

Jason thanked her, then walked into the shelter where he kept his farm equipment. He sat down in the empty stall where his harvester was usually kept, and he waited. Tess arrived shortly thereafter, holding a platter of steaks and potatoes. They made a small picnic on the greasy dirt of the stable, and Jason tucked in eagerly.

"For what it's worth, the cookbook didn't miss the fact that you're trying to trick him," Tess pointed out. "You've bought yourself some time, but not long."

"I'll take what I can get." Jason joked, then looked out wearily at the rest of the field. "So, how goes it for you? Anything terribly interesting?"

Tess shook her head. "Just another slow day at the Guild Hall. I only got out of jail a few days ago, so I've just been trying to get caught up on paperwork. Blacksuit pushed through a bunch more paperwork that he had hoped to time out while I was in prison, but Hank gave me a two-day extension. So... That's what I did for the past little bit. Today, though, I'm just too tired to deal with it all. They're up to something evil. I dunno what it is. That's the state of things, and I can't change it, so I'm coming out here to spend some time with my boyfriend."

Jason's heart gave a small leap at the title. Sure, they had been dating for a while, now, but it still made him rather giddy every time he heard it. He blushed, and Tess laughed at him. They continued to eat for a few minutes, and Tess let out a long breath.

"So... You know those Mars Monstertrap seeds I got from you?" Jason nodded. "Yeah? That's been awhile, now."

"True." Tess nodded slowly, then blushed herself. "I... I may have

planted them."

"Why would you do that?" Jason exclaimed. "I'm trying to get rid

of the things! So's Jeremiah!"

"Yeah, but they just look so cool!" Tess protested. "They're in

flowerpots, just outside the Guild Hall. Nothing can get to them to be eaten,

so they're not going to spread the infection around Summer Shandy. They're just innocent little decorations."

"Designed to eat the Dungeon Guild?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"No!" Tess protested, then chuckled. "Though I certainly wouldn't complain. No, they're just for decoration. I'm hoping they draw in some warriors, though at this point, I'm not tremendously hopeful."

Jason put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll win this, one way or another."

"I know." Tess let out a long breath, then brightened. "You wouldn't need any help with the field, would you?"

Jason raised an eyebrow. "You're wanting to learn to farm?"

Tess shrugged. "Well... If this relationship continues, I'll need to know at some point, won't I?"

"That's true, Jason enthused. "Well, if you want to give it a whirl, I'd love the help. I'm beat, I'll tell you that much."

"Great!" Tess slapped her thighs, then climbed to her feet. "Help me get Angus hitched up, and we'll be on our way."

"You're using your own horse?" Jason expressed doubt. "He's a riding horse, isn't he? Can he pull a harvester?"

"I don't know why he couldn't," Tess opined.

Jason stood and gazed out into the yard, where Angus was grazing. As he watched, the enormous horse kicked out, smashing a monstertrap in the face. It dissolved into a blur of sparks, and Jason was glad to see it.

"Works for me, then." He clapped his hands. "Let's get to it!"

They soon had Angus hitched up to the harvester, and Jason helped Tess drive the contraption up to the edge of the field. About half of it remained, and Jason quickly showed her how to operate the different levers.

"This is complicated," Tess noted, then took the reins. "Let's give it a try! Hi-ya!"

She cracked the reins, and Angus started forward. He was able to move a good bit faster than Lady, and Jason shut his eyes as dust erupted across the field. He quickly moved out of range, hacked down a few of the monstertraps, and leaned against the fence as Tess worked her way back and forth across the thick field of sorghum.

The day wore on, and Tess soon used up the handful of actions that she had been granted as a companion on the farm. Jason took back over at that point, re-hitching Lady to the harvester, and by the time dinner rolled

around, they had just finished the field. Jason put the harvester back into the shelter, allowed Lady to lay down in her stall, and once more joined Tess as the two of them ambled toward the house.

"Well?" Jason asked as they stepped in the front door. "How was your first day harvesting?"

Tess grimaced. "I have sorghum dust... Everywhere. Just absolutely everywhere. Inside my armor, in my hair, I feel like I'm going to create a whirlwind when I take all my armor off."

Jason chuckled at that. "Yeah, it's... It's some pretty nasty stuff. Head up and take a shower. I'll get some food ready while you're gone."

Tess agreed gratefully, and she quickly dashed up the stairs. The water soon started to flow through the ancient pipes (making the walls rattle), and Jason made his way into the kitchen. The cookbook slammed itself shut, seeming to glare at him with ferocity, then flipped open and pointed to the recipe.

"All right, all right." Jason held up his hands. "Just remember that Tess is eating here too, and you shouldn't punish her just because you're mad at me."

The cookbook flipped its pages back and forth in anger. There was a flash of light, and the vegetable dish appeared on the center of the table. Seemingly in defiance, a plate of carrot chips and a huge bowl of lettuce appeared next to it. Jason rolled his eyes, then sat down to wait.

Tess took a long time to come back down, though when she did, her armor was gleaming, polished after the day's work. After smiling at his girlfriend, the grimy farmer ran up and took a shower as well. The water running down the drain was a deep red, and he felt much better as he descended in a simple tunic. The two of them settled down for the meager meal, and Jason felt content.

As they ate, he looked across at Tess, and she looked back at him. She had come out to the farm before, but that was the first time they had actually done any real work together. It felt... Nice. Jason let out a long breath, and his heart drifted forward in time. He didn't know what the future held, of course, but more and more, he could see Tess moving into the ancient farmhouse. He could see her working alongside him as life went on. He could see... Well, he could see a lot, and it was... Nice. As she gazed back at him, he knew that she felt the same way.

He could only hope that time, for its part, wouldn't do anything to try and ruin that dream.

Chapter Eighteen: A Look

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 78th day of Fall! 13 days until the Fall Festival! It looks like a minor storm is coming through today! Nothing big enough to ruin any plans, but it ought to make life inconvenient if you're wanting to spend any time outside.]

"That's fortunate." Jason groaned and rolled out of bed. It was still three days until his next harvest, which meant that he didn't have anything particularly pressing to take care of. He slowly walked up to the window, where rain softly pattered down against the thick pane of glass. He = turned and walked over to the wardrobe, where he changed quickly and made his way down the stairs.

In the kitchen, his cookbook regarded him with a gaze that seemed almost human. The pages flipped slowly from one to the other, back and forth, and Jason scowled.

"Oh, you are not still mad at me for the whole vegan meal."

The cookbook flipped several pages, informing him that yes, indeed, it was still upset.

"Well, I'm not eating sheep food this morning. Make me..."

With a flash of light, a plate of eggs appeared on the table in front of him.

"Fine. It's healthy enough, I suppose, and it does taste good."

The cookbook flapped its pages in agreement, then slammed shut. Jason chuckled, then ate quickly, put his dishes on the counter, and made his way to the front door. There was a letter waiting for him, and he unfolded it quickly.

"Jason, this is Tess. If you could come into town today, I'd appreciate it. Thanks! Love you."

Jason had some supplies he needed to buy from Paulina anyway, so it all worked out well. He quickly walked over to a desk he had set up nearby and grabbed a pen and paper.

"On my way. Love you too."

[Mailbox: Please state intended recipient.] "Tess, of the Warriors' Guild."

[Mailbox: ...]

[Mailbox: ...]

[Mailbox: ...]

[Mailbox: The storm is causing a delay]

[Mailbox: ...]

[Mailbox: ...]

[Mailbox: ...]

[Mailbox: Message sent]

With that, he struck out onto the front porch, though as he stepped

onto the creaking wood, he drew up short and shivered.

It wasn't a painfully cold day, that much was for certain. There was

no frost, there was no wind, and even the rain was only coming down lightly. But it was dreary. The sky was a perfect, pale-grey slate. There was no variation in the layer of cloud, it was just one, oppressive blanket. The temperature could only have been a few degrees above freezing, and all the dead grass and leaves were plastered to the ground like a dull sludge. Even the monstertraps were feeling the day, as they kept their heads hunkered down closer to the base of their stems.

Jason had noticed, to his great delight, that as the fall wore on, the monstertraps had started moving slower and slower. They weren't quite as quick to attack, and they often simply bunkered down as best they could. As Jason stepped down onto the steps, one of them rose and chomped at his leg, but the weary monster could barely even nibble at his pants. Jason kicked the creature, and it yelped, eliciting a (small) bit of pity from his heart.

He made his way over to the stable, sloshing through the layer of water on the ground, and quickly poured Lady some oats while keeping her in the stable itself. She seemed to appreciate this, and he ran a brush across her pristine coat as she ate. Her hair was getting thicker, and she seemed to be putting on layers of fat. It was something he hadn't been able to observe the year before but was excited to see now.

When she finished eating, he placed the saddle on her back, tightened down the straps, and quickly rode forth from the farm. He kept her at a slow trot, not wanting to exert her too much in the dismal weather, and as such, they slowly and purposefully made their way down the road.

He thought he saw Jeremiah off in the distance, but far behind him, and Jason didn't bother slowing down. He could tell that Lady was uncomfortable, and he himself wasn't exactly loving the cold precipitation.

When he arrived in Summer Shandy, he found the place almost deserted. A few farmers were out and about, and a small handful of warriors walked back and forth between the new hall and the General Store, but that was about it. Jason quickly brought Lady around to the north side of the Guild Hall and stabled her, then made his way back to Paulina's store. Several monstertraps, planted in large clay pots on the northern side of the Guild Hall, snapped at him, but he stayed well enough out of their range.

As he stepped through the front door of the store, his jaw dropped. The shelves were even more empty than before, giving the place a hollow sort of look. Paulina herself sat in a chair behind the counter, reading a book, and she looked up in surprise as Jason came walking in.

"Ahh! A customer!" She looked delighted and relieved. "How can I help you, Jason?"

Jason returned her smile as he walked up to the counter. "Whatcha reading?"

Paulina showed him, "The Minotaur who Saved Me. It's... Well, it's not great, to be honest, but it's kinda cute. How can I help you? If you're feeling like it, buy something big!"

Jason grinned. "I just need some corn seed. I'd like to try out a new crop before the end of fall. Sorghum is getting a little... uncomfortable. I think I can get in one harvest before the fall festival."

"It's all yours," Paulina affirmed. "Anything else?"

Jason added, "If you have a catalogue of your home improvement supplies, I'd take it. I'd like to start working on the house again this winter. There are still a bunch of rooms I don't use, lots of furniture that I'm pretty sure has been hollowed out by rats, that sort of thing. Stuff I just haven't had time to attend to yet."

"Right here." Paulina reached under the counter and pulled out a large magazine. "Take it with you. I've got a few of the supplies on hand, but I'll have to order most of what you'll find in there."

"I'll let you know as soon as possible." Jason put the magazine into his inventory, then paused. "You don't... You don't know how Tess is doing, do you? Has she talked to you about the... ahh..."

"She did." Paulina let out a long breath. "I don't know how she's taking it, but she's put all of us on watch. Well, all of us except Viola. Her, I haven't really seen recently. She's been so busy with that inn of hers that I don't think she's come out for much except festivals in the last six months."

Jason nodded gratefully. "Let me know if I can help at all. Tess seems to be wanting to keep me out of it, but I really am available."

"We're all thankful for it." Paulina inclined her head, then picked up her book. "Catch you on the flip side!"

Jason gave a wave, then walked out into the town square. This time, he made his way straight to Tess's office, where he knocked smartly on the door. It swung open a mere instant later, and Tess nodded for him to come inside. Jason stepped into the cramped space, and Tess slammed the door back shut.

"What's wrong?" He asked, curious. "Something happened, didn't it?"

"I don't know." Tess frowned, then sat down at her desk. "You remember the slaves I was telling you about, right? How everyone working for the General Store is almost certainly a slave?"

"Yeah..." Jason responded slowly. "I presume that everyone working for the new hall has the same tattoo?"

"Yes," Tess verified. "I confirmed that a while ago, but I have been trying to keep it under wraps. Well, I put Paulina and Theresa on watch, and they realized something that had entirely slipped my mind."

Jason raised his eyebrows. "What's that?"

"All their workers are staying at Viola's inn."

Jason crossed his arms. "Is that surprising? There aren't really

quarters for sleeping at either of the new establishments, and-"

"Jason, how big is Viola's inn?"

Jason tried to remember. "I haven't been inside it in a while, but I'd

say it probably has about fifty rooms."

"Forty." Tess corrected. "In the past, she's mostly catered to

warriors who were passing through the town to attempt the crypt. She's still doing that, though admittedly a handful do just crash on the couches of the new hall. They used to do the same here at the Guild Hall, which was... Well, I didn't love it, since they all kinda smelled, but they tipped well."

Jason prompted his partner, "Your point?"

"At any time, she probably has twenty warriors and assorted travelers packed into that inn." Tess hypothesized. "I've only seen her put out the 'no vacancy' sign once in the last two seasons, which means she always has room for more." She paused for a moment. "On my last count, between the Anti-Guild Hall and the General Store, there are about fifty workers, and all of them are staying there."

Jason crossed his arms. "That doesn't seem right. They'd have to be packed in like..."

His voice trailed off as Tess slowly and pointedly looked at the bottle of blue potion resting on her desk. His blood began to run cold, and he shook his head.

"You mean... You think..."

"They're using this potion to keep the workers crammed together in far tighter quarters than should be allowed." Tess nodded. "I started running some experiments on rat-kings that I caught out in the wilderness, and I was able to confirm something rather odd. While the subject in question is frozen, they actually do gain rest, about the same amount as someone sleeping. If I froze the rat overnight, about the same time it was settling down to sleep, it would reanimate in the morning without a problem. When I tried it on myself-"

"Tess!" Jason erupted. "You did not!"

"I did." She scowled back defiantly. "How else will I be able to figure out how to beat this stuff if I don't run proper tests?"

"I don't know." Jason scoffed. "What if we try, oh, continuing to test on animals? Or criminals? Or monsters? Or-"

"I froze myself for eight hours overnight, and it worked perfectly." Tess crossed her arms. "I unfroze without needing a wink of sleep. As far as I was concerned, not a wink of time had passed, but I still got rest. They could keep their workers frozen for as long as they needed, only thawing them out when they needed them, and never have to worry about the workers having to do annoying things like sleeping. For the workers, it would be a never-ending grind, but..."

She sagged. "Of course, I can't prove any of it, and Constable Hank has threatened to send me off to Illumitir if I try anything else. But I'm certain that's what's happening."

"Can't you just ask Viola?" Jason pressed. "She's your friend, she'd listen."

"That thought never crossed my mind." Tess rolled her eyes. "Of course, I asked Viola! She got super cagey, then ran. They've got something on her, I'm sure of it. Maybe a kidnapped relative, or maybe they're just threatening her. Hard to know."

Jason was baffled. "I don't know anything about her to be able to comment."

Tess paused to think, then admitted, "I don't know much, myself. We've always hung out, but now that I've started thinking back on it all, she's always kept to herself more than the rest of us."

"Given that this is you talking, that's saying something," Jason chuckled.

"Fair enough," Tess allowed. "I just... I want to help her-"

Tess's voice, quite unfortunately, was cut off by a loud scream from outside the Guild Hall. Tess equipped a sword and went crashing through the door, and Jason followed hot on her heels. They quickly raced around to the northern side of the hall, where although no one could be seen... well... things didn't look good.

Jason's carriage, which he had certainly left on his farm, was now sitting beside the road. Climbing out of the back was a large smut blob, along with several crabgrasses. The monstertraps all perked up and began to snap at the monsters, and Jason lunged forward.

"Wait!" Tess called. "I've got this!"

She leapt past him, sword glimmering in the air, but she only made it a few feet before she slammed into an invisible wall. It didn't really seem to hurt her, but she did stumble back, rather stunned, as the monsters poured out of the back of the carriage. To Jason's untrained eyes, it looked like the crabgrasses and smut were under some sort of spell, as they shakily and jerkily leapt at the monstertraps. The closest monstertrap quickly snapped them up, exploding the smut across the plants and gobbling up the crabgrasses with ease. Jason groaned as civilians and warriors alike began to rush into view, and Tess held up her hands.

"Stay back!" She ordered. "This isn't going to end well!"

Constable Hank came running up as the monstertrap that had done all the eating pulled up its roots and jumped out of the pot. Slime dripped from its tendrils, and with a hiss, it scurried off toward the wilderness. Tess tried to lunge after it -- or at least she seemed to, but then she remained firmly planted on the ground.

"My feet are frozen," she hissed. "I can't move them! I can't..."

"What's going on here?" The thunderous voice of Blacksuit came rumbling across the crowd, and he and Lady Benford came striding up.

"Just a rogue monster." Constable Hank held up his hands. "Nothing more than that."

"A monster that was created by him!" One of the civilians pointed squarely at Jason. "That's his carriage! He brought the monsters here, and he is probably planning on pinning it on Lady Benford and Blacksuit! Everyone knows that Tess-"

The man's voice was cut off as chaos exploded around them, and Jason worried. This was, in a word, not looking well. Tess glared at Blacksuit and Lady Benford with unbridled hatred, and Jason felt his world begin to swirl. The Dungeon Guild had just performed an extraordinary play, and they knew it. It was going to be nigh-impossible to come back and win the game from there.

Still... If Jason had any fight left in him at all, he wasn't going to stop without giving it a proper try.

Chapter Nineteen: Wear a Coat

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 80th day of Fall! 11 days until the Fall Festival! Ahh... Nothing too interesting. Should be bright and clear, but fairly cold. Expect to wear coats if you're brave enough to venture out. Oh, and if you happen to see a giant, slimy plant, please alert Tess or Constable Hank. Thanks!]

Jason groaned as he rolled out of bed. Every part of his body ached, but he knew he had to get back to work. He had been out late the night before, trying to track the monstertrap that had escaped the Guild Hall. As he struggled to his feet and walked up to the window, Tess's voice echoed through the room.

"Good! You're up!"

"Ahh!" Jason spun as she tossed him a pair of overalls and a sweater from his wardrobe. She was in her full battle armor, complete with a cape draped from her shoulders that had the image of Summer Shandy emblazoned upon it. "And what are you doing here? I didn't get back here until something like one o'clock in the morning, and-"

"Well, we've got work to do," Tess simply stated. "The thing was spotted down south. Jeremiah sent me a message about it. He thinks we can trap and kill the thing without making a big fuss about it."

"Right." Jason yawned. He picked up the clothes, which had fallen to the floor, and then stared at her. "Well? Head downstairs and get some breakfast ready, and I'll be there in a minute."

Tess nodded and clomped from the room. Jason changed clothes, then descended to meet her. She had a breakfast of eggs sitting in front of him, and he ate as quickly as he could. Still, the constant tapping of her foot against the wooden floor made it hard to concentrate, so he asked.

"All right. Give me the news." His voice was muffled by a mouthful of egg. "Where's it at, what's it doing, and what's the plan?"

Tess immediately switched into full battle mode. "It's down by one of Jeremiah's ponds, stalking some of his cattle. He's getting cannons

moved into place now, but since the thing is oozing, we're not sure if the cannonballs will do anything. He had a few incendiary rounds, but they're apparently fairly hard to aim. You and I will charge the beast and attempt to get it to follow us. We then will withdraw into range of the cannons, and Jeremiah will take it out."

"Great. Used as bait for a giant, slimy plant-monster." Jason yawned and let his head fall forward. Tess slapped him, then handed him a steaming mug of coffee. He pushed it away, but reluctantly accepted the drink when she continued to insist. The moment it touched his lips, he began to wake up, and he blinked in more than a bit of surprise.

"I had Theresa whip me up something," Tess explained. "Now come on! We can talk more on the way!"

Jason nodded, climbed to his feet, and stumbled through the door after the far more energetic Tess. Sure enough, Lady was already out at her hitching post, happily munching away on her oats, while Angus stood tall just next to her. A moment later, both he and Tess had mounted their respective steeds, and off they went.

The air was, as Tess had noticed, very cold. A thin layer of frost lay across the ground, and Jason's breath was quite visible. As their horses broke into a run, the freezing air streamed past him, cutting straight through the clothes that he had put on. He shivered, his mind turning to the previous several days.

After the oozing monstertrap had escaped, Tess had attempted to pursue the creature, but Constable Hank had been forced to detain her when the crowd began calling for Jason's head. She had to fight back the angry mob, much to the delight of Lady Benford and Blacksuit, and by the time it was all sorted out, the creature had long since vanished into the open prairie.

In the end, Jason had only been saved when several other civilians, presumably those who weren't being paid or coerced by the Dungeon Guild, testified that Jason had not been pulling the carriage when he came into town. The fact of the matter, though, was that the carriage was easily identifiable as Jason's, leading to the suspicion that he had tried to create the monster for some terrible purpose. Constable Hank made a big show of arresting him to placate the crowd, then, as they dispersed, he let him go once more. Tess went after the creature, and being unable to find it, she decided that it likely wasn't a big deal.

Oh, how wrong they were.

The very next day, a report came in from west of town. Tess had gone out to investigate and discovered that, though it wasn't quite clear why it had happened, the monstertrap had grown to a height of nearly twenty feet and had an appetite to match. A desperate hunt had ensued for the creature, which had been ongoing ever since then. It was fast, far faster than their horses, and it simply managed to elude them each time they attempted to engage it. The few times they did catch up with it, the thick ooze and regenerative properties of the thing made it more than a match for their small army. Not that their army was anything to cheer about: It consisted of Tess, Constable Hank, one or two warriors that Tess had managed to convince to come along, and a few of Jeremiah's hired men. Still, loss after loss had been disappointing, to say the least.

"If we don't take this thing down today, it'll attack Summer Shandy," Tess worried as they rode on toward Jeremiah's ranch. "That's why they're doing this, I just know it. The Dungeon Guild created the thing as a way to appear to save the city. When we fail to kill it, over and over, they'll step in as the heroes who actually manage to take the beast down. They've got something over there that'll solve the issue."

Jason could only nod in agreement. He agreed with her, to be certain, but he wasn't sure what they could actually do about it. He hoped, desperately, that Jeremiah's incendiary cannonballs would work. While smuts and oozing monstertraps usually reacted quite violently to fire, this one had proven to be quite resilient.

The duo soon came upon Jeremiah's ranch, where Weatherhand sat on his horse in the middle of the driveway. Without a word, he turned and led them deeper into the ranch, worry on his face. They passed by the barn, then rode through a set of gates and into a large pasture. Here, the grass had been eaten down to a height far shorter than that of the surrounding prairie. Small trails wound through the grass that remained, and Weatherhand quickly chose one of those paths and struck out for a distant pasture.

The trio rode hard, and they passed through several more gates before they came to the area where the small river spilled under the fence and into Jeremiah's land. They turned and followed the stream for perhaps a quarter-mile, and then they rode up on top of a nearby hill that overlooked a small pond. There, a dam had been built across the river, allowing the water to pile up before spilling over a waterfall at the top. Several cattle could be

seen drinking at the pond, while a great, black figure crouched just behind the dam. Jeremiah and several of his hired men sat on the hill, gazing curiously out at the waters.

"We're lucky the cattle haven't seen the thing yet," Jeremiah stated softly. "I think they'd stampede if they happened to catch a glimpse of it. It would give chase; oh, it would be bad."

"Then I'm glad it's been all quiet on this front," Tess whispered back, then glanced at Jason. "You ready for this?"

Jason gave a short nod, then looked at the defenses. On that hill, two cannons had been set up, and they had two men apiece standing at the ready. Across a small ravine, two more cannons had been mounted as well, and further down the way stood two more.

"You really showed up in force," Jason spoke, approving of the defenses.

"They say that the best defense is a strong offense, and I'm not letting that thing get near my home." Jeremiah grumbled. "I just finished rebuilding from that tornado that came through. What's the plan, Tess?"

Tess gestured down at the pond. "Just like we've all described. If you can call away the cattle, that would be great. Once they're out of the way, we'll go in and get the thing to follow us. Just be prepared to fire the moment it comes within range. If it actually thinks it can eat us, we're going to be on its menu, and I'd rather not find out how digestible my armor is."

"Deal," Jeremiah affirmed, then glanced at his men. "They know the drill well. We've done the same things when dragons snuck onto the property. Once, we even took down a giant troll. We'll do our part; you don't have to worry about us."

He nodded to one of his hired men, and the individual in question picked up a nearby bucket that had a small amount of corn and feed pellets inside.

"Cows!" He called out, giving the bucket a shake. The feed inside rattled, and the cattle all raised their heads. "This way!"

Though it wasn't immediate, the cattle began turning and lumbering up toward the fortification. The man quickly climbed up onto his horse, then rode off, shaking the bucket and calling out. The herd followed, and Tess and Jason quickly struck off down the embankment.

As they came out onto the level ground, the monstertrap rumbled. Jason's blood froze, and the head of the beast --which now, of course, was large enough to swallow him in a single gulp -- rose to stare at him. Tess wheeled around to run, and the monster quickly pulled itself up and over the dam.

"Run!" Tess screamed, bolting back for Jeremiah's line. "Now!"

Jason followed suit, spinning Lady around. She ran will all her might as the giant plant lurched after them. The ground shook as the roots slammed into the ground, and the monstrous creature let out a gurgling cry that shook the air.

Tess took her horse straight between the two fortifications, and Jason was right on her heel. As they did, he heard Jeremiah's voice echo out loudly, and he spun to watch.

"Fire!"

Ka-WHUMP!

One cannon went off, then the next. Spears of fire were launched from the barrel of each cannon, blasting at the enormous plant. The first shot went straight through the head of the creature, blasting off an enormous chunk of black goop that fell to the ground with a loud splat. The second shot went by the creature's head, as did the third, but the fourth pierced the stem just below the head. This one, too, caused a loud explosion, and a great amount of black goop came pouring down to land on the ground with sickening splats.

Jason let out a cry and punched the air. At least... Until the creature simply rumbled, healed itself, and reached out with slimy tentacles to grab at the cannons that were so rudely trying to kill it. Jeremiah and his men fled as it grabbed two of the cannons and flung them into the lake, then grabbed another two and tossed them into its enormous gullet. It chewed and swallowed, then let out a piercing, gurgling cry. Then, with that, it turned and began to lumber north, ignoring the herd of cattle and the remainder of Jeremiah's forces.

"It's heading for town!" Tess called out. "Come on!"

Jason needed no encouragement. He kicked at Lady's side, and they exploded off through the pasture, streaking for Summer Shandy as fast as they could. They shot through the still-open gates, back through the farmstead, and up the road. Jeremiah and Weatherhand were both right

behind them, steeds pounding on the dirt. Out in the prairie, the monstertrap was keeping pace with them, lumbering along through the open grassland.

"Everyone inside!" Tess cried as they came racing into the town square. "Don't ask questions! Everyone, if you even remotely value your life, get inside now!"

To her credit, everyone did exactly as she had commanded, and within seconds, there were very few people left out in the town square. Among them, though, were Lady Benford, Blacksuit, and a small assortment of warriors who looked ready for anything.

"This isn't good." Tess whispered. "Jason, I don't know how to take this thing down, and if they succeed where we failed, that's it. We'll have lost. Pull something out of your hat, please."

Jason nodded and wracked his brains. Suddenly, a single thought went through his head, and he checked his inventory.

"Inventory: Fire Crystals."

[Inventory: You have 5 Fire Crystals.]

Jason leapt from Lady's back and raced toward Paulina's store,

bursting through the door and making her jump rather powerfully. She blinked at him, even as he came pounding up to the counter.

"I need every fire crystal you have."

"I just got a new order, actually." Paulina blinked. "Will... Two hundred work?"

"Perfect!"

With a ka-ching, the transaction went through, and Jason ran out into the town square once again. By now, the monstertrap was at the outskirts of town, roaring and smashing through goat pens and sheep enclosures. Jason ran up to Tess and transferred the items to her, then nodded.

"Get it to eat them."

Tess nodded, transferred the crystals into a large box, then spurred Angus forward. The monstertrap roared and leaned down, dripping a large amount of ooze down a chimney, and Tess threw the box with all her might.

The monstertrap snapped it up with all the relish that the smaller monstertraps had displayed when eating the fire crystals back on Jason's farm. Jason held his breath, and the creature quickly swallowed the explosive crystals, then roared one more time. This time, though, Jason

drew his pistol, aimed straight at the stem of the monster, and squeezed the trigger.

It took three shots before he hit something, but when he did, the result was instantaneous. Fire exploded up and down the length of the creature, turning it into a proper, living torch. It collapsed to the side and vanished in a burst of blue sparks, and Jason let out a long, relieved breath.

Lady Benford, Blacksuit, and the warriors simply watched the proceedings, then turned and walked away. Tess hopped off Angus and threw herself at Jason, pulling him into a strong embrace, and Jason let out a long breath. Civilians of Summer Shandy began to come out in droves, cheering or simply looking back and forth in confusion, and Jeremiah turned and began to address them. Jason didn't hear what was being said, though, largely because Tess had started whispering in his ear.

"Perfect." She gave him a squeeze. "Thank you, Jason. I knew you could do it."

"I always do, don't I?" He tried to sound confident as they pulled apart.

"Of course," Tess agreed, though Jason was fairly convinced that she was trying to convince herself, not him. "We won. That's... That's a good thing."

Still, though, as they turned and surveyed the growing crowd, Jason had the distinct impression that, in reality, they hadn't won. No, it certainly didn't feel that way, and despite the effort they had put in, he was certain that the Dungeon Guild was only hours away from spinning it to their advantage, instead.

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 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 91st day of Fall! 0 days until the Fall Festival! It's a chilly one today, folks! Come out for the party of the season!]

Jason sighed and rolled out of bed. He didn't catch himself before he hit the carpet, and he simply groaned as he lay there on the floor. The air was, indeed, quite chilly, such that he could see his breath as he exhaled slowly. With another groan, he climbed to his feet, trying to shake off the last vestiges of sleep.

The previous week or so had been... awful. He had been utterly unable to plant the corn he had purchased from Paulina, a fact that annoyed him an immense amount. That, though, was the least frustrating thing that had happened. The very day that he had defeated the enormous monstertrap, the Dungeon Guild started circulating a rumor that Jason had been the one to create the plant for the sole purpose of saving the city and looking like a hero. This, in Jason's mind, basically confirmed Tess's suspicions that the Dungeon Guild had been planning that very thing. Whatever the case, though, the civilians of the town ate it up. When Jason had to go into town for supplies, he was utterly shunned. Tess's Guild Hall had been abandoned completely, and Paulina's customer base had dried up almost completely. Even Jeremiah had been affected, and several of his hired men abandoned him after falling for the rumors.

He slowly walked up to the window, gazing out across the farm. Lady's door was fully shut, preventing him from seeing her, which he thought was rather sad given the events of the last few weeks. His field lay empty, and it would now remain so all the way until spring. More than a bit dejected, he plodded downstairs and dropped into his chair at the kitchen table. The cookbook flapped its pages in apparent concern, then made him a plate of biscuits and gravy without even being asked about it. Jason nodded in thanks, then ate the meal in silence. He rose and made his way to the front door, put on his boots, realized that he was still in his pajamas, and

quickly walked back upstairs to get changed before heading back out into the freezing air.

The one bright point that had played out over the previous weeks was that, finally, the monstertraps had started to die. One by one, as the temperatures dropped below freezing day after day, they had nodded off and vanished in bursts of sparks. He was more than happy to see them go; he only wished that it hadn't taken two full seasons to be rid of them.

He quickly fed Lady in her stall, then saddled her up and rode out for town. A very large part of him really didn't want to go at all, but he knew it would be good for him. At least, it would be good for Tess.

As he came trotting up to Summer Shandy, he took a deep breath and sighed in contentment. The citizens were bustling about, as was common on each festival day. Smoke poured from chimneys, baked goods were carried back and forth, and children laughed and played in the streets. Missing, though, were the great tables that were usually in the process of being placed around the town square. Missing, too, were the decorations. Missing were the band, the stage, and the other trappings that usually accompanied such festivities. So... Where was everyone going?

Jason had no answer as he rode up to the Guild Hall, and he had soon stabled Lady. Wondering if she might be inside the Guild Hall, he knocked smartly on Tess's door, and she swung it open and wordlessly let him inside. As he joined her, she swung the door back shut, and he frowned and sat down in one of her chairs. She dropped into the chair behind her desk, then looked down at the wood with a sense of utter dejection. Her eyes were puffy and red, her hair disheveled.

"Have you... Have you been crying?" Jason breathed.

Tess took a long breath, and her shoulders shook, making her armor rattle. When she spoke, her voice was soft.

"All I've ever wanted to do was protect this town. I pledged myself to the defense of the city when I took this job, and I have done everything with the intent of keeping our citizens safe. What do I get for it?"

She didn't answer for several long seconds, and Jason waited patiently.

"I don't ask for accolades. I don't care about processions, and I don't want a statue of myself. Still... I..." Her voice quivered. "I love Summer Shandy, and I would never do anything to hurt it. The fact that anyone believes that I'm capable of such things is... is..."

She let her head fall down to the desk with a thunk, and Jason stood and walked around the desk. He put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder, though he admittedly wasn't sure if she could feel it through the armor, then tried to reassure her. ,

"I know." He bit his lip. "I know it's hard for you, and I won't pretend to fully understand it. What I know for absolute certain is that you're not going anywhere, and when the Dungeon Guild finally does make their move, you'll be-"

"But what if they aren't going to make a move?" Tess snapped. "What if they're telling the truth? What if Lady Benford is just a rich merchant who heard about Summer Shandy in the news, and thought it would be a good business opportunity? What if Blacksuit is just a rich businessman who had some connections in the legal system, and wants to drive me out of business for the sake of it? They have a strong connection because they're both aristocrats from Illumitir, and what if I'm only driving division into the town with my persistent crusade against them?"

Jason chuckled. "You sound like you had a long discussion with Hank."

Tess acknowledged, "He came over this morning. Had some words to say to me. I just... I don't know. I don't know what's real anymore, I don't know who's right and who's wrong and who's trying to make an honest living and who's trying to game the system, and..."

She trailed off into tears once more, and Jason did his best to comfort her. "Hey, remember that potion you found. He's not just a businessman, and you know it. They're just playing a longer game than last time. They know they can't beat you by force, so they're trying to undermine you."

Tess gave a half-laugh, half-sniffle. "I like being able to punch things."

"They know that," Jason soothed her. "That's why they're doing all this. It's a sign of respect, really."

At that, Tess flashed a small smile. "You're lying through your teeth, but I appreciate it." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Jason bowed at the waist, then wondered, "So... Where is everyone?"

"Where do you think?" Tess's mood became rather dour once more. "Old Blacksuit and Lady Prunejuice set up their own Fall Festival, utterly

detached from the seditious and homicidal Tess."

"Don't forget about me," Jason pointed out. "They hate me, too." "That's a fair point." Tess chuckled, then sighed deeply. "All right,

then. So, Mister hated-by-the-world, what are we going to do?"

Just then, there came a sharp knock on the door, and Jeremiah stepped in from the blazing cold. He had a wide grin across his face, and as

Tess and Jason waved at him, he doffed his hat.

"Morning!" He grinned widely. "I was just wondering where you

might want a good, old-fashioned turkey. The wife cooked it up this morning, and I don't reckon such a fine, juicy bird would be appreciated by the people over at the Anti-Guild Hall."

Tess brightened. "You want to hold our own Fall Festival?"

"I don't see why not!" Jeremiah exclaimed. "That's what today is, right? If some newfangled, homicidal Dungeon Guild wants to hold a pathetic little festival in defiance of our honored traditions, let them! I say we press forward, like the true residents of Summer Shandy that we are!"

His voice boomed through the small room, and Tess laughed. Jason had to smile as well. Jeremiah always knew what tone to strike, better than anyone else he knew. He quickly vanished out into the cold, and Jason followed as Jeremiah's hired hands began to swarm through the town square.

"All right, men! Start setting up in the Guild Hall! The real one! Any true patriot should do the same!"

Instantly, the hired men let out cheers and began pouring into the Guild Hall. Tess watched it all with tears glistening in her eyes, and she quickly went to start helping. Jason joined her, and soon, the couches were slid aside to make room for tables, the hearth was kindled, and food covered everything. There was no band to be found, so Jeremiah and his hired men took turns playing the harmonica in the corner of the room. Jason found himself rather surprised at how energetic a harmonica could sound. While wild dancing never really broke out, there was a lively atmosphere that rose into the rafters of the large building.

The day wore on as they put out decorations, and when night arrived, everyone quickly fell upon the feast. Paulina was there, along with Theresa. Both looked the worse for wear, but they still joined in the festivities as best they could. A few of the farmers from Summer Shandy joined as well, but... well... Other than them, no one else really came.

Some of the warriors poked in for a few minutes, and a lot of the townsfolk walked from one side to the other to speak with various members attending the Fall Festival. But overall, it was pretty barren. The music stopped when all Jeremiah's hired men tucked in to eat, and Jason found himself seated between Jeremiah and Tess, while Paulina, Theresa, and Jeremiah's wife, Delilah, all sat around them. They were a quiet lot, though they all had rather fake smiles on their faces to keep up appearances.

"Where's Viola?" Jason finally asked as the meal wore on. "Is she at... You know..."

Tess shook her head. "I checked. Would have clobbered her something fierce. No, she's back in the inn. I asked her if she wanted to come out, but she said no. She's just tired. Looked sick, too, to me."

Jason nodded wearily, then glanced at everyone else. He tried a few more lines of conversation, but the only thing he managed to have a successful conversation about was the prospect of improving his home. Paulina told him that she would order his supplies the very next day, and Tess told him that she would help, but that was it. Otherwise, conversation was dull, and it only grew more so as the night wore on.

When ten o'clock clicked around, Jeremiah and all his hired men packed up and went home. With that, the room became far emptier, and Paulina and Theresa soon retired as well. Jason was left alone with Tess, who simply put her head between her hands.

"Go get some rest," Jason urged. "I know it's weird, but things will get better again. Lay down, and I'll have this place cleaned up by the time you wake up in the morning.

Tess needed no encouragement, and she soon dropped onto one of the couches and was snoring within seconds. Jason turned his attention back to the piles of dishes and uneaten food (of which there was a lot), then shrugged, rolled up his sleeves, and started in. With a stroke of inspiration, he stepped outside and grabbed the one monstertrap that hadn't succumbed to the cold yet, drug the pot inside, and fed it all the leftover food. It gobbled up every scrap, and then, after consuming two full turkeys, settled down to sleep. Jason, of course, slew it at that point. He then took the dishes over to the bar/kitchen area and began washing them up as best he could.

When midnight struck, he didn't need to hear the telltale bell that always accompanied it. Instead, the resounding crack of fireworks, and the resounding cheer of the majority of Summer Shandy did the job for him. In

that moment, a cold wind gusted down the chimney, making the flames roar and crackle. It chilled him to his bones, and when he finally finished washing the dishes and stepped out into the cold, he found snow already drifting down to coat the city.

Winter had arrived in Summer Shandy. What would come with it? Just like the year before, when he had been left almost destitute and without even enough money to buy food... He didn't have the faintest idea.

All he did know was that the Dungeon Guild, sitting pretty in their two fancy new stores, would be doing everything they could to ruin it for him.

Chapter Twenty-One: First Day of Winter

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 1st day of Winter! 90 days until the Winter Festival! Settle in for the long slog, folks! Expect the weather to alternate between cold and even colder! Snow is expected to keep falling for the next three days, with a likely accumulation of around two feet. No blizzards are predicted for a while, though we will be seeing those before the winter is out.]

Jason shivered as his eyes flickered open. He hadn't gotten home early in the slightest, and he had been so worn out that he hadn't bothered to get a fire going. Now that it was full-blown winter, he was rather regretting that fact. He only had a single blanket on his bed, a fact that he would have to remedy. On the bright side, though, his home was intact, which was a vast improvement over the previous winter's shenanigans.

He walked over to the window, which was rather frosted-over, and gazed out at the wintery wonderland. To his immense delight, the last of the monstertraps, which had been alive and kicking only a day before, were gone. That, in and of itself, was reason to celebrate, and he did a little dance right there in his room. Then, victory dance accomplished, he walked over to his wardrobe, changed into warm clothes, and made his way downstairs.

When he entered the kitchen, he found that the cookbook had wrapped itself up quite tightly in several of the kitchen towels.

"Make me some pancakes," he ordered. "That seems like a good meal for a cold day."

The cookbook twitched a few times, but it remained firmly underneath its makeshift blankets. At that, Jason shivered, and he walked out of the kitchen and threw some logs into the fireplace. A few minutes later, he had a proper blaze crackling in the hearth, and warmth began to spread out to fill the room. It still wasn't a sauna by any stretch, but it was a lot warmer than it had been earlier. With that, he dropped into his chair, and

the cookbook reluctantly shrugged off its blankets and began to flap its pages.

"It's warming up as quickly as it will go." Jason crossed his arms as the cookbook still refused to make the meal. "Come on. What are you waiting for?"

In response, the sink rattled, and with a resounding clunk, the faucet spat out an ice cube. Jason sighed, then leaned back as the warmth spread throughout the house, thawed the pipes, and warmed up the cookbook sufficiently. Finally, half an hour after he had first walked into the kitchen, the stove gave off a flare of energy, and a stack of pancakes appeared on the table before him.

"Thank you." He bowed his head, then ate the stack of pancakes with relish. When he finished, he cleared his dishes, then rose and made his way into the living room. With that, he pulled out the catalogue that Paulina had given him and started scanning through the various entries.

The previous year, all his farm improvements had been centered around repairing the farm and getting it up and running again. When he'd had time to work on the house itself, he had largely just fixed broken windows, repaired the stonework, and performed other such necessary tasks. Now, though, he could actually start on the interior, which, he had to admit, needed a good deal of work.

The windows, such as they were, were clouded and dusty. He had washed them, certainly, but they had become so pockmarked over the years that you could hardly see through them clearly. The drapes were faded, the gas lighting was faint, the furniture was worn and aged, and, altogether, the place just felt as though it was still unused.

This winter, though, Jason aimed to fix all of that. He flipped through the pages of the catalogue, circling chairs and coffee tables, drapes, wallpaper, and other such things. When he finished, he placed the catalogue back in his inventory, then stepped out into the fresh winter air.

With that, he inhaled deeply, allowing the crisp air of the first day of winter to freeze his lungs and clear out his nostrils. It was a wonderful feeling, that was for certain. He struck off the porch, his feet crunching through the new snow, even as fresh, new snow continued to fall about him.

As he threw open Lady's stable, she nickered happily, and he quickly led her out into the snow. She looked back and forth, snorting warily, and slowly seemed to realize, just like him, that there were no more

monstertraps. With that, she began to prance through the snow, and he happily led her out to the hitching post. After cleaning out the snow and pouring in her oats, Jason left her to her business. She happily munched away at the oats, then lay down and began to kick back and forth in the snow.

"You know, that does seem like fun!" Jason flashed a small grin, then flopped over backward as well. He landed in a soft drift, and began to wave his arms back and forth, making a perfect snow angel. After a moment, he sat up and laughed, then simply spread his arms and ran back and forth through the snow.

It was, in a word, marvelous to not have to worry about the monstertraps. He had fought them for so long, had felt like a proper prisoner on his own farm, that to be free of such things was a wonderful feeling indeed. He ran through all the places he had been unable to walk only days earlier, simply because he was now able to do so without being eaten. He made several snowmen, also just for the sake of it, then slowly made his way back over to Lady once he had thoroughly exhausted himself.

Lady had also seemed to tire of simply rolling about in the snow, and she offered no resistance as he placed the saddle on her back. With that, he mounted up, and they rode forth for Summer Shandy.

When they came trotting into town, Jason found the place abuzz with activity. Children raced through the streets, throwing snowballs and making snowmen. Their parents were hard at work, but also seemed to be taking time to indulge in the joys of youth when time permitted it. Winter was a time where not nearly as much could be accomplished, and that meant that it was a time to be treasured.

Jason rode up to Paulina's store, then dismounted and walked inside, where he found Paulina still at her counter, reading. The shelves were, remarkably, even more bare than before, and Jason found himself sighing in disappointment. He wasn't disappointed in Paulina, to be certain, but... The store had been so vibrant, such a center of community, and now it had been reduced to little more than a shell. She put down her book and flashed a small smile at him, and Jason walked over to the counter and placed the catalogue on the wooden surface.

"I need everything that's been circled." He nodded down at the pages. "I should be able to afford it, at least if I calculated everything properly." He whistled even as he said it. "That stuff's expensive. I thought

I was sitting on a small fortune, but it looks like all I had was a half-decent savings account that's about to be eaten most of the way up."

At that, Paulina chuckled. "That's how it goes. If you just want something that's functional and don't care how it looks, you can get stuff for the price of chicken feed. You want something that looks like you actually care about yourself, and you're looking at paying a pretty penny. Let's see what we're looking at."

She flipped open the catalogue and started thumbing through the pages, making notes as she went along. When she finished, she nodded and slid the catalogue back under the counter.

"You're looking at about 20,000,000 shandys. That work for you?" Jason nodded and consulted his account.

[Money: 21,231,951 shandys]

"Let's do it." He nodded. "Have it shipped to my place?"

"It'll arrive in a week." Paulina nodded. As Jason turned to leave, she sighed. "Thank you."

Jason turned back, confused. "For what?"

"I don't know. Being there for me. For all of us," Paulina gushed. "Last year, you did everything you could for the town. You sacrificed your fortune and your farm more than once, and that meant the world to all of us. This year... I don't know. There hasn't been the need for it, don't get me wrong, but you've always just been there. In a lot of ways, that means even more. Someone could have accused you of just being crazy generous as a way to curry favor with one of the assorted girls you were trying to date, but... This year, you're still here. Still willing to support us. I just wanted to let you know that I noticed, and I appreciate it."

Jason grinned widely. "Catch you around, Paulina. I expect to find this store completely restocked someday soon!"

Paulina returned his smile, though hers was a good deal sadder. With that, Jason walked back out the front door and into the town square. His plan had been to march straight over to the Guild Hall, but he was forced to draw back sharply as a team of ten horses pulling an enormous wagon of wooden logs came rumbling through. The driver sitting high above the horses cracked his whip, calling out loudly.

"Make way! Make way!"

The whip cracked again, and the wagon, which had come from the north, went rumbling out the southern road. Jason frowned and started

walking in that direction, especially as Tess emerged from the Guild Hall and began to stomp in that direction. She glanced at Jason and gave a nod of her head, and he started off in that direction even as a second team of horses came rumbling in, hauling another wagon of logs behind them.

Jason hurried after Tess, and he soon came running up to her side as a third wagon came rolling through the town square. Her eyes were cold and hard, and he glanced in confusion at her.

"What's going on?"

"I'm hoping they'll be able to answer that," Tess uttered softly. "I got a note this morning from Lady Benford. It didn't say much, but it said that 'the final phase had now begun'. I don't know what that means, but I'm sure it's nothing good."

"Anything with Lady Benford is bound to be a trap," Jason opined. "I hope it's nothing too terrible."

Tess agreed. The wagons, for their part, came rumbling to a halt just south of the last small pasture of Summer Shandy and started dumping their logs on the prairie there. Tess crossed her arms, then glanced back sharply toward Summer Shandy. Jason followed her gaze, and he groaned as he saw Constable Hank striding out to meet them.

As he drew up next to them, Jason coughed and gestured at the logs. "You know anything about this?"

"Yes, I do." Constable Hank exhaled profoundly. "I simply didn't

see fit to share it with either of you, given that, you know, neither of you are exactly the law here in Summer Shandy. I know that may come as a shock, but I was the one elected to keep people safe, not you."

Tess turned and scowled at him. "You're doing a mighty find job of it! What's this? A new arsenal that's going to start stockpiling dynamite with the intention of starting a new limestone quarry?"

"Tess," Constable Hank corrected her. "This is nothing more than a new hospital, founded by the Medics' Guild of Illumitir."

"What?" Tess exclaimed. "A new hospital? So... Let me get this straight. You think they're coming out completely of their own volition?"

"Yes."

"So... No fewer than three different businesses from Illumitir have just happened to set up shop in Summer Shandy, coming into direct rivalry with-"

"Tess." Constable Hank took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair. He looked exhausted, and Jason felt a small stab of pity for the man. A small one, to be sure, but a stab of pity, nonetheless. "We're a small town. We only have four businesses because that's all we've ever needed. You're not going to have a business coming in here selling berries for hats because there wouldn't be a market for it. Like it or not, Summer Shandy got put on a lot of maps last year. The dungeon numbers alone show it. There are over twice as many people attempting the crypts per day than ever went through the old crypt. Town taxes are through the roof; overall spending has gone up. Summer Shandy is growing, and that's just the reality."

"It's only growing so they can destroy us," Tess muttered.

Constable Hank put a hand on her shoulder. "Tess, I know this isn't easy, but sometimes, things do change. Summer Shandy was always destined to change. It was either going to shrivel until the only thing left was a crypt and maybe a tavern or general store kept afloat by the few warriors who still came through, or it was going to grow. I know you'd have preferred the first option, but we just have to face the reality that it's growing. It won't be long before all these hills are covered in buildings, and the crypt itself is smack in the middle of town instead of outside the city limits."

Tess took a long, deep breath, then spun and marched away. Jason followed her as she raced toward the Guild Hall, his own stomach twisting and turning with every footfall.

Tess, he knew, didn't believe Constable Hank for a moment. She was convinced that the Dungeon Guild was behind it all, and that they would blow the town to pieces the moment that her guard was truly lowered. Still, though, what Constable Hank was saying did make a lot of sense. What if it was true? What if there was no plot, but the town was simply growing?

Even as he thought it, Jason's stomach twisted. He had grown up in Illumitir, and the thought of Summer Shandy growing into something that resembled the metropolis just sounded... awful. Sure, growth was always good, or at least that's what he always heard, but... A good part of him desperately wanted Tess to be right, simply because, in so many ways, he was even more terrified of the alternative.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Frost on the Window

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 8th day of Winter! 83 days until the Winter Festival! Looks like another cold one, with clear skies and... Well, yeah, that's about it!]

Jason flashed a small smile as he rolled out of bed. The air was frosty, even though he had left a fire burning in the hearth the night before, it must have burned down while he was sleeping. His breath left a cold fog before him, and as he walked up to the window, the glass was frosted over. Carefully, he wiped a small hole in the frost, took a look down at the glimmering snow, and smiled.

If all went well, the supplies from Paulina were due to arrive that day. He walked over to his wardrobe and changed quickly, then made his way down the stairs to the kitchen. The cookbook had bundled itself up in towels once again, and Jason chuckled. Quick as he could, he got a fire going in the living room hearth, and warmth began to flood the house. With that, he sat down at the table, and started pondering what to have for breakfast.

Before he could come up with anything, though, a sharp knock came on the front door. A smile flickered across his face, and he rose and made his way through the house and up to the entryway. Was it Jeremiah? The man did like his early-morning visits. He pulled the door open, and he blinked in more than a bit of surprise to see Tess standing there, clad in leather armor that looked to be insulated. He quickly motioned for her to come inside, and a moment later, she was stamping snow off her boots and unwrapping a scarf and a face covering. Her rosy cheeks peeked out from the cold-weather gear, and Jason stammered a bit.

"Ahh... Tess! I wasn't expecting to see you today."

Tess explained, "Your shipment got to Paulina's store late last night. I figured I'd help bring it down this morning, and maybe I could help you

get it all up?"

Jason felt a warm smile growing across his face. "I'd love that!" He

paused after a moment. "Is everything okay in town?"

Tess deferred the question. "I'd rather not talk about it yet. Let's get

some food and then get to work."

Jason inclined his head. He couldn't disagree with that logic. Tess

quickly made her way into the kitchen, where the cookbook flapped its pages in excitement. A few moments later, two plates of eggs and sausage sat on the table, and Jason and Tess sat down to their meal.

Tess was quiet through most of breakfast, speaking only of a few, small things that Jason suspected were mostly distractions. He didn't press the issue, though, and when they finished eating, Tess led him back to the door. He wasn't bundled up yet, but he did step out onto the porch, where he could see a large pile of crates and such items sitting in his driveway.

"All right." Tess clapped her hands. "How do you want to do this? Haul everything in right away? Put it in the living room? Transfer it to the farm inventory?"

Jason stroked his chin for a moment. "If we transfer it to the farm inventory, it'll all still be in the crates when we pull it back out. It'll probably be best if we open the crates, then transfer everything to inventory. That way, we can pull out exactly what we need when we're ready for it."

"Then grab a hammer, and let's get to it!"

Tess quickly pulled a hammer out of her inventory and strode out into the snow. Jason put on his snow boots and pulled on a coat, then grabbed a hammer out of the farm inventory and sped after her.

What followed was a task that, while grueling, was just plain... fun. They tore into the crates with a vengeance, ripping out nails and smashing apart the boards that they couldn't pry apart. Jason put everything, even the old nails, into his farm's inventory. Better to save it, so he had it if he were to need it all again. The snow around the crates was soon stamped down, and a wide assortment of furniture and supplies lay on the ground.

"All right!" Jason clapped his hands. "Transfer all items into farm inventory."

With a flash, they all vanished, and he turned back toward the aging farmhouse. Tess joined him as they walked back inside, and the true work of the day soon began.

The fire crackled in the hearth as they tore into the living room. First to go were the old gas lamps and fixtures, which barely provided enough light to actually illuminate the room. In their place went crystal bulbs of glass set upon stainless-steel fixtures that weren't as clogged. The light from these, when they were up, provided a great deal more light (and, to Jason's dismay, revealed a great amount of dirt and decay that he had been unable to notice with the earlier, sub-par lighting).

With that done, they set upon the windows. Jason had ordered new panes of glass, but he didn't plan on actually changing those out until spring, when it was warmer. Still, though, they were able to change out the drapes for long strips of fabric that were less faded and a bit more vibrant, bringing a well-needed splash of color to the room. Following that, they set to work on the wallpaper, which, in itself, was the most grueling task of all.

The wallpaper, as most wallpaper was apt to be, was laid out in long strips that ran from the floor to the ceiling. Jason walked up to the strip closest to the door, reached out, and touched the faded and cracked paper.

"Recall wallpaper."

There was a flicker of blue sparks, and the paper vanished, leaving only the cracked, ancient plaster that had been smeared over the innards of the wall. Taking down the wallpaper of the room required moving around the entire wall, taking down each strip individually. Just walking and recalling the wallpaper took almost fifteen minutes, and another fifteen minutes after that to put up the new wallpaper. When they finished, Jason stepped back to admire his work, as did Tess.

"Looking good." Tess nodded in approval. "What now?"

"Now, I think it's time for furniture." Jason clapped his hands. "Transfer all living room furniture into the inventory."

The furniture all vanished with a flash of light, and they began the much longer, more arduous process of searching through the inventory and pulling out the furniture that Jason had just purchased. This, of course, was where they really started running into problems. Jason pulled an easy chair out of the inventory and placed it near the fire, where it would make it far easier for himself to kick back and relax after a long day on the farm, but Tess informed him that it was the wrong place for such a thing. A love seat wound up getting placed in that location, presumably to make it easier for them to spend time together by the fire. Jason's easy chair, subsequently, was placed near the window.

About halfway through arranging the furniture, lunchtime came around, and they walked into the kitchen to sit down to a hearty meal of beef sandwiches.

As they ate, Jason gingerly inquired, "So, do you want to talk about it yet?" "I did say I'd talk later, didn't I? Let's finish eating. I'll dive into everything when we get back to work," she replied.

Jason inclined his head, and they largely ate the rest of their meal in silence. When they finished, the plates were cleaned and put away, and the two of them walked back into the living room. Jason pulled a coffee table out of the inventory and started pushing it around on the floor (he didn't drink coffee, of course, but it did look rather nice). When he pushed it up in front of the fireplace, Tess gave a shake of her head and started pulling it back toward the front entry, then looked upset.

"Oh... I don't know what there is to talk about. I said I'd talk, so I'll talk, but... I don't know. I'm just frustrated. It feels like I'm the only one in the town who cares. Even Paulina just seems to be resigning herself to the fact that this is the new order of things, and that's that."

Jason sympathized. "How's the new hospital shaping up?"

"Not good, all things considered," Tess opined. "By that, of course, I mean that it's shaping up quite well. The foundation has been laid, the main support beams have been driven in, rooms are coming together, you know the drill. It's set to open in two weeks, and it will even include a team of dungeon medics who won't hesitate to dive into the darkest depths of a dungeon to perform a rescue!"

Her voice toward the end was sarcastic, and she showed that with her body. Jason expressed his concerns as he started pushing a couch into position.

"Don't get me wrong, I know the crypt is dangerous, but... Is a dungeon-delving rescue team rally that necessary here in Summer Shandy?" Tess just shook her head and laughed. "Not so you'd know. We've had casualties, don't get me wrong, but those are always either people who are way under-leveled and sneaking into areas they're really not supposed to enter, or they're people who slipped and made a major mistake at the wrong time. In either case, dungeons can kill you in seconds. By the time a rescue team could get to you, you'd be long dead. It does, however, look

quite flashy, and makes your establishment seem top-notch."

Jason indicated that he understood. "How's Theresa taking it?"

Tess grunted as she grabbed the other end of the couch, and together, they pulled it up against a nearby wall. "Not well, but she's not taking it as hard as Paulina, either. She's a lot more go-with-the-flow. Besides, she's never really been in it for the money, anyway. She got a huge inheritance from her dad; she just does the healing stuff because she cares. I think she's more just hurt that people aren't trusting her to do her job."

Jason grimaced. "Are people already flocking to the new place? It's not even open yet, right?"

Tess wagged her hand back and forth. "They opened a clinic. Now, what I do find interesting is that, as soon as the clinic opened, the little clinic-thing in the anti-guild hall closed down. All their business is now going here. I mean, if anyone honestly still believes that there's no connection, they're deluding themselves."

Jason chuckled. "Tell me what you really think. Don't hold back."

"I'd rather not peel off all the new wallpaper you just put up." Tess calmed herself, then sat down in Jason's easy chair as he started lining up several decorative rugs to cover the cold, hardwood floor. "It just makes me nervous. We already don't know what all they're doing to warriors in the depths of that castle. With a proper hospital set up, who knows what they'll be able to get away with? I have a plan-"

At that, Jason shook his head. "Be careful, Tess. Hank will be watching you, and you know it."

"I'm not going to do anything like that!" Tess replied emphatically. "I'm just going to put a watch on the doors. Track which warriors go in, and which come out. If people start not walking out, we'll know that something's up."

"All things considered, I've heard worse." Jason inclined his head. "Just... Be careful, Tess. If they really are planning something, we need you on this side of the bars of prison."

"I'll be careful," Tess assured him. "Hank wouldn't actually arrest me for any real length of time."

Jason wasn't so sure, but he didn't say so. They continued to push furniture around for the rest of the day, then Jason dropped onto the love seat as the evening started to set, the air blew cold around the house, and the flames of the hearth crackled. Tess watched him for a moment, then walked up the stairs. Jason watched her go, confused... and then smiled as Tess

emerged, clad in a rather lovely green dress. She sat down on the love seat next to him and snuggled up close as the flames roared.

"This is nice," he whispered, and he slowly put his arm around her to draw her in close. Her body pressed up against his, and she cooed.

"It is," Tess whispered. "Even when I don't have the faintest idea what's happening in Summer Shandy, I know you'll be here. I know I can count on you. I know that, at the end of the day, you'll be there to defend the city."

Jason reinforced her faith. "And, if the Dungeon Guild does manage to pull off something terrible, I'll still be here. Cities will rise and fall. What matters is the people, and I'm not going anywhere."

With a grateful grin, Tess moved on. "What are you planning on doing next with your house, now that this much is done?'

Jason shared his vision. "The living room was the big thing. Throughout the rest of the winter, I need to do some general repairs on the porch and on some of the guts of the house, and I'd like to refurnish the kitchen and some of the upstairs bedrooms. I'd also like to go through the basement and clean it out, but that part is a bit lower on the list."

"Well, whenever you need a helping hand, you just let me know," Tess offered. "I know I wasn't here much last season. I was so focused on the Dungeon Guild that I hardly saw you, and... I don't know. Maybe everyone else is right, and I'm just looking for conspiracy where one doesn't exist. If that's true, then I need to get my priorities straight, and that starts by spending more time with you."

Jason couldn't keep a smile from his face. "I can't really argue with that logic."

Tess smiled back, and their lips met a moment later. Jason inhaled deeply. Tess's perfume, combined with the flickering smoke of the fire and the aging scent of the home, was delectable.

It was a combination he hoped to experience for a long, long time into the future.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Warm Inside

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 14th day of Winter! 77 days until the Winter Festival! Big news, folks! It looks like the new hospital is opening today, and... well... If you ask the opinion of this humble almanac author, the prices there are practically thievery! Did you know that Theresa doesn't charge for her services at all? She actually cares for you instead of just pumping you full of healing magic.]

"Yep. That's Tess." Jason smiled and rolled out of bed. The house was, surprisingly, rather warm, and he dressed quickly and made his way down into the main living room. The fire was still crackling, though it was a good deal lower than before, and he tossed a few more logs onto the blaze. With that, though, he threw on some warm clothes and strode out the front door into the winter wonderland.

Or, at the least, into the winter. The snow had finished evaporating, and with the next storm still a week away, for the moment, the ground was a simple, barren expanse of dead grass and bare ground. Jason shivered as a gust of wind cut through his clothes, and then he arrived at the stable.

As he stepped inside, Lady nickered happily, and he poured her some oats. The walls of the stable were insulated well, and with the body heat that she produced, it was actually quite tolerable inside the building. She began to eat, and he spent a few moments grooming her before striking back out to his kitchen.

"I need something I can eat on the road." He strode into the kitchen through the back door of the home, not even taking off his winter gear. "What do you have for me?"

The cookbook shrugged, then flapped its pages. With a flash of light, an egg sandwich appeared on the table, and the cookbook slammed shut. Jason chuckled appreciatively.

"That'll work, I suppose. Thanks! Stay warm!"

The cookbook flapped its cover several times, then lay still. Jason chuckled, then turned and strode once more out into the blistering air of that

day. He ate his sandwich as he walked, though he had only finished about half of it by the time he got to the stable. There, he set it down on the top of a fence post, led Lady out into the cold, and saddled her up as quickly as he could. Once she was ready, he shut the stable door firmly, climbed up in the saddle, and rode off quickly. He ate the remainder of the sandwich with his free hand and was soon trotting along the road at a steady clip.

"Howdy, neighbor!"

The cry came from far behind him, and he slowed and turned Lady to the side as Jeremiah came trotting up the road. It only took him a few minutes to catch up, and the two friends struck off for Summer Shandy together. Jeremiah had an odd grin on his face, and Jason was curious.

"What's up?"

"Not much. Just heading into town to buy Delilah a birthday present. I've got an idea that's going to knock her socks off. If, of course, Paulina still has it in stock. I am kinda buying it last-minute."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Just how last-minute are we talking?"

"Her birthday is today." Jeremiah bit his lip. "I... ah... Well, her birthday is on the 14th of winter, right? Well, her sister's birthday is on the 41st, and I get the two of them confused, and... well..."

Jason laughed. "You're in trouble, then!"

"Something like that." Jeremiah laughed back. "I just hope I don't strike out. That'd be embarrassing!"

They rode in silence for a few moments, and Jason glanced over at Jeremiah. Ahead, the walls of the new hospital rose sharply into the sky. It was about two stories tall, a couple hundred feet long, and generally looked a lot more like a prison than a medical center.

"You hear about that thing?" Jason pointed at it. "I don't think I've really talked to you at all since it went up."

"Heard about it, yes. Tess sent me a letter the day after it went up, and of course, I saw the almanac this morning. Otherwise, I don't know a thing about it. I presume it's bad news?"

"Seems to be, but, as usual, everything's so clouded that it's hard to tell for sure." Jason sighed.

At that, Jeremiah nodded. "Confusion is a greater weapon than any other. If your enemy doesn't know what you're doing, he'll be more easily beaten than if you have the strongest army in the world to bring to bear against him."

"Do you think they're hurting people in there?" Jason pondered.

"I very much doubt it." Jeremiah shook his head. "You're sounding like Tess. If they are doing something, and I personally consider that to be a very important question, they're not just going to start killing people. That'll draw attention, and at least at this point, they want to appear on the level. In the eyes of the law, they're honest businessmen, and they'll want to keep it that way."

Jason nodded, and they continued onward, saying little else until they passed the enormous hospital. There, half a dozen men and women stood outside the door, dressed in flowing, white garments etched with red highlights. It certainly made them stand out, especially in contrast to Theresa's dark red dress. Theresa, for her part, stood in the town square and gazed longingly at the structure as warriors stumbled down the path toward the hospital.

"Hey, Theresa!" Jason called out as he rode up. He pulled his horse to a stop, while Jeremiah continued onward to Paulina's store.

"Hey, Jason." Her voice was quiet, and she seemed sad. "How are you doing?"

"Better than you, apparently." Jason dismounted and landed just next to her on the cool cobblestone. "Tess told me that you were pretty upset."

Theresa lamented, "It doesn't make any sense. I offer my services free of charge. I like taking care of people, and I've never had an accident on my watch. They're just corporate automatons who couldn't care less about the people they're caring for, and they charge an arm and a leg to get anything done. I saw a warrior with a bite taken out of his side get turned away for not having enough gold! And then he had the gall to reject my services because he didn't want to be treated by what he called 'a little girl'." She scowled. "I'm short, but I'm pushing thirty."

"In fairness, you don't look it."

Theresa spun and directed her scowl toward him, and Jason backpedaled. "It's a good thing! Aren't girls always wanting to look younger?"

"You've got a lot of nerve commenting on it, one way or the other." Theresa said hotly. "I don't know. It's just disappointing. Tess arranged a lunch for me. I think she's hoping it'll cheer me up, and I have to admit that it's sweet, but I don't know."

Jason encouraged the healer with a grin. "Well, have fun with it. I... I really do hope that things get better for you."

He turned and started walking toward Paulina's store but drew up short as Theresa called out behind him.

"Wait."

He turned back, and Theresa extended, "I'd... I'd like it if you'd come. You can invite Jeremiah, too."

"I think Jeremiah has other..." Jason's voice trailed off. "Could his wife come, too?"

A few hours later, after Jason had spent a few hours browsing the minimal remaining stock left in Paulina's store, a small group found their way to Tess's Guild Hall, where a large table had been set up. Fire roared in the hearth, and an assortment of food had been set out. There was a roasted goose, a wide variety of vegetables, and a bowl of fruit. Jason whistled as he walked inside, and Tess walked over to him.

"Thanks for agreeing to this. Theresa's more shaken up than she realizes, I think. This ought to be nice for her."

"I agree.. Thanks for putting this on for her."

Tess inclined her head, and the small group quickly moved to sit around the table. Delilah and Jeremiah sat on one side with Theresa, while Paulina, Tess, and Jason took the other side. It was a small gathering, but it was a welcome one, and Tess was pleased.

"I'd like to make a speech before we begin." She bit her lip, then plowed forward. "I know this year hasn't been easy on anyone. I know we haven't all handled it with the most grace, and I'll put myself at the forefront of that." She paused for a moment. "What I do know is that we're still here, and we're still together. I don't know what's happening to our town, but I do know that, as long as we have each other, Summer Shandy still lives."

Agreeing, Therese spoke up. "And I'll add to that... Thank you, all of you, for being here. It's nice to know that someone still cares. I'm not going anywhere, and when people start getting scammed by that new hospital, they'll come back. We'll reclaim our town!"

There was a cheer from everyone there, and the group tucked into the impromptu luncheon. Jason quickly filled up on the roast goose, which he found to be quite delectable. It was a richer, more tender meat than he had ever eaten before, and images of raising geese (and maybe some other

birds as well) began to float through his mind. What about ducks? Chickens? Quail? Pheasants? He had even heard of some larger, flightless birds: ostriches, emus, and dodos.

He was still contemplating all those different options when the door of the Guild Hall burst open. A warrior came stumbling inside, covered in bruises and dripping blood across the floor, and collapsed on the floor, unconscious. Theresa leapt to her feet and dashed over to him, and Tess ran to the door and gazed out across the barren ground. Jeremiah also jumped up, though he seemed a bit less certain about what to do, and Jason slowly rose as he tried to figure out how he could be of help.

"He's slipping into unconsciousness!" Theresa called out. "Help me get him to my place!"

That much, Jason could do. He and Jeremiah quickly rushed over, grabbing the arms and legs of the man, lifting him up, and running out the door. Theresa dashed ahead of them, making straight for her own business. Tess ran along beside them, and across the town square, civilians turned to gaze at them with something resembling curiosity.

"Hey! Stop!" A woman wearing one of the white uniforms of the new hospital came running up. "What are you doing with one of our patients?"

Jason and Jeremiah didn't slow but kept on pounding for Theresa's healing den. As they approached the door, though, more of the white- uniformed nurses appeared, and Constable Hank wearily strode out of his office, looking as though he would rather have gone swimming in a pit of snakes.

"Hold up." He called out wearily to Jason and Jeremiah. "Let's get this sorted."

"There's no time!" Theresa screamed. "He's losing blood fast. If there's any delay at all, he'll bleed out."

"Then you must give him back to us," the woman snapped. "He spooked and ran before we could put him under for the operation. Return him to our care, now."

"Maybe he was scared of you," Theresa countered. "Please, Hank, you have to-"

"Jason, Jeremiah, give this man back into their care," Constable Hank sighed. "If it's really as urgent as you say, we have to get him fixed,

and if he already paid for these good men and women to perform their services, that's what we have to respect."

The white suits came running over and hastily grabbed the man from Jason and Jeremiah's grasp, then turned and dashed off for the hospital. Jason watched them go, a pit forming in his stomach. Theresa tried to run after them, shouting orders, but the healer was roughly shoved away. A moment later, the man was carried through the front door of the new, and now far more ominous, building.

Constable Hank seemed exasperated, then turned and marched away. Theresa continued to stare after the dying man, and Paulina came up and put a hand on her shoulder. Tess, meanwhile, followed Constable Hank back into his office. Jeremiah and Delilah looked at one another, then made their way to the nearby carriage and were soon riding swiftly back out into the country.

Jason was the only one who seemingly didn't know what to do. He felt eyes burning into the back of his head, and he turned slowly to face the anti-guild hall. The top of the walls was visible over and above Tess's Guild Hall, and there, framed in a window, was a smug-looking Blacksuit. He didn't seem to notice Jason staring at him, and he just gazed down at the hospital with something resembling pride. Jason ground his teeth together, fury mounting.

Something was amiss in Summer Shandy, and there was simply no way they could deny it anymore. The only thing Jason didn't know, though, was what in the world to do about it.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Winter Storm

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 17th day of Winter! 74 days until the Winter Festival! There's a bad storm coming in today, folks. Batten down the hatches, and don't go outside unless you have to. Send letters if you feel it necessary to communicate with anyone.]

Jason read the note, then sighed and crawled out of bed. He slowly walked up to the window and wiped down the condensation, gazing out at the field. Sure enough, there were storm clouds brewing on the horizon, and they seemed to be growing rapidly even as he stood there watching. He shivered, then quickly walked over to his wardrobe, changed clothes, and made his way out into the farmyard.

Lady was uneasy as he stepped into the stable, stamping her hooves and snorting nervously. He poured her some oats and scooped out her soiled straw, then gave her a few quick strokes with his brush. The movement and care calmed her down a bit, though her nostrils continued to flare. She knew the storm was coming, and she knew it would be bad. That fact rather chilled Jason to the bone, and he quickly walked back out, shut the stable up tightly, and ran back into the house.

A letter was waiting for him when he stepped back inside, and he quickly unfolded it as he walked into the kitchen.

"Biscuits and gravy." he ordered as he dropped into his chair. The dish appeared with a flash, and he started to read.

"Hey, Jason. I was hoping to meet with you today, but it doesn't look like that will be an option. I just wanted to give you an update on the man that came stumbling into the Guild Hall. Theresa petitioned Hank, and he finally allowed her to enter. She had a number of choice comments on the sanitary conditions of the rooms, the medical supplies the have available, and other such things, but that's not really the important part. When she got into the man's room, he was... Completely healed. Less than a day after he had stumbled into the Guild Hall half-dead. Theresa can't figure it out, and she's about to break her brain trying to wrap her head

around it. She says that there's nothing, magical or natural, that can heal someone so perfectly. Of course, now she's talking about doppelgängers and clones and other such things, and I don't know that I'll really go that far, but it's really odd no matter which way you cut it. Stay safe, Jason. This storm's supposed to be a bad one, and I don't want you getting hurt. Love, Tess."

Jason flashed a small smile as he read the note, ate a few bites of his breakfast, then grabbed a quill pen and started scribbling a response on a thick sheet of writing paper.

"Well... On the bright side, it could be worse. I was expecting you to say that he'd died, so I suppose we should count our blessings? I'm with you, it doesn't make sense, and I'll try to think up any solution I can. Until then, stay safe, too. If the storm is really as bad as it sounds, I'll come up once it's over to help with repairs. Love, Jason."

He folded up the note and dropped it into the mailbox. There was a short wait, and the letter vanished.

[Mailbox: Message sent]

There was a short pause.

[Mailbox: All mail for the remainder of the day will be suspended

due to the storm.]

"And here I thought the mail was always delivered, rain or shine,"

Jason muttered.

[Mailbox: Yes. Rain or shine. Killer blizzards aren't mentioned.] Jason rolled his eyes, then walked into his living room and sat down

in his easy chair which, positioned by the window, gave him a rather lovely view of the countryside. The clouds grew darker and began to pass overhead, and he became concerned. Something that looked like a solid, white wall swept across the prairie, and Jason's jaw slowly dropped. A moment later, the wall struck, and Jason's entire house shuddered.

He suddenly realized that he was gripping the sides of his chair as if the house were a runaway wagon, and he forced himself to relax as the wind howled around the building. The walls shook, the windows rattled, and the entire structure seemed to groan. It was impossible to see more than a few feet outside the windows, as the snow was simply blowing so strongly. Jason whistled, then slowly rose and began to walk around the home. Every window he peered through was the same. Torrents of snow, and little else visible. He couldn't see Lady's stable, he couldn't see his

field, and he certainly couldn't see Summer Shandy. He felt alone and isolated, as if he were the last person in the entire world.

Cold air began to whip down his chimney, making the flames in the fireplace crackle and pop, and he shuddered at the draft. He moved to the love seat, huddling close to the flames, even as the chill began to creep around the house. He wasn't sure how cold the wind outside was, but he could tell that it was the lowest the temperature had yet been that winter. Cold tendrils of wind crept under the door, and frost began to creep around the windows. The fire seemed to feel colder and colder, and he shivered.

Suddenly, up above him, a loud crash echoed through the house. He sat upright, then bolted up the stairs as a cold wind (and a rather unhealthy amount of snow) began to gust through the home. He burst through the door into his bedroom to find his enormous window lying in pieces across the floor, and the flowery sign for Paulina's store lying propped up against his bed. The wind howled through the window, and his fingers became numb almost instantly. It was impossible to fathom how utterly cold it was, and he quickly grabbed the sign, then retreated back into the hall and slammed the door shut. Wind continued to howl underneath the door, and he quickly packed rugs and blankets into the cracks. It still wasn't perfect, but it was better.

Jason remained huddled close to the fire for the rest of the day. The house continued to shake under the brunt of the wind, but nothing more came crashing through the windows. Other items hit the house, certainly, resounding with enormous thuds that seemed likely to just knock the house off the foundation and send it flying through the air, but it was impossible to tell what these items were or what damage they were causing.

Throughout the house, it became colder and colder, until the only warm space left was just next to the fire. Jason wrapped himself in a blanket as he sat there, only leaving the flames to grab lunch. Of course, his cookbook had wrapped itself up and utterly refused to make anything, so he was forced to make do with a load of bread and meat from the pantry. It wasn't much, but it worked well enough, and he was happy to return to the safety of the fire.

The storm raged throughout the day, only dying down as evening set. It was almost unbelievable as a faint ray of light broke through the window, orange as the sun fell toward the horizon, but still brighter than anything Jason had yet seen that day. He happily bundled himself up, threw

a few logs on the fire to get the place warm for his return, then slowly stepped out onto the front porch.

The air was icy, making his face hurt within seconds. The snow lay in great drifts that could only be formed by high winds. In some places, namely up against his house, it drifted to heights of fifteen feet or more. In other places, on the open ground, he could still see dirt covered by the barest dusting of snow.

He ran quickly to the stable, where, throwing open the door, he found Lady lying on the straw, shivering. She nickered happily as he stepped inside, and he had soon placed a thick horse blanket across her. He put the saddle on top of that, and she rose obediently.

"I know it's cold, but you'll stay a lot warmer if you're moving." He breathed softly, then clambered up onto her back. She gave a whinny, then slowly walked out into the frozen wasteland. With a snort, she took off for town. Jason needed only give her the faintest commands, she knew the way so well.

The air stung Jason's face like a swarm of bees, but onward he pressed. Scattered across the ground were bits and pieces of wood, scattered bits of furniture, and more. As he came riding up on Summer Shandy, he saw plumes of smoke rising high into the sky from dozens of chimneys, while campfires had been built up within the town square itself. Tess stood tall in her insulated armor, shouting commands, as Jason came riding up to join. His jaw dropped as he looked back and forth, taking in the devastation.

Everything had been torn apart; there was just no other way to look at it. Hardly a window in the town was still intact, and more than a few rooftops had been at least partly torn away. Paulina's store had been shattered, with the stained glass littering the ground and her merchandise scattered haphazardly through the snow. The Guild Hall had taken a beating as well, with bits and pieces of the wooden roof missing, and the door torn clean away. Perhaps the only building that hadn't been affected was Theresa's Healing Den, which sat so low to the ground that the wind likely hadn't been able to get a hold on it.

The new, Dungeon Guild buildings, though, had been decimated. With the hospital, entire walls had been torn away, and the roof simply wasn't there. The General Store looked to have been smashed with a giant sledgehammer, and the anti-guild hall, designed to look like a castle, seemed to have been utterly trashed in a siege battle.

"Well, all things considered, it looks like we won this round." Jason crossed his arms as dismounted. A young boy came up and took Lady's reigns, and Jason nodded gratefully as he led her off toward the stables.

"Won?" Tess snapped. "Look at this place. We'll be cleaning up for weeks." She sighed, then lifted a finger and pointed at Jason's face. "And I don't want you just pulling out some cash and solving all our problems in one fell swoop."

Jason reminded her, "I just spent everything on furniture. I don't have enough money to bail people out this time."

"Then roll up your sleeves and dig in. We've got to get enough houses sealed up by the time night falls that we can last until morning," Tess ordered. "Right now, that means those four, the ones that people are working on. Everything else, including the stores and the Guild Hall, can wait."

Jason inclined his head, then cast a look over at Viola's Inn. That, in his mind, seemed to be a logical place to seal up to house people for a night, but it looked like the construction crew that had built the anti-guild hall and the General Store were already well at work in that respect. Jason walked over and started working alongside the villagers. Many of them regarded him with rather suspicious looks, but in the end, all of them stepped aside and let him help. A few of them even smiled, and he let out a long breath. Maybe, as tragic as this all was, it would be what helped break the spell that the Dungeon Guild had thrown over the town.

"Hey, Jason." Paulina muttered as he came upon her. She was working on putting new shutters in the windows of one of the four houses, shutters that looked like they came straight from her store. "How's it going?"

"As well as it can," Jason supposed. "I brought something for you." He pulled the sign out of his inventory and handed it to her. She blinked in surprise, then grinned broadly.

"Jason! How'd you find it?"

"You might say that it found me," Jason chuckled. "Hopefully that brightens the day a little bit."

"It does." Paulina took a deep breath. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Anytime." Jason nodded, then started passing shingles up to the men working on rebuilding the roof.

It was a long, grueling process as they tried to piece the homes together. The sun set quickly, and soon, the only light available was from flickering torches and the crackling bonfires. Children began to cry as their bedtimes came and went, and mothers tried in vain to soothe them. They were tired, they were cold, they were hungry, and they had nowhere to stay. Finally, though, someone had the good sense to bring out some steaks and start grilling them over the fire. The wonderful smell soon wafted throughout the small settlement, and when it came his turn to eat, Jason had to admit that he'd rarely eaten anything that tasted so good.

It was nearing eleven o'clock at night when the first of the homes was sealed tightly enough to be considered habitable. A fire was kindled in the hearth, and as many children as possible were packed inside, with a couple mothers on hand to supervise. That done, the bulk of the workers moved on to the next house, and work continued.

This second home was finished around midnight. This time, the women quickly made their way inside and lay down, so they could have the most rest possible for when their children woke up, bright and early in the morning. Paulina and Theresa also retired with this group, though Tess remained as one of the few females who continued to brave the freezing air (which somehow seemed to get even colder as the night wore on).

Somewhere around two o'clock in the morning, someone made hot chocolate for the freezing, exhausted workers. Jason nearly fell asleep instantly as he drank the hot treat, and he smiled gratefully at the man who had handed him the mug. They finished the third house shortly thereafter, though none of the men were willing to go to sleep while their companions continued to work. The fourth house was finally completed about an hour later, and Jason gratefully accepted the invitation to step inside. They were all packed together like sardines, but with a blaze crackling in the fireplace, it was warm and cozy, and Jason felt his eyelids drifting shut.

As he fell asleep, he saw Tess standing in the doorway, gazing protectively at all of them. Her eyes caught Jason's, and she shared a smile with her partner before turning and walking away. He raised his hand to call after her, but the door fell shut too quickly. Warmth flooded over him, and with that, he succumbed to the rigors of the day. Moments later, he was fast asleep, where he would lie without moving until well into the next day on that 18th day of Winter.

Chapter Twenty-Five: The After

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 24th day of Winter! 67 days until the Winter Festival! Rebuilding should be finished up either today or tomorrow, so that's a plus! The weather is nice and warm, a balmy degree below freezing! Should be good packing snow, at least that's what I'm told. Get outside and enjoy it, if at all you can!]

Jason smiled and sat up, stretching mightily before walking over to his window. It was a brand-new pane of glass, donated by Paulina as payment for the help he had rendered over the previous week. Summer Shandy had been hit badly, there was no doubt about that, and everyone had helped pitch in. After that first day, Jason had expected the rest of the work to go quickly, but this simply hadn't happened. People had jobs to do, and while they helped as much as they could, there was just so much to be done that it was impossible to maintain a constant workflow. Jeremiah brought his whole crew of hired men up to Summer Shandy when he could manage it, and Jason certainly spent most of each day helping out where he could, but... well... it had been bad.

Throughout it all, the Dungeon Guild had somehow managed to both annoy everyone in Summer Shandy and endear themselves to the residents at the same time. Their private workforce of workers rebuilt all their own buildings without a single thought for the peasants, making everyone (and no one more than Tess) extraordinarily frustrated. Still, though, they slashed their prices and offered an enormous amount of food and building supplies for vastly discounted (read: relatively normal) prices. The citizens largely viewed the "three" corporations as doing everything they could to help during such a great crisis; and so, despite doing absolutely nothing, they came through it even more loved than before.

Jason contemplated it all, then shuddered and headed down to the kitchen. He hadn't even had time to sit down when a knock came on the door, firm and resolute. Hoping it would be Tess, he strode to the front of

the house and pulled the door open, where he found Jeremiah standing tall with a small smile on his face.

"What's up?" Jason asked, concerned. "Something wrong?"

"No, not in the least!" Jeremiah grinned. "I'm not even here to ask a favor, I just wondered if you'd want to come along on our cattle drive today."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Not a favor?"

Jeremiah shrugged. "I know you kinda enjoy them, and Tess mentioned to me the other day that she wouldn't mind joining one of the drives someday. Let me tell you, there's no better way to bond with a fine, young woman than over a good day's work."

"And that's why Delilah never joins you out on the farm?" Jason queried.

"Ahh, when I was dating her, all we did was boring, fun stuff." Jeremiah waved his hand. "I was young and stupid, and I've regretted it to this day! If we'd bonded over a horse instead of over a picnic basket, she might be out there helping me round up the herd instead of cooking such wonderful meals."

"Then I, for one, am quite happy that you chose to do what you did. I still haven't forgotten a single feast she's made for me." Jason snorted, then flashed a grin. "Shouldn't the cattle be coming by right about now?"

"The sale was delayed. They're still rebuilding the pens from the big storm, but they'll be up within a few hours," Jeremiah explained. "We'll be rolling by around noon. You can just hop in at that point."

"Sounds like a plan," Jason consented. "I'll send Tess a letter."

"Oh, I already did. She's on her way!" Jeremiah turned to walk away. "See you on the flip side!"

Jason rolled his eyes, then glanced down the road toward Summer Shandy. He could just see a black dot zooming down the path toward the farm, and a smile spread across his face. He walked back inside, made his way to the kitchen, and made up two plates of biscuits and gravy. He was sitting at the ready when Tess came walking in, and she gratefully sat down at his table.

"Jeremiah came by and talked to you?" She asked as they tucked into breakfast.

"He did." Jason rolled his eyes. "The guy's good at getting people to do what he wants."

Tess laughed in agreement. "You can't really fault him for that!"

"No, indeed." Jason laughed back. "How are you doing this morning?"

"Well enough, I suppose," Tess began. "We just finished putting the last pane of glass back on Paulina's store last night, so that's all locked away. The only building left that hasn't been repaired fully is the Guild Hall, and since no one comes there anyway anymore, I don't think it'll be an enormous issue to leave it for last. I'll start trying to patch it up this next week."

Jason offered, "I can come help, if you like. I don't exactly have a lot of pressing issues in this end of the world."

"That would be great, thanks." She continued, "On the bright side, the Dungeon Guild has been keeping their heads pretty low. Theresa petitioned Constable Hank to allow her constant access to the new hospital once it was rebuilt, and he granted it to her. Nothing new or weird has happened, so that's an absolute plus."

"Good!" Jason smiled.

"Yeah. Good," Tess seemed to breathe more easily; then she grinned. "I'm just excited for this cattle drive. Maybe it'll get my mind off everything, you know? Just a huge, thundering herd of creatures that can crush you flat in a split second."

"Yeah, because that sounds like a proper vacation." Jason snorted. "It's like being in a dungeon, but without all the real danger."

"You did help out with the last cattle drive, right?" Jason retorted,

then laughed softly. "Sometimes, I get the feeling that Jeremiah is trying to hire me onto his crew, you know?"

"Jeremiah tries to hire everyone," Tess commented as she finished the meal. "Now, let's get something done while we're waiting for him to show up."

Jason agreed, and the two of them rose from the table and made their way upstairs. There, though Jason still hadn't managed to purchase all the requisite furniture and such, he could still make plans for the spring, once he had money to actually buy things again. There were four rooms upstairs, all told: his bedroom, two guest bedrooms, and small office/library that, until that point, he had almost completely ignored. The office had no exterior windows, which had protected it from the chaos of the earlier year;

and as such, it had largely remained locked up. As he pulled open the door on that day, a billowing cloud of dust rolled out, and Tess coughed.

"We'll... ahh... We'll deal with that later." She waved at him, and he pushed it shut once more. "Come on, let's look at these."

They walked into the guest bedrooms and began storing most of the aging, moldy furniture in the farm's inventory while Tess made mental notes about what would look good, what color the wallpaper should be, and other such things. Jason found it to be quite exciting, though he did grow a bit exhausted after half an hour of Tess asking him whether it would be better to have eggshell blue or sky blue, because apparently, they matched with different accent colors. (He also had no idea what accent colors were, but he presumed that they were important, at least to Tess.) Soon enough, though, they heard the distant thunder of hooves, and they bolted down the stairs and out onto the front porch.

The lead cattle in the drive were just a short distance down the road, plodding up toward Summer Shandy with all the force and purpose that cattle duly possessed. Weatherhand rode just beside them, keeping them in line, and he waved to Jason and Tess as they passed by. Jason quickly climbed up on Lady, and Tess joined him on Angus, and together, they waited for an opening.

Tess seemed almost giddy as they rode up next to the enormous herd of cattle. It stretched for miles on end, shaking the earth with the enormity of their hoofbeats. Jason knew well enough what to do by that point, and he simply fell in line, while Tess glanced back and forth in excitement as they approached Summer Shandy.

When the herd of cattle came rumbling through town square, as usual, all the townsfolk came out to watch. Paulina caught sight of Tess and waved in excitement, and Tess waved back. Soon, though, they had passed through the opposite side of the square and started rumbling past the General Store, where a number of warriors watched and jeered. One or two of them straightened up when they noticed Tess, but largely, they showed no more respect to her than to the rest of the farmhands. Tess's face darkened, but only until they reached the enormous sorting pens that crisscrossed the prairie at that point.

Here, Jeremiah's men took over, expertly driving the cattle into their various pens, and Jason and Tess backed up to watch. A few moments later,

Jeremiah himself rode over to them as the men from the city started to go from pen to pen, pricing the various head of cattle.

"Well, how'd you like it?" Jeremiah flashed a small smile.

"I loved it!" Tess bounced with excitement. "Jason, if we get married, we're getting cattle. Not up for discussion."

Jeremiah's face lit up with something that Jason thought was equal parts excitement and pride, and he rode off to meet with the cattle buyers while Tess and Jason slowly turned their horses around and started to ride back into Summer Shandy. The herd was still coming through, of course, and the two of them soon came up in front of Paulina's store, where Theresa had also showed up. Tess and Jason dismounted and hitched up their horses, and Paulina nodded.

"Look across the way. Someone's not happy."

Jason followed her gaze. Sure enough, standing on the other side of the town square was Blacksuit himself, huge and pudgy and sporting a scowl that made his face look rather horrid. Lady Benford was nowhere to be seen, which, in that moment, Jason thought was rather wonderful.

"You know what?" Jason crossed his arms. "What does it matter what he thinks? Maybe he hates cattle. Maybe he hates the fact that we like the cattle. Maybe he just hates us. At the end of the day, what does it matter?"

Tess looked at him and began to nod slowly. "You know... You're right."

"Of course, I'm right!" Jason beamed, then frowned. "What do you mean?"

Tess shrugged. "They came in, and they've been doing everything they can to break us using non-combatant means. By and large, we've played straight into their hand. Theresa, I know you've been wracking your brains trying to figure out what happened with that man. Could he not have simply been an actor? That's why they didn't want you to examine him, because you'd know that he wasn't actually hurt."

Theresa nodded slowly. "It's possible."

"And Paulina. You've been going out of business, but half of that is because you feel like you can't compete. But if you believed in yourself, it would come down to a simple corporate battle, and you could win that hands-down."

Paulina silently assented. Tess crossed her arms and stared across the way at Blacksuit.

"We've been playing right into their hands. From today onward, no more!" She crossed her arms, then bent down and scooped up a handful of snow. Without preamble, she turned and threw it at Paulina, striking her in the torso. Paulina gasped... Then laughed, grabbed a handful of snow herself, and threw it straight back. It missed Tess and struck a nearby schoolboy, who spun on a dime, and being practiced in such forms of combat, returned the favor a mere instant later.

Within just a few seconds, even as the herd of cattle continued to thunder through Summer Shandy, a snowball fight erupted across the town square. Constable Hank walked out to see what the commotion was, got smacked in the face with a snowball, and dutifully returned fire. It was spontaneous, it was unusual, but it was fun. Jason found himself grinning from ear to ear, even as he was utterly pummeled by Tess's uncanny aim and powerful arm strength.

With the number of people participating, the battle raged for the better part of an hour. By the time it ended, Tess and Jason had built a fort near the Guild Hall, where they could hunker down when under fire and pop up during lulls. Finally, though, people started to drift away, and a formal truce was called, ending the Great Snow War of Summer Shandy. Jason and Tess slumped behind their fortification, breathing heavily.

"That was... That was fun," Jason finally acknowledged. "Thanks."

"No, thank you.. I mean, I suppose I should probably thank Jeremiah, since he's the one who got both of us to come along, but... You know what I mean."

"Yeah." Jason flashed a small smile. "I do. It was a nice day." As he sat there, he peered up over the bank of snow and watched Theresa and Paulina heading back into their respective stores. Blacksuit had vanished at some point during the fighting, but Jason was certain that, wherever he was, the man was still scowling out at them, plotting his revenge. After a few long moments of waiting for the area to clear out, Jason glanced at his partner.

"I do have one question. You... You made it sound like you're not concerned. I don't disagree with the idea that the Dungeon Guild is trying to get inside our heads, but haven't we decided that they're up to something?"

"Yes," Tess agreed. "They are, but I've been thinking about it. Mostly today, while we were riding. They have us in a vice grip, but only as long as we let them. Whatever the second phase of their plan happens to be, they're not going to dare revealing it as long as we're all so terrified that we jump at the slightest provocation."

Understanding began to dawn in Jason's mind. "You're trying to draw them out."

Tess inclined her head. "I'll be seen as a better citizen for it, and with luck, higher spirits will throw off whatever they have planned. If they make a mistake, I'll be there to catch them in it."

"Then I'll be right there with you," Jason vowed.

With that, Tess looked back at him, her eyes warm and soft. "I wouldn't have it any other way.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Tired

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 26th day of Winter! 65 days until the Winter Festival! It's back to being cold again, cold and dreary. A great day to spend inside with friends, if you have them!]

Jason's eyes flickered open, and he groaned and rolled out of bed. He was exhausted, largely from not getting to bed very early in the slightest the night before. As he walked up to the window and gazed down on his farm, he caught a glimpse of a black dot riding his way from Summer Shandy, and he was unable to keep a smile from his face. He changed clothes quickly, then pounded down the stairs and into the kitchen. He hardly had plates of pancakes on the table before Tess was walking through the front door and shaking the last of the snow from her clothes.

"Come in, come in!" Jason called. A moment later, Tess came walking into the kitchen and gave a twirl, and Jason felt his heart leap.

She was wearing the same gleaming, golden-and-silver ceremonial armor that she had worn on one of their first dates. Her hair had been fixed into a waterfall that fell down the back, held in place by a comb that looked as though it might also double as a small helmet. She sat down at the table, brushing her metallic skirt beneath her, and Jason was delighted.

"You look nice."

"Well, it's a special day, isn't it?" Tess flashed him a small grin, then glanced back over her shoulder. "I like what you did with the place. It looks... Festive."

Jason couldn't stifle his smile. Indeed, he had spent the night before putting up as many decorations as he could manage. Following his conversation with Tess during the aftermath of the Great Snow War, he had struck upon an idea that he had been unable to get out of his head. Tess had given him the go-ahead, and he had immediately set forth to start preparing for the great feast of Christmas.

The previous year, largely due to the utter chaos of everything, he had utterly forgotten about the holiday. As near as he could tell, it wasn't

something that was commonly celebrated down in Summer Shandy, but it was certainly something that had been in full force up in Illumitir. There were fir trees brought inside and strung up with streamers, strings of popcorn, acorns, and far more. There were presents, and hot chocolate, and music, and warmth, and all sorts of other wonderful things that Jason had suddenly found himself longing for. He sent out letters to everyone and desperately began preparing.

When he and Tess finished eating, he walked out into the living room, which had been done up in full holiday regalia. There were giant paper snowflakes, streams of garland, and a great deal of red and green just about every which way you looked. The fire was already crackling in the hearth, and Jason tossed another several logs into the flames and watched it burn brighter.

"And you got everyone to come?" Tess asked as she walked up behind him.

Jason nodded. "Theresa and Paulina will both be here around noon. Jeremiah is getting some things sorted, he didn't say exactly what, and then he'll be here as quickly as he can. I didn't get a message back from Viola, but..." He shrugged. "I can't say that I was really expecting to."

Tess nodded and crossed her armored arms. "I'm really getting worried about her. I haven't seen her in public in ages. Like... Don't get me wrong, I understand skipping a festival or two. I, myself, have bowed out of a few in the past, but... The extent to which she's withdrawing is terrifying."

"I'll go with you to confront her, if you'd like." Jason offered. "I know I don't know her well, but I also know that things like that can be kinda terrifying."

"I'd like that, thanks." Tess puffed out her cheeks. "I'll send her an invitation to come to my office, tomorrow. Today, I'm not going to worry about it."

"And you shouldn't!" Jason grinned. "Now, let's get this party started!"

Tess flashed him a warm smile, and they walked back into the kitchen. Tess had purchased several dozen new recipes from Paulina, and she and Jason spent the next hour flipping through pages, trying to decide what they should make. Finally, they settled on a proper course, and ordered the cookbook to put all of it together at exactly five minutes prior to noon.

They couldn't really tell if the cookbook was pleased or not, but the way it waved its pages was amiable enough, so they went back into the living room to wait.

Unsurprisingly, Jeremiah was the first to arrive. He and Delilah came bustling through the front door, each smiling broadly. Jeremiah shook Jason's hand with enthusiasm, and Delilah gave Tess an enormous hug (though she did seem to gaze at Tess's armor with a bit of disapproval). Jeremiah kicked the snow off his boots on the mat, then strode forward, glancing back and forth around the room.

"Ahh, your Christmas Tree!" Jeremiah boomed, pointing to the enormous tree that now sat just next to the fireplace. "I haven't seen one of these since I was just a kid! We used to celebrate Christmas all the time, you know, but it's been a few solid years. Great of you to bring it back!"

Jason had no answer, and Jeremiah knelt next to the tree and snapped his fingers. With a blast of light, packages wrapped in multi- colored paper appeared. He stood up and scratched behind his head.

"Sorry about the wrapping. I had a lot of birthday wrapping paper, but not much Christmas."

"Oh, you didn't have to get us anything!" Jason held up his hands.

"Nonsense!" Jeremiah lowered his voice and leaned close. "I know what you're doing here, trying to bring everyone's spirits back up. This time, mark my words, I am not letting you get away with all the glory!"

His eyes and smile alike were warm, and Jason knew that he understood the stakes. They all sat down and started to talk, and within another half-hour, Theresa and Paulina came walking in. Both gaped in surprise at all the decorations, and as eleven-fifty-five ticked around, there was a flash of light and burst of smell from the kitchen.

Jason rose and began to lead everyone into the kitchen, then froze. He suddenly realized that there wasn't nearly enough room around the kitchen table, and his dining room was an utter disaster that he wasn't even remotely ready to show to anyone. He blinked, then rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well... I guess we'll be eating in the living room." Everyone in the room grew quiet, and Jason got the odd idea that they were waiting on him to give a speech. He cleared his throat, then struck into something that he hoped would be halfway decent.

"I know you all have been through a lot this year. It's been a lot, and yet... well... Oh, I don't know. Have lots of fun, eat good food, and leave anything sad at the door."

There was a resounding cheer from the guests, and together, they surged into the kitchen. There, ready and waiting per Tess and Jason's orders, sat a proper feast. There was a roasted duck stuffed with breadcrumbs and other seasoning, stuffed peppers, bacon-wrapped jalapeños, a platter of olives and pickles, cheeses, sausages, two bottles of wine, several varieties of pies, and far, far more. Jason whistled as he took it all in. He had ordered it up, of course, but it had seemed far more reasonable in his mind at that time. Still, no one really seemed to mind, and everyone fell upon the meal with relish. Plates were filled and carried back out into the living room, where everyone picked what they deemed to be the comfiest chair. Jason and Tess, of course, shared the love seat, while Jeremiah and Delilah sat down on a nearby sofa. Paulina and Theresa both took nearby chairs, and they all sat back to just... relax.

Conversation for the next part of the event was light, focusing mostly around the two farms. Finally, as plates were taken back to the kitchen (and Jason surveyed the enormous pile of food that remained), conversation began to pick back up once more.

"You know, if you had approached me two years ago and told me that I would actually enjoy spending time in this house, I would have thought you were insane." Paulina chuckled. "For that matter, if you told me that I would actually know the farmers of the outskirts better than most people in Summer Shandy proper, I'd have thought you were crazy."

"That's the way life works, I guess." Jason chucked, then felt puzzled. "You said you never thought you'd enjoy spending time here. Did you ever come to this house before I came? When my uncle was still here?"

Paulina nodded. "Only once. I don't even remember the circumstances for certain. He had some family heirloom he wanted to sell, I think, and wanted my appraisal. I don't recall what the heirloom was or whether it was worth anything, but I do remember him, and this place." She shuddered. "Nothing had been cleaned in a decade, I'm sure of it, and there were just spiders... everywhere. He had a bald head, at least mostly, with fringes of hair around his ears. His eyes were wild, he was just... crazy. I tell you, I got out of there the moment that I could find an open door."

Jason whistled, and Theresa nodded.

"I was in here once, too. His wife had been bitten by one of the innumerable and aforementioned spiders, and she had just swelled up like a balloon. She already looked like a balloon, mind you, but... even more so." Theresa shook her head. "He was convinced she was going to die, and I'm not sure if he was actually happy when she survived. She left him about a year after that, from what I remember. Not something I like to think about, though." She shuddered. "You're much nicer."

"Then I suppose I'm glad that some things don't run in the family," Jason expressed.

The tone had become rather morose, and Jeremiah took the opportunity to jump in.

"Well, then! As it's Christmas, I do believe that it's high time we exchanged presents. Jason? Why don't you go start grabbing them from under the tree and handing them out?"

Jason nodded, leapt to his feet, and began eagerly grabbing the colored boxes. Names had been written on small tags, and he soon enough had handed a box each to Tess, Paulina, and Theresa. Jeremiah and Delilah sat there, grinning, as Jason found a box that had his own name, too.

"Well?" Jeremiah shrugged. "Open them! Open them!"

Jason took a deep breath, and, deciding to be the leader, carefully tore the paper off his package. The paper itself was covered in brilliant, rainbow-colored dots, but as he peeled the paper away, he found a black case that smelled of oil and leather. A smile broke across his face, and he popped the case open to find a gleaming silver pistol nestled inside.

"That thing has a range twice that of your current pistol," Jeremiah explained. "Ought to have close to three times the damage, too, and it has the ability to shoot something like three different types of ammo. I've had it for a while now, just been looking for an opportunity to give it to you."

Jason grinned broadly. "I... Thank you!"

Jeremiah just dipped his head, and Tess tore the paper off her own package. The box was a bit larger than Jason's, and her jaw dropped as she slowly picked up what looked to be a new suit of armor. It was made from chain mail, and it shimmered in the light of the fireplace.

"I've had that sitting around for a while, too. I based the dimensions off some measurements that Paulina took of some of your other armor, so I hope it fits." Jeremiah shrugged. "Its defense is a bit lower than your steel-

plate stuff, but it's a lot lighter, and it should absorb less heat in the summertime. Obviously, don't wear it if you don't want it, but it should make just patrolling the city quite a bit easier."

Tess blushed appreciatively in Jeremiah's direction. "Thank you. I don't know what else to say."

"You don't need to say a thing!" Jeremiah grinned.

Paulina was next, and she slowly tore open her own package. Just like Tess, her jaw dropped, and she slowly took out a blue dress with embroidered flowers that practically seemed alive.

"I made that for you," Delilah spoke up. "I've noticed that you've been wearing the same clothes over and over, and you're having to patch up a few of them. Don't get embarrassed, we all fall on hard times. I just wanted to make sure you had something to get you through."

Paulina nodded slowly, and Jeremiah grinned. "We also didn't know what else to get you, since, you know, you have a store that literally sells everything."

At that, Paulina laughed, then went back to admiring the dress. Though Jason was no expert when it came to clothing, he could tell that the needlework was superb. Now, Theresa was the only one who was left, and she slowly peeled back the paper. Her face was just as red as her dress, and as she fully opened the package, she laughed.

"What is it?" Tess leaned forward.

Theresa reached into the box and pulled out a large container of laundry soap.

"That's level 100 stuff," Jeremiah pointed out. "Now, you can wear your white scrubs and know that you can get any blood out of your clothes." Theresa continued to chuckle, and Jeremiah nodded. "Oh, and there's something else. The laundry detergent was mostly a gag, though I do expect you'll be able to use it."

"I usually have to get the level 75 detergent, and it's hard to find, so this really is appreciated!" Theresa smiled and set the gift to the side, then peered into the box. A moment later, just as with the others, her jaw dropped, and she slowly reached in to pull out a black box that, all things considered, looked rather plain. She opened a small door on the side, but at least to Jason's eyes, it didn't really look like anything particularly useful.

"And that, for everyone who's just as clueless as I first was, is a sun- cooker," Jeremiah explained. "You open the door, put in herbs and other

medicine-type things that don't store well, and then just set it out in the sun. It has to be pretty hot, of course, but the black stone the thing is made from just soaks up the sun's rays and cooks down anything inside. It's a more reliable way of preserving tender herbs than drying over a fire."

"How'd you find one?" Theresa asked softly. "I've been trying to get ahold of one for years now, but they're so rare!"

Jeremiah confided, "I have relatives up in Illumitir. You get up to the big city, and most of your supply issues, at least for random things like this, kinda disappear."

Everyone smiled, and Jason suddenly realized that he didn't have anything for Jeremiah. The rancher waved the concern away, and, with that, the rest of the day began.

It wasn't anything particular exciting, and they didn't really have any solid plans, but it was... nice. Everyone sat around and talked about all sorts of things, and when they had exhausted all their conversation, they just sat back and enjoyed the heat of the fire, the crackling of the flames, and the pleasure of each other's company. They weren't bored, but they weren't active. They were just... Warm.

The day ended altogether too early for Jason's liking, though he supposed that such things couldn't really be avoided. As the sun set, everyone grabbed what leftover food they could carry and then struck out. Jeremiah and Delilah rode out for the Lazy-H Ranch, and Theresa and Paulina headed back for town. Tess prepared to set out as well, but met Jason at the door, a glimmering light in her eye.

"I liked today." She blushed as she placed her hand on the doorknob. "I really did. When... When can we do more of this?"

Jason shrugged. "Oh, I imagine we'll have Christmas again next year."

Tess's smile was warm, and she slowly leaned forward. Her lips met Jason's, and when she pulled back, she only whispered one line.

"That wasn't exactly what I meant. I love you."

With that, she strode out the front door and across the frosty ground. Jason stood out on the porch as she mounted her steed and rode away, and he sighed contentedly.

Indeed, it had been a wonderful day. In so, so many ways, he couldn't wait for the day that he and Tess could share such evenings together for the rest of their lives.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Do Prepare

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 50th day of Winter! 41 days until the Winter Festival! You're looking at a good time for preparation, folks! We've got a blizzard coming in about three days. Shouldn't be as bad as the last one, but it's still not going to be fun. Get your windows reinforced, and do any repairs that haven't been accomplished yet. Better to spend the time now, than to be stuck with it later.]

Jason groaned as he rolled out of bed that day. It wasn't that he was terribly exhausted, at least no more so than on any other day, but... well... He was rather dreading the agenda. After promising Tess that he would come with her to confront Viola, several weeks had passed without another word on the subject. Then, just the night before, Tess had sent him a letter asking if the next morning would work. Some sort of situation had come up in town, and he had agreed.

Now, eight hours later, he was rather regretting that decision.

"Oh, why did I agree to help?" He muttered as he changed into warm, riding clothes. "Viola doesn't know me. If I'm there, she'll know she's being confronted, and she'll just clam up." He reached the bottom of the stairs, then paused. "Then again, on the flip side, Tess is pretty intimidating. I might be there as a foil for her."

He chuckled a bit at that thought, then strode into the kitchen. The cookbook flapped its pages, and he weighed his options.

"Ahh... Make me..."

The cookbook flipped to the recipe showing biscuits and gravy, then slammed shut with enough force to make Jason jump. He chuckled, then nodded.

"You can choose, then. Just make sure it has at least a little protein in it, okay? You may like me eating horse food, but I can't say I'm terribly fond of it."

The cookbook waved a single page, and Jason shook his head. While the cookbook thought about it, he strode out through the front door, went to Lady's stable, and had soon taken her out to her hitching post and poured her some oats. That accomplished, he made his way back inside as the smell of... something... wafted through the home.

Upon investigation, he found the oddest dish he had ever seen sitting on the table. There was a single egg, apparently cooked over-easy, underneath what looked to be grilled spinach leaves. The whole thing looked utterly revolting, and he sighed and sat down, then glared at the cookbook.

"You know what I think? I think you're secretly the next-in-line to inherit this place, so you're trying to kill me off quicker so you can inherit it all."

The cookbook held up several pages in a "Who... Me?" gesture, and Jason just laughed. Still, he kept his promise, and picked up a fork to dig into the odd dish. To his surprise, he found that it actually had been seasoned quite well, and in the end, it wasn't half-bad. He kept a disgruntled look on his face the whole time, though, not wanting to admit that a magical cookbook had beaten him.

Only minutes later, he was in the saddle, riding for Summer Shandy. There was no one out on the road, and as he drew closer to Summer Shandy, he heard the steady pounding of hammers and the snish-snish of saws. Tess's warning was being taken seriously, that much was obvious. When he came into full view, he found that nearly the entire population of the town had turned out in force. Of course, the fact that they had only recently endured such a bad storm made the likelihood of a repeat storm much worse, but there was nothing like fear to motivate a person to action.

Jason rode through it all and came trotting up to the Guild Hall. Tess was standing outside, wearing a thick coat over equally thick pants. Jason raised an eyebrow, and she shrugged.

"The chain mail actually fits underneath other clothes. It's cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Who'd have thought?"

"Jeremiah, apparently," Jason answered, then glanced around. "Where's Viola?"

"On her way, I think." Tess let out a long breath. "Sorry to call you up on such short notice. Come on in, I'll explain."

Jason frowned with worry, and they were soon behind closed doors. Tess sat down behind her desk, and Jason sat down across from her.

"Well, we can rest assured that we were right. I've been throwing celebrations here in town whenever I can manage it, and it's working. People are loving it. They're going back to Paulina's store, and I'm even getting warriors coming back through the Guild Hall. At the end of the day, the Dungeon Guild might have been new and flashy, but they don't have the down-home charm that we do. We're beating them, Jason!" She flashed a smile, then sighed. "Still, that doesn't mean we're out of the woods."

Jason inclined his head. "Viola. She's caught between the two groups."

"Exactly." Tess nodded. "I just... I can't tell if she actually supports the Dungeon Guild, or if she's being held hostage, or... She just won't talk to me. She knows I can help, but she's shutting me out. Anyway, like I said, we've started getting the Dungeon Guild's attention. Last night, something happened. I still don't know what, but Blacksuit and Lady Benford both trooped over to the hospital and locked themselves in. I can only assume that they were meeting with the top 'doctors' over there, people who still haven't revealed themselves to the general public. Anyway, about half an hour after they went in, Viola went over as well. She went in, then, about thirty minutes later, came back out. I don't know what went on inside, but it's more than enough to concern me."

Jason let out a long breath and nodded slowly. "And that's the reason for this meeting?"

"Yes," Tess affirmed. She opened her mouth to say more, but a sharp knock came at the door. "Come in!"

The door swung open, and Viola slowly stepped in. As she sat down next to Jason, he couldn't help but notice that she nearly seemed to be a different person. Her head was bowed, and her eyes had deep, dark bags beneath them. She wore a plain, white dress that was stained in a number of places. Tess looked at her quizzically, then plowed forward.

"Hey, Viola. I just wanted to-"

"You want to interrogate me." Viola's voice was soft. "Let's not jump around with niceties. I don't have time for it, and neither do you, from what I can tell."

Tess looked upset but did not contradict her. Feeling rather like an outsider, Jason watched the event with something between interest and fear.

"I just want to make sure that you're okay," Tess answered. "Things had been weird lately, and we haven't seen you around."

"Maybe I don't want to be around."

"That's a fair enough point, but... Why?" Tess held up her hands. "We used to be the best of friends, Viola. The four of us did everything together! What changed?"

Viola just shrugged, but she didn't answer. Tess glanced at Jason, then plowed forward once more.

"Does the Dungeon Guild have something on you?"

"No!" Viola looked up, sudden fire flickering in her eyes. "No, they don't, and I really wish that you'd drop all this Dungeon Guild doom and gloom. You've got half the town running scared, and the other half just plain confused. One second, it's all we have to be terrified because these new scary people are going to try to kill us, and the next second you're telling us no, be happy and play games and give presents and everything in the world is all hunky-dory despite the fact that my friends are going out of business."

When she finished, she sat back with a huff, and Jason had the distinct impression that she had been waiting for a very long time to get that off her chest. As she relaxed, Tess nodded slowly, then continued.

"I... I know everything is weird, but..."

"Yeah, because you're making it that way."

"Viola, I've seen the tattoos on them!" Tess exclaimed. "I know that

half of your rooms are being rented out to the slaves of the Dungeon Guild; that's not something you can really hide."

"Oh, it's not?" Viola snapped. "Maybe you're right, but only because it just isn't true! There are no slaves living in my inn. I'd never allow such a horrid thing, and you can rest assured of that."

"Then explain the situation to me." Tess held up her hands. "Right now, it looks an awful lot like you're allied with the Dungeon Guild against Summer Shandy, and as your close personal friend, or at least someone who once was your close personal friend, that rather hurts."

Viola snarled. "You know, you could have come to me before now. You could have come to me back when everything was just getting started, when you first started to think that things were off, instead of waiting until now, when it's all just weird."

"I tried that! You pushed me away!"

Viola snarled again and climbed to her feet. "I will never ally myself with someone who tried to destroy our town or will try to destroy our town, you can rest assured of that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

With that, she rose and stormed out the door. Jason watched her go, then, on impulse, he jumped up and followed her. She was walking quickly, but he managed to catch her just before the door of her inn. Afterward, he began to suspect that the only reason she stopped to confront him was because she didn't want to open the door and let him in, but he could never be sure. Whatever the case, as they came up to the door, she spun and fixed him with a terrible glare, and he held up his hands.

"What do you want?" She hissed. "Did the loyal dog jump at the command of its master?"

Jason felt anger, then forced himself to relax. "Tess isn't like that. She's just intense. You should know that more than anyone else; you've known her for a lot longer than I have."

"You're right. I have," Viola allowed. "I've known her for years, and for all those years, I've watched as she jumps to conclusion after conclusion. She never bothers to look at the facts until after she's head over heels into whatever mess she drew up for herself. That's just the reality of it."

"How can you say that?" Jason snarled. "She does everything she can to protect this town! Maybe she's not the most socially graceful, but then, neither are any of us."

Viola just shook her head. "I don't expect you to understand. Just... I'm not doing anything to harm the town. After what happened last year, I just..." She paused for a moment, then apparently decided to plow forward. "The plan that you guys used to get rid of the dungeon, the one that killed Leonard?"

Jason nodded slowly. "Where Tess transported a metric ton of dynamite to his position and blew the thing up?"

Viola nodded. "Do you know what never happened during that whole ordeal?"

Jason frowned. "I... No. What?"

"You never came and talked to me about it." Viola snapped. "You say that I was a part of the group. Well, when all of that came crashing down, I wasn't there, and I would have had some choice things to say about it all, if you had actually bothered."

Jason let out a long breath, then looked her in the eyes.

"I... I'm sorry. What did we do wrong? What can we fix?"

"You can't fix anything." Viola shook her head. "I just... Poor

Leonard. He was a pawn, used by Tess so she could get some sort of social 'fix' and have a boyfriend. Then, when that went south, he was used as a pawn by the Dungeon Guild. I don't know what they told him, but you don't go from a relatively harmless, if somewhat threatening, individual into an insane murderer that quickly. They manipulated him into becoming their weapon, and you all ate it up hook, line, and sinker, because you needed them to become the villains to defeat. Then, finally, you used him one final time as a living bomb. You sent him down into the dungeon, then just blew him up for sport. Just like that!" Viola snapped her fingers. "There! Dead. Dead, a sacrificed pawn in everyone's game."

With that, she turned and marched back inside the inn, slamming the door firmly in Jason's face. Jason felt a pit forming in his stomach, and he slowly turned and began to stumble back toward Tess's office.

It wasn't what he had been expecting to get, and it was far from anything resembling a real answer; but in many ways, he felt as though she had just told him everything he needed to know. He didn't quite know how to fit all the pieces together, but he was certain Tess would be able to do so.

In the meantime, though, guilt began to gnaw at his gut. What if they really had just condemned an innocent man, a pawn, to such a horrid death? Jason certainly hadn't shed much more than a tear or two at his passing. What did that make him?

What did that make any of

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Firelight

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 56th day of Winter! 35 days until the Winter Festival! The blizzard's still here, folks, and it doesn't look to be going away anytime soon! Stay hunkered down, and don't go out unless you have to.]

Jason's eyes flickered open, and he let out a long breath. Slowly, he rose and walked to the window, where he gazed out into a near-infinite white void. It had been snowing for the better part of four days now, and, while he enjoyed the time to just lounge around the house, he also found himself rather missing the sun. He sighed and stared out at the whirling snow for a bit longer, then turned around and walked up to his wardrobe, where he changed into a simple, though warm, tunic. He needed to go outside and feed Lady, but that was it. Everything else would be done inside, and with the fire still crackling in the fireplace, the interior of the home was warm enough.

He strode down the stairs, relishing the soft, creaking noises that they made under his feet. As he came down into the kitchen, he found a steaming plate of pancakes already on the table, with Tess lounging in a chair opposite his own. She looked up at him and smiled, and he dropped into his chair with gusto.

"Hope the couch wasn't too bad?" He winced slightly.

"Better than the bed in the guest room!" Tess laughed. "As soon as the snow lets up, we're burning that thing!"

Jason nodded heartily. Tess had come over two days earlier, with the intent of helping him work on the house, only to have the blizzard suddenly pick up in intensity. She had been stuck there ever since, which had been, in Jason's mind, rather wonderful. The only hiccup had come on the previous night, when she retired to one of the guest bedrooms and discovered that the mattress was home to a rather militant band of mice. Jason had been woken up to an enormous crash as Tess engaged in what had apparently become a full-scale war, complete with a siege battle. In the end, they negotiated a

truce and allowed the mice to move up to the attic for a few days until the blizzard was over, at which time they were expected to find a new home. Tess, following that event, had utterly refused to sleep in the bed, and that had been that.

"Well, I'm just glad you're here." Jason flashed a small smile at her. "It's... It's nice."

Tess returned the smile. "Yeah, it really is."

They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence, then Tess felt prepared and stood up.

"All right, what's the plan for today? What do you want to tackle?"

Jason contemplated. "Well, we've really done all we can do as far as furniture and that sort of thing is concerned, at least until I can buy more supplies. In the meantime, I was thinking we could start sorting through some of my uncle's old stuff. His office is still pretty much a mystery to me, and the basement is an utter disaster that I haven't even begun to look at in ages."

"Then that's what we'll do," Tess enthused. "Office or basement?"

Jason stroked his chin, then decided. "Office. You can head on up, I'll go feed Lady and Angus, and then we'll get rolling."

"Get back in soon!"

Jason rose and walked to the front door, where he bundled himself up as tightly as he could manage. As he stepped out onto the front porch, he found himself buffeted by the winds, though it actually wasn't nearly as cold as it had been in the past. It was no picnic, to be certain, but he wasn't instantly turning into a popsicle or anything. He quickly made his way across the yard and into the stable, where Lady and Angus had shared a stall for the previous three days. They both snorted at his approach, and after pouring their oats and fluffing their straw, he spent a solid fifteen minutes grooming the great beasts. They were wonderful animals and quite patient, but he knew that after three days of confinement, they were itching to be let out. Hopefully, if Tess's predictions were right, the storm would die away by that evening, and they could take the horses out for a good run.

When he finished grooming them, he made his way back inside, kicked the snow off his boots, and then unwrapped himself from all his thick, winter garments. With that, he stomped up the stairs to the office, the door to which Tess had already thrown wide open.

The thick smell of dust came billowing out before he was even halfway up the stairs. As he stepped into the small room, he found Tess standing rather in awe before it all, and he had to admit that it was impressive.

The office wasn't large, perhaps twenty feet deep and ten feet wide, hardly large enough for the cramped desk that sat at the far end. Bookshelves lined every single wall, covered in aging volumes whose titles could hardly be read anymore. The floorboards creaked mightily as they stepped inside, and Tess let out a long breath.

"This is... incredible." She whispered. "It's like stepping back in time." She paused for a moment. "I've always kinda wished that Summer Shandy had a library. Maybe this could be the start of one."

"First, let's figure out if any of these books are worth saving." Jason chuckled, then walked over to the desk. "You start going through the books, I'll start looking through this desk."

Tess nodded. "What am I looking for? Are we putting these in storage? Leaving them?"

Jason shrugged. "For the moment, leave them in place. I... I honestly don't really know what to do with this space. I'll probably turn it into an office for myself, but at the moment, I don't even know what's in here."

"Fair enough." Tess granted. She turned to the closest bookshelf and started reading the titles. "How to Care for Your Giant Garden Spiders. Shrump Management for. Dummies."

At that, Jason laughed. "Oh, the shrumps! It's been a while since I've seen any of those around!"

"I can always go try to round up a few in the wilderness." Tess chuckled, then went back to reading. "An Analysis of Agricultural Economics in the Early Colonial Era."

She grew quieter and began murmuring the titles to herself, and Jason walked over and sat down behind the desk. He pulled the top drawer open and found a large assortment of writing utensils, which he began pulling out and placing on the dusty surface.

"Have you thought much about what Viola said?" He posited after a few moments. "About Leonard?"

Tess sighed regretfully, though she didn't turn away from the books. After relating Viola's message to Tess, neither of them had been willing to

speak of it again. Tess continued to stare at the books as Jason pulled out several dry inkwells and a number of cracked quills.

"I... I don't know," Tess finally spoke up, her voice barely audible. "Thought about it? Yes. Do I have any idea what to do with it? No. I just... I can't decide..."

Jason nodded in understanding, and he slowly pulled out a wad of crumpled blotting paper and a small jar of sand. There were a few other utensils in that top drawer, mostly paperweights and other assorted writing utensils, and he slid it closed and pulled open the second drawer.

"Yeah," he empathized. "You just can't decide if she's right, or totally off her rocker."

"Yeah," Tess conceded, then turned to face him for a moment. "I just... I don't know. I remember the incident like it was yesterday. I remember feeling excited that we'd managed to beat the Dungeon Guild at their own game, and I remember feeling excited that the threat to our city was over. I don't remember what I felt about Leonard. Part of me might have felt sad for him, but I do recall that I felt that we had no choice. Part of me might had relished in his pain and misery. I just... I can't remember, and I'd rather not think about it." She took a long, shuddering breath. "Whatever happened, it's over, and it can't be changed. It happened, it's done, and we can't change it. All we can do is change what we do moving forward, and that's why I'm here now."

Jason nodded in agreement, then finally looked down into the second drawer. There were a handful of notebooks there, and he tenderly lifted them out. They were old, though not ancient, and as he started flipping through the pages, he discovered that his uncle had apparently been an artist. At the least, he fancied himself an artist. Almost every single page contained sketches of monsters from the farm. There were shrumps, crabgrasses, histles, razorgrasses, and more. There were also a good number of humans lying dead on the ground beneath them. It was humorous, in Jason's opinion, to see a shrump standing victorious over a slain warrior, though it was also more than a bit disturbing. As he flipped further into the notebook, he discovered sketches of dragons, minotaurs, and other monsters that his uncle had almost certainly never seen in real life.

"Well. That's disturbing." Jason finally set the notebooks aside. "If they were half-decent, that would be one thing. Grotesque and poorly done is just... sad."

"At least he wasn't trying to sell his artwork." Tess pointed out. "It looks to me like it was just a hobby, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Most of the time, people aren't good at their hobbies right off the bat."

Jason nodded, then pulled open the final drawer. Inside was a large bundle of papers, rolled up and bound with a silver thread. Curious, Jason reached down and picked up the scrolls, which he set on the top of the desk. He slowly reached up and tugged at the thread, and it came undone. With a crackle, the papers unrolled, and he let out a long whistle.

"Tess. Come look at this."

Tess walked away from the books and came to stand up next to him. As she gazed down at the documents, her eyes widened. Jason began shuffling through the papers, trying to spread them all across the desk where they were easy to see. Jason felt a larger and larger pit forming in his stomach as he did so, though he wasn't quite sure why. He had the farm, so things had worked out in the end... Right?

The documents were all made from thick, yellowed legal paper, and written with a sure handwriting that was immediately recognizable as that of Constable Hank. Large in part, all of them were identical, and stated:

"I, Alfradus Hunter, do leave all my possessions, money, holdings, and other such items or commodities that belong to my name to the following individual. Signed, Alfradus Hunter. Witnessed and Notarized: Hank Ironback."

It was a simple statement, and one that would have been utterly innocuous, if not for the fact that every single one of the ten different documents had a different individual listed as the beneficiary. Jason's name wasn't among them, though that was because it had been presented to him by the messenger that informed him of his uncle's death. To his knowledge, it was on file with Constable Hank, and that was that. These new documents, though, made things far more confusing.

"Sally Hunter." Jason read slowly. At Tess's confused look, he nodded. "My sister." He took a breath and continued to read. "Harold Hunter. My father. Jeffery Hunter. My other uncle. Kelly Trapper. My aunt. Julie Hunter. Nimrod Trapper. Leslie Fletcher."

The list went on, covering nearly everyone in his extended family. When he finished reading, he let out a whistle and shook his head.

"What do you think this means?" Tess asked softly.

"I don't know." Jason shrugged. "It could mean that he didn't know who he would leave the farm to, so he made up a bunch of wills, and selected one when he finally started dying. It could mean that he made up all these wills, and then Constable Hank just chose one of them when the time finally came. It could mean a lot of different things, and I don't have the faintest idea which one might be right." He just shrugged.

"What should we do with them?" Tess slowly reached out and picked up several of the documents. "Burn them?"

"No." Jason sighed. "They'll probably come back to haunt us later, but I'd hate to destroy something that might wind up being necessary. We'll just have to ask Constable Hank about it the next time we see him."

"He's not going to give anything resembling a decent answer. He might not even know," Tess pointed out.

"I know, I know," Jason acknowledged. "Still, this is the first real clue I've gotten into anything about my uncle. Sure, I know he was crazy, everyone knows that, but no one actually knows anything about him. Nothing real. I still don't know how he died, or... Yeah." He shrugged, then Overwhelmed, the nephew who had inherited the farm glanced around the room. "What are you finding in the books? Anything interesting?"

Tess shook her head. "Just a whole bunch of books about farming and monster management. Of course, half of them are about taming the monsters, which I don't think would be tremendously helpful, but each to his own, I suppose."

Jason let out a long breath, then scooped up the documents and dropped them back into the desk. "All right, then. Let's keep looking. We've got plenty of time, and I don't see any reason to waste it. Maybe we'll turn up something else."

Tess turned and flashed him a smile. "You just want to make sure you have a nice study so you can hide out once we're married."

At that, Jason's heart gave a flutter, and Tess seemed to freeze. He remembered, all too clearly, the event that had nearly ruined their relationship the year earlier. For a moment, silence hung between them, and he felt a warm smile spreading across his face.

"If you're going to be putting up purple drapes and other flowery stuff across the rest of the house, I need a place where I can keep some last vestige of manliness." Jason made a show of flexing his muscles, and Tess laughed. They both set back to work, and Jason relaxed contentedly.

Indeed, there were mysteries running about, but there, in the comfort of the ancient home, everything seemed... wonderful. Safe. Secure.

In that moment (and for many moments afterward), Jason knew that he never wanted to set foot in the outside world again.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Big Date

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 77th day of Winter! 14 days until the Winter Festival! It's going to be bright and crisp today! No snow expected again for the rest of the winter, though of course, those forecasts can change in the blink of an eye. If you want to enjoy the last bit of snow for the year, now's your chance!]

Jason's eyes flickered open, and he bolted straight up in bed. With a flurry, he ran over to the window and gazed down at the farm, where a crystal layer of snow sat sparkling across the frozen ground. His heart filling with excitement, he rushed to the wardrobe and changed clothes, then bolted down the stairs. A moment later, he was scarfing down a quick breakfast while his cookbook flapped its pages at him in confusion.

"Big date with Tess," he mumbled around a mouthful of pancake. He swallowed, then explained. "We've had it set up for a few days now. Since the snow will probably all be gone by tomorrow, we're going on one last wintery date." His heart gave another flutter. "And... while I'm in town... I think I'm going to pick up a ring."

The cookbook began to bounce, clapping its pages in excitement. The rest of the dishes rattled as well, and the stove gave a mighty eruption of flame. Jason waved down the excitement, and his stomach churned once more.

"I just..." He sighed. "After she was here for a few days, I've been thinking about it more and more, and I can't imagine going on without her. What do you say? Should I ask her to be my wife?"

The cacophony was even louder than before, and he again had to wave down the excitement. He stood slowly and took a deep breath.

"Don't get too excited. I still have to order the ring from Paulina, and it'll take a week or two to get here. I'll propose on the Winter Festival!" The kitchen cheered, though he was fairly certain that he heard a few disappointed squeaks from the walls. If the mice had been living in the house carefree under Jason, such luxury wouldn't be allowed under Tess,

that was for sure. Jason's heart swelled, and he quickly ran out of the house, fed Lady, and started getting the carriage ready.

The moment that Lady was done eating, he hitched her up to the carriage, climbed up, and snapped the reigns. She lumbered off quickly, wheels churning in the snow as they roared off toward Summer Shandy. The cold air nipped at Jason's cheeks, but he didn't feel a thing. His heart was consumed with one thing, and one thing only.

Tess.

Since that day where they cleaned through the office, he had been unable to stop thinking about her. The simple idea of having the office to himself as she bustled through the rest of the house, it was... It was impossible to get out of his head. Sure, the issue of all the different documents in the desk was a pressing one, but he had decided to utterly ignore it in favor of love. After all, what was the worst that could happen? Even if, by some cruel twist of fate, he was forced out of his home, he could always start anew, right?

As he came rolling into Summer Shandy, he frowned. It had been weeks since he had made a visit to the town proper, and a lot had changed. The Dungeon Guild businesses had been rebuilt, and now they were, in many ways, even more impressive than before. Outside of that, though, even more buildings were being built on the outskirts of the town. At a glance, they looked to be large residential homes, but it was impossible to tell for sure. Construction workers bustled back and forth amidst the farmers of the town, kicking at the goats and grumbling at the children. Jason frowned, then eased Lady though the torrent of people over to Paulina's store, where he dismounted and walked inside.

"Hey, Jason!" Paulina looked up from the counter, where she was reading yet another book. The shelves of the store looked to have been entirely rearranged, and while it looked like there were fewer shelves, they were now more fully stocked, giving the place a much more vibrant appearance. Jason came striding up to the counter and leaned against it, and Paulina asked, "What's up?"

"Not much." Jason's stomach churned, and he nodded at the door. "What's going on?"

Paulina downplayed the changes. "Growth. Expansion. You know the drill. Tess thinks they're all from the Dungeon Guild, but it looks to me

like it's more so just a bunch of rich people from Illumitir who heard about the town and want to build summer villas here."

"I hope that works out for Summer Shandy," Jason muttered, then brightened. "Anyway, I do need to see Tess, but I actually came in here to buy something."

"That's what I'm here for," Paulina replied chipperly. "What can I get for you?"

Jason held his breath, then spoke softly. "A ring."

"A RING!" Paulina jumped up and down behind the counter, putting her hands across her mouth and bouncing like a ball. "You're... You're going to ask Tess to-" She lowered her voice and whispered softly. "You're going to get married!"

"Assuming, of course, that she says yes." Jason let out a long breath, and his stomach churned. "I'm fairly certain that she will, but Tess isn't exactly the predictable type."

"You can say that again. Neither are you, for that matter." Paulina smiled warmly, then reached under the counter and took out a catalogue. As she brought it down on the counter with a loud thunk, Jason's heart sunk.

It was an entire booklet, thicker than the one that had held all the supplies for his home, full of rings. He slowly opened the catalogue and started flipping through the options, instantly overwhelmed by it all. There were gold bands and silver bands, chrome bands and iron bands. Wide bands and narrow bands, bands that had words etched in them, bands with flowers and vines and birds and other such things, and bands that were just simple and plain. There were rings with diamonds, rings with emeralds, rings with rubies and sapphires and topaz and all manners of other stones. Some of them had multiple stones, some of them had one stone, some of them had multiple types of stones. It hurt Jason's head to look at, especially when he started noticing some of the prices.

"Wow. I thought I was doing well on money." He whistled softly. "Some of these cost more than all the money I've collectively made during my time here."

"Yeah. Ring shopping is a tricky business," Paulina agreed. "Let's see... Tess... You're in luck there, at least financially. She tends to like things simpler, you know?"

"She does, and she doesn't. On an ordinary day, yeah, she likes to play it pretty plain, but have you seen her dress armor?"

"That's true. What are you thinking?"

Jason thought for a moment. "All the rings I'm seeing so far have the stones set up above them. Are there any rings that have the stones down inside the band? That way, Tess could still wear it while she's wearing her armor."

Paulina nodded and started flipping. "There's an option for that... Here. Not a lot of people go that way, but it's a possibility."

"Good." Jason looked down at the ring and felt a smile breaking across his face. "That one, right there. A diamond in the center, flanked by two rubies. That says Tess like nothing else."

"Then I'll get it ordered." Paulina confirmed. "It should arrive in... oh... about ten days?"

"Just in time." Jason turned to walk away. "Thanks, Paulina!"

"Catch you later!" Paulina returned, and a moment later, Jason was back out in the cold. To his surprise, he found Tess already waiting by the carriage, leaning against one of the wheels. She flashed a smile at him, and he returned the gesture. A moment later, they were up in the carriage, and Jason cracked the whip to send them rolling away.

Not really knowing where to take them, Jason sent the carriage rolling north. They went past the Guild Hall, up past the crypt, and on along past the anti-guild hall. Jason was gratified to see several warriors walking out of Tess's hall, though there were certainly still more than a few present in the anti-guild hall as well. Jason nodded in their direction, but Tess waved him away.

"I'd rather not talk about all that, if that's okay. Let's just... Let's just spend some time together."

"I'd love nothing more," Jason affirmed, and off they went. They soon rolled up over the hill that overlooked the now-frozen stream (a place where he had taken Paulina on a date, at a time that seemed years earlier now), and the happy couple moved onward into a land that Jason had only briefly traveled during his life.

It was the long road that ran from Summer Shandy to Illumitir, a stretch that could take the better part of a week to travel. Just north of Summer Shandy, the road wound through an increasingly hilly patch of ground, which would eventually lead to one of the Wild Areas. That part of the land you really didn't want to travel through without a caravan, as the

monsters that hid in the thick woods that grew there were far removed from the simple creatures that attacked Jason's farm.

The duo rode for the better part of an hour without really saying anything to each other. They simply enjoyed the fact that they were there, and it was... wonderful. Finally, though, they came up to the top of a small cliff, and Jason pulled the carriage to a stop.

There, the road turned sharply, running along the top of the cliff for a short distance before winding down a hill that led down the side. Where Jason parked the wagon, they had a wonderful view of the expansive, whitewashed plain that stretched out, unbroken, to the trees that grew up around five miles away. A few houses and farmsteads dotted the prairie, and Jason sighed deeply.

"This is... This is incredible, Jason." Tess leaned against him, holding his arm tightly in her armored gauntlet. "Thank you."

"No, thank you." Jason beamed. "When I came here... I don't know. I know I kinda mucked things up for a while, but you've stuck with me through all of it. I truly don't know where this town would be without you. I don't know where I would be without you."

"Oh, I'm sure you'd be somewhere just fine," Tess soothed him. "You have a knack for figuring things out." She took a deep breath, then gave his arm another squeeze. "Still, I do have to admit that I'm glad things have worked out the way that they have. Whatever happens from here, know that I'm with you."

"I do," Jason whispered back.

They sat there for a long while, watching as the sun slowly crawled up through the sky. When it reached its zenith, Tess pulled out a small picnic basket, and they ate a simple meal of sandwiches and cheese, complete with hot chocolate that Tess had stored in an insulated thermos. Of course, even with the insulation, it had largely turned into rather- lukewarm chocolate, but in the frigid air, it was still quite wonderful. When they finished, Jason turned the carriage around, and they rumbled back toward Summer Shandy.

The return drive was more than a bit bittersweet. On the one hand, Jason was still with Tess, which was lovely. On the other hand, he was about to say goodbye to her again, and the thought of being parted from her simply made his heart ache. It would take two weeks before he could propose. After that, it would be who-knew-how-long before they could hold

the wedding. All in all, it was a long time to wait before he could just be with her, though he supposed that there was nothing that could be done about that. He simply relished her cold steel leaning against his shoulder, and he longed for the day when she would never have to leave him again.

As they rolled up to Summer Shandy proper, though, Tess sat up straight. Smoke was curling up from the town, but it wasn't chimney smoke. A thick, black plume rose skyward, and Tess quickly leapt out of the carriage and started racing forward. Jason urged Lady onward, though he held her back enough that she didn't run over Tess.

The duo came racing around the corner of Tess's Guild Hall and into the town square. There, Jason's jaw dropped as an enormous yeti swayed, groaned, and fell flat on its face. It dissolved in a blur of blue sparks, and the warriors who had just defeated it gave a weary cheer. The smoke came from large blobs of tar that the creature had apparently spat out as an attack, though it didn't look as though any buildings had been set on fire. Tess had her sword drawn, and she slowly paced back and forth, but no further monsters revealed themselves.

"What happened?" Tess demanded. "Where did this come from?"

"It came from the wild," the sniveling voice of Blacksuit echoed through the air. Jason spun as he came marching into town. The odious man wore a bright-green suit in defiance of his name. The man struck a pose, and Jason had the odd feeling that a powerful hammer was about ready to drop. "It came from the wild, and your illustrious Guild Master wasn't here to stop it."

Tess snarled and started walking toward him. "I didn't see you joining the fight."

"I was the one who detected the threat, from my lookout tower, and alerted the warriors," Blacksuit countered. "Ask them, and they'll tell you. I was paying attention, taking my duty, unofficial as it may be, seriously. I wasn't off gallivanting around on some romantic endeavor. For that matter, I've been here all winter. Can you say the same thing?"

Tess held his gaze, and Jason's stomach twisted. Blacksuit put his hands behind his back and started pacing down the sidewalk, his voice loud and commanding.

"I ask all of you, citizens of Summer Shandy, what you think. Your Guild Master has sworn herself to protect the town. Yet, this last season, how much has she been here? How often has she been in her office, ready

to stand in defense of the city, and how much has she been out in the country eating cake and playing games?"

"I'm allowed to have a life." Tess snapped.

"And I'm not debating that fact in the slightest." Blacksuit held up a hand in mock defense. "I'm merely stating that, upon my arrival in this town, you informed me that you were the rightful owner of the Guild, despite the fact that on paper, I had a legal claim. Still, I was okay with it. I built up what I thought was a respectable business, and I was shocked when warriors started flocking to me by the dozens. When you became... shall we say... distracted? I was forced to begin assuming the duties of a Guild Master. All I ask of you is that you decide which way you're going to swing. Become the Guild Master you claim to be so that I can go back to being an honest businessman; or give up this fantasy so that someone more qualified can perform the work."

With that, he turned and marched away, quickly vanishing back toward his own building. The people of the town slowly began to disperse, and Tess felt discouraged and looked down at her boots. When she raised her eyes to look at Jason, they were sad and wide, and he shared in her feelings of discouragement. She slowly walked up to the carriage, not meeting his eyes.

"Thanks for the day," she murmured. "I... I know you probably want to talk about it, but I need time to think."

"Of course." Jason let out a long breath. "Take all the time you want. I'll... I'll be heading home. Send me a letter when you're ready."

Tess gave a nod of her head, then started to walk away. Jason watched her go, then snapped the reigns of Lady. She struck off for home, cantering easily across the open ground, and Jason felt his stomach flipping.

Blacksuit had made his move, and he had played his hand well. The insult had cut Tess deeply, and Jason didn't really have a clue which way she would fall. All he could do was wait... Wait, and hope.

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 38 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 91st day of Winter! 0 days until the Winter Festival! It's a warm one today, hardly recognizable as winter, really. Everyone, come on out to the great Winter Festival! And please, come out to the one being held by Summer Shandy, not those hack pretenders.]

Jason sighed as he rolled out of bed and climbed to his feet. The air of the house was, indeed, quite warm. He had left the fire burning in the hearth, as he did on most winter nights, but on that particular day, it rather seemed to be too much. He walked up to the window and gazed out across the brown expanse. The ground was ready for spring, and he was, too.

His stomach churned as he walked down the stairs to the kitchen. As he sat down, he realized that he was still in his bedclothes, and trudged back upstairs to change. By the time he came back down, the cookbook was flipping its pages back and forth wildly, and Jason just shrugged in response.

"Oh, I don't know. Just nervous."

The cookbook slowed its flapping, as if asking why, and Jason shrugged once more. He reached into his inventory and pulled out the ring, which glistened in the morning light. It was... Perfect, in every way. He couldn't imagine a more fitting ring for Tess, and yet...

And yet, she'd hardly spoken to him since that day, since that last date that they had embarked upon. Since then, she hadn't dared to leave the town for fear of Blacksuit. She hadn't dared speak to Jason except to write him letters. They had exchanged quite a few of those, to be certain, but that was it. Jason sighed deeply, gazed down at the ring, then slipped it into his inventory once more. What would she say? Would she be willing to embark on such a journey when her position had only recently been so greatly challenged?

Jason didn't have any of the answers. He sat there for a long while without eating a thing, then finally addressed the cookbook.

"Eggs. Maybe some sausage, too."

There was a flash of light, and the meal appeared in front of him. He stared down at it for a long while, then slowly forced himself to eat. The food was largely flavorless, and it stuck in his throat going down. Still, he knew he had to eat something, so he forced it down, nonetheless. As he rose, something rattled in the mailbox, and his heart gave a leap. Slowly, he walked over to the door, and pulled out a small letter written by Tess.

"Hey, Jason. Me again. Could you come talk to me before the festival gets started? There's something I'd like to discuss with you. Tess."

Jason felt his stomach twist into a thousand knots, and he crumpled up the paper in his hand. Doom hung over him as he walked out into the farmyard, led Lady out to her hitching post, and poured her some oats. While she ate, he fluffed her straw, and then walked up to look at the immense, eighty-acre field. His heart hurt to look at it all, but he wasn't sure exactly why. After a few long moments of just staring out at the expanse, he walked back to Lady, saddled her up, and they rode off toward Summer Shandy.

When he arrived, as usual, there was a great deal of activity. People were running back and forth, carrying all sorts of food and decorations and items for the party. Jason couldn't tell for sure where they were planning on holding the party, whether it was in the town square, inside Tess's Guild Hall, at the new hall, or somewhere else altogether, and he frankly didn't care. He just rode Lady up to Tess's office, then dismounted and hitched Lady to a post nearby.

As he walked up to the office, he caught a glimpse of Blacksuit standing nearby, a smug sort of a smile on his face. Jason felt chagrinned as the man simply laughed, his chubby cheeks jiggling like some sort of a pudding or gelatin. That, whatever else it meant, certainly didn't point to anything good.

Jason approached his girlfriend's door, then slowly reached out and knocked. There was a brief pause, and Tess's quiet voice sang back out.

"Come in."

Gingerly, Jason pushed the door open. He stepped into the room to find Tess behind her desk, looking down at the wood with a solemn expression on her face. Her eyes were red and puffy, and as she looked up at Jason, his heart broke. He slowly sat down opposite of her, and she bit her lip.

"I... I guess you can imagine why I called you here."

Jason felt conflicted. He looked down at the scrap of paper, which he kept wadded up in his fist. His world spun, but he forced himself to look her in the eye.

"Why, Tess? What's the purpose of this?"

Tess looked overwrought. "I just... Blacksuit was right. I have to be here to protect the town."

"You have to protect it from him. Listening to him, playing his game, certainly isn't going to accomplish that," Jason pointed out.

"I realize that, and yet, I have no choice," Tess protested. "If I'm not around the town, he'll be able to unleash more and more monsters. I'm certain he brought that yeti into town himself. Who knows what else he might do? If me being in town is what keeps him from harming anyone else, I have to do that."

Jason nodded slowly, then bit his lip. "And... What if he's not actually the Dungeon Guild, and really is just another businessman? Are you really going to throw away our future together for the sake of keeping him out of your job? Is your position here really that important to you?"

Tess didn't answer, and Jason pressed harder. "Tess... You talked about getting married long before I ever did. When that happens, we'll be living together. One of us will probably have to give up their job at that point. You can't run the Guild from the farm, and I can't run the farm from the Guild Hall. I hate to say it, but... The Guild Hall is no place to raise kids. If we continue, all this... everything... will change. It might be sooner, it might be later, but it will change."

Tess felt vexed and crossed her arms. She slowly looked up to meet Jason's face, and when she spoke, her voice was almost inaudible.

"I know it will. I've known that ever since we started doing anything together. When the time comes, I'm prepared for that, but... Now is not the right time. There's too much danger. Too much chaos. If I leave now, I could be putting people's lives in danger."

Jason sighed deeply, then nodded. "So why don't we just take a step back? During the fall season, we hardly spent any time together at all. I can survive another season or two of that."

"But what if it's not just another season?" Tess snapped. "What if it's longer? You know how much time we spent together during the winter. That's not something that you can just put on hold, then pick back up again. Not informally, at least." She crossed her arms. "I'm not saying that this has

to be the end of us forever, but we have to call a break. Just until the Dungeon Guild stuff is worked out. Please, Jason, you have to understand."

Jason nodded, then shrugged. "I... I don't know. I really don't. If we embark on a break, then what? When do we get back together? How long am I supposed to wait?"

"I don't have that answer, and you know it." Tess's voice was soft. "Now, please, Jason, go have fun. This festival... I want it to lift the spirits of everyone. We're finally all getting back on a solid path, and I don't want anything to ruin that. I especially don't want to ruin your day, or your season."

"That ship's kinda sailed," Jason murmured.

"I know," Tess answered softly. She slowly looked up at him, eyes wide. "I do hope this break is a short one, and that we can get together again soon. I love you, more than I thought I ever could."

"Apparently. you love your job more."

Jason rose to his feet, and, his world spinning, he stumbled back out into the town. The crumpled letter he'd been holding fell from his fingers as he walked into the Town Square, and he heard Blacksuit laughing behind him. The laughter peeled louder and longer, and Jason felt his hands balling into fists.

He didn't stick around Summer Shandy for the festival, that much was for sure. He led Lady over to Paulina's store, where he purchased a large quantity of seed for the spring. That done, he mounted up and rode out, not really looking at anyone or reacting to anything.

Jeremiah was the only person he spoke to on the way back to his farm. About halfway to his house, he met Jeremiah in his carriage, with Delilah right beside him. They drew to a stop and looked at one another, and Jeremiah's face fell.

"I heard about what Blacksuit had done," Jeremiah mentioned. "It got to her, didn't it?"

Jason nodded shortly. "I just don't see-"

"Jason..." Jeremiah took off his hat. "Imagine yourself in the reverse situation. Someone comes into the area buying up all the farmland. You're the only one still selling food at a decent price. Once your farm is snapped up, they'll raise prices and drive people to starvation. In that case, you'd do just about anything to keep the farm, right?"

Jason agreed, "I suppose so."

"That's where Tess is at right now." Jeremiah tried to comfort his neighbor. "She'll get over it, I'm sure, and she'll come racing back to you. You want my advice? Don't push it too hard. She'll come when she's ready, but if she's feeling pressure from both you and Blacksuit, she's never going to swing in your direction. Give her the space she needs, and she'll come back."

Jason could only nod wearily, then bade farewell to his neighbor and trotted off once more. Altogether too soon, he was back at his home. He stabled Lady, walked inside, and sat down in his easy chair by the window. He found himself frustrated, though, as he simply had a view of the distant Summer Shandy, where the party of the season was ongoing. He moved over to the cooling hearth, but as this was the love seat where he and Tess had spent so much time, he found himself disenchanted with this location as well.

Finally, he stumbled up the stairs to the old, dusty office. He went inside, turned on the flickering, cloudy gas light, and dropped into the chair behind the desk. With the door shut, surrounded by books on all sides, he was as isolated as he could be, and he slowly lowered his head down to the desk.

There were no tears, but his heart ached beyond all reason. When would he see Tess again? He longed to catch another glimpse of her face, but would that be enough? Would it be even more painful to see her, but know that he could never touch her? Never speak with her on the same level as he once had done? Would it be possible to be in the same room as her? Sure, he had once gone through something slightly similar with Paulina, but at that point, they hadn't really actually been dating, and everything had been closed up nicely and neatly. With Tess... He just didn't have any idea what would be happening next.

He lost track of the time, and even though he was shut deep within his home, he imagined that he could hear the festivities of the town. He imagined he could hear the people laughing and dancing, cheering the end of winter and the arrival of spring. He imagined he could see Tess in the midst of it all, enjoying a fine feast with her friends, and enjoying the fact that Jason wasn't there.

When a distant bell rang out to signal the arrival of spring, he was still in his office, head on his desk, half-awake, and half-asleep. He dreaded

the next time he would have to go into Summer Shandy... And yet, he also couldn't wait for it.

A new season had arrived in Summer Shandy... And he didn't have the faintest idea how he could handle it.

Chapter Thirty-One: Spring is Here

[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! It's... Well, it's a warm one today, especially compared to the winter weather we just passed. I'm expecting storms to come rolling through a bit later, but as usual, the weather's all clear for the start of the season!]

Jason sighed and opened his eyes. He didn't want to get out of bed. He didn't want to go to work. He wanted to hold Tess, and that was it. He could still remember the last time he had held her, on that wonderful carriage ride through the snow. He could feel her leaning against him, could smell her hair, could...

"She's gone," he whispered softly. "She's gone, and I... I don't know."

He groaned and rolled out of bed, then strode up to the window. Birdsong echoed cheerily from outside, and he pulled open the window. The smells and noises that rolled inside almost overwhelmed his senses after the long winter. He could smell flowers, dirt, fresh grass. He could hear meadowlarks and robins and blue jays. He could hear the rustle of crabgrasses and histles and...

With that, his face lit up. There wasn't a monstertrap in the entire place! Crabgrasses skittered happily about, along with a healthy dose of histles, razorgrasses, and even a few tumblewyrms. He let out an excited whoop, then quickly rushed over to the wardrobe and changed into his overalls. The air was warm, the sun was bright, the wind soft.

He took the stairs two at a time as he walked down into his kitchen and emerged with a loud crash. The cookbook flapped its pages in excitement, and Jason took a deep breath as he sat down.

"Let's see." Jason rubbed his hands together. "Let's go with..."

With a flash, a dozen memories poured through his mind, memories of Tess showing up early to eat breakfast with him. The memories of when

she had been trapped at his house during the blizzard. His hands tightened on the edge of the table, and he changed his mind.

"I'm not hungry."

The cookbook flapped its pages with concern, and a plate of biscuits and gravy appeared in front of him. Jason flashed a smile at the gesture, and slowly picked up a fork.

"Thanks. I appreciate it." He slowly forced himself to eat at least some of the meal. He could barely stomach it, and only ate half before giving up. With that, he strode to the front door, squared his shoulders, and marched out into the wonderful, brilliant spring morning.

To say that it was marvelous would have been an understatement. There simply weren't words to describe the breeze that stirred the soft grasses, the sights and smells that filled his senses. His two apple trees were covered in pink blossoms. Lilies and tulips bloomed brilliantly next to the porch. It was a wonderful morning... And yet, he couldn't seem to escape the dark cloud hanging over him.

"All right, snap out of it, Jason," the farmer muttered to himself as he walked over to Lady's stable. As he pulled the door open, Lady stamped and snorted in excitement, and he let her out with gusto. She bounded across the new grass, then happily bent her neck and began to graze on the fresh sprouts. Jason hitched her to the post, made sure she had plenty of rope, and got to work on his equipment.

His first order of businesses was to service the planter. It had become quite rusty with the frigid cold of winter, and he grabbed a wire brush and set to scrubbing down everything he could. Four actions later, he had the machine gleaming, and he had even tightened a few bolts that had started to come loose. That done, he hitched up Lady, filled the planter with seed, and struck out into the field.

Oh, it was wonderful to drive Lady across the farmyard without having to worry about the monstertraps. Crabgrasses and histles tried valiantly to slip through the gate when he held it open for Lady, but he was able to simply draw his sword and fight them all off.

[Item Acquired: 100 Crabgrass Meat]

[Item Acquired: 50 Histle Meat]

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Jason grinned as he pulled the

gate shut, then set to work. Just like before, the planter easily sliced through the ground, and in precious little time, he had planted almost half of the

field. By that time, lunch was coming on fast, and he detached Lady from the planter and led her back to the hitching post to rest. A few crabgrasses tried to skitter in her direction, but she only snorted and stomped her hooves, and they scampered away.

"Howdy, neighbor!" Jeremiah called out as he came trotting up the driveway on his horse. "How goes it?"

Jason grinned. "Oh, it goes. You know how it is. Just planting spring crops."

Jeremiah nodded and swung down from the saddle. Jason couldn't help but notice that there was a picnic basket hanging off the side of his horse, and he felt a twinge in his heart.

"What are you planting? Spring wheat?"

"Yep; seems easy enough. I did spring wheat last year without too many issues. Doesn't give you too many headaches, you know?"

"I didn't do a lot of farming before I transitioned into ranching, but spring wheat's a good one for this season. Just about the only other thing you can get to grow this time of year is cotton, and maybe alfalfa. Both of those are pretty specialty-based, though."

Jason weighed the options. "I might have to try those out. I don't think I've seen their seeds at Paulina's store."

"She'd probably have to order them. They mostly grow them down south, but I've seen a few further north." Jeremiah paused. "Now, come summertime, if you want to move beyond wheat, you've got loads of options. Sunflowers, hops, barley, rye, canola-"

"Is there a reason why you're here?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "I really don't mean to be rude, but you sound like you're beating around the bush, and that's not something I see you do very often."

Jeremiah held Jason's gaze for a moment, then chuckled.

"No, I suppose it's not something I do often," his neighbor admitted. "I just wanted to find out how you were doing. I heard about Tess. Talk of the town yesterday, actually."

"Yeah." Jason kicked at the ground. "Sorry I wasn't there."

"I would have been surprised if you had been," Jeremiah consoled his friend. "For what it's worth, you didn't miss much! It made the Fall Festival look like a roof-raiser in comparison. Everyone was just sad and stared at their food. Tess more than anyone else. You two should really try to work it out."

Jason agreed. "She thinks we will, someday."

"We both know that's just a lame attempt to make the situation sound less painful." Jeremiah crossed his arms. "It's like trying to put a bandage on a limb that just got chopped off your body."

At that, Jason chuckled, then sighed. "Yeah. I know."

"So, go talk to her!" Jeremiah put a hand on his shoulder. "If you don't do anything, you'll never get her back, and you'll always regret not having tried. If you give it a whirl, you won't be any more broken-up with her, and you might just fix things."

Jason envisioned it wistfully, but then he shook his head. "She's made up her mind. I think I have, too."

Jeremiah crossed his arms, then continued, "Well, I can't make you do anything, but I do want you to know that I'm your friend, and I'm here for you. I brought you some lunch. The missus made it up, I think you'll like it. Hopefully it... Well, it won't take the sting off anything, but I do hope it at least makes you feel a bit better in some respects."

Jason accepted the gift gratefully. "I appreciate it. Thanks."

Jeremiah took the picnic basket down from his horse and handed it to Jason, then started to climb back up. As he swung into the saddle, Jason looked up at him.

"Thank you. You're an amazing friend, and I really do appreciate everything that you've done."

Jeremiah just doffed his hat. "See you around!"

With that, he turned and galloped off down the road. Jason watched him go, then sat down in the shade of the stable, opened the basket, and began to sort through everything.

It quickly became obvious that, as always, the meal prepared by Delilah was far and away better than anything that Jason could have put together himself. There was a loaf of homemade, sourdough bread, a number of slices of fresh brisket, homemade cheese, lettuce, sliced onions, a jar of pickles, and several buttery sweet rolls for dessert. Jason's mouth watered, and he eagerly tucked into the meal.

When he finished, he felt more than a bit tired, both from staying up so late the night before and from the mental games he felt that he was playing. He leaned back in the shade of the stable, rested his head upon the soft grass, and felt himself drifting off.

When he awoke, several hours had passed, and the sun was now arcing down toward the horizon. He jumped to his feet in horror, then forced himself to relax. Sure, he had taken a bit of a nap, but it had almost certainly been necessary, and besides... He didn't really have a deadline or anything he was fighting.

As he quickly hitched Lady back up to the planter, he was delighted to discover that she, for her part, had also seemed to enjoy the extended break. Soon, they struck back out into the field. The disks rumbled through the fertile soil, the seed slowly emptied from the machine, and Jason breathed easily. The sun continued to set in the sky and soon enough touched the horizon.

Jason didn't finish the field until the stars had come out, though it wasn't truly as late as it might have felt. He stumbled inside, where he ate the remainder of the picnic that Delilah had sent, then slowly trudged up to bed.

It had been a productive day, and in many ways had been a good one, and yet... It still felt so hollow. He was back to the beginning, back to the very first square where he had started almost two years ago. Sure, it wasn't like love and marriage were games to win, but... It had been so nice to have someone.

Oh, well. He would just have to make do until the situation changed. He had a farm to manage, and he had a life to live. For now, that was his lot, and he just had to live with it.

No matter how much it hurt.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Moving on

[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: 13th day of Spring! 78 days until the Spring Festival! It's going to be a windy one today, folks! Other than that, there shouldn't be anything too terribly exciting. Enjoy the day!]

Jason rolled out of bed, a small grin on his face. He wasn't sure why, but it just felt like a wonderful day, indeed. He strode over to the window and pulled it open, only to be driven back almost instantly by the hurricane-like gust of wind. He laughed slightly. Tess sure hadn't been kidding!

Tess... The thought brought a pang to his heart, but he forced it down. It had been two full weeks since the breakup, and he needed to be moving on. He took a deep breath, marveled at the wonderful spring day, got dressed, and quickly pounded down the stairs to the kitchen. There, the cookbook flipped its pages back and forth, and Jason sat down.

"Eggs," he ordered. "A good, healthy breakfast to start the day." [Cookbook: Insufficient ingredients. You are out of eggs.]

"Really?" Jason frowned. "I'll have to buy some hens." He took a

deep breath. "No matter. I'll have sausage."

[Cookbook: Insufficient ingredients. You are out of sausage.] "Really?" Jason scowled. "I haven't run out of ingredients in eons." [Cookbook: That's because Tess kept the pantry well-stocked.] "That does sound like her," Jason admitted, then forced a smile to

his face again. "What can be made for breakfast? Pancakes? Biscuits?" [Cookbook: You are also out of sugar and butter.]

"Right." Jason drummed his fingers against the table. "Well...

Ahh... Just fix me up some vegetables or something."

With a flash, something grilled and quite leafy appeared on the table

in front of him. Jason's upper lip twitched involuntarily, but he sighed and ate it anyway. It was good, sure, but it hardly seemed to fill him up. After a few moments, he shrugged and rose, forcing a smile to his face once again.

[Cookbook: You seem to be putting yourself in a rather unnaturally cheery mood.]

"I just..." Jason shrugged. "It's a great day."

[Cookbook: You're in denial.]

"I am not." Jason denied the accusation, then shrugged and marched

to the front door without another word. He had soon slipped on his boots and was out in the farmyard, where he drew his sword and engaged in a lively battle with a number of crabgrasses and histles. As he stood there, a particularly large razorgrass rumbled out of the prairie grass, and Jason grinned.

"Ah-ha!" He twirled his sword. "A real challenger!"

The razorgrass lumbered forward, waving its sharpened blades like... well... swords. Jason thrust at it, and it simply parried before lunging back at him. The two engaged in a hearty battle, dancing back and forth across the farmyard. Lady even stuck her head out of her stable to watch. Jason pressed the razorgrass all the way up to the prairie grass, then in turn was driven all the way back to the porch. Finally, Jason sighed and drew the pistol that Jeremiah had given him.

"I really do hate to do this." Thus apologizing, Jason aimed and fired. The weapon barked perfectly in his hand, and the razorgrass dissolved into a flurry of blue sparks. The other monsters all scattered, and Jason sheathed both his weapons and walked over to Lady, who looked more than eager to get out. He quickly led her to the hitching post and poured her some feed, then wandered over to look out at his field of wheat.

Spring wheat was a fast-growing crop, maturing in just six days. This crop would be ready the very next day, which left Jason preparing for the harvest. A smile flickered across his face at the prospect. He did love a good harvest, and spring wheat was among the best of the crops in that respect. It produced very little dust, allowed Lady to move through the field just about as fast as she could go, and had high yields. Still, though, Jason did have to admit that the crop was a bit boring. All his crops were, for that matter. Good starter crops, to be certain, which had been necessary when getting his feet underneath of him. Now that he was a better farmer, though, maybe it was time to branch out just a bit.

His mind was soon made up, and as Lady finished eating, he saddled her up and began riding off toward town. It was the first time he had been to town since the day of the Winter Festival, and even as he struck

off toward Summer Shandy, his stomach did several flips. What if he saw Tess? What would she do?

Quite unfortunately, he had very little time before he found out. As he came trotting up into town, he found Tess sitting at the town well with Constable Hank, as she was so prone to do. She was wearing her light, chain-mail armor over what looked to be a reddish-brown tunic. As Jason rode into town, she looked up, turned red, and rose. Something seemed to pass between herself and Constable Hank, and then she was gone, racing away for the safety of the Guild Hall. As she left, Constable Hank slapped his thigh and chuckled.

"Awkward, that was!"

"You don't have to rub it in," Jason muttered.

"I know, I know." Hank waved his hand. "And I'm sorry. Honestly,

I'm just as bummed as you two seem to be. You were a good couple, and I sure appreciated your help bailing Tess out of all the trouble she kept getting herself into."

Jason had to flash a small smile at that. "She does have a tendency to do that, doesn't she?"

"She and old Blacksuit have been at each other's ' throats for the last two weeks. Not a single break for old Hank." Hank sounded weary. "She accuses him of breaking into the Guild Hall, and he says that he wasn't trespassing because it's a public facility. He accuses her of breaking into the other Guild Hall, she makes the same defense, and he says that since he's been refused the title of Guild Master, technically, he's running a private business and can refuse service to anyone." He threw his hands up in despair. "She had a good comeback to it, but I can't remember what it was anymore. I sent them both packing, but I'm about to arrest the both of them."

"Give it a bit more time before you do that," Jason urged. "I know things didn't work out between the two of us, but... I don't know. I'm still rooting for Tess, all things considered."

"You and me, both," Hank confessed. "I just don't know how much longer I can keep going."

"One more season?"

Hank nodded slowly. "Just because you asked, I'll give it one more season. But I tell you, Jason: If either of them do wind up doing something actually dangerous or illegal, I'll be forced to take drastic measures."

Jason indicated that he understood. "Thanks, Hank."

"It's good to see you still care about her," Hank expressed as Jason started trotting toward Paulina's store. "A lot of people just try to get revenge and stuff. Nasty business, if you ask me."

Jason nodded and flashed a small smile, then rode up, dismounted, hitched Lady to a nearby post, and walked into Paulina's store. To his dismay, it was moving back toward being rather ramshackle, though it wasn't quite as bad as it had once been.

"Hey, Jason," Paulina greeted him as he walked up to the counter. A thick book thunked down on the wooden surface, and she flashed him a small smile. "What can I do for you?"

He glanced down at the book. "Business still bad?"

"Getting worse every day," Paulina revealed "There was a bit of a revival over winter, of course, but now I'm starting to realize that that was only because everyone in town ran out of their supplies and needed more. Now that spring is here, people have gardens again, and most of the farmers who live here in town are pretty handy, so they can just make their own tools." She let out a long breath. "I tell you, Jason, I don't know if I can make this last much longer. I've been hanging on, but I'm approaching the point of no return. If I don't pack up my shop within a season or two, I won't have enough money left in the bank to afford to move."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "It's that expensive?"

Paulina gestured at the store. "Everything in here is specifically catered to this area. That leaves me with the option of either selling everything I have in here and buying new supplies in a new area to match the needs of that new province, or I can take it with me and try to find a new, small town that's similar. I still, though, have to have money to hire transport, buy a new store, restock inventory, and so on. If I can't hit that, I don't know what I'll do."

Her lip trembled, and a tear ran down her face. She sighed deeply, then shrugged. "A big part of me wants to cut my losses and run now."

"What's holding you back?" Jason gently inquired. "Not that I want to see you leave, of course, but-"

At that, Paulina gave a sad laugh. "Just that, actually. I just... I love everyone here. I love Summer Shandy, and I can't imagine that I'd ever find a place where I fit in quite as well. Tess is also doing her best to keep me here. She says she has some sort of a plan to take them down, but she won't

tell me what it is. I don't know. I wish you were still with her, to be honest. I think the two of you together would have a much better chance of taking them on, but... What do I know?"

Jason let out a long breath. "For what it's worth, I wish we were still together, too."

They stood in silence for a moment, until Paulina broke the silence. "On the bright side, I'm getting a lot of reading done. This is... ahh..." She glanced at the cover. "The War of the Hundred Kingdoms. Volume twelve."

"Is it good?"

Paulina blinked. "Honestly, there are so many characters I can't really keep track of who's who, and I think only something like two weeks have passed since the end of Volume One, but I can't really tell for sure. The literary magazine I subscribe to says that it's a brilliant work of modern fiction, but that might just be because they can't understand it, either." She snorted at her joke, then slapped the counter. "Well, enough about me! You need something, or you wouldn't have come in here. What can I get for you?"

"Lots of stuff," Jason began. "Groceries, mainly. I have a list." He pulled out a small scrap of paper onto which he had scribbled a list of missing ingredients. "I was also wondering what other major spring crops you have or could order."

Paulina perked up. "You need a change?"

"Something like that," Jason shared. "Just... Yeah. Something like that."

"Well, there isn't much that will grow in this area, but there are a few options," Paulina contemplated. "You're mostly looking at forage crops, as opposed to grain crops. I don't know if you have the setup for things like that. You have to have special equipment to harvest the majority of those..."

Jason grimaced. "I still don't have enough saved up for that. I've only gotten one harvest of spring wheat out of the field yet, and I emptied my account over the winter."

"Then, if you want my opinion, you're better off just sticking with spring wheat and trying something new over the summer," Paulina suggested. "We can make some of those decisions now, so you have something to work toward, or we can wait. Some of them, such as barley and rye, you can plant and harvest with all the tools you already have

available. Some of the others, you'd need to get a little more specialized, but it's not going to be quite the same jump."

Jason stroked his chin. "I... Let's wait." His stomach churned. "I don't want to make the wrong decision too early."

"That seems wise to me," Paulina agreed with a smile. "Stay safe, Jason. Please, try to make it work with Tess. I know she still loves you."

Jason felt his body trembling, and he shook his head to clear away the sensation. Paulina only nodded her head, then transferred him the groceries he was missing. Slowly, Jason walked back out into the town square, where he found Tess again sitting by the well talking with Constable Hank. Hank caught his eye, but didn't make any move, and Tess continued looking in the other direction.

"Howdy, there."

The voice came from Jason's right, and he turned to see Blacksuit leaning up against Paulina's store. He had a dark sort of smirk on his face, and Jason felt his heart twist. He fought to keep from vomiting as he approached the pig-like man, who seemed to have gotten even more portly in the previous several months.

"What do you want?" Jason spat. "You're-"

"I know, I know, everyone blames me for breaking up you and Tess. Young love. All that." Blacksuit folded his hands. "I think I should point out, though, that I never encouraged her not to pursue a romantic life. I simply said that she was doing so irreverently."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Sure sounded like you wanted her to break off the relationship, and she really does take her job quite seriously. Even back before I was around, she would leave on small excursions. It's not fair to expect her to be here all the time."

Blacksuit folded his arms for a moment. "You have a farm, correct?" Jason nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Throughout your relationship with Tess, you continued to manage

the farm. You had designated planting days, designated harvest days, so on and so forth. Missing a day could result in the whole crop spoiling, which, though I've not seen it, I've heard can be quite a horrid affair."

Jason shuddered. "It's certainly not pleasant."

"And you manage the farm well. You've kept it from erupting. You held a relationship with Tess, and you did what you needed to do on the farm. My simple charge was that she had been gone so much that she

wasn't performing the duties assigned to her, not that she had to be there constantly." Blacksuit continued to defend himself, then shrugged and sighed. "In any event, that's not why I called you over here. I'm well aware that no defense I offer will exonerate myself in your eyes, and no reasoning you can give will convince me that she was doing her job well."

"Then why did you call me over?" Jason snapped. "I do have places to be. A farm to manage, as I believe you just pointed out."

Blacksuit waved his hand dismissively. "This will only take a moment. What I'm offering to you is a... well... We'll call it a business arrangement. Something that will help both of us."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"I want you to start selling your crops directly to me."

Jason blinked at that. "Why would I do that? You've already almost

run Paulina out of business. If I take away my crops from her, she might go out of business altogether."

"I'm afraid that your friend is already going out of business," Blacksuit spoke dismissively. "If this hastens that fact, I'm afraid that I can't be held responsible. What I am responsible for are the people who avail themselves of my services. If you sell your crops to me, at least some of them, I can produce far better food for them at far lower prices."

"Which also gives you a leg up on Tess's Guild," Jason snapped.

Blacksuit countered, "Allow me to present it to you this way, then. You'll get a bit more money than usual. Since the middleman is being cut out, I'll be able to spend less money, and you'll still get a raise. On top of that, you get revenge on Tess. She'll be infuriated, and you'll get to know that, in the end, you won. She overreacted, and... well... You came out on top."

Jason held his breath. Hundreds of thoughts surged through his mind, and in an instant, his decision was made.

"Deal," he spoke softly. "Just tell me what to do."

"I'll send a wagon that you can use to transport the grain when it's ready," Blacksuit offered, as he flashed a sinister grin.

At that, Jason's eyes narrowed. "Everyone will know that I'm selling to you."

"Indeed!" Blacksuit's smile now stretched from cheek to fleshy cheek.

Jason let out a long breath, then consented. "I'll bring it up tomorrow when I'm done harvesting."

"I look forward to it. Partner." Blacksuit shook his hand, then strode off across the town square. As he marched past Tess, she turned and looked at the two of them. Her eyes were cold and hard, and they only became more so as she locked eyes with Jason. He flinched, then slowly walked over to Lady, mounted up, and started trotting back toward his farmhouse.

He didn't let himself start smiling until after he had passed the hospital and entered the long road that ran down toward his farmhouse. When he was sure no one was looking, though, a smile spread across his own face, just as large as Blacksuit's own grin had been.

Indeed, it was a deal... But it wasn't one that would help Blacksuit. Jason had been telling the truth when he spoke with Constable Hank. He had no intention of betraying Tess, nor did he desire to seek revenge. He still loved her, and he had an immense desire to help Paulina as well. What he did have an intention of doing was figuring out exactly what Blacksuit and Lady Benford were doing in the town... And now, with the deal he had struck, he had an open invitation to enter Blacksuit's fortress.

Though he didn't yet know how he would do it, he had every intention of using that contact to peer behind the curtain, and, hopefully, discover what sinister plot lay at the heart of their presence in Summer Shandy.

Chapter Thirty-Three: More Biscuits

[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: 15th day of Spring! 76 days until the Spring Festival! Should be a nice and calm day. A wonderful day for betrayal, if you're into that sort of thing.]

Jason rolled his eyes as he climbed out of bed. He rose and strode over to the window, where he looked down upon a sweeping, eighty acres of golden grain ready for harvesting. Lady had her head out of the stable, gazing out at the land she would soon be walking across. Jason let out a long breath, then prepared himself, changed into his overalls, and set out down the stairs.

"All right, cookbook." Jason clapped his hands as he walked into the kitchen. "Biscuits and gravy. Big day today, it is."

Blam!

The blast shook the kitchen, and a familiar, acrid smoke filled the small room. Jason coughed and opened the small window, desperately trying to fan the smoke out as quickly as he could. As he waved the last of it away, he scowled at the cookbook.

"What was that?" He crossed his arms. "I haven't had a problem cooking sausage since..."

His voice trailed off, and the cookbook closed itself sheepishly.

[Cookbook: Tess may have come and taken all the fancy new pans back. You are, once again, unable to cook sausage.]

Jason scowled, not because he wasn't okay cooking other foods, but because that seemed like a bit of an overreaction. Still, there wasn't much about it that he could do. Trying to take the pans back would... well... He had heard stories of things being stolen from Paulina's store and Theresa's healing den. He had only ever heard stories of thieves getting caught trying to steal from Tess.

He lamented for a moment then ordered up a plate of eggs. It appeared, and he ate it quickly. That done, he strode outside, took Lady to

her hitching post, and prepared to get to work.

"Hi-ya!" A sharp crack rang through the air, and Jason looked up as

a wagon rumbled into the driveway. It was a sleek, black vehicle, marked with golden letters that read "Blacksuit." Blacksuit himself was nowhere to be seen, but the man driving the wagon was obviously a henchman. He looked rather like a humanoid snake, wore a curling mustache, and had on a suit that looked rather like that of an undertaker. Jason walked up to him as he drew the wagon to a halt, and he hopped down with purpose.

"Jason Hunter?" The man held out his hand. "Blacksuit sends his greetings."

"I send them back." Jason shook the man's hand. To no great surprise, it was rather cold and clammy. "Tell him I'll be along later this evening with the first load of grain."

"I'll let him know." The man quickly unhitched the wagon from his horse, then saddled the beast, mounted up, and rode away. As he vanished up the road, Jason let out a long sigh, then took Lady, hitched her to the harvester, and set out.

He found that he could hardly pay attention to the actual harvest as she rumbled through the field. The blades whirred, he hung on for dear life, but his mind was elsewhere. Perhaps because of that fact, he was bucked from the machine more than once, and he had to scramble after Lady, who obediently plodded onward.

They only took a shorty break for lunch, due to the amount that he had to get done. He tied Lady up to her post, then scampered inside for a quite bite of food and a bit of water, then ran back out and got back to work. Back and forth, back and forth they went. The sun crawled through the sky, his farm's inventory absorbed the harvest, and the knot in his stomach grew larger and larger.

When he finally finished the harvest, he parked the harvester and allowed Lady to go back to her hitching post. He then walked up to the wagon and placed his hands on the side.

"Transfer spring wheat seed. Fill to capacity."

There was a soft hum, and the wagon gave a soft rumble.

[Wagon: Cargo hold has been filled to capacity.]

"Good." He took a deep breath, then walked up to the collection box

that would send his grain on to Paulina. He transferred the rest of the grain into the box, saving back only enough to replant the field later. Then, as the

sun started to set, he walked back toward Lady. Before he could arrive, though, hooves echoed on the drive behind him.

"Howdy, neighbor." Jeremiah spoke softly.

Jason turned and looked up at the man, who simply gazed down at him with a sad sort of gaze. He hopped out of the saddle, then kicked at the dust.

"What's up?" Jason started ambling toward him, even though he was quite certain he knew why Jeremiah was there.

"I just... Jason, what in the wide world are you doing with your life?" Jeremiah exclaimed. "I know you're frustrated with Tess. Believe me, I get it. Delilah wasn't the first girl I dated, and I'll admit that I didn't always handle breakups well, but this is outrageous. You're not just going to hurt Tess if you drive through town pulling that wagon."

Jason set his jaw. "I have to do this."

"Why?" Jeremiah took off his hat and pointed it up at Summer Shandy. "You have to do this so Paulina can see her profits shrink even further? You have to do this so the already-confused townsfolk can, in their minds, get a clean pass to go visit the Dungeon Guild? Why, Jason? Tell me why."

Jason opened his mouth, then paused. Did he have a reason? Yes. He had to get into that building, and this was the only way to do that. Could he tell Jeremiah about it? He wanted to. He desperately wanted to, but the only way the gig would work was if everyone was angry at him. If Paulina didn't act angry at him, if Jeremiah wasn't angry with him, Blacksuit would suspect something. He didn't know for sure how good the two of them were at acting, but he was confident that acting hurt and angry wasn't nearly as good as actually being mad. They needed to exude that anger and frustration anytime and every time Blacksuit or Lady Benford happened upon them. Heart breaking, Jason just sighed and shrugged.

"I can't," he finally managed. "I just have to do this. I do hope you'll understand."

Jeremiah kicked at the dirt, then shook his head.

"I don't, Jason, I really don't. I thought you were better than this. Better than just someone chasing a profit, better than someone just looking for a leg up on the competition. I guess I was wrong."

Jason's heart snapped as Jeremiah climbed back up on his horse, then spun around and raced out of the driveway at a gallop. Jason watched

him go, then sighed deeply. That had hurt... And he knew it was about to get far worse.

He took an exhausted Lady from her hitching post, attached her to the wagon, and struck off for Summer Shandy. Already tired from the day, she lumbered along at a slow, even pace, and Jason was more than content to let her do so. In such a fashion, they slowly made their way up the long, winding road to Summer Shandy.

As Jason approached the town, his heart sank. Word, it seemed, traveled fast. Most likely, Blacksuit had told everyone that he had found a new grain supplier, and to be on the lookout. A divided town, of course, was far easier to control. Soon enough, he came rumbling up into the town square, where he found an assortment of people all standing around the edges of the square looking up at him. Tess and Constable Hank stood near the Guild Hall. Tess looked positively ferocious, while Hank looked confused. For that matter, he looked rather like a loyal dog who had just been whipped by a formerly wonderful and kind master, and Jason felt his stomach clench.

On the other side of the town square, Paulina and Theresa stood next to each other as well. Paulina was sobbing, but still never took her eyes off Jason. Theresa was doing her best to comfort her, but her eyes, too, were fixed upon Jason the Traitor. A few other townsfolk were out and about as well, who largely stared at him trying to figure out what the big fuss was about.

Jason felt as though he were a creature in a zoo or a circus sideshow as he drove around the Guild Hall and around by the crypt. There, the new Guild Hall rose tall, looking more like a fortress than ever. Blacksuit himself stood out front with Lady Benford, a wide smile on his face.

"Welcome, Jason! So glad you could make it!"

Jason drew the wagon to a stop. By then, the sun had sunk almost halfway below the horizon, casting the whole structure in a reddish-orange light.

"I'm here." Jason sighed.

"And now, you know what it's like being hated by the people of this town for no crime greater than trying to spin an honest business." Blacksuit crossed his arms, chuffing softly.

"Just tell me where I'm supposed to take this." Jason sighed, gesturing at the wagon.

"You'll go around to the side. There's a loading dock there, the workers will be able to help you." Blacksuit smiled broadly. "You'll get paid, just as requested. Then, you can be off on your merry little way, and we'll see each other again the next time you come in. Serve me well, and I'll start inviting you to Guild events. How's that sound?"

Jason bit his lip, then shrugged. "I thought you weren't the Guild Master yet."

"As long as we're in business together, I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm the master in all but name." Blacksuit chuckled. "This little town... They don't deserve the two of us, and yet, here we are. I've heard the stories of what you accomplished last year, how in a single year, you managed to turn your farm around. You took it from ruin, to one of the most prosperous farms in the area. No ordinary man could have done such a thing."

"No. Just a traitor." Jason scowled.

Blacksuit raised an eyebrow. "You're not backing out on me, are you?"

Jason bit his lip, then shook his head. "You said it yourself. I now know what it's like to be hated by everyone. I can't go back, and you know it."

Blacksuit smiled broadly. "That's the idea. Now, why don't you run that little shipment along, and I'll get a formal contract drawn up and sent along to your house tomorrow. I envision a long and fruitful partnership here. You're the kind of revolutionary, the kind of visionary, that I like to see in my organization."

With that, he turned and marched back into the hall. Lady Benford watched for a moment, then gave a soft sniff, turned, and marched back into the hall, as well. Jason sighed, then slowly allowed Lady to start walking around to the side of the hall, where, indeed, several workers were already waiting by a large set of double doors.

As near as he could tell, he had played his part perfectly. It had hurt to see everyone out there glaring at him, so he didn't have to fake that much. If he had gone all-in, it was likely that Blacksuit would have suspected him. As it was, now, Blacksuit knew that Jason was still struggling, which of course was human, and yet he was still going along with it. That, as far as Jason was concerned, was perfect.

He pulled up next to the doors, and one of the workers transferred the contents of the wagon into the Guild Hall. The second worker paid Jason handsomely (over a million shandys, almost twice what Jason would have gotten anywhere else), and with that, Jason struck back out for home.

By now, Lady was shuffling along slowly, as she was undoubtably exhausted. When a figure emerged from the shadows as he crossed through the darkening town square, his heart sunk. Tess stood in front of Lady, blocking the way, and he allowed the horse to come to a halt. All around, people looked at him in what seemed to be a proper stupor.

"Why, Jason?" Tess asked softly. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"I'm not doing anything to you," Jason called back down. "You're the one who ended our relationship. If this town is so important to you, if Blacksuit is so influential in your mind, then maybe he should be to me, too. You did what was best for you, I'm doing what's best for me."

"No, Jason, I did what was best for Summer Shandy." Tess snarled. "You're trying to kill it."

"Summer Shandy isn't long for this world anyway." Jason snapped back. "You know that as well as I do. We all know that. We have to change if we're going to make it."

With that, he snapped Lady's reins, and she struck off down the path. As she lumbered past Tess, the iron-clad warrior screamed and railed at Jason.

"Traitor! You're nothing but a traitor!"

The words stung, but not as much as the pain on Paulina's face, the tears in Theresa's eyes, the confusion on Hank's face. They were all struggling with it, and he hadn't made it any easier on them in the slightest. He sighed deeply, and just sent Lady onward toward home. Tess continued to scream as he left, her words echoing down across the prairie for all to hear.

"Traitor!" "Traitor!"

Chapter Thirty-Four: Touchdown Tornado

[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 Spring! 61 days until the Spring Festival! We've got a bad storm coming in today, folks. It's looking to be a tornado, which by now, you're likely all familiar with. Stay in! Stay inside, and the warriors will take care of it! At least, they'd better, or I'm having Blacksuit brought up on charges of negligence.]

Jason frowned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, then rose and walked up to the window. Sure enough, the storm clouds lay thick across the sky, looking like a dark sea just foaming and churning. The wind was already howling across the prairie, and the sky was an odd, green color.

Jason ran to the wardrobe and dressed quickly, then scampered down the stairs. He desperately wanted to ask Tess what time the tornado was expected to arrive, but all things considered, he knew he couldn't. He didn't even pause in the kitchen for breakfast, simply raced out onto the farm and took Lady from her stable.

"All right, girl." He soothed her, and soon he had her hitched up to her post. "It's going to be all right."

Lady stamped her hooves nervously and glanced up at the sky, which was rapidly turning green. Jason watched the sky for a few minutes, as well, then got to work. He had just harvested the field a few days earlier, which left little work to be done there. If the tornado came through his farm, he'd have some terrible rebuilding to do, but that would just have to be done later. Instead, he spent several long minutes scampering around the farm and picking up anything that wasn't nailed down, transferring it into the farm's inventory. Then, that done, he drew his sword and started walking around the farm, hacking down what monsters he could find. There just wasn't much else he was willing to do, given the serious nature of the thing.

"Howdy, neighbor." Jeremiah's voice echoed across the wind, and Jason turned in surprise as the man came riding up. He was missing his hat. Most likely, it had blown off somewhere along the way, and his long, tangled hair snapped around in the growing wind. "Just came to check up on you."

Jason flashed a small smile and came ambling over. Together, they gazed up at the sky and just shrugged.

"I'm doing as well as I can. I remember the last one that came through. Just... Trying to batten down the hatches, you know?"

Jeremiah agreed, then confessed, "I just came... well... I know I said some things the last time I was here, but... well... It don't matter what I think of you personally, or how I still think you're doing all of us a disservice by selling to that no-good, pig-faced Blacksuit; but a tornado's a tornado, and a neighbor's got to help a neighbor."

Jason couldn't keep a smile from his face, though he knew it was a sad one. "That's why you're the best, Jeremiah."

Jeremiah modestly kicked at the dust. "You've got a storm cellar, right?"

Jason indicated, "My basement works just fine. The walls are solid, and the floor of the lower level is solid oak. It would take quite a twister to tear it up."

"Good, good," Jeremiah affirmed. "Well, , after last year's tornado that laid my ranch out, I had an underground stable dug out. I can take Lady there, if you're interested. Doesn't seem right for a beauty of a horse like that to be left in such a rickety stable."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who helped me build that stable."

"And that's why I know it'll never survive a tornado."

Jason laughed softly. "In that case, yes. Thank you, Jeremiah. It means a lot."

Jeremiah inclined his head. "Just do me a favor, ok? Think about the people you're hurting, and the people you're helping."

Jeremiah climbed back on his horse, then rode over to Lady's hitching post. Jason untied her, and a moment later, they were riding off down the road. Lady cast a look over her shoulder at Jason, and he gave a wave, though he knew the gesture would mean little to her. Soon enough, they were off over the hills, and Jason slowly walked back into his home.

He had little else he could do except bunker down and wait for the storm to play itself out. His stomach started to growl, and he fixed himself a small breakfast before heading down the stairs into the basement. It was damp and musty down there, filled with old cardboard boxes left over from his uncle's residence in the house. Largely, it was a single room underneath the house, but toward the front, there were two small side rooms whose original purpose had long since been forgotten. Jason quickly made his way over there, slipped past the boxes, and climbed into one of therooms. There, surrounded by cobwebs and mildew, he sat down on the cold floor to wait out the storm.

"What is it with tornados?" He muttered. "I'm always alone when they hit."

No one answered him, save a distant squeak that told him that the mice had likely decided to hide in the relative safety of the basement. He made a mental note to convince them to leave the house - again - then went back to wallowing in his misery. The previous spring, he had also been involved in a strange sort of relationship with Tess, and one of the more dramatic parts of that struggle had been a rather terrible tornado. He shuddered, and he just hoped that it wouldn't be nearly as bad as the year before.

It was around noon when the wind really started to pick up, and he heard the distant howl that indicated that the tornado was well on its way. The noise grew louder, then softer, then louder again. He shuddered anytime it began to pick up in volume, and he breathed a bit easier anytime it went away.

Tornadoes, as Tess had later explained to him, were interesting beasts, in that... well... They were beasts. All other forms of weather, at least that existed in that part of the world, were just weather. Rain was rain, snow was snow, and blizzards were blizzards. Lightning wasn't anything more than a leap of energy from the clouds to the ground, so on and so forth.

The one exception to that rule, though, was the mighty tornado. They spawned in particular types of storm clouds, and they descended as proper monsters. At that point, they could look around the countryside, decide what looked tastiest to suck up into the sky, and attack at their leisure. There were no forms of traditional combat that could take them down. Jeremiah could personally attest that firing cannonballs at them was

a terrible idea, and they had an unlimited amount of health. They could, however, be deterred from attacking certain places if warriors used particular skills that they had picked up in the dungeons. It wasn't an easy job, to be sure, but it was quite possible to save a town from a direct, frontal assault by one of the twisters. Of course, if there were no warriors around to protect you, settlements out on the plains were pretty much just sitting ducks.

The howling went on for the better part of an hour, at which point it finally all faded away. Jason held his breath, then slowly crept up into the main portion of his house, where he discovered, to his great delight, that the home was intact. Elation filled him, and he burst out onto the front porch, where he found that his entire farmstead had remained untouched. His stable was still in place, the spring wheat waved softly in the much quieter wind, and...

His eyes widened slightly as he caught sight of a large swath of destruction that had carved its way across the open prairie. The grasses had been torn up in a perfect line, obviously the path of the tornado, that passed just north of his farmstead.

Just north of his farmstead. In fact, the line of destruction, which was about fifty feet wide, ran up to a point only inches from the border of Jason's farm and the prairie proper. Two holes nearby caught his eye, and he walked over to find two footprints in the soft grass that seemed to be about six inches deep. Two armored footprints of someone wearing thick combat boots. He whistled softly. The tornado had only avoided his home because a warrior had personally come out to his farmstead and stopped it. As he looked at the footprints, his eyes widened slightly. He couldn't be certain, but he thought he was looking at one of Tess's footprints. Even after everything, it seemed, she had still come out to save his farm.

He let out a long breath, even as Jeremiah came trotting back up the road, Lady in tow. Jeremiah whistled as he looked at it all, and Jason gratefully took the reins back.

"How's it down at your place?" Jason asked softly. "Any damage?"

"Nah." Jeremiah shook his head. "It got a couple lengths of fence out on one of my more distant pastures, but I don't have anything in that pen anyway. It'll just take me fifteen minutes to get it put back up, so I'm not terribly worried."

"That's good." Jeremiah nodded at the footprints. "It looks like-"

"I saw them at my place, too." Jeremiah nodded. "Someone was sure looking out for us."

"What do you think the town looks like?"

Jeremiah shrugged. "Only one way to find out. I'll wait for you to saddle up if you want to go take a look together."

Jason inclined his head, and he soon enough had a proper saddle on Lady. With that, the two neighbors went racing off for Summer Shandy, as Jason wondered whether they were really still friends or not.

Jason followed the path of the storm with his eyes as they drew closer. The grass was torn and shredded something fierce up around the town. It looked to him like the monster had actually sucked up a bunch of the topsoil in some places. A few pieces of fence on some of the pastures that extended a distance out into the prairie had been lost, but otherwise, it looked as though the city had been spared. Jason felt a smile growing across his face, though it evaporated as he came within sight of the town square.

To be fair, most of the buildings were still intact. The townspeople were out and about, and most of them largely seemed to be pleased with the state of things. Paulina's store was intact, Viola's inn was unharmed, Theresa's healing den was unaffected, and all in all, things looked good.

With, of course, the notable exception of the Guild Hall.

Tess stood before the hall, sitting on the ground, with her helmet off and her hair hanging down her back. She was wearing her thick combat armor, and at a glance, it looked more badly dented than Jason thought he had ever seen before. Hank stood next to her, surveying the damage, which, all things considered, was quite extreme.

The roof had been torn clean off and lay scattered around the town square. Bits and pieces of wood had fallen down everywhere, and the townspeople were slowly picking it up and dropping it into a collection bin. The walls were cracked and splintered, the windows were gone, and as Jason looked into the interior, he could see that there was very little of it left. Her office appeared to have been decimated, and all the furniture, cooking utensils, and other such things were gone.

"I'm never getting those pans back now," he muttered, then shook his head. "Well? Shall we dive in?"

Jeremiah gave a nod of his head, and the two of them dismounted. Blacksuit had appeared around the side of the Guild Hall ruins, a smirk on his face, though it changed for a moment into distain as he caught sight of

Jason helping. Tess, for her part, must have caught sight of the look, for she turned around and started glancing across the clearing. When her eyes settled on Jason, he knew he was in trouble.

"You." She spoke softly and rose on shaky legs. Constable Hank rose with her and took her arm to give her some support. Together, they started walking across the courtyard, Tess's voice growing angrier with every footfall.

"I can't believe you're daring to show your face here," she snapped. "I don't want your filthy hands touching anything belonging to the Guild Hall. I don't want your help. Get out of here, traitor."

Jason sighed and held up his hands. "Look, I... I'm just trying to-"

"You've helped enough." Tess snapped. "Do you know why that tornado came here today?"

Constable Hank coughed. "Tess, there's no proof of-"

"There's proof enough!" She snapped. "There was tornado bait in my Guild Hall. That's a fact. Who would have put it there except for them?"

"You still can't even prove that there was tornado bait."

"Oh yes, I can." She poked a finger in his chest. "That tornado made sixteen attacks against the town. Sixteen! When have you ever heard of an attack like that that didn't involve tornado bait?"

"I'll admit that I'm not familiar with-"

"That's because there hasn't been." Tess snarled. "I chased away the tornado fifteen times, and when I finally slipped on a loose cobblestone, it smashed into my Guild Hall, sucked up everything inside, and then went roaring away. And then I had to chase after it and stop it from smashing up all the nearby farms because he paid the warriors to stay out of it."

"I was simply looking out for the well-being of my people!" Blacksuit protested.

"I had to follow the thing to the border of our territory, where I was able to hand it off to a proper group of warriors living down there." Tess sneered. "Meanwhile, Blacksuit stayed snug in his bedroom knowing that he was secure. Is this the man you want to support, Jason?"

Jason made no answer, and just looked down at the ground. Tess stalked forward, pushing away Hank, who apparently couldn't keep up with her.

"Get out of here, Jason," his former girlfriend snapped. "Get out of my sight. Leave the cleanup to us. Go get ready for your next shipment."

He sighed, then nodded slowly. "You're the boss."

Wordlessly, he mounted up on Lady, letting the few pieces of wood he'd already collected fall back down to the ground. With that, he wheeled around and took Lady back out into the countryside, riding for his own farmstead. He could feel eyes boring into him as he went, though he didn't know if they belonged to Tess, Blacksuit, Jeremiah, or someone else. All he did know was that he felt terrible.

All he wanted to do was help, in the same way that he had been helped so many times before. Now, though, that seemed like a pipe dream. He looked forward to the day when he could formally break into the new guild hall and put an end to everything for good.

Until then, though... All he could do was continue to play his long, painful game.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Harvester

[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: 36th day of Spring! 55 days until the Spring Festival! Overall, it's looking like a good day. Rebuilding continues on the Guild Hall, no thanks to the various traitors and antagonizers throughout the town. Otherwise, it should be a beautiful day, with rains expected to start toward nightfall.]

Jason sighed and rolled out of bed. Every single part of his body that he could still feel was impossibly sore, though he didn't know that there was much that could be done about that fact. The previous day's harvest had been a proper nightmare, due largely to a bunch of debris from the Guild Hall that had landed among his wheat without his knowledge. The waving heads of grain had hidden the hazards... At least until he drove the harvester into the field and promptly hit a large shingle that jammed the blades and nearly broke the machine. He had been forced to stop and walk through the entire field looking for scraps, during which time he found well over a hundred. Following this, convinced that he had retrieved them all, he started harvesting again... At least until he hit another one, jamming the blades once more.

All in all, it had taken an extraordinarily long time to harvest the field, as he was forced to drive Lady painfully slowly as he kept a lookout for the debris. He still missed a number of pieces of it, and at the end of the day, it was a welcome relief to put Lady back into her stall and stumble into the house. The sun had long since set, and he passed out with little thought for anything else. That morning, then, his first order of business was to drive the wagon into town and make the delivery for Blacksuit.

He took his time getting out of bed and walked slowly down the stairs to the kitchen. As he arrived, the cookbook flapped its pages in greeting, and he dropped slowly into his chair.

"Ahh... Make me something good," he muttered. "I don't care what."

[Cookbook: You almost certainly will care if I make the wrong thing.]

"That is... very true." Jason conceded.

[Cookbook: You know, you actually used to bother with cooking things. You know, adding ingredients and seeing what happened?]

"Yeah, and I wasted loads of ingredients," Jason reminded the cookbook. "I mean, how many sausages did I burn through?"

[Cookbook: 105]

"See?" Jason crossed his arms. "Make me some... Make me some pancakes."

There was a flash, and the dish appeared on the table. Jason sighed and stared at the meal for several long moments, trying to work up the appetite to dig in. Finally, he groaned, lifted his fork, and stabbed wearily at the dish.

It took him almost fifteen minutes to eat the meal, at which point he leaned back in his chair and began the process of dreading the next part of the day. It couldn't be helped, though, and he slowly rose and walked through the front door. Lady nickered brightly, and he took her out to the hitching post and poured her some oats, then walked over to the wagon. It was already loaded, and he stared at it lost in his thoughts for several long minutes. He hadn't even realized he had zoned out until Lady nickered loudly and he blinked.

"Wow. I'm exhausted." he muttered, then walked over, unhitched Lady, and soon had her all hooked up to the wagon. With a crack of the reins, he rumbled off toward town, and toward whatever humiliation would come with it.

His stomach wound itself into a thousand knots as he came rumbling up to the town. Quite thankfully, he didn't really see anyone out and about. Tess was nowhere to be seen, which was one small miracle at the least. Well, in some ways it was a small miracle. In other ways, his heart still ached, and he wanted nothing more than to see and hold her once more. Even just a glimpse of her armor would have been something. Being without her was... awful.

Nevertheless, she made no appearance. Paulina didn't show up, nor did Theresa. Constable Hank was the only one who was out and about, and he refused to look at Jason as he drove around to the new Guild Hall for the delivery.

Jason's stomach only flip-flopped harder as he rode up to the gates of the enormous castle. When Tess had still had an active Guild Hall, the warriors had been notorious for lounging around and/or sleeping until at least noon. The warriors at the new Guild Hall seemed to be no exception. There was no one waiting for him, nor did there really seem to be anyone awake throughout the entire building. The doors looked unlocked, and there were no guards, but stepping inside and waking up a bunch of angry, hungover warriors was the last thing that Jason wanted to do.

He clicked his tongue, and Lady swung around to the side of the castle, where the loading dock sat in the wall. The gate was open, and two guards lay on the ground, snoring loudly. Upturned mugs of ale left no illusions about what had happened. Jason grimaced at the sight, then slowly pulled Lady to a halt. She nickered and stamped her feet, and Jason let out a long breath. This was the chance he had been looking for! Excitement filled his chest, and he climbed down to the ground as quietly as he could.

"Transfer contents of wagon to crates."

With a flash, several crates appeared on the ground next to the wagon. The guards stirred but made no move to awaken. Jason quickly pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled a note, asking for payment to be transferred to his account as soon as it was available, then tacked it to the wood. With that, he crept up next to Lady's head, and whispered in her ear.

"Go home, Lady. Quickly."

Lady gave a nod of her head, then took off, clopping off into the morning light. Jason held his breath, then tiptoed past the slumbering guards and into the Guild Hall. He was inside... Time to see what they were hiding.

The loading dock was rather what he would have expected, that was for certain. There were crates piled here, there, and everywhere. There were barrels of rum and ale, of salted meats and preserved vegetables and other such items of food and drink. There were crates of weapons, potions, and other dungeons supplies. There were great piles of hides, monster trophies, and treasures pulled from the dungeon itself. It was a proper hub of trade, such as one might expect in any such location. Moving carefully, Jason slipped past it all, and soon came to the back of the small dock.

Here, there were a number of different doors made from thick oak. Peering through the cracks (many of which seemed to have been made by arrows or battle axes), he could see that most of the doors opened into

stairwells that led upward, one or two led into enormous warehouses on that same level, and one of them opened into a staircase that led downward. This latter door, of course, was guarded by a thick lock and several iron chains thicker than Lady's legs. It wasn't going to be easy to get through, that much was obvious

Jason examined the locks for a moment. He was a farmer, which meant that his lockpicking skill might as well have been at zero. Strictly speaking, it was technically at level 2, but that was largely due to an accident when he dropped a hammer on a small padlock and broke it, thus earning the single point of XP required to increase it. He let out a long breath, then turned and slipped over to the corner. He could hear distant footsteps, and he didn't want to be seen when someone inevitably bothered to come inside.

There was the sharp clink of a doorknob being turned, and gruff footsteps echoed on the floor. He couldn't tell who they belonged to, but they were obviously from someone extremely large. Images filled his mind of an executioner, sent to check on a reported disturbance and take care of the issue.

"Hey! What's all this?" A powerfully deep voice roared. "Up! Get up, you lazy rats!"

There was a sharp clatter as someone began kicking at the slumbering guards. Their armor rattled around the ground as they scrambled to stand upright, and Jason fought to keep from laughing.

"Whazit?" One of the guards mumbled. "Erewedead?"

"Nay, you're not dead yet, but I've got half a mind to dice you up and toss you in the stew for this evening!" The deep voice roared. "You've got one job! Look here! A pile of deliveries, and a note, and you've slept right through it. Get up, ya bum, or I'll report you to the boss myself!"

"Yessir!"

The man gave a humph, then started stalking away. Jason breathed a sigh of relief, then opened his eyes wide as a mountain of a man came stalking around the pile of crates where Jason was hiding.

"And there! Get up, boy! If you don't want to work for Mr. Blacksuit, then hit the road! You aren't getting paid a fair salary to loaf around!"

"I..." Jason stammered as he looked up at the man. He was made from solid muscle, there was no doubt about that, and he looked as though

he could rip most trees from the ground without breaking a sweat. He was bald as an egg, though he wore a thick, handlebar mustache that seemed entirely out of place.

"Well? Come with me. I've no doubt that the boss will want to hear from you."

"Please," Jason begged him. "Don't take me to see Blacksuit."

"That's Mister Blacksuit to you," the man snarled, then he paused. He shot a raging glance backward at the two guards, who were still pulling themselves upright. His eyebrows knit together, and then he sighed.

"All right, then, boy, you come with me. That ought to be punishment enough, I think."

Jason gulped but nodded. What else could he do? He was obviously with someone who didn't recognize him, but that would change very quickly if he was taken to see Blacksuit, or indeed anyone in the upper levels of the organization.

To his amazement (and horror), Jason was taken to the chained door. The man produced a large key ring, hastily unlocked the padlock, undid the chain, and pulled the door aside. It squealed loudly on the hinges, eliciting a loud squeal of surprise from the guards (who had, seemingly, fallen back asleep). With that, Jason and the heavyset man rumbled down the stairs into whatever lay below.

The staircase dropped straight down through the ground, winding deeper and deeper into the earth. The walls grew damp, and soon enough, moss could be seen growing freely across the walls. It seemed to stay well enough away from the floor, where it was worn down by heavy foot traffic; but otherwise, nearly every surface was slimy with the stuff.

Soon enough, they came to the exit, which was a door that was similarly chained. Jason held his breath as the man pulled it open, and they stepped through into an enormous warehouse that the entire rest of the castle likely would have fit inside.

"You ever been down here, boy?" The man muttered as they walked into the vast warehouse.

Jason shook his head wordlessly as he tried to take it all in. There seemed to be no other exits, but the room was far from empty. Crates covered the entire expanse, piled high atop each other in great towers and walls that formed labyrinth-like passages. The man led Jason to a section that had far fewer crates, then held out his hand.

"Transfer inventory: Supply Warehouse to Main Warehouse. Crates 1 through 27."

With a flash of light, twenty-seven new crates appeared in front of Jason. The large man flexed his muscles, then chuckled.

"You know what this is, boy? You look confused, and you're not nearly scared enough."

"I... I don't." Jason whispered. "What is it? You might say I'm new around here."

"Then feast your eyes, boy." The man chuckled. He stepped up to the closest crate, took a deep breath, and wrenched the lid open. It fell to the ground with a ferocious crash that echoed and reverberated through the room, and Jason grimaced. As the noise faded, though, he glanced inside. As he did, his heart stopped.

Nestled among a bed of straw sat a long, neat row of small spheres. Well, perhaps it would be better to say a neat grid of spheres. Ten rows, ten columns, one hundred of the spheres sitting right there on the surface. Though he couldn't see any deeper, the crate was as tall as it was wide, which led him to suspect that there were ten layers. One thousand of the spheres in total. With twenty-seven crates... For that matter, for the thousands upon thousands of crates that filled the room... Well, it wasn't hard to imagine just how many of the small spheres were being held in that warehouse.

Of course, that left the question of what they were. Thankfully, or perhaps unthankfully, Jason didn't have to wait long to find out. The spheres were white, but they had lights flickering within them, lights that cast shadows upon the surface when they moved behind dark forms that hung within the spheres. The dark forms, of course, looked exactly like the deepest monsters of the dungeon. There were coiled-up worms, twisted land octopi, embryonic dragons, and other such atrocities. All told, Jason knew in a heartbeat exactly what he was looking at. Monster eggs, pulled from the deepest depths of the new crypt.

"Better not touch them!" The man chuckled. "If they get activated, the monsters will spawn in right here! You don't look like a warrior, boy, so I wouldn't count on your getting out here alive."

Jason gulped. For his part, he really didn't have to fake his terror.

"What... What's Blacksuit going to do with all of them? How does he get them?"

The man laughed. "You're new new. He gets them from the warriors. Pays top dollar for any of them that get pulled out of the dungeon. I don't know how he affords to pay for it all, but he does it somehow. As for what he's going to do with them, use your imagination."

Jason blinked. "He's... ahh... going to destroy Summer Shandy."

"He's going to destroy Summer Shandy, and he's going to frame that insolent whelp, Tess." The man rumbled, laughing loudly. "Oh, it'll be great! She won't be able to escape prosecution this time. She'll be out, and he'll be in." He sighed, then shrugged. "Well, no time to think about it. I've got to get these things sealed away."

He reached into his inventory and pulled out a bottle that Jason immediately recognized from Tess's description. It was crystal-blue; a bottle of time potion. The man unscrewed the crystal stopper, then held it out over the crate and let two drops fall onto it. Immediately, the lights dancing beneath the surface of each egg froze, and the man chuckled.

"There we go. That'll keep them in stasis for a while. . Powerful stuff, this is. Never upset the boss, or you'll feel it personally."

With that, he set the potion down, picked up the lid, and slammed it back down onto the crate. Jason let out a long breath, then slowly bent down and picked up the bottle of time potion.

He really didn't want to hurt the man, but... The moment that he got back upstairs and started talking to people about the mysterious boy he had taken into the cellar, it would all be over for Jason. He would likely just wake up in the middle of the night to find a sword pinning him to the bed, or they would come up with something even worse.

As the man walked over to the new crate, Jason slipped up behind him and dripped a single drop of the time potion on his back. He froze instantly, and Jason let out a long breath. He then held up the crystal bottle in front of the man, stepped back as far as he could, and let it fall. It shattered into pieces on the ground, splattering the cobblestone and coating the man's foot. Every drop that touched his skin was instantly absorbed. Jason let out a sigh of relief, then turned and dashed away.

When he reached the warehouse, he found that the guards had both gone back to sleep, which was a welcome relief. He was able to slip out and into the open air once more, then took off into town. He didn't know how far Lady had made it, but he knew he had a good deal of running to catch up. Still, all things considered, the operation had been a great success. He

had a lead, which would let him start working on a plan. Sure, he was far from certain what that would be, but at least he had a starting point.

That, if nothing else, was something to celebrate.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Harder and Unworked

[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: 40th day of Spring! 51 days until the Spring Festival! It's a Sunday, folks, so make sure to spend lots of time with your loved ones! At least the loved ones that don't betray you.]

Jason sighed and rolled out of bed, walking up to the window the moment that he was upright. As he gazed out on his farm, Lady poked her head out of the stable and sniffed the air, and he took a deep breath.

The previous several days had been filled with more than a little uncertainty. After making his escape from the Guild Hall, he had run back home as quickly as possible, where he found Lady already there with the wagon. He had unhitched her, then hooked her up to the plow and took her out into the field to plow up the areas that were starting to become harder and unworked. This had taken the rest of the day, during which he kept an eye on the road leading out of town. Nothing had appeared, though he was fairly certain that he had seen something of a disturbance within the town itself.

On the following day, he had spent the entire time replanting the land with wheat. Once again, he had kept an eye turned toward town, but nothing had come. About halfway through the day, he had suddenly received a notification that he had been paid, but he'd heard nothing more.

On the day after that, he had been trying to figure out what to do about everything when a horse and rider appeared on the road. Wordlessly, the man came up to the wagon, hitched his horse to the vehicle, and rode away. Jason didn't have a clue what it meant or if he was suspected, but he was certain that it had something to do with the events of his delivery. Finally, late that night, had seen Jeremiah riding back from town with a worried look upon his face, but the much older man hadn't seemed to notice Jason.

With that, the night had ended, and Jason had been left to ponder it all. Thoughts were beginning to swirl in his mind, but he needed to know a bit more. With all his options in town largely exhausted, he knew he had to pay a visit to Jeremiah, no matter how unpleasant the visit happened to be.

He quickly headed downstairs and made up a plate of pancakes yet again, then went outside and started feeding and grooming Lady. A carriage rolled by along the road, a big, fancy job coming up from the larger cities in the south, but that was the only traffic that Jason saw. On Sundays, most people stayed hunkered down and didn't do much, save the necessary chores required to keep farms and families functional.

When Lady finished eating, he saddled her up, then climbed up and rode off down the road. He felt in more than a bit of a daze, and he forced his rather shaky stomach to calm down. Ahead, the road wound up and down the hills, eventually coming to the gates of the Lazy-H Ranch. Jason could see a few farmhands out and about, but it was a far more casual experience than what Jason usually saw. As he came riding up, he caught a glimpse of Jeremiah sitting on the porch, smoking a pipe. He waved as he approached, but Jeremiah didn't wave back.

"Howdy, neighbor." Jason called, then swung down off of Lady and hitched her to a nearby post. Jeremiah continued to ignore him, at least until Jason walked up onto the porch and sat down next to him. Finally, letting out a long puff of smoke, Jeremiah turned and stared at Jason with an odd sort of look.

"Howdy," Jeremiah finally muttered, then took another draw on the pipe. "What can I do for you?"

Jason raised an eyebrow. "You look lost in thought."

Jeremiah shrugged. "Trouble in town. Nothing that you'd care about, I suspect, unless you'd like to revel in it."

Jason let out a long breath, then winced.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I was only pretending to support Blacksuit so I could sneak into his facility, which I just managed to do, and discovered a massive threat to the city?"

Jeremiah blinked, and he turned and stared at Jason. Suddenly, a smile began to spread across his face, and he laughed, loud and long.

"Jason! My boy! You... You..."

The other farmhands all turned and looked quizzically in their direction, then went back to work. Jeremiah continued to slap his thighs,

then shook his head.

"You really did, didn't you? I'm thinking back on it now, and...

That's just what you've always been willing to do. Last year, you sacrificed your farm. This year, you sacrificed your reputation!"

Jason shrugged. "I've never known Tess to be wrong about anything. She was certain that there was a threat he was hiding, so when he approached me with a business opportunity, I figured I should take the chance to get inside."

"Jason, Jason, Jason!" Jeremiah laughed, then shook his head. "You want a pipe? I've got an artisan pipe I bought from a craftsman out west, and a cask of tobacco for it that would make a king envious."

Jason laughed and shook his head. "I appreciate the gesture, but I'm not a smoker. Besides, I think Tess would kill me if she caught me smoking a pipe, you know."

Jeremiah raised an eyebrow. "Because you're broken up?"

Jason blinked, then sighed. "I... Sometimes forget about that." "Well, it wouldn't do to have a crazy ex-girlfriend coming for your

head." Jeremiah cackled. "If there's anything I can do for you, though, you just let me know!"

"First, I'd like to know what happened in town," Jason requested. "I'm still not sure if it had anything to do with my actions, and I need to get that hammered out, I think. Second, I need your help figuring out what to do. I have a few ideas, but at the end of the day, I'm just a farmer."

"Oh, Jason, you're a lot more than that!" Jeremiah grinned and clapped his hands. "All right, then, down to business. Yes, something strange happened in town. None of us are quite certain what it was, but there was a big commotion around Viola's inn just a few days ago. Blacksuit came bustling through with a wagon and something big underneath a cloak, went marching inside and made an enormous fuss about... something. Started smashing plates and cups, and even threw a chair through the window. Viola had to call Constable Hank and Tess to kick him out, which they were both glad to do. Since then, everyone's just been on edge. Viola refused to press charges, and she just hired Blacksuit's work crew to fix up the inn. Shoddy work, if you ask me, but that's what she wanted. Anyway, like I said, it's just weird. No one knows what it means, or why she's getting closer and closer to him, or... anything. Tess tried to confront her, but she just told Tess to get lost. I went inside, I've

always had a good standing with her, but she just threw me out, too. Beats everything I ever saw, I'll tell you that much. What do you make of that?"

Jason paused for a moment. He didn't know how much to tell Jeremiah, or how much Tess had already told him, but he decided to go for broke.

"The thing that Blacksuit brought to the inn was a worker from his Guild Hall. I kinda dumped a whole bunch of time potion on him, probably enough to keep him frozen for awhile until I can figure out something better."

Jeremiah blinked, then shook his head in utter disbelief. "You did what? I've heard of time potion before, or at least what I assume you're referring to as time potion. I think the proper name is Potion of Inverse Nightweed, or something like that. Freezes something in time, right?"

Jason nodded, and Jeremiah whistled.

"Why would he have taken the worker there?"

"Because his entire crew of workmen is being held at Viola's inn.

They're treated with the same potion, kept frozen until they need to be thawed for this or that job. Theresa found tattoos on several of them, they're almost certainly slaves."

"Now that's something interesting." Jeremiah let out a long whistle, then took a moment to think. "Answers some questions but leaves a lot more to be answered."

"You're telling me," Jason agreed. "I'll have to check out Viola, next."

"Good luck with that." Jeremiah slapped his leg. "Now, what's all this about a great threat?"

Jason quickly explained the room full of monster eggs. When he finished, Jeremiah stroked his chin.

"How many do you estimate are in there? Monster eggs, I mean?"

"Millions" Jason guessed. "At the very least. They've been storing them up ever since they built the hall. There were almost thirty thousand just in the crates that were delivered that day, and it looks to me like the stairwell is used at least two or three times per day."

"Now, that's not something you hear every day." Jeremiah shook his head. "I've got me some ideas, but I'd like to hear yours first. You've had a lot longer to sit on them."

"We need to transport all those monster eggs out of there," Jason proposed. "Blacksuit and his lackeys probably have an antidote to the time potion that they'll use to activate all the monster eggs at the same time. We just need a way to get those eggs out into the country."

"And you have a plan to take down millions of monsters out in the middle of the country?"

Jason hedged. "I'm not going to say that it's a wonderful plan, or that it won't come back to haunt me in the future, but I've got something."

"I'd love to hear it."

"I'd rather not spread it around," Jason admitted. "The reason I didn't tell you that I was faking my work with Blacksuit was because I needed your anger to be real. If you hear what I'm planning..."

Jeremiah nodded. "You trust me, but there's always the chance I could accidentally reveal something. Plus... listening ears, and all."

He nodded vaguely at the farm hands, and Jason sighed.

"Yeah. I trust you with my life, but some things are best kept a secret. The slightest misstep could cause everything to come crashing down."

"That's fair." Jeremiah frowned as he stroked his chin.

"Like I said, though," Jason continued quietly, "we have to get the monsters out of there."

Jeremiah nodded slowly. "Hmm. I've got an idea of sorts... Don't know if it would work or not, but it might be worth a shot."

"I'd be willing to try anything." Jason nodded. "What's the idea?"

"There's a device known as a... Oh, what was it called? Teleharvester? Something super cheesy," Jeremiah struggled to remember. "It was designed to help farmers move large quantities of inventory at once. When all the items are the same, it's easy enough to just initiate a transfer, but when all the items are different, you can give commands until your voice turns hoarse and never get close to being done. If we could get one and calibrate it to the monster eggs... It just might work." Jeremiah stroked his chin. "There are some problems we'll have to get past, of course. It only works on your own inventory, to prevent you from using it to, say, steal the contents of an entire store, but I imagine we can find a workaround for that."

"Is there any way you can get one of those?" Jason asked. "I'd rather not bring any unwanted attention to myself."

"I'll see what I can do," Jeremiah confirmed, then held out his hand. Jason stood as well, and they shook on the deal. Both their handshakes were firm, and Jeremiah flashed a crooked smile. "Stay safe, Jason. You've always gone above and beyond in your duty to this city. We'd have been crushed a long time ago, if not for you."

Jason replied, "I have a lot of good role models."

As his newly reestablished friend smiled in response, Jason strode back down to Lady. That was one part of the plan down. As he climbed up onto Lady and rode off, though, his stomach churned.

The reaction of Blacksuit to the freezing of the worker was an oddity that Jason hadn't been counting on. It was something he needed to figure out, and soon... At least, it was if he wanted to have any real chance of taking down Blacksuit for good.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Sent For Me

[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 Spring! 46 days until the Spring Festival! We're halfway there, folks!! Or at least we will be, come noon today. Enjoy the bright spring morning, and remember to report any strange or unruly activity coming from a specific set of rambunctious outsiders!]

Jason took a deep breath as he rolled out of bed. Walking up to the window, he gazed out on a farm that likely needed his attention sooner rather than later. The field was a golden-white color, more than ready to be harvested, but he had an itch forming in his gut, an itch that he knew he needed to scratch sooner rather than later.

Since his conversation with Jeremiah, he had exchanged a few letters with the man, but they had largely been negative. There simply wasn't a teleharvester (or whatever they were called - Jeremiah was still a bit vague on that account) anywhere in the area. He was planning a trip up to Illumitir to visit some relatives, and he intended to ask some questions at that point, but he was growing less and less optimistic. Still, though, Jason was ready to move on with the rest of his plan, and he knew that he needed to act sooner rather than later if it was all going to click together.

He made his way down the stairs, where his cookbook was waiting eagerly on the counter. It flapped its pages as Jason walked into the room, and he stroked his chin.

"I think I'm actually going to skip breakfast today."

[Cookbook: That is a very bad idea, and it will make you weak and pale. And likely miserable, as well.]

"That's kinda the idea," Jason confided. "Sorry. I'll be back by dinnertime! Either that, or I'll be dead or in prison, but we're going to stay optimistic."

The cookbook slammed itself shut in defiance, and Jason chuckled. He quickly strode to the front door, and stomach growling, he made his way out into the sunlight.

As he did so, he caught a glimpse of a horse in the driveway, and he flashed a small smile as Jeremiah came riding up. The older man had a confused look on his face, but he nodded as Jason walked up and crossed his arms.

"You sent for me?" Jeremiah frowned. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you could watch after Lady for the day," Jason explained. "I need to hit the road, and-"

"Of course!" Jeremiah agreed emphatically. "Get 'em! Whatever you're up to, I'm sure you'll succeed!"

"I'm a little less confident, but here goes." Jason exhaled thoughtfully. "Thanks for your confidence, and for everything else."

Jeremiah tipped his hat, then started riding over to Lady's stable. Jason breathed in the fresh air, then struck off down the road, making his way toward Summer Shandy.

As he walked, he began to set in motion the rest of his plan. After traveling a short distance down the road, he stepped to the side and slid down into the shallow ditch, where he quickly changed clothes. His overalls were replaced by some tattered rags he had sewn together from some fabric scraps he had found in the basement. His work boots were replaced by some old, rodent-chewed footwear he had found in the same location. He pulled the robes up over his head to make a sort of cloak, then started walking along down the road as best he could. This actually proved to be quite difficult, as the shoes were too big and often made him stumble, and the rags were far too long, and he found himself tripping over them as well.

When he came up to the town, he made his way straight for the inn. Several farmers gave him a single glance and drew back, and he noticed a number of mothers calling away their children. Oh, well. He did look rather like a vagabond. As he approached the door, he hesitated, tugged himself a bit deeper into the cloak, then pushed open the door.

The inside of the inn wasn't a place he had often been. Just inside, there was a large, open room with a crackling hearth and a number of tables and chairs. Currently, the furniture was largely occupied by a number of wealthy-looking patrons sipping wine out of crystal goblets and eating eggs off china plates. A few of Blacksuit's workers sat near the rear of the room, keeping largely to themselves. A few waitresses bustled back and forth, but there wasn't much else to be seen. A counter appeared just to his left, where Viola herself stood.

Jason gulped, and he slowly stepped up to the counter. She was distracted, that much was certain, as she kept glancing this way and that. Her fingers drummed nervously on the counter, and as she turned her attention to him, her face became a mask of... Well, it wasn't quite revulsion, but it wasn't exactly acceptance, either.

"Can I help you?" She pulled a clipboard out from below the counter. She had hardly been paying attention to the encounter, and that was exactly what Jason was hoping for.

"I'd like a room," he croaked, trying to disguise his voice with a rasp. "I... Bandits..."

"How far out?" Viola's eyes became slightly more interested, though she kept her gaze turned toward the wealthy patrons sitting at the tables.

"Ten miles. Had to walk..."

"I'm surprised you made it past the Lazy-H Ranch without getting a ride or a handout. Jeremiah doesn't let too many people get past him without a good dose of charity." Viola frowned. Jason's mind went white with fear, and he began preparing a defense, but Viola seemed not to notice. "How long do you need?"

"Just one night."

"Room thirty-three. Second floor, down the hall." Viola took a key from underneath the desk and placed it on the counter. "That'll be a hundred shandys."

"Done."

With a ka-ching, the deal went through. Jason took the key and started to walk away, and in that moment, Viola looked. Her eyes met his, and though he thought he had hidden himself deeply enough in the hood, he saw her face flicker with shock.

"Callie, can you come watch the counter for a moment?" Viola called out. "I'd like to show this gentleman to his room."

"Of course!" One of the waitresses called out, sweeping over to stand behind the desk in Viola's place. Viola quickly took the lead, motioning for him to follow. They made their way up a small staircase, and they soon came out into a small hallway that ran the length of the building along the second floor.

Jason's feet made a loud, echoing noise as they walked down the hall. Flop-flop-flop. They sounded like gunshots in the silence, and Viola

soon arrived at door thirty-three. Jason inserted the key into the lock, and a moment later, the two of them had walked inside. Viola closed the door behind them, then let out a hiss.

"What are you doing here, Jason? I thought I made it very clear the last time we spoke that I don't want anything to do with you people."

"I'm just trying to sort through everything," Jason tried to explain as he pulled back his hood. "I'm getting ready to take down Blacksuit, and I wanted to make sure that you're not caught up in the blast."

"The blast? You're going to take him down like you took down Leonard?" Viola raised an eyebrow.

"No." Jason shook his head. "All I'm going to do is take down the millions of monster eggs he has hidden in the basement of that giant, gaudy fortress of his."

Viola held his gaze, then looked down at the ground. She let out a long hiss.

"So, they were lying. They said that they had no ill wishes for the town, just that they wanted revenge on Tess, Paulina, and Theresa."

"Yes, they were lying!" Jason hissed. "What did you think? They're keeping workers in stasis in your inn! What kind of loving, benevolent people would do a thing like that?"

Viola shook her head. "Those aren't workers. Those are human- replica golems designed by the mages in Illumitir..." Her voice slowly trailed off, and horror dawned in her eyes.

"Oh, no. Those are workers!" She hissed. "Those are real people they're keeping hostage!"

In so, so many ways, Jason couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Just how gullible are you?"

"According to Tess, very." Viola scowled. "I just... Why are you here, anyway? Did Jeremiah send you?"

"No." Jason shook his head. "I was the reason that one worker got brought in about a week ago. I was kinda the reason he got frozen in time. When I heard he got brought here..."

At that, Viola snorted. "That doesn't surprise me, all things considered."

They both stood there for a few moments, and Jason held up his hands. "Well? Are you going to tell me what's happening? I'm putting pieces together, but I'm still in the dark, and I'm getting rather tired of that

fact. I get that they want revenge, but why is the Dungeon Guild so set on getting revenge for Leonard? From what I could see last year, they didn't exactly care about him a great deal."

Viola chortled cynically. "The Dungeon Guild? You still buy Tess's theory that this was all about the Dungeon Guild?"

Jason bit his lip, then held up a finger. "Up until about two seconds ago, yes, that was my theory. All things considered, there are not a lot of other things that make sense."

Viola ground her teeth together so loudly that Jason could hear it. He winced and he took a step back as she began to glance back and forth in what could only be described as immense indecision.

In all reality, he couldn't blame her for being hesitant. Up until only a few moments earlier, at least as far as Jason could tell, she had truly believed that she was doing the right thing. He still had dozens of questions churning, but he resigned himself to waiting for her answers.

And... waiting.

And waiting.

Almost five minutes went by and she sighed.

"Look, I... I mean, what you're telling me makes sense, but-"

"But I was the bad guy for the better part of a year, and now it's hard

to just trust me because I snuck in here?" "Yes." Viola nodded.

"So then...," Jason urged her, "Tell me what's going on. If you don't like my reaction to it, you can snap your fingers, and whoever is pulling your strings will come and arrest me. I'm deep in enemy territory right now. I pose no threat to you whatsoever."

"That's true enough." Viola let out a long breath, then tried to steel herself for the revelation. "In that case... oh... This hurts..." She spun and paced back and forth for a moment, then turned to face Jason.

"Leonard is alive."

At that, Jason's jaw dropped. For a few long moments, he just stood there, staring at her. She seemed to take a great deal of offense at this, and he had to force his jaw back closed as she stormed back and forth.

"Leonard." Jason crossed his arms. "Like... The guy we dropped a hundred pounds of dynamite on? The guy who tried to kill me? Tess's ex- boyfriend?"

"That Leonard, yes," Viola confirmed. "I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but... The Dungeon Guild had lent him a highly overpowered suit of armor, to help him survive if he happened to engage Tess. Honestly, I think it would have failed if it had come to that, but it did help him survive the blast."

"How did he get out?" Jason tried to understand "Did you get him free?"

Viola nodded. "Tess made the offhanded suggestion that we go through the rubble. I was furious at her, so I did. I found him near the top, barely breathing. I can only assume that he attempted to escape up his tunnel, and he likely got very nearly all the way up before the dynamite exploded. I took him back here, and... He's been here ever since."

Jason had an inkling to test: "So... Leonard is the one behind all this!"

"No."

His understanding drained back out, and Viola sighed. "Let me... Let me show you."

She slowly walked back to the door, pulled it open, and she stepped out into the hall. After glancing back and forth, she slipped into the hall and started striding past the long row of doors. Jason followed her, all the way down to the end. After glancing back and forth one more time, Viola pulled a key out of her inventory, unlocked the door, and slipped inside. Jason did the same, and Viola pushed the door shut behind him. As the lock clicked back shut, Jason's heart nearly stopped.

Lying on the bed, frozen in time, was Leonard. He had been beaten up one side and down the other, that was for certain. His right arm hung askew at a rather unnatural angle, and every single inch of his exposed skin was covered in cuts, bruises, and burns. His eyes were closed, and blood was flecked on his lips and nose.

"When it became obvious that I couldn't heal him, I froze him in time." Viola spoke softly. "I then used some of my contacts to find his relatives. His parents answered the call and came down here immediately. You know them as Lady Benford and Blacksuit. We've been working on trying to find a cure, but it has not been an easy process."

Jason grasped the truth slowly. "So... He's been frozen in time for the better part of a year?"

"Yes," Viola admitted. "I had the doctors from that hospital over there look at him. That's actually the reason it was built, primarily. They estimate that if we thaw him out, he'll be dead in five minutes. They keep coming up with possible treatment options, but his parents reject them all out of turn. They want something that will guarantee his survival, and nothing less."

A thousand thoughts swirled through Jason's mind. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet.

"Will you do me a favor? Bring Theresa into this." Viola's face hardened immediately. "No."

"Why not?" Jason protested.

"She'll just kill him, like she did last year."

Jason just shook his head. "She did what she had to do, and she'd probably do it again, but she won't kill someone in cold blood. If you want someone who can get him fixed up, it'll be her."

Viola nodded slowly, and she sighed. "All right, then. I... If anything goes wrong, I'm holding you personally responsible."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Jason consented.

"Good." Viola puffed out her cheeks, then flashed a small smile. "Thank you, Jason."

"Just doing my duty." Jason reciprocated her small smile, then turned away. "Now, if you don't mind, I've got to get running. I need to go talk to Hank about a purchase, and then I'll be off. I'll let you know when things will go down, if I can manage it."

With that, he slipped out through the door, made his way down the stairs, and was gone.

Leonard was alive, and his parents were the ones behind everything. His mind spun... But his resolve hardened into something resembling solid determination. He would save the town once again, and maybe, just maybe, Leonard's life would be spared in the process.

At the end of the day... What more could he ask

Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Full Stomach

[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: 48th day of Spring! 43 days until the Spring Festival! We're halfway there, folks!! Or at least we will be, come noon today. Enjoy the bright spring morning, and remember to report any strange or unruly activity coming from a specific set of rambunctious outsiders!]

As Jason rolled out of bed, a smile flickered across his face. It was going to be a good day, and he knew it. He quickly jogged over to his wardrobe and changed clothes, then scampered down the stairs. He didn't bother looking out the window, for it would have taken too much time. If he was going to get everything done that needed to be done, he had to get an early start.

He rushed into the kitchen, where the cookbook flapped its pages in excitement. With a flash, a plate of eggs appeared, and Jason took a deep breath.

"Thanks, cookbook. You're the best."

He ate the meal quickly, then leapt back to his feet and rushed to the front door. The cookbook waved its arms in reply, and he quickly came to the front of the house. There, in the mail slot, sat several envelopes, which he readily grabbed and began to read.

The first was from Constable Hank. They had been communicating for the previous several days, ever since his visit to Viola. He tore open the envelope, and though there wasn't any note or letter, there was a deed indicating that Jason now formally owned the plot of ground out in the middle of the prairie. It was about half a mile away from his current home, deep in the heart of the waving grasses. Land had been going cheap, allowing him to secure almost a half-mile of territory. It was far more than he could handle at that moment, but in time, he knew he'd be able to make it work for him. For that moment, though, he had far different plans.

Putting the deed away, he tore into the second letter.

"Howdy, neighbor! Just got to Illumitir yesterday. I made some inquiries, and it looks like I can probably find one of those devices we

spoke about. It might take me a few days to track down, seems like they're pretty rare, but they do exist. I'll update you as soon as I know something more. Your friend, Jeremiah. P.S., if you're planning on doing what I think you're doing... Just know that I think it's a terrible idea. Not that you really have any better options, but I do think it'll be terrible."

Jason couldn't help but smile, then wadded up the letter and tossed it into a nearby wastebasket. There was one letter more, which he read as quickly as he could.

"Hey, Jason. Theresa here. I just wanted to say thanks for getting Viola to accept help with Leonard. He's in bad shape, but I do think I can save him. Probably take a couple weeks to get together the supplies I need. Just wanted to give you an update! Theresa."

Jason let out a long sigh of relief, then ran out into the farmyard. Lady looked up at him in alarm, and he flashed a crooked grin. He quickly led her out to the hitching post and got her feed, then proceeded to pace nervously back and forth across the farm. The moment that she was done, he hooked her up to the plow, and they set off across the prairie.

This part was... Interesting. He kept the blades of the plow raised, allowing Lady to move quickly across the open grassland. Of course, this speed allowed him to miss a large number of gopher and badger holes. Every time the wheels dropped into one of them, the plow tipped to one side and gave a tremendous crash, and he knew that he would have to spend several days servicing the machine once he was done.

He had to go up and over several hills and ford through a small stream before he arrived at the plot of ground. To his delight, as he came up to it, he found that the prairie grass had been cut short to mark the boundaries of the territory, which, now that he looked at it, was twice as large as his current homestead. The southern border came up against what was either a large grove of trees or a small forest, into which ran the small stream. A few trees sprouted from the expanse, but otherwise, it was relatively clear and mostly flat. Countless monsters that he hadn't seen in almost two years filled the expanse, including hundreds of shrumps and at least two dozen wood golems. He blinked in surprise, then took a deep breath.

It was what it was. At that moment, he didn't have to plow the whole thing. Just enough to do what he needed to do. He drove lady up to

the edge of the field, took a deep breath, and pulled the lever to lower the blades.

Lady trundled forward as the plow bit into the ground. As the rich, unworked soil was tilled, monsters across the plot of ground seemed to take notice. Shrumps began fleeing in terror, while crabgrasses and histles galore began to surge in that direction. Jason pulled a fire crystal from his inventory and threw it at a particularly large clump of the beasts, and the resulting torrent of flame killed several dozen and drove the rest of them back. He felt a smile come across his face, and he took Lady about a hundred feet down the length of the plot of ground. That done, he lifted the plow, then began the long and arduous trek back to his farm.

The return trip was no easier than the first trip, and in fact, in his attempt to avoid the holes that he had hit on the way in, he actually wound up hitting a number of even larger holes. He had almost made it back home when he rumbled through an entire warren of badger holes, and two of the plow blades broke off altogether. He scooped them back up, but he had little time to take care of them as they reached the farmstead once more.

As he unhitched Lady from the plow, he took a deep breath. Now... Now, it was time for the really hard part. He hitched her up to the planter and he pulled the machine out into the main yard. Then, feeling more than a little outrageous, held up his hands.

"Transfer items from farm inventory to planter: Monstertrap seeds."

There was a loud clunk, and the planter began to bounce on its shocks. The large containers that held the seeds rattled loudly as the monstertrap seeds desperately tried to escape, and he groaned.

"Oh, what am I doing?" He muttered, then climbed up onto the rear of the planter. "This is gonna hurt, and Jeremiah is going to kill me. Oh, well. Nothing to be done about it, you know?"

Lady only snorted, and he chuckled. With that, they were off, rumbling across the prairie once again. The bins rattled louder and louder as they pressed onward, and every single time they went through a hole, they were tossed back and forth and the whole thing felt like it was going to explode. Jason held on for dear life, even though he knew that if the monstertrap seeds succeeded in actually breaking free, he would suddenly find himself facing the brunt of a torrent of angry seeds covered in thick spikes that would likely shred him to the bone.

Thankfully, this horrible fear wasn't realized, and he soon arrived at the long length of ground that he had just plowed. Lady moved into position, and he pulled the lever to allow the planter to drop down into the ground. With that, they were off, and the monstertrap seeds poured down into the freshly worked soil.

Jason, when he told stories about the event in the future, had to admit that it was more than a bit entertaining to watch. The seeds were forced down long tubes and into the soil, into grooves formed by the disks of the planter. Following just behind the tubes were large wheels that stamped the soil down across the seeds, preventing them from escaping. At least, that was the theory. The seeds did everything they could to break free, and Jason felt a smile breaking across his face as he turned and glanced behind him to find the seeds leaping from the soil and scampering away. After exerting so much energy, they could only ever go a foot or two, but it made the whole expanse look like a rippling sea in many ways. The soil bulging up, sometimes breaking open... It was extraordinary. Terrifying, but extraordinary.

The seeds finished rattling out of the planter about ten feet before he reached the end of the tilled section of ground, and he nodded in approval. With that, he lifted the planter from the ground, spun Lady around, and began heading back toward home.

The return trip was a much slower one, that much was certain. Lady was breathing hard at having to travel over so much uneven ground, and Jason felt battered from being thrown back and forth so much. Several disks had broken off the planter by the time he got back to his home, but... well... The deed was done.

He had planted a whole field of Mars Monstertraps. A small field, to be sure, but... Well, he had seen what they could do. The plants would be sprouted and ready to eat in just a few days, at which point, they would begin to multiply rapidly. With so many to start from, it wouldn't be long before the entire prairie was engulfed. Still, though, it would take millions of monstertraps to eat millions of monsters. He would deal with the fallout of the event later.

For now, however bad it might have been, he had a plan... And at that moment, that was the best thing he could hope for.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Proper Banquet

[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 Spring! 11 days until the Spring Festival! Nothing too interesting happening today! No, it's a very boring day indeed. Plain weather. Plain activities. Nothing to worry about.]

Jason snorted at that, then shook his head. Tess had the subtle flair of an anvil being dropped on someone's head. He rose and walked up to the window, then gazed out across the open plains. His stomach churned, but he couldn't be bothered with it. With that, he walked to the wardrobe, changed into a tunic, and ran down the stairs.

As he came into the kitchen, he found Jeremiah already at his kitchen table, a smirk on his face. A proper banquet sat at the ready, complete with potato casserole, a more deluxe omelet than Jason had ever seen before, hotcakes, bagels, cheese spreads, fruit, and more.

"Your wife does realize that my stomach can only physically hold like... Three bites of this, right?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

Jeremiah just chuckled. "Hey, it's a big day! If you go off into battle on an empty stomach, you're almost certain to lose."

"That's fair." Jason let out a long breath, then nodded and tucked into the meal. Jeremiah joined him, and together... Well, they hardly put a dent into the smorgasbord that Delilah had prepared, but Jason did make sure to sample everything out of politeness. With that, they rose and ran out into the farmstead. Lady and Jeremiah's horse were already saddled and ready, and as they rode out to the road, a dozen of Jeremiah's hired men came trotting up to meet them. They were all on their own horses: great, majestic creatures that shimmered in the morning light.

"All right, everyone." Jeremiah took a deep breath. "We're riding into battle today, not as farmers, but as a posse coming up against some varmints."

"Got ya covered, boss!" Weatherhand, leading the formation, grinned. He pulled a large pitchfork out of his inventory, and the other

farmhands did the same. Jeremiah and Jason both laughed, and Jeremiah continued.

"Seriously, though, you should probably stick to rifles. I don't know what we're riding into, but I do know that it'll likely be the most serious fighting we'll have seen in our time. Even worse than when we found the dragon nest out in the west pasture, if you want my honest opinion. Jason and I will engage the fortress directly. The rest of you will be drawing the warriors and defenses away from the fortress. Don't kill anyone you don't have to kill. The warriors are just as much pawns in this fight as we've been. Make sense?"

There was a shout of "Aye!" that rang up from the crowd, and Jason grinned. They had been over the plan dozens of times in the previous several weeks, but it was still fun to hash it out anyway. With that, they all spun toward town, and Jason spurred Lady onward.

The posse broke into a run, flashing down the road as fast as their horses could move. Even if they weren't a force that could technically breach a stronghold or anything, Jason had to imagine that twelve men on horses, all carrying guns or pitchforks, had to look impressive. They roared down the road, wound their way up to Summer Shandy, and came tearing into the town square with all the force that they could muster. Jason's heart beat within his chest, and he grinned from ear to ear.

As they reached the square, civilians scattered even as Constable Hank and Tess, who were seated at the town well, both leapt to their feet. Jeremiah pulled out his rifle, pointed it at the sky, and fired. An enormous blast of smoke leapt from the barrel of the gun, and the retort echoed across the town. In response, the farm hands (who were having entirely too much fun with the whole ordeal) let out a series of hoots and hollers. firing their own guns up into the air.

"Now... What is this?" Constable Hank sputtered and leapt to his feet as the farmers continued to circle him, causing as much chaos as they could manage.

"Sorry for the rude awakening this morning." Jason swung up in front of him as the chaos continued to rage around him. "We... ah... We're taking care of a bit of a problem." He held out his hand to Tess. "Ready to join forces once more?"

A grin split Tess's face from ear to ear, and she reached out and grasped Jason's hand firmly. He pulled with all his might, and she soon sat

on Lady's back just behind him. She was arrayed in full battle armor, and he sighed deeply.

"Wait just a minute," Jeremiah came spinning up next to them. "You mean... You two..."

Jason shrugged. "We knew that Blacksuit would never trust either of us if we were still together, so we staged the breakup. Blacksuit took the bait hook, line, and sinker. It was the only way to figure out what he was hiding."

With that, Jeremiah laughed, loud and long, and Constable Hank scowled. The sheriff pulled out a pistol of his own, and Jason winced. Strictly speaking, displays of this type were illegal, and Hank would be well within his rights to have them all arrested.

After a few moments of deliberation, Hank pointed his pistol skyward and fired his own gun into the air. The shot rang out, and he holstered the pistol once more.

"If you fail, I'll have to arrest you all."

With that, he stomped through the ring of horses and made his way over to his office, where he vanished through the door. Jason let out a long breath, then nodded at Tess.

"Shall we?"

"After you."

"Jeremiah!" Jason called out. "Charge!"

Hooves pounded on the cobblestone as the posse came racing

around Tess's Guild Hall and made for the front door of the castle. The farm hands began firing their rifles into the thick, stone edifice of the fortress, and windows up and down the length of the building began to fly open. Jason watched it for a moment, then wheeled Lady around and swung around the other side of Tess's Guild Hall. Jeremiah followed closely, and they quickly made their way down the backside of the fortress and came around to the small loading dock.

The area was unguarded. That much, at the least, was good! Unfortunately, it was also quite locked. A gate had been pulled down across the arched entry, with thick, metal bars that Jason had little doubt would be almost impossible to breach. Jason swung down off Lady, and Tess followed. A moment later, Jeremiah stood by them as well, and let out a long breath.

"Stand back," Tess ordered, striding forward. "I know it got us into our last jam, but I figure it'll work well again." She pulled a stick of dynamite from her inventory and slid it into a gap in the gate, then lit the fuse. They all scrambled back, and a few moments later, the dynamite exploded.

KA-BOOM!!!!

The ground shuddered, and the gate was blasted into smithereens. Bits and pieces of twisted metal flew through the air, and smoke poured out from the fortress. Tess charged forward, drawing her sword as she did so. Jason was right behind her, a pistol in each hand. Jeremiah came up behind them, clutching his rifle tightly. Warriors came spilling out of the doors at the back of the warehouse, and Tess launched herself at the line.

Jason's heart swelled within him as Tess came crashing into the row of warriors like a cannonball. She smashed straight through their first line of defense, swept their legs, kicked their swords from their hands, and generally speaking, just caused utter chaos. She was so fast that none of them could hit her, and in a moment, she had disarmed almost all of them. Jason and Jeremiah, meanwhile, went running for the locked door that led to the basement.

"There!" Jason pointed. "You wanna use dynamite again?"

Jeremiah shook his head. "That could bring the whole building down on top of us." He raised his rifle, and Jason brought up both of his pistols.

The cacophony that shook the air of the loading dock was, in a word, painful. Gunshot after gunshot went off, and the lock was blasted into slivers of metal. It dissolved into blue sparks in a few moments, and Jeremiah and Jason soon pulled down the metal chains. It all came crashing to the ground, and they wrenched the door open.

"Tess! We're ready when you are!" Jason called. He and Jeremiah slipped into the stairwell and started running down the stairs as quickly as they could go. The door crashed right behind them, but he didn't bother to look back. Moments later, they came charging out into the main warehouse, and Tess jogged up next to him.

"Wow," she breathed softly. "Jeremiah got word to me about what you'd found down here, but I almost didn't want to believe it."

"Believe it!" A high-pitch voice shrieked. A dark figure emerged from the labyrinth of crates. Blacksuit himself. His face was red with

something that looked both like fury and insanity, and Jason pointed his silver pistol at the man. Jeremiah did the same with his rifle, but Tess gave a simple shake of her head. With that, Jeremiah's eyes widened, and he put away the rifle and pulled out an odd, white device roughly the size of his hand. It was covered in odd wires and lights, and he started fiddling with the controls.

"What is this, Blacksuit?" Tess sneered. "You really are going to destroy the town? You can't be Guild Master if everything's gone."

"I don't care about this pathetic little town." Blacksuit snapped. "You think I've wanted to spend the last year here? You think I care in the slightest about being the Guild Master in this pathetic place? Oh, no, my good lady. This has nothing to do with the Guild. This has everything to do with... with..."

"With Leonard?" Jason queried.

Tess's head snapped around, her face wrought with confusion. Blacksuit's already-red face turned nearly a shade of blue, and Jeremiah began to fiddle with the controls a bit faster.

"How do you know about Leonard?" Blacksuit's jowls trembled. "What's Leonard got to do with this?" Tess frowned.

"Sorry. Late development, we weren't able to communicate in

time." Jason apologized. "I... ahh... Short version is that Leonard is still alive, and that's his father, who wants revenge."

Tess frowned and nodded, then took a stance once again. "In that case, prepare to suffer the same way that he did."

Blacksuit pulled a vial of green potion out of his inventory, holding it high above his head.

"When I bring this smashing down, all the monster eggs in this room will activate. They'll come pouring up, and if anyone survives, they'll have you and you alone to blame. I've planted plenty of evidence."

Tess snarled. "You'll be killed, too."

"Yes, but my son will, once he fully heals, be content in the fact that the people who tried to kill him are now dead." Blacksuit snapped. "That seems like a fair trade to me."

"Blacksuit, don't do this." Tess countered. "You really don't want that kind of guilt on your conscience."

"I will do what I want to do!" Blacksuit screamed. "You are murderers, and you portray yourselves as upstanding models of the law! It's

a wonder that anyone who passes through this small town comes out alive. I'm doing this world a favor!"

With that, he threw the bottle of potion down at the floor. Tess leapt forward, hands outstretched to grab the vial. It sailed straight between her fingers, smashed on the floor, and exploded violently. A thick, green mist swirled throughout the room, and Jason heard the wooden crates beginning to groan as things inside of them began to awaken.

"Jeremiah!"

"Working on it!"

"You're out of time!"

Through the thick mist, Jason saw an enormous claw come

smashing out through one of the boxes. "Got it!"

Jeremiah triumphantly twisted a dial, and with a flash of light that nearly blinded Jason, every single egg in the warehouse was transported to the middle of the prairie, where they came crashing down into Jason's field of monstertraps. If any of them happened to escape, it certainly wouldn't be a large number. The green mist cleared, leaving nothing but empty crates filling a useless hole in the ground. A few monsters which had managed to spawn in came stumbling out of their crates, but Tess simply climbed back to her feet and quickly dispatched them.

"Done and done." Tess whistled, then turned back to Blacksuit. "And... There you have it. A full year of work, down the drain."

Blacksuit stood there, slack-jawed. His whole body shook, and Jason put away his pistols. Jeremiah put away the odd teleporter, and Tess sheathed her sword.

"Come on." Jason held out his hand. "Call off your warriors, and come to the town square. I think we've got something that you'll want to see."

Blacksuit could hardly resist as Tess took one of his arms and Jeremiah took the other, and he was quite roughly marched up the stairs and out into the sunlight. There, Jeremiah's farm hands were still hooting and firing their guns at the fortress, though by now, the warriors had largely just gathered on the upper parapets to watch the ordeal. After all, it had soon become obvious that the farmers weren't actually trying to kill anyone, and it was quite entertaining to watch. The posse quickly disbanded as Jeremiah reappeared, and the group all ambled over to the town square.

As they came shuffling up, a second procession came striding around the side of Paulina's store. Paulina was in the lead, holding tightly to Lady Benford's arm. Viola and Theresa were on the other side, and they were followed by a mob of angry-looking workers. As both groups met, first one person, then another began shouting out. Blacksuit and Lady Benford were pressed up against the town well, and Tess took a deep breath.

"Quiet!"

Her voice rang above the procession, and the noise died away. She let out a long breath after a few moments and nodded.

"Thank you." She turned to Theresa. "I can only assume that you managed to free all the workers from whatever influence they were under?"

Theresa nodded. "The tattoos bound their wills to that of their owner. I just used a bit of acid to disfigure the tattoos enough to break the connection. These tattoos will all need proper removal, but I haven't had the time to manage that yet."

Tess let out a long breath, and Constable Hank (rather reluctantly, it seemed) came wandering out of the town jail and ambled over. He looked them up and down, then shrugged.

"Blacksuit, Lady Benford, if I've been paying attention, you stand accused of endangerment of a civilization, conspiracy to commit murder, slavery, and a host of other crimes that I'm sure can be sorted out in a proper court of law. How do you plead?"

Neither of them said a thing, just held their heads high and stared down at the constable with contempt. Jason turned and nodded to Theresa, and she vanished into the crowd. For a few long moments, the standoff continued, at least until a confused voice echoed out across the assembly.

"Mom? Dad?"

The crowd parted, forming a line between the town well and Viola's inn. Standing there on shaky legs, and supported by Theresa, stood a worse- for-wear Leonard. He was still covered in burns and bruises, but he was alive, and his eyes held a light within them that seemed to betray his beaten composition.

"Leonard?" Lady Benford gasped, then rushed forward and pulled him into her arms. Blacksuit sputtered for several long moments, then turned to Constable Hank and scratched his head.

"You... You people saved him."

Constable Hank just shrugged, and Tess gestured to Jason. Jason rather awkwardly shuffled forward, then nodded.

"Last year, we never intended to kill Leonard. His injuries were necessary to stop him, and I can only imagine that he'll readily admit to his crimes, but we didn't intend anything more than that. Theresa's the one who nursed him back to health, and I assure you, she's the best in the business."

Blacksuit rubbed his jaw, apparently flabbergasted. He sputtered for a few more seconds, and Constable Hank sighed.

"I can only imagine that the three of you would like some privacy." He gestured at the jail. "I've got a family room I can put you in. Nice and private, you won't have anyone bothering you."

Blacksuit still looked so befuddled that neither he nor the rest of his family said a word as they were hustled off to jail. Jason caught hold of Constable Hank's sleeve as they were taken inside, and he let out a long breath.

"What's going to happen to them?"

"I honestly don't know," Constable Hank confessed. "I'm really only allowed to dispense justice on a local level. These sorts of crimes... I'll have to send them off to Illumitir for the higher courts to deal with. Up there, it's anyone's guess what their fate will be. If I had to guess, Leonard will likely be allowed to go free, or at the worst, will get away with a year or two in prison. His parents? I doubt they will see the light of day again for a long, long time." With that, he walked away, muttering under his breath about how no one told him anything. As he vanished into the jail, Jason turned to Tess, who just gazed at him in admiration.

"You've been busy." She flashed him a smile, then Smiling, she pulled him into a tight embrace. "Oh, I've missed this. It's been so long."

He hugged her back, though with her thick suit of armor, it was hard to tell exactly whether or not she could feel the hug. "I've missed you, too." He let out a long breath. "And... Tess?"

They pulled apart slightly, and Jason felt a flutter growing in his stomach.

"I... Even though it's just been a fake breakup, I've missed you terribly. I never want to go that long without seeing you again. While I know it won't happen immediately, I never want to go a day without seeing you again."

Tess put her hand over her mouth, her eyes widening. Jason dropped down on one knee, and he pulled the ring out of his inventory. It glittered in the early-morning light, and he slowly held it up to her.

"Tess, will you marry me?"

A grin split her face from ear to ear, and she started bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Yes! Oh, Jason, yes!"

The crowd around them exploded into cheers, and Jason felt as though he was walking on a cloud.

The crisis, once again, was over. He was engaged, and as Tess took off her gauntlet and allowed him to slip the ring onto her finger, she seemed to radiate light. Indeed, he had everything, and more, than he had ever wanted.

Now, all that was left was to enjoy it.

Chapter Forty: Spring Festival

[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 39 starting actions.]

[Tess's Almanac: 91st day of Spring! It's the day of the Spring Festival! Wonderful weather expected for this final day of Spring! If you've got flowers, it's a perfect day to bring them out!]

Jason felt a smile break across his face, and he rolled out of bed and slowly stood up. To an equal portion of delight and disappointment, he didn't find Tess waiting for him, though telltale noises in the rest of the house told him that she was probably waiting in the wings for him. He walked to the wardrobe and changed quickly, putting on a dress tunic. With that, he walked up to the window and gazed out at the farm, taking it all in.

The field was harvested and ready for planting once summer came around. Angus and Lady were both out at the hitching post, and they seemed to be enjoying one another's company. Jason let out a long breath to calm the butterflies in his stomach, and he slowly started down the stairs.

Breakfast appeared on the table as he walked into the kitchen. Though it wasn't quite as extravagant as the breakfast prepared by Delilah, it was certainly nothing simple. There was a plate of biscuits and a steaming bowl of gravy, several sausage links, and a plate of eggs that gleamed in the morning light. Tess had donned her ceremonial armor, and she sat down with a clink as Jason took the other side of the table.

"Thank you." Jason flashed a small smile.

"It won't be much longer before we can do this every day!" Tess grinned, then sobered slightly. "There are a lot of details to work out, of course."

"We can deal with those later." Jason shrugged and waved his hand dismissively. "For now, let's just enjoy it."

Tess took a long breath, then grinned again.

"Okay, that's long enough. When do we want the wedding to be? Where do we want it to be? Church wedding or civil wedding? How many people are we inviting? What should our colors be? How many flowers? What's our budget?"

Jason just laughed and shook his head. "Do me a favor? Let's get through the Spring Festival before we start hashing through those details." He grimaced and shuddered a bit. "Weddings mean families, and that means we're going to have to invite mine to come down here."

Tess flashed a crooked grin. "Not something you're looking forward to?"

Jason shrugged. "I mean... I've been here two years, and none of them have even bothered to send a letter. Still, if I don't say anything, and they find out that I'm married, have kids, and didn't tell them... Whew!" He chuckled. "Not something that's going to go over well." After a moment, he nodded at her. "What about your family?"

Tess blinked, then shrugged and lowered her head. "I... I don't have any."

"None?"

Tess shook her head. "My father and mother were both warriors. They met each other, fell in love in the dungeons, and stuck together until I was born. When they realized that I was actually a responsibility... It didn't last long from there."

Jason sighed and looked down. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be." Tess shrugged and put a hand on his arm. "I've... I've avoided telling you anything about my past. I'm not ashamed about it, but it is a lot."

"In that case, you'll just have to start telling me over the course of our engagement." A light twinkled in Jason's eye. "For what it's worth, I think we can at least do one bit of wedding planning."

"Oh?" Tess raised an eyebrow.

"The date." Jason took a deep breath. "I formally propose that the wedding be exactly one year from today, at the next Spring Festival."

"That long?" Tess screwed up her nose. "That's a lot of time for things to go wrong. A lot of time for general chaos and mayhem to come crashing into our lives and mess everything up."

Jason shrugged. "It just seems right to me. Like you said, we have a lot to figure out. Sure, we could technically go get married today, but then you wouldn't have the dream wedding you've always wanted." He paused. "At least, that I assume you've always wanted. Like you said, there are a lot of plans to work out."

"That there is, indeed." Tess took a long breath, then nodded at their food. "For now, let's eat and then set out. I'd like to get an early start on this festival. If possible, I'd like to make it one to remember."

"Cheers to that!" Jason grinned broadly, and they quickly tucked into their breakfast.

It wasn't long before they finished and slowly walked out into the farmyard. Lady and Angus had both finished eating, and Tess and Jason were soon mounted up and riding off down the road for Summer Shandy. The sun shone down brilliantly around them, and the wind blew with a wonderful softness. Jason's heart skipped a beat with every single step. He... He was engaged! He was going to be married!

When they came riding up into town, a gunshot rang out through the air. Jason jumped, at least until his eyes settled on Constable Hank, who slowly slid his pistol back into its holster.

"Celebratory fire! There's the happy couple! I'm happy for you!" He roared loudly, a grin upon his face. "How's it feel?"

Tess and Jason both laughed, ignored him, and set off to get things done. They soon had their horses stabled and joined the general hubbub of the town. Tables were carried out, tablecloths were laid in place, the band began to play, and dancing erupted all across the town. Fires roared in the hearths and chimneys of every single building, and the smells of a hundred different types of meats, breads, and other dishes soon filled the town square.

As the day wore on, more and more people came out. Paulina, Viola, and Theresa all stole Tess away sometime around noon. Soon enough, Jeremiah rumbled into town in his carriage. He hopped off and clapped Jason on the back, keeping a grin plastered across his face.

"Ahh, Jason!" He laughed and shook his head. "I just can't get enough of you, you know that?"

Jason didn't really know how to answer, but he chuckled and went along with it. Jeremiah motioned for him to help carry things from the carriage, at which point he began giving out every bit of marriage advice that seemed to come to his mind. Jason largely ignored most of it, but it was nice to have a friend who cared.

Preparations continued throughout the day, until the sun finally began to set in the sky. The blue gave way to yellow, then orange, and soon

enough, the stars were twinkling down overhead in all their wonder. The band was playing full-force now, and Jason felt his heart thumping.

Suddenly, there came a cheer from Paulina's store, and Jason turned to look in that direction. The four girls emerged, all bedecked in their finest dresses. Tess, though, was... stunning. She was still in her battle armor, but strung over and around it was what could only be described as a bouquet of flowers. The stems had been woven together into a vine, allowing the flowers to burst forth from the living rope. It was draped about her shoulders and allowed to hang down her sides, and Jason's jaw dropped. Her hair was pulled back behind her head, held in place with elegant combs and more flowers. She blushed as she came down and everyone turned to look at her, and a path of sorts formed between herself and Jason.

He stammered and started walking toward her, well aware that every eye in the small town was upon them. He held out his hands as they approached each other, and she did the same. As they came together, the crowd exploded into applause, then returned to whatever they had been doing. Dancers danced, people sitting at the tables began to tuck into the food, and Tess let out a long breath.

"You look beautiful." Jason breathed.

"And I don't ordinarily?" Tess raised an eyebrow.

"You do! I just..." Jason stammered, then shrugged. "May I have

this dance?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

They took each other's hands, and as a lively waltz began, they

swept across the cobblestones of Summer Shandy in perfect harmony.

Back and forth across the town square they went, never stopping, never pausing, until their legs were so tired that they could hardly stand. Then, and only then (as most of the people were leaving to head back home), they stumbled to a table, and began to munch on the leftovers. There was still more than enough, and as they chewed on legs of turkey and munched on a crisp coleslaw, Jeremiah came walking up and patted him on

the back.

"Well, us old-timers have to be heading back home. Work to do in

the morning, and all that." He gave Jason's shoulder a squeeze. "As usual, if you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know. I promise I'll never refuse to believe you again."

Jason could only hold out his hand, which Jeremiah shook firmly.

"You're a good friend." Jason smiled. "You know better than I do that I'll be taking you up on that offer."

"Indeed, I do!" Jeremiah laughed, then grimaced. "On that note, have you looked at that monstertrap field you created?"

At that, Jason winced. "I... I did. It's not pretty. Has to cover something like three square miles by now. My plan is to try and firebomb it this summer, but... I've had other things to think about."

"I'll see what I can do to help with it," Tess nodded. "Now that I'm back in control of the Warriors' Guild, I should be able to swing a few people over into that corner of the world."

"You might just have to mark it as an entirely separate dungeon," Jason muttered. then shrugged. "But, as we said, that's a problem for later."

"See you later, neighbor!" Jeremiah called out, and soon enough he had ambled away, off down the road toward his farmstead. Jason watched him go, then turned and held out his hand to Tess.

"Care for a walk?"

She flashed a small smile at him. "I'd love nothing more."

They finished eating, then rose and struck off through the town.

They walked past the Guild Hall, and soon enough stood in front of the immense fortress that marked the former anti-guild hall. Jason sighed deeply as he looked at it, then glanced at Tess.

"What are you going to do with it?" He asked. "I heard word on the street that Constable Hank is giving you full control over it."

Tess nodded wearily. "I've been trying to figure that out myself. The short answer is that I haven't got the slightest idea. I keep coming up with options, but none of them seem right. I don't really want to just move into it, but it also seems like such a waste to just blow the thing up." She shrugged after a few minutes. "I dunno. More things to figure out, I suppose."

"What about Paulina? She has control over the General Store, right?"

Tess nodded. "She's actually moving into it, believe it or not. The workers that Blacksuit and Lady Benford enslaved have largely decided to stay here, and each needs a job. They were all bums off the streets of Illumitir that the two of them managed to deceive, and... They kinda like it here. Paulina's going to fill up the empty space and try to turn it into a

proper business. I think even she's still trying to figure out exactly what that'll look like, but... Hey. It's something."

Jason inclined his head. "What about that new hospital that they put in?"

"Oh, Theresa's burning that thing to the ground the moment that Hank gives her clearance." Tess chuckled. "He's asked her to wait until after the Spring Festival, but I suspect you'll see flames when you wake up in the morning."

"I'm just glad that the town is back in the hands of capable people." Jason let out a long breath.

"Me, too." Tess sighed, then shrugged. She bit her lip, and Jason frowned.

"What is it?"

"I don't know." Tess crossed her arms. "I just have to wonder... Don't get me wrong. What Blacksuit and Lady Benford did was inexcusable, but... Suppose that we have a child, and someone blows them up. We'd be angry, too. It just makes me wonder what we could have done last year to avoid all the confusion and chaos of this year."

Jason grimaced. When he spoke again, his voice was soft.

"I've thought of the same thing. At the end of the day, I don't have a good answer."

They stood in silence for a few moments, while they continued to stare up at the darkened fortress. Somewhere in the darkness, Tess's hand found Jason's hand, and their fingers soon intertwined. Jason took a long and deep breath, even as a bell began to resound indicating that summer had officially arrived in Summer Shandy.

There were still questions to be asked, and problems to be answered. It would be an enormous adjustment for himself, for Tess, and, he imagined, for the whole town. With his family coming into Summer Shandy for the wedding, there was bound to be drama, and the issue of the different wills that his uncle had drawn up still flickered in the back of his mind. For that moment, though, he put it all aside. He was with Tess, and that was what mattered.

A few minutes later, he had walked Tess back to the Guild Hall and bade her goodnight. Soon enough, he was mounted up on Lady, and he rode back out down the road toward his home at a proper trot.

Yes, indeed. Summer Shandy was his home, and he wouldn't change that fact for anything in the world.