As SJ continued past Gladys and Hubert’s cottage, she noticed how well-maintained the garden area looked. Charlotte had been working there, looking at how pristine everything looked in comparison. She noticed some tools leaning against the side of the cottage, which she could not remember seeing before. As she approached Farleck cottage, it looked as beautiful as before from a distance, and on approaching, she noticed the additional elements that hadn’t existed previously. There was a picnic-style table, and benches sat out in front of the cottage. There was also a frame of wooden stakes built to one side and draped from them was a large white sheet that created a type of gazebo.
The garden appeared immaculate, and someone had taken the time to clear the surrounding area of weeds and the odd shrub that had been present on her previous visit. It looked like a heavenly setting, and she would have stayed there if she hadn’t had things to do.
“Hi, Terrance,” she called, pulling Humberto up.
“Hi, SJ,” the skeletal orc replied in his deep voice.
“It looks like you have been busy?”
“There is more to do yet. I am building a lean-to on the side for log storage.”
SJ climbed down and went over to join him at the side of the building. He had already built the framework and was in the process of planking the roof.
“Where did you get the tools from?” SJ asked, looking at several items lying around on the grass.
“We went back to the compound and emptied the shed. Also, Brian didn’t want to leave the Lizorse in the stables, so he freed them to roam.”
Understanding Brian’s alignment, it made sense that he would prefer not to harm unless necessary and protect others he deemed weaker. Imaging two random Lizorse walking about in the woods didn’t fill her with confidence.
“Isn’t it dangerous freeing them?”
“No. They would normally stay away from beings and remain out of sight.”
“Ah, that’s okay. I brought tools and some items with me to equip the cottage. How has your stay been so far?”
“Great. I assume you saw Charlotte and Brian, and they told you about our recent visitors?”
“Yes. They have spoken to me about the orcs.”
“If they return, we will handle them, although I doubt they will.”
“I feel a little guilty. Although I gave a gift to Brian and Charlotte, I have nothing to give to a fighter.”
“I am fine. I have hammers here. They are just as good as a mace for causing damage.”
“Next time I come back, I will bring you something.”
“That would be very kind of you.”
“I am going to put the stuff inside,” SJ said, returning to the cart and unloading it.
When she walked to the door and entered, what she saw amazed her. The inside was spotless, and there was not a cobweb or spot of dust in sight. All the surfaces looked highly polished, and the old sofa even looked cleaner than it had been. Near the bed, a new bookcase stood, and Terence must have built what looked like a set of drawers. She filled the cottage with the items she had brought, emptying any unnecessary items from her inventory, and rearranging everything. Moving things around until she was happy with how the room now felt and looked. Apart from no mattress, there was everything needed now to set up a new home. Walking back outside, she carried over the tools and nails she had brought from town.
“Where do you want these?”
Terence turned, his eyes lighting up at the sight of nails. “Those will speed things up he said, smiling. Just place them there. I have built a small storage box around the back.”
SJ walked past and around the rear of the cottage. Against the wall was indeed a storage box, and she lifted the lid to find it compartmented and various items he must have recovered from the compound lying inside.
“How have you made all this stuff so quickly?” she called to Terence.
“I told you I was a carpenter, didn’t I?” Terence replied.
“You did. But these must take time to build.”
“Not long at all. They are basic items that any novice carpenter can make. Oh, I repaired the well gears, so it works now. I need to build a new frame to replace the existing one; I noticed it was rotting slightly.”
SJ was gobsmacked at the work done while she was away. It had only been a week, but they seemed to have completed at least a month’s work between them.
“I do not know how you have all done so much,” SJ said, walking back to where Terence was still working.
“The bonus of not needing sleep is that I can work all day, every day if I need to, and when I have wood to work with, I am doing the one thing I love more than anything else.” He replied with the typical skeletal smile.
“What will you do when you finish making the items?”
“There is plenty to do here. The beams can be realigned, and the thatch supports strengthened. Then, there is a porch in front to build, and I thought you could even extend out the back and create a separate bedroom area. It would be wooden, obviously because of the lack of stone, but it would be warm and dry.”
“You have already done more than I could have ever expected.”
“I have nothing else to do but enjoy the work, and it’s in a beautiful location. I would have brought my Juki here if I were still alive.”
The strangeness of speaking to already dead skeletons did not surpass SJ, and she could not imagine the life they must be leading without respite. This experience gave additional consideration to the term eternal life.
“Is there anything you need when I come back next time?”
“The only thing I am missing is a sharp chisel. The ones I have are blunt, making it take me longer than it should to sort things out.”
“A dwarf is coming down in a few days to look at the chimney, and as long as I have been back in time, I will make sure he brings you some down.”
“I would appreciate that.”
“I can’t thank you enough for what you have done here.”
“It is my pleasure. Without you, we would all still be in servitude.”
SJ’s display triggered.
Followership: Followers are those who have dedicated their services to you. They will do anything to support you.
“Holy freaking freaky things from freakytown,” Dave spluttered.
SJ couldn’t respond now.
“Thanks for the work, Terence; I appreciate it. I will see Charlotte and Brian again before heading to the caves.”
“Caves?”
“Yes. I need to collect some mushrooms for one of the town members.”
“Which type of mushrooms?”
“Sancasia. Do you know where there are any?”
“They are the blue ones, aren’t they?”
“Yes.”
“There are caves about a third of the way down the valley on the right side. I know some are there, but several cave networks are nearby. It may take a bit of searching to find the right one. Also, be aware that not all of them are uninhabited.”
“What lives in them?”
“When we were near there, we saw several greylings.”
“What are greylings?” SJ asked, never having heard of them before.
“They are dark dwellers—Humanoids with long, gangly arms and legs. Cave greylings are very good at hiding in mountain areas. They mainly feed on mountain rams or hoglings, but they are not afraid to attack anything else if they think it may taste good.”
“I don’t fancy bumping into many of those.”
“You should be fine if you don’t disturb their nest. You can always tell if a cave contains greylings as they mark their territory with the skulls of their prey.”
SJ shuddered at the thought of finding skulls lining the cave entrances.
“Thanks for the information, and I hope I can avoid them.”
“Just remember, they don’t do daylight. It burns their skin.”
Terence smiled again, returning to his work. SJ turned Humberto around from where he had eaten flower heads and led him back up the path towards the lake.
“What’s up, Dave?” SJ asked as soon as she was out of range.
“You have a freaking follower.”
“What does it mean, exactly?”
“It means you are more than an anomaly.”
“Why?” SJ frowned.
“Followers are uncommon, nearly as rare as those Miniature Wyvern Eggs you have.”
“How has it happened, though? There were no reputation gains.”
“That’s my point. In one jump, you went from being a nobody to Terence and him being a follower. You have someone now. If you ordered him to run into a lava pit, he would do it without asking a question.”
“It can’t be that bad?”
“Oh. It is. Most followers are fanatics. They support evil and will do anything their masters tell them.”
“Being someone’s master is not my aspiration, nor is being evil. I just want to be me and grow.”
“I would say that out of all the followers you could get, an undead skeleton is a perfect match, considering how old you will probably reach.”
“How or why did this happen so suddenly? I don’t understand.”
“Although I have heard rumours, I have never witnessed it myself. I believe it is part of the necromancer’s servitude and leaves a resonating need to serve someone. I can’t guarantee exactly how it happens, but I would bet my last byte that you could leave him at the cottage forever, and he would keep building it and improving it.”
The thought of having someone who would do anything for her was unnerving. SJ had always been sociable when she needed to be, but internally, she still felt more of an introvert. She enjoyed her own space and time, as she had proven, allowing herself to be absorbed into looking through the ledgers or knitting, and she could imagine no one following her to that degree. It appeared to be another part of the new world that she would need to come to terms with.
“I will never order Terence to do anything.”
“That is your choice. I have only ever worked with one other Legionnaire who received followers, and he was a half-crazed paladin. The guy was so messed up he thought he was a god. He spent his time preaching and searching for some chalice that was rumoured to give eternal life. It didn’t end well for him or his fans.”
“What happened?”
“He attacked the lair of a chimera, where rumours suggested the chalice was. Most chimera in Amathera are your typical mix of a few normal breeds, big cats, birds, and other nondescript animals, but lairs can contain some rather different ones. This one contained a few very strange versions. Dragon, snake, and ogre mix. They could either spit acid or fire. The followers were all killed quickly during the raid, and the paladin continued alone. He did ok, but when you get your face half melted by acid and then barbequed afterwards, you don’t tend to do very well.”
Having seen Bordon and Bob, SJ couldn’t imagine a mixture of the two creatures, never mind adding a snake.
“I am guessing there are none around here?”
“No. Chimera are mainly on one of the other continents. Sometimes, a flying variant that has crossed the ocean can get here.”
As SJ approached the derelict cottage again, Charlotte was busy moving some of the fallen stones into a neat pile, and Brian was removing the broken door from its frame.
“I am going to head off again. It won't be long before I return. While I remember, there will be a stonemason coming to visit in a couple of days. He will look at the chimney and this place and see what can be done.”
“That sounds good,” Charlotte replied.
“And thank you both for what you have done at the cottages. The gardens look amazing.”
“Brian helped me as much as he could. He has a bit of a penchant for gardening,” Charlotte smiled.
Heading towards the main trail, SJ felt pleased with the completion of the work at the cottages and couldn't wait to sort out a mattress and possibly spend a few nights there with the skeletons.
“What do you know about greylings?” SJ asked.
“They are pathetic creatures,” Dave replied. “They are rumoured to originate from mountain dwarves and kobolds, but no one knows for certain.”
“Are they dangerous?”
“Only in large groups. I have never seen one above level four before. Then again, a group of ten level ones could be challenging because of numbers and the potential to be swarmed.”
“Are there likely any other creatures I need to know?”
“So many could be problematic, but this is still a starter territory. Even if acting differently, I wouldn’t expect many things that are too dangerous. If you are cautious, take your time and keep your eyes open. The usual suspects are wolves, bears, perhaps if they have young to protect, badgers, possibly wolverines and maybe the odd puma. Of course, hoglings always seem to have nasty tempers.”
“Why is it that there are so many that may attack?”
“Nature of survival. Everything is continually fighting for its place.”
The trail was well-worn and smooth, and the cart moved freely. With the sun high in the sky, SJ happily listened to the birds that frequented the skies above and lived in the forest that covered much of the valley floor. The trail wound through the trees, staying on a flat gradient. She felt relaxed and free travelling along whistling one of the Bard’s songs from the Inn that she had enjoyed.
“I spoke to my friend in assignments,” Dave said, disturbing SJ’s peace. The cottage and her training and levelling consumed her thoughts as she daydreamed about what she could do. She had been considering her next Subterfuge skill again and thought she had made her mind up. She wanted them all for the obvious perks they brought, but considering the needs of where she was now, only one stood out as an immediate benefit to her.
“What did he say?”
“He was a little cryptic in his response. This area is a test bed. They placed several legionnaires in this area before, giving no preference to where they placed them. He said the System was revisiting territory boundaries but didn’t expand on the details or couldn’t. Because of the protocols they may have implemented, you never know with the System.”
“So, it is a real sandbox, then, similar to what I know from Earth?”
“I would have to agree. It would explain the level variances and the hobs. It has made it more of an interesting start to a new life. Most starter towns are boring places with the same quest chains—rinse and repeat. The ones you have received here have added a new spice to the situation.”
“I don’t understand how they can assign you as Administrators without briefing you fully.”
“It wouldn’t normally make a difference if they did. As I explained, I wouldn’t usually be able to talk to you about 95% of the things we discuss. I couldn’t have guided you to the dark elf. It is unheard of, and it’s invigorating. It makes it much more exciting for me to be part of your journey than the usual rescue of a cat from tree quests. Well, unless you are knitting or reading boring ledgers, of course.”
Smiling at Dave’s comment, SJ thought about how she was enjoying her new life and time with Dave.
“I forgot to thank you for your help earlier guiding me.”
“Expected of rude Legionnaires taking everything for granted,” he replied, dripping with sarcasm.
SJ chuckled. “I am very grateful for everything you have done to help me so far.”
“And I am happy to be of assistance.”
They shared a moment of silence before Dave spoke again.
“I think it’s the right fork up ahead over the bridge.”
SJ hadn’t been paying attention to the trail ahead; she was too busy musing over her thoughts. Looking up, a small stone bridge crossed a meandering river across the valley. The forest had ended, and looking ahead, there were just open fields with small tree clusters dotted around. She could see the path split and noticed the first signpost she had seen at the fork since being on the road. Crossing the bridge, she pulled Humberto up at the fork and read the sign. It pointed straight down the trail with two names carved into the wooden sign’s surface.
Asterfal
Cuopi
“Why do I recognise the name Cuopi?” SJ asked.
“It was where the elf was from that you saved at the compound.”
“Oh yeah. I knew I had heard it before. I wonder how far down the trail it is.”
“No idea. This fog of war is a pain because of my limited sight, and I can’t find any maps for this area overall in the System, making me virtually as blind as you are.”
“When we eventually leave this territory, does that mean you will confirm destinations more easily?”
“Yes, and no. I still have a fog of war to contend with, but if I have been in an area before, I will have a good idea of what is around.”
“That’s going to be helpful.”
“Possibly; it depends on changes since I was last in an area.”
Spurring Humberto, she turned the cart right, following the trail to where she hoped the cave systems would be.
