Well, the week went by quickly after that. The other guilds, upon hearing what had happened with our little side-quest, began scouring the Hitherlands for similar quests. Heavenly Dragons, of course, had already found the one and given Dracuoatlax a hint to it before we got back. Hua Ling and her guild soon visited the site of the quest-event with their own dragon.

  On Monday night, Wildeye came up to the Hitherlands through the wayport to discuss how things had gone so far. When he heard about our encounter with the strange boss, he agreed with Myanihia's assessment that it was likely the prototype for a new class of elite boss that would be implemented into the game over the summer.

  “From how my father hints at things from the developer's side, it could be that they were waiting for someone like you to take it on, so as to gauge how they should proceed with it and make any needed adjustments in the next few weeks before it all goes live,” he remarked.

  “Don't they have alpha-testers and beta-testers for that sort of thing?” I wondered.

  “For most of it.” Myanihia nodded.

  “One thing my father has told me is that the others like to go about testing certain things in a more unconventional way,” Wildeye grinned. “Nothing world-breaking, mind; just subtle things, such as placing a new kind of boss in a special dungeon.”

  “Hmm...” I returned.

  “If that's true, then I guess no one else will find a dungeon like the one the Queens found until summer comes along,” Jannie observed.

  “Correct,” Wildeye nodded. “Still--there might be other curious sites, like the one you've found for the dragons.”

  “True!” she agreed.

  For the next couple of nights, the other guilds focused on that in addition to maintaining their standing in the competition. As for ourselves, we generally focused on Anna Belle's quest, getting up to the fifth chapter by the time Thursday came along. This latest chapter saw the advent of a Ragamis colony in the Hitherlands, established between the Moon River and the great forest on Ewar. We had our own little outpost nearby on the north side of it. By this time, trade on the northern seas was becoming more popular; and though we still had some squabbles with the pirate guilds, there were also a couple instances where they would come to parley and trade with us.

  Personally I suspected that this friendly interaction would cease by the final week or two of the competition. But I would gladly enjoy being wrong, if wrong I was.

  Anyhow. So when we finished off the fifth chapter of the Ragamis story, we found that there was a one week cool-down until we could get the next chapter. Real-time, of course. Probably to allow them a reasonable time of settling in, I mused as I looked over my quest log.

  “What now?” Ariana asked me. I let out a long sigh.

  “Everyone's focused on here or in the Wildlands, huh?” I remarked.

  “Seems like it,” she said with a nod. “Things have gotten somewhat more amiable on our side of the world -- there's more trade-interaction instead of outright war -- but there's still some conflicts over unique resource areas,” she noted as she looked over the forums.

  “Hrrmm... everyone's been focused on industrial resources and stuff, looks like...”

  “Hm? Huh, you're right!” Ari said suddenly. “Though Farmer's Dell and guilds like them are keeping a place in the top twenty or thirty with agricultural stuff,” she told me.

  “I say we hop on board that waggon for a little bit.” I then said.

  “Bethelia?” she smiled back at me.

  “Bethelia.” I grinned in reply.

  A couple of in-world hours later, Ari and I had returned to our Bethelia homestead with Anhe, Sky Belle, Healina, and Fyu while the others continued doing their own thing up north. We had already set aside some land for planting a while back, just in case; now we began getting it ready for planting. It's not as hard as it would be in real life, being a video-game, but there's still some effort to be put in. Once we got it all ready, we then spent the better part of an hour discussing what we would try to grow and taking note of what was on the market already so as to see if there was something that had been overlooked or underused by competitors.

  Fyu then reminded us of the reward that we had gotten for completing the most recent chapter of the Ragamis quest, five bundles of special seeds that Anna had given us after we had helped to establish their little community in the Hitherlands. We got them out, and looked them over.

  “Hmm...” Anhe mused intently as she read their description.

  “This berwheat sounds incredible; but these vegetables can't be overlooked, and of course the sun-apple sounds deliciously delightful,” Healina remarked.

  The berwheat was a type of grain, of course, and the sun-apple is obvious; as to the other three, all vegetables, there was golden maize, galbasi potatoes, and conini carrots. This last one brought a smile to my face when I read it. Its special name sounded a lot like the Irish word for “rabbits”.

  “Anyway,” Healina then said, “There's certain ways of planting things in real life; I'm sure that the game will follow that to a certain point, so we can't go planting them wily-nily.”

  “Let's clear out two different areas for the berwheat and sun-apples,” I nodded, “And then we'll organize the vegetables by rows in the one we've dug out already.”

  “Good idea!” our healer smiled back.

  “More digging and weed-pulling...” Anhe sighed bemusedly, and Ariana patted her on the back.

  “We'll get through it!” my partner grinned. Anhe smiled back, and then nodded. And with that, we set to work once more.

  Once we had finished clearing out two more spots, and all the seeds that we had decided to plant for the time being were planted, we stored the remainder in a cupboard of the main house and sat down to have tea on the porch. I noticed that each field had a timer on it now; the time until it's ready, I guess, I thought to myself, taking note of how long each was going to be.

  “Hmm...” Ariana said as she also looked them over. “A full two days for the berwheat, just a bit longer for the apples, but the vegetables will be done by tomorrow -- all in real time, of course.”

  “Of course,” Heali said with a soft grin.

  “And it also looks like we have a mini-game to keep them safe from pests and such until they're ready,” I then noticed.

  “Eh??”

  “Ahh...” our healer and pixie both exclaimed with apprehension.

  “Hm?” I looked up, puzzled, and then realized why they had reacted that way. A long sigh came from me as I leaned back in the chair. “Oh... right... we'll be at school...”

  “Well, I can sneak on between a couple classes, at least,” Sky Belle said with a shrug. “But still...”

  “I shall be here, masters, to guard these fields,” Fyu said to us. “But perhaps we should also call for reinforcements from Queen's Haven.”

  “Yes!” Belle said. “I'll go and do that now!”

  “I'll come with you; there's something I need from there!” Ariana said as she got up to follow her.

  “Oh! There is also something I want to look at for myself!” Anhe added as she also jumped up to follow after them. They went through the wayport moments later, leaving myself and Heali on the porch while Fyu took up a position equidistant from the three fields.

  Healina smiled, shaking her head before bringing out a copy of one of her textbooks to look over while they were away. I took a sip of tea, then slipped off the shoes I was wearing and smoothed out the black sundress I had on before heading off the porch to walk around our homely estate. In game-time, it was the late afternoon of our second day in Panarena thus far. The sun was just beginning to touch down in the west, bathing the area around us in a spectacular light. I took a deep breath as I leaned against the fence, smiling softly at how nostalgic it all made me feel for my grandparents' house.

  “Oh? Interesting...” a somewhat familiar voice came to my ears. I looked towards my right; coming down the lane was a girl in black robes, her hair a green color.

  Clara Toxin!

  “Mel-mel would pay real money to see what I'm seeing right now,” the poison-witch said in a melodious voice. I heard Healina come rushing to my side, her staff in hand. “Oh please; I'm in a good mood right now. I just want to flirt a little bit,” Clara said with a smirk.

  “Oh?” Healina returned, clearly unconvinced.

  “Hmm... going for a new angle in this competition, I see. Good spot for it; the house and grounds can't be attacked, after all, so there's no worry about a direct assault.” the other girl noted. My eyes narrowed.

  “A direct assault, you say... so an in-direct one, on the other hand...” I said in reply, and she gave me a seductive wink.

  “Bingo, cutie. But! Like I said, I'm in a good mood; which means I'm in no mood to start a fight, especially with you, my little princess,” she said.

  “I'm not your princess,” I softly retorted, feeling my cheeks burn.

  “Lana.” Healina put a hand on my shoulder. “Well, Clara? Where's the rest of your guild? Are they trying to sneak around to do some damage while you distract us?”

  “So suspicious! But you wouldn't be worth it if you were easy to fool,” the green-haired girl replied. “You can trust me for tonight, at least, when I say that the others are either north of us or south of us, picking on traders or caravans. I just wanted a walk through one of the most pleasant and peaceful areas in Panarena right now; is that too much to be believed?” she asked us.

  “Maybe, maybe not,” Healina softly smirked back.

  “Fyu would be warning us right now if someone was here,” I said to Heali, “And Sky Belle will be back any second now.”

  As if on cue, the wayport opened a portal to allow the pixie-girl in question to come through, along with two of the guards from our Xuanpu estate. Anhe and Ariana were with her. The three of them hurried over to us as soon as they saw who was at the fence, ordering the guards to hold position for the time being.

  “See? You have all the advantages here right now,” Clara smiled, holding her hands up disarmingly. “I suppose I will get on with my stroll, though. It's lovely to see you out of that unflattering armor, Lana. Take care now!” she continued as she resumed walking along the lane.

  Oh you just wait 'til I tell Lizzy what you called her handiwork...

  “D-don't tell me she's flirting with Lana now, too...” Ariana said exasperatedly.

  “I don't think she was serious about it,” Healina said to comfort her.

  “I think she was more serious when she made that veiled threat,” I agreed as I turned to lean my back against the fence.

  “Oh?” Ari wondered, becoming more serious.

  “You can't directly attack anything in Bethelia; but you could bring or summon some sort of pests to disturb or wreck other people's crops. I think I remember someone from one of the farming guilds saying something like that a few weeks ago on the forums.” I told her.

  “Tricky.” my partner nodded, frowning.

  “We will just have to be more tricky, then!” Anhe asserted. “Let us go into town and see if any of the Bethelians have some sort of help for us regarding that possibility,” she said.

  “Agree!” Heali nodded at once, as did Belle.

  “For sure!” she said.

  “I'll take Ari with me to Valebrook and Derry; the rest of you keep watch here, in case she does come back to start some mischief.” I said to them.

  “Got it,” Belle gave me a thumbs-up as the two of us headed to the wayport.

  “La-na,” Heali called, tossing something at me. I blinked as they landed in my arms.

  “Oh, right, shoes,” I suddenly recalled, and the others giggled.

  ***

  “Hrm, hrm... something to ward off pests, you say? Possibly magical ones?” the gruff-sounding but otherwise friendly badger-folk shopkeeper mused as we presented him our request. His name was Eddigar Silverback, proprietor of Silverback's Farming Goods in Valebrook.

  “Yes, sir,” I nodded back.

  “Well... let me just root through storage for a bit to see... in the meantime, take a look around; there's plenty of other things for more conventional pests as well!” he told us.

  “Okay!” Ari replied as we idly browsed through the shop, keeping an eye out for anything that might be of use to use.

  In the end, we ended up selecting a few items that seemed as if they would definitely work on regular old pests and such before Mr. Silverback returned to the counter with what he had found. It looked almost like a small tree of some kind. He grinned as we approached the counter with wonder, the two of us exchanging a glance with each other.

  “This, little friends, is a fae-bush. I wasn't sure we still had them in stock after all this time; my great-grandfather used to cultivate these to protect his own gardens during the Mystic Blight over a hundred and fifty years ago. He even gave out as many as he could to others; even then, only half the crops in Bethelia survived those three years. We've recovered since, and these bushes have gotten less popular, but I'll sell it for a bargain price if you want it!” he told us.

  “We'll take it!” Ariana nodded, “And these, too,” she continued as we put the other things on the counter. He then counted up the price of our purchases.

  “Thirty-four copper for these; and for the fae-bush, two solid gold coins!” he announced.

  “How's this instead?” I asked, placing three gold coins on the counter. His eyes brightened.

  “You're a generous one, at that! It's a deal. I'll just bag these other things up for ye; mind how you handle the fae-bush when you get back home! Plant it at an equal distance from the crops ye want protected, and water it twice a day!” he told us.

  “Got it!” Ari smiled.

  “Oh! And as a bonus for your generosity; I did hear a story when I was a lad of a special creature hereabouts in Bethelia that could be... heh-heh, persuaded, to lend its aid, if ye chose to find it.” Mr. Silverback said when he had finished putting the other items into a bag.

  “Oh?” Ari looked at him curiously.

  “Hmm... it was something in the Mead Forest, northwest of Elmburg, if I remember rightly... but the fae-bush will definitely do its job!” he nodded confidently.

  “Right; thanks for your time, and for the tip!” I said with a smile, and he waved as we began exiting the shop with our purchases.

  “Thank you, thank you! Come again!” he called as we left, and we waved back to him.

  “Think it's worth looking into?” Ariana asked me as we went to the wayport.

  “It's worth at least that much,” I said with a nod. “Twice a day, twice a day...” I repeated to myself as I looked over at the plant in her hands.

  “I think morning and afternoon should be fine.” she remarked.

  “Agree.”

  “The guards can even handle it, for a bit more coin, I bet.”

  “Oh for sure,” I agreed. “Though maybe we should hire a farmhand, at that...”

  “Oh, true!” she said. “Let's check the town square in Derry after we drop these off; it's closer to our homestead, after all.”

  “Right.” I nodded back as she dialed up the wayport in question so we could drop off what we had before heading to find more help for our little farm.

  At the homestead, Healina told us that neither Clara nor anyone else from Venomheart had turned up again after our earlier encounter. I took that as a sign of truthfulness, but I was still wary of some kind of trick. Our healer and the others agreed with me about that.

  “Still,” she remarked, “Maryn's come back to join us, so I'm not fretting over it.”

  “Oh good!” Ari said. “What about the others?”

  “The twins are helping Jannie and her guild with something,” Maryn said as she joined us, “And Lizzy is determined to get to that special ore deep in the mines, so she teamed up with Angelfire, Derwydd, and a few others to get at it.”

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Eh?” I wondered. “Oh, right, the caverns with those ridiculously fast-spawning trolls...” I then frowned.

  “Right??” Ariana agreed with exasperation.

  “Ugh,” Heali winced at the memory.

  “Yep, those.” Maryn nodded. “Anyway; you're heading into town again?”

  “Mm, Derry this time. And maybe Elmburg after that?” Ariana looked at me.

  “To find that potential quest or event?” I said, and she nodded back. “We can do that, sure.”

  “Hmm?” Healina blinked curiously.

  “'Potential', huh?” Maryn remarked with interest.

  We told them what we had learned from the shopkeeper in Valebrook, which reminded me to go and ready a spot for the fae-bush before we set out again. Healina looked over its care needs, noting that it might benefit from a special kind of fertilizer. I made a note to go back and ask Mr. Silverback about it before we got too far into looking for what he had mentioned about the mysterious NPC.

  “I'll go and ask the shopkeeper about it first, though,” our healer then said, predicting my thoughts on the matter.

  “Oh, sure, that'd be a help,” I agreed.

  “Just find us a good helper, or maybe two!” she grinned in reply, and with that she and Maryn took the fae-bush and our other purchases inside the house for now while Ariana and I left to visit Derry.

  The lively little town beside the lake was just as welcoming as it always was, with sounds of music and song coming from several parts of the town and crowds of dancers skipping merrily along or slowly dancing in time to whatever was being played for them. We found the town square bustling with activity, both players and NPCs enjoying the festival-like atmosphere. Ari and I smiled at all the goings-on, and then returned our attention to one of the boards.

  In a lot of places around Panarena, a city or town will have at least two request boards, one for players to post things and the other with NPC offerings on it. It was the latter that we turned our attention to, carefully scrutinizing the listings to see if there was someone whose talents or skills we could use.

  “This one looks like a good gardener and cook,” Ariana pointed.

  “Hmm... that can work... oh, this one's dealt with more animal-based farms; but farm animals...” I mused aloud, thinking about the work involved.

  “You know, maybe we can get a couple of milk-animals, like cows or goats, and a few chickens for eggs,” my partner suggested.

  “Maybe.” I shrugged. “Oh, here's one; oooh, they've got some high-level farming skills,” I said with a smile.

  “Oh wow!” Ari said as she looked it over. “Two potentials and a maybe, animals depending,” she then said.

  “Ah-heh,” I softly laughed back. “Well, we do have space for them...”

  “Hee-hee!” she grinned to me.

  “You know what? I bet Applebell from Farmer's Market would be willing to give us some in exchange for something,” I then said.

  “Now there's a name I haven't heard for a while.” Ariana said. “I'll just grab this, then,” she added, taking the listing I had noticed.

  “And I'll grab these two.” I nodded, taking the others.

  New Quest(s): speak to Maisy Heartsong; speak to Joshamee Trout; speak to Edgar Moorgren.

  “Oh, interesting,” I said as I looked over the specifics of each new quest.

  “Let's see Applebell first, though,” Ari said to me.

  “Of course.” I replied. We made our way to the wayport near Derry, and dialed up Aldholt City, where we would be most likely to find someone from her guild.

  ***

  “Ahh? Farmer's Market? You're an oldie, huh?” one of the players remarked to us.

  “Ehh? Ah--! Uhh...” I returned uncertainly.

  “Oldie,” huh? I mean, I get where he's coming from...

  “Pfffft!” someone then had a spit-take on the other side of the tavern room. “That's Lana and Ariana!!” he exclaimed.

  “Wha??”

  “Huh?!”

  “Holy bats, he's right!”

  “It's the Silvernight Twins!!”

  “Gyeck?!” I slightly tensed up.

  “Ahh...” Ari said with a bemused grin, not sure how to calm them down as they grew more excited.

  “'Eyyy!!!” the first guy then shouted, banging his fist on the counter. “Put a lid on it, ya knucklebrains! I'm talkin' here!” he ordered, and the room fell silent for a moment and then returned to a more normal buzz.

  Phew... I sighed inwardly with relief.

  “Sorry about that; they go bonkers every time a golden oldie shows up. I'm Razamaz, by the way; and I guess I know who you two are.” he said with a shrug, and we grinned back. “Anyhow. If you're looking for Apple, she's probably in Belledown working her farm. She and the gang come in town about once a Panarena week. But that's three days away yet.” he told us.

  “Thanks, we'll go visit there, then--and, ahh... you know...” I said as we got up, looking sheepishly towards the others in the room. He blinked, and then grinned.

  “Don't worry 'bout it! They're nitwits, but they're my nitwits; I can yell at 'em.” he said.

  N-not quite what I meant, but okay.

  “Ah -- sure; thanks again!” I smiled as Ariana and I left the tavern.

  “Come visit again!” he called after us, and we waved back.

  “'Golden oldies', huh?” Ari remarked as we made our way to the wayport again.

  “That... I don't know how to feel about that,” I returned with a crinkled expression.

  “Me neither!” she beamed back.

  When we arrived in Belledown a few minutes later, we actually came across a member of Farmer's Market named Ginny Greens, who agreed to take us up to where their guild had their hall. It was known as Crofthaven; situated in a hill-enclosed valley of the northwest, it reminded us very much of our view from the lookout-point in real life when we began descending into the valley itself. I felt a pang in my chest, and softly clenched my hand over my heart as I gazed over the peaceful sights. Ariana slipped her arm in mine. She looked as if she had similar feelings inside her at the moment.

  “It just never gets old, looking at this view, y'know?” Ginny said to us.

  “I can understand that,” I agreed. “We feel the same way about Cloverbell.”

  “Oh I bet!” our driver smiled back to us.

  Crofthaven itself was in fact the perfect estate for Farmer's Market. It had acres and acres of fields for crops and grazing, and several homes and crafting facilities could and had been added on to it over the past several months as the guild had grown. I wondered if the other farm-based guilds had places like this. When we arrived at one of the larger barns, Ginny bade us farewell, and we got off her waggon to head for the house she pointed out while she herself drove the waggon into the barn. I knocked upon the door, and a few minutes later a cheery Wood Elf with golden hair opened the door.

  “Ah! Come in, come in! There's some coffee ready, and a few pastries!” Applebell smiled as she ushered us in at once, gently herding us to the main hall. “It's been so long since we've seen Trouble and Double down this way!”

  “Ah-heh...” I wryly grinned in reply.

  “It's good to see you, too!” Ariana smiled.

  “Are you keeping this wild child in line? I'd say 'no' from what I read on the forums, but I thought I'd ask, anyway!”

  “She's a handful for sure,” my partner grinned at me.

  Hahh.... rub it in, rub it in...

  “Same old Lana, then!” Applebell nodded as she seated us. “Be back in a moment!” she said as she dashed off, leaving us to examine the room around us.

  “This is so pretty,” Ari softly exclaimed.

  “And how,” I agreed. “It feels... it feels so, home-like,” I remarked.

  “Exactly.” Ari nodded back. A brief yeowl was then heard.

  “Eep! Don't step on the cat, Appy, you ditz...” we heard our hostess say to herself as she came back into the room. The annoyed furball in question hopped up into my lap a few seconds later. It was a greyish-colored fellow with green eyes that looked at me intently for a moment before deciding to knead my lap and curl up there.

  “Hah... traitor.” Applebell grinned. “His name is Percival, by the way!” she told us.

  “Well hi there, Percival!” I smiled, suddenly having flashbacks to a certain cafe.

  “And--there's a coffee, there's for you, here's for me; and the goodies... we're set!” Apple smiled, leaning back into her chair. “Now! Tell me everything, and tell me lots!!” she said to us, and Ariana and I exchanged a smile.

  We spent a while catching up and exchanging stories then, getting to the reason for our visit about an hour after our arrival. Applebell pondered our proposition for a few moments, and then sat her empty coffee cup down.

  “Hmm... I'd be willing to give you a few farm animals, in exchange for some special equipment... Elizasmith should be able to make it,” she told us.

  “Oh?” I returned hopefully.

  “I'd like to visit your place, though, to get a better handle on what might work for you up there,” she added.

  “Of course,” I nodded in agreement.

  “Right then! I've got some time; let's get to the wayport!” Apple then declared, and we got up to follow her out. I gently set the cat down on the chair, where he curled up and started purring. “Aw. Could've taken the little fink with you.” our hostess giggled as we left the room.

  “Ehh,” I shrugged back. “I wouldn't do that.”

  “Well, if we ever have kittens from one of the others, you'll be on our shortlist,” she smiled at us.

  “Aw, thanks!” Ariana smiled back.

  And a few minutes later, we were back at our homestead in Bethelia. Applebell looked around at everything with a trained eye. It made me wonder if she had some real-life experience with farm-work. Though if that's true and she still does it, I wonder how she keeps a balance... probably the same way we do... sleeping it off in-world, I mused as she examined the barn behind our main hall. Lizzy had returned to check in with us before she returned to one of our other places to work on her smithing, but when she heard our quick synopsis of what was going on she agreed to stick around and hear what Applebell had to say.

  “Looks like you could have a milk-cow, a couple of goats, and some chickens, just like you thought; I wouldn't go for too much more than that with the space you have now, and we can look over some critters for you to pick out at our place--why, hel-lo, gorgeous!” Applebell said as she ran to give Lizzy a squeeze.

  “Hiya, cuteness!” our smith beamed back. “Long time no see!”

  “Yeppers! You got any farm-equipment in your smithing repertoire?” Apple asked as she then took Lizzy's hands.

  “Like what? Scythes? Plows?” the other returned.

  “Those, and I'm looking for some good sickles; and the plows need to be animal-friendly. Oh, and some decent shears... leave it to Gears and Wheels to fail at making domestic tools and such when they're so good at everything else,” the golden-haired Wood Elf said with a shrug.

  “Right?” Lizzy beamed. “Hrrmm... I can do that; so a heavy plow, huh? Yep! I can have it all done tonight, and I even get to have a better use for this special ore we finally got, no thanks to you two losers!” she grinned at us.

  “I'll remember that the next time you want to head into the Untold Deeps!” I quipped back with a smirk.

  “Ruuude! Minus twenty!” she immediately retorted.

  “Hahh...” I sighed, and the other two laughed.

  “Special ore, huh?” Apple said when they had calmed down.

  “Yep! Look forward to it!” Lizzy said proudly.

  “Oh for sure!” the other girl clapped her hands. “I'll leave you to it, then, and I'll take these two back to pick out some critters!”

  “Gotcha! I'mma be at Queen's Haven!” Lizzy said to us.

  “See you soon!” Ari called as the blonde girl headed out first.

  “Ready to head back?” Apple asked us.

  “Ready!” we both said, and we returned to Crofthaven with her to pick out some farm animals.

  Welp. We ended up with a dairy cow, a couple of goats, and eight chickens. Our Bethelia homestead was certainly getting the homely, farmstead vibe that we were going for. Applebell smiled as she returned to her own guild hall, reminding us that we'd be in for kittens sooner or later. We said our goodbyes to her, and while Healina and Belle tended to the animals Ariana and I went to seek out the NPCs we had gotten quests for.

  Maisy Heartsong was one of the rabbit-folk; she was the gardener and cook Ariana had noticed, and she eagerly accepted our contract -- and lodgings, should we furnish them. I made a note to have a second small house built on the property in case that's what she and the others we were seeking out would want.

  Joshamee Trout was next; he was an otter-esque fellow, and the one who had experience with animals. He was about as tall as Dracuoatlax in human form, but his temperament was jolly and he quickly showed us that we had made the right choice in seeking him out. We made our next contract with him, house pending, and then he directed us to the residence of our last pick for the night when Ari mentioned the name.

  “Oh? Yer after Edgar's services as well?” he said to us. “Ye'll find 'im further out than most, west along the main road; 'e doesn't 'ave a proper 'ome, mind; but 'e's the best and most knowledgeable when it comes to 'orticulture and such. Mind yer P's and Q's with 'im, and ye'll be grand!”

  “We'll remember!” I replied.

  “No proper home, huh?” Ari remarked as we set off to reach the main road west of Derry.

  “I guess there's something he considers home along the road, then,” I said.

  “Hmm... he sounds hermity, almost... but since he had a post on the board I guess he's not too hermity?” she wondered.

  “That, or no one's minded their manners with him,” I nodded back.

  “Ahh, true.” she mused in reply. “I hope Maryn has some extra materials to build a good house for them; we really only built the main hall for ourselves, and the stables would feel rude.”

  “And the barn.”

  “Oh def.”

  “Actually, I'll send her a note now,” I then said, and she nodded to me.

  “Good thinking.” she said.

  The two of us reached the main road a few minutes later, heading along in the direction that Joshamee had indicated to us. There were less houses and homes as we got further out, and nature slowly but surely became more noticeable. It was not yet completely wild, but it was getting that way; more and more, the houses looked as if they were blending into the landscape entirely rather than standing out from it in some way.

  About forty minutes into our walk we saw no dwelling places around at all (at least none that we could recognize), yet nature still had a semi-subdued feel to it. I had a sense that we were being observed, at least in a passive way. Ariana looked over at me. My face must have been indicating the thoughts in my head. She took my hand and smiled, and I smiled back to her as we continued walking along.

  “Hullo, hullo, and who might you be?” a friendly but wary voice called out to us then.

  To our right, leaning on a disused wooden fence, was a mole-folk in earthy-colored overalls and a red-flannel shirt; a pair of glasses rested on his nose, and a wide-brim hat sat upon his head. There was a rake leaning on the fence next to him, and I could see a few other tools further away.

  “Mister Moorgren, I take it?” I asked him.

  “That's right; Edgar Moorgren. If you're here about the posting, I ought to tell you that I won't work cheap!”

  “We'd never expect you to, and we're getting ready to have a second house built to accommodate you and two others we've hired so far.” I replied.

  “Oh? A house, is it? Never mind that, my good woman; I can establish my own lodgings as I like, and you'll permit me.” he said to me.

  “I'm sure we can work out a spot, if that's what you want,” I told him.

  “It is indeed!” Edgar Moorgren affirmed. “As for pay; I'll take no less than twenty silver a week.”

  Fairly average; Maisy asked for the same, and Joshamee laughed it off to just fifteen.

  “I'd like a spot for my own gardening and such as well, if ye can manage.” he continued.

  Maisy asked for that as well; and Joshamee is bringing his animals, all three of them, so we can agree to Edgar's terms as well, I mused.

  “Fair enough.” I agreed. “Is this a good enough advance?” I then smiled, holding out a bag of twenty-five silver coins, the same offer I had made to Maisy and Joshamee.

  “Well!” the mole-folk man said with an affable grin, “You're right serious about hiring me, then! I accept your contract, good lady. Tell me where I've got to go, and I'll be there soon!”

  “It's east of Derry, about a mile away from the lake,” I said to him, and he nodded.

  “Oh right; that property Old Burrows finally sold off,” he remarked.

  “That's the one!” Ariana smiled.

  “I know it well. I'll see you there after I sort myself here; won't be but a few hours,” Edgar told us.

  “We'll be waiting!” I said as he waved. We waved back, and then returned to the homestead to help the others get things ready.

  We found that Maryn had already finished the small house, situating it about three meters away from the main hall. Maisy Heartsong and Joshamee Trout had already arrived and were making the place as homely as they could; the latter had five sheep that were now in the barn for the moment, as well as a few chickens of his own, and I noticed a marker behind the main house that probably indicated where Miss Maisy wanted her garden.

  “Good thinking of you to go and get that fae-bush, though; it'll make my job easier, and I daresay even Edgar will approve!” she remarked as she bustled about, and we smiled back.

  “I'm sure 'e'll be right pleased indeed,” Joshamee agreed.

  Edgar Moorgren was indeed pleased to see that we had been forward-thinking about protecting our crops when he arrived, and surprised us by producing a fae-bush of his own to protect the other gardens behind the house that he and Maisy would be setting up. As for his lodgings; true to form, he dug himself an underground home between the new house and the vegetable field. And with that our little farmstead was, more or less, complete for the time being.

  To celebrate the occasion, we held a little feast with our new hirelings, which they thoroughly enjoyed. As we talked with them, the subject of Mr. Silverback's words regarding a mysterious creature came up. Maisy laughed it off as a fanciful story, but Joshamee was not so sure, saying something about his grandfather telling a similar tale. The former nodded, saying that she had heard such stories from her own grandparents, but was still convinced it was just a story, though the latter wondered about that. Edgar's eyes narrowed as the talk went on about it, and I wondered what he thought about the matter.

  “Now look here, miss,” he said to me later that evening, “I've heard tales and tales since I was a lad. Eddigar is an old friend of mine; he keeps in memory tales that half the folk have forgotten and the other half think mere fancy, like darling Maisy. But I'll tell you now: that mysterious creature of his is no joke. If you find hint or clue of the beast, follow it up!”

  “A hint or a clue, huh,” I said in reply. “If it's mysterious, what kind of clue should I even look for?” I wondered.

  “That's the old trick, isn't it?” he nodded. “But one thing I remember from an old tale about someone who saw it, or at least a sign of it, is this: they always rambled about how astonishingly lovely and healthy the plants and trees they'd seen were. Yet no one's seen the like since.” he told me then.

  “Hmm...” I nodded, making a note to keep an eye out for such a thing as I wandered Bethelia in the future.

  “That's about the only real clue. Everything else is pure nonsense; well, it'll be a day tomorrow! I'm off for bed; we'll see you when you return, I suppose!” Edgar then said, smiling as he headed to his newly-dug home.

  “See you!” I smiled back.

  “La-na!” Ari called as she approached, smiling at me. “Time for bed, cuteness. We still have school tomorrow.”

  “Hahh...” I sighed. “Right; oh, I guess Lizzy managed to get those items for Applebell already?”

  “Yep, she's taking them over now, I think,” Ari nodded. “Well come on!” she poked me, taking my hand and leading me into the house so we could take a rest before waking up to do real-world stuff. I looked out over the farmstead briefly before the door shut behind us; is this the kind of thing I want to do with my life? I wondered, the thought soon cut off as we made our way to a sofa and curled up together under a blanket for the night.