El wakes up in the morning remembering that Ban left. The field hand throws his feet over the bed with a huff. He had been trained to fight, he survived his first real fight, and he had been making friends. He could survive without a God at his side, right?

He heads out to the fields and takes care of the cattle. He ends up giving two cows a bath after noticing they were covered in mud. One of the cows keeps rubbing its head against him. El pushes the cow away.

“I’m not your boyfriend,” El mutters.

“Are you dating my cows again?” A soft and old voice calls out.

“You better put some of these girls in a pen with a bull. They’re about ready to jump on any guy that gives them attention.” El stands up and looks down at his mud-covered clothes.

“You should get a warm bath tonight. The cows are going to be handled by two other field hands. I need your muscles working the mill.”

“More flour for the village then.” El sighs as he walks to the ladder up to his room.

“Hey wait,” Arkin calls out.

The field hand stops, one foot on the bottom rung of the ladder, and he looks back at Arkin.

“You doing okay?” Arkin’s eyes look soft.

“Yeah, I’m good.” El listens to the sound of age in Arkin’s voice.

Was the other night real when he heard Arkin speaking like he was full of youth. Like he is faking how bad his old age is affecting him.

“Alright, talk to me if you need anything.”

“Will do.” El climbs up to his bedroom and changes into one of his better pairs of clothes.

Earn Capital

Result = Silver Earned

20% chance random event

Profession: Farming

16(D20)+10(Skill)=26

57%= No event

He heads out to the mines to visit Kib and see how he has done mining. The day is sunny, a few clouds drift past, as El feels almost at peace walking out towards the warren. He wasn’t afraid. He was strong enough now to not have to be.

Earn Capital

Result = Silver Earned

25% chance random event

Profession: Mining

1(D20)+8(Skill)=9

37%= No event

Arriving at the mine, El goes straight to Kib to discuss how progress has gone. The Kobold had a small cave-in but the two draw up plans to build supports and dig out any progress Kib lost. After that, the two of them go out to hunt goblins together.

Gained EXP

El

5200/7500

400 and 600

Kib

2200/3000

The two manage to surprise a group of goblins and kill nine of them. Kib retires to his warren and El hurries back to town to get a bath before retiring for the night.

He arrives at Drigs’ tavern covered in mud, sweat, dust from the mine, and goblin blood. He opens the doors and steps in. He hears the rowdy laughter of a group of halflings playing bone dice at one of the long tables. At one table is a group of hunters.

“Hey, El!” One of the hunters yells.

“Yeah?” El looks over with a curious gaze.

“Keep chasing the monsters away, leave the animals for us.” He calls out with a smile.

Some of the other hunters laugh. El takes three steps striding towards their table. He stops at the edge of the table, placing a hand on the handle of his sickle.

“What was this about?” El asks nonchalantly, keeping a passive posture.

Two of the hunters have dumb and drunk smiles on their faces. A third still looks sober. He only has a glass of water in front of him.

“They meant nothing by it. In fact, these two should be grateful. You’re keeping us safe without bleeding our pockets dry or bedding our women.” The sober hunter scowls.

“Yeah, fuck adventurers!” The two other hunters clink their mugs, spilling some drink, before downing what they have left.

“We all have our parts to play. The food and safety you three provide is still important.” El nods to the sober hunter before stepping away from the table.

El heads to the bar where Drigs is waiting.

“No matter how many species of creation you murder I am still not giving you booze,” Drigs grumbles as El takes a seat at the bar.

“I’m not a drinking man.” The field hand places six copper coins on the desk.

“A bath? I better tell Erin that one of her toys is here.” He muttered.

“That's not necessary.” El’s face grows flush.

“You can kill monsters, but you can’t lay with a woman?” Drigs laughs.

“I just never have.” El shrugs and looks for a way to escape.

“Well, my ex-wife is a bitch, so don’t settle for a pretty face. And never settle for a girl from Crestfall. That goes for Erin too.” Drigs says.

“Crestfall? I thought Erin was from Belrond.” El scratches his head.

“Both I and Erin are from Crestfall. I moved after the divorce. My two sons stayed with their mom, but Erin came with me. She wasn’t mine, but her mother didn’t want her staying in Crestfall. She was getting up to no good with an acolyte of the local church. Though, you didn’t hear that from me.” Drigs shrugs.

“Why are you so talkative?” El leans forward and gets the strong scent of booze from Drigs.

“I paid the child support today. Damn bitch is bleeding my business dry and I can’t even see my kids.”

“Sorry to hear that,” El says.

“Sure. Go take a bath. You smell worse than I do.” Drigs turns and grabs another bottle of rye whiskey.

“Fair.”

El takes a bath, washing away the grime of the day. He leans back and lets his mind drift off. Was he making his dad proud? Would his family want this life for him? Did he need Ban to survive?

The fieldhand thought about his shovel and his sickle. Not exactly prime weapons. Bandlor had taken the equipment from the knight so there was no chance he’d get around paying for something. Dipping into his savings feels awful. Yet, buying adventuring equipment was exactly what he was saving up for.

El’s eyes grow heavy so he closes them as he slips further into the bath.

The kobold was a wrench in his plans. Well, a welcome one. If the two of them adventured together he wouldn’t be alone. Yet El could never ask that of him. The poor guy had lost his entire family. In a far closer and more terrifying way than El had lost his.

He still remembered the fire. The adventurers. The nobility and their guard. It was like it all happened to him twice. This time he won, he gained a friend, and he felt confident. The first time he had lost everything. He was questioned, he was used, he was tormented, and then he was dumped off in this village.

A royal carriage. Not a horse-drawn carriage. Not a magical carriage. No, a carriage being pulled by massive monitor lizards. And the noble. He still remembered her face. A grey-skinned woman, purple tint to her features, and sharp elven ears. Her face looked down at him from that carriage.

Then Arkin pulled him out of the mud. A friendly hand reaching down.

“Get out of the tub.” A femine voice says firmly.

El’s eyes burst open.