Diggory and Kristabelle bid a polite farewell to Olga and departed. They were out of sight by the time I finally managed to stand. How could these creatures be so cold? Had they hated Montgomery for some reason?

“Well, I hope you enjoyed that, because you'll be paying me back for quite some time. With the loss of equipment and Monty's death, you owe eighteen favors total. I wouldn't bother asking for anything else for a while if I were you.”

“Did...did you know Monty? Did he have any family?” I asked, afraid of what I might hear.

“I knew him. Met him...let's see...eighty-three years back. And no, he didn't have a family. Fae don't have those.”

“Eighty-three years? You've known him that long?” I didn't want to shout, but this was hard to accept. If someone I had known for that long died in front of me...well, I have no idea. I've never known anyone that long.

Olga rolled her eyes. “You've obviously got a lot to learn about Fae. Eighty-three years is only a long time to a human. Time doesn't matter so much when you don't age.”

“How old are you?” the words were out of my mouth before I could reconsider them, but when I did, I saw no reason to. Why would an immortal creature be sensitive about its age?

“That knowledge will not be yours for nothing, and you're too deep in debt to ask for anything else. I have other things to do today. I'll let you recover. Tomorrow, I'll have a few ideas about how you might pay me back. Goodbye.”

“Are you just going to leave him there?” I asked, gesturing to Montgomery's earthly remains.

“Yes. Why? Do you want it for something?” she asked.

“Shouldn't we bury him?”

Olga shrugged. “Wouldn't see the point. Something will be along to eat it before long.”

I watched as Olga walked away. Gnomes kept finding new ways to remind me that they were not just cute, tiny humans. Well, they may see no need to mourn this little fellow, but I did. Maybe he would have been no more bothered about my death than Olga, but just because he wasn't human, that didn't make him any less of a person. Well, he might actually be only a simulation of a person, but I would bury him anyway. I was still a human being, at least. Without a shovel, it took a long time to dig a hole deep enough. I used one of the sharp rocks I had been using as a scraping tool to scoop out a hole large enough for the tiny man's remains. I had almost no strength in me after that lightning bolt. I had to admit that I had been mistaken about the practicality of that attack. The sun was beginning to set as I patted the rich, black soil over the little body.

Congratulations!

You have discovered the Hill Spring Garden. By defeating the guardian and performing a ritual on this site, you now have the right to claim this garden. This garden has been abandoned by its last controllers, and is currently Unclaimed and Wild. Do you wish to claim this garden?

Yes No

It had been a while since I faced any of this game's text walls. It was like the game wanted to keep reminding me that I was trapped in a demented computer program, despite all the effort that had been put into realism elsewhere. It was really kind of annoying. Still, I had just won a stupid game, so I may as well claim my stupid prize. I mentally tapped “Yes”.

Gardens allow plants to be grown at many times their natural rate, and can produce useful new plant species. As controller of this garden, you may expend Garden points to change and improve the garden's functions. Garden points are acquired by tending the garden, planting seeds, and enriching the soil.

Sacrifice Accepted: You have acquired 60 Garden points. You are now eligible to select the garden's first specialization. Choose one of the following:

Vegetable Garden: Garden produces one unique vegetable species, and all edible plants grow at double speed within an eight meter radius. Vegetable gardens are ideal for promoting general health and well-being.

Fruit Garden: Garden produces one unique edible fruit-bearing species, and all fruit-bearing plants grow at double speed within an eight meter radius. Fruit gardens are ideal for producing large quantities of nutritious food.

Herbalist's Garden: Garden produces one unique medicinal herb species, and all medicinal herbs grow at double speed within an eight meter radius. Herbalist's Gardens are extremely useful for supplying physicians and treating illnesses.

Witch's Garden: Garden produces one unique magical reagent, and all magical reagents grow at double speed within eight meter radius. A Witch's Garden is an excellent source of supplies to add power and versatility to spellcasting.

Forbidden Garden: Garden will actively defend itself and its controller from attackers and intruders. Natural traps or guardians will grow or be attracted to the location, and can be directed by the Garden's controller to attack or ignore specific individuals or groups.

Flower Garden: Garden produces one unique flowering specie, and all flowering plants grow at double speed within eight meter radius. Flowers make attractive decorations and marvelous gifts.

It said “Sacrifice Accepted”. Was it talking about the gnome I had just buried? That suggested that this garden would improve if I buried more corpses in it. That's a bit macabre.

Considering how much time I spend hunting and gathering, having a readily available source of food would be very helpful. It might even provide me with something I could sell to the gnomes to help me get out of debt. Of course, they might be just as interested in medicine, magic, or even just nice flowers. It also said that this would only be the first specialization, which meant that I might be able to add more in the future. There was a faint possibility that this place might end up being worth what I had paid for it. I chose Fruit Garden for the first specialization. I wished that I could see what each new species would provide before making my selection.

This garden is currently named the Hill Spring Garden. Do you wish to rename it?

Yes No

“Hill Spring Garden” was fine, but it was a strictly functional name. This was my place now, and I should give it more of a personal touch. I considered for a while, then gave it a name reminiscent of the way it had been claimed.

Welcome to Monty's Rest. This garden is under the protection of Jamil Mesbah. Do you wish to:

View Character Sheet

System Query (3 Remaining)

Upgrade Garden

Set Access Limits

Wait. If this allowed me to view my character sheet, did that mean I could...

Jamil Mesbah

Level 4 Human Wanderer

XP: 18/50

HP: 16/21

Stamina: 1/17

Strength: 9

Dexterity: 11

Constitution: 9

Intelligence: 12

Wisdom: 12

Charisma: 12

Second Gate of Destiny

You have 2 attributes points unspent

Yes! After all this work and trouble in the forest, I could finally improve my abilities! I was actually getting somewhere now! That just left me with the choice of what to get. I had been considering what I would spend my points on next for some time. My limited stamina reserves had been a problem for me over and over, so I either need to increase my constitution, or increase my intelligence to help my skills improve faster. More skill meant more efficient spells. Of course, Charisma was at least as valuable to me as my magic, and dealing with the gnomes had become a core survival skill for me.

In the end, I decided to bump up my Intelligence and Charisma. Charisma came first. Ever since I had increased it the first time, I had been hoping to get the chance at another hit.

You have increased your Charisma from 12 to 13!

+1 Attribute bonus to Diplomacy, Deception, Leadership, and Intimidation

All reputation gains are increased by 15%

All party members gain a 3% bonus to movement, hitpoints, and Stamina.

All relationships improve 15% faster

It was like soaking myself in power, joy, possibility, and love all at once. Like my very soul was being dipped in honey. I felt interesting, mysterious, intimidating, maybe even cunning. It had been good last time, but this was even more intense. I had to stop myself from throwing my second point into yet more juicy Charisma. It was a drug, I knew, and one I could get very addicted to. But I had made my decision, and I had to stay true to myself.

You have increased your Intelligence from 12 to 13!

Cognitive Speed: 115%

Cognitive Capacity: 115%

4 Skill Talents (+2)

1 Major Skill Talent (+4)

Training Cap: 3

+1 to Knowledge and Lore Abilities

Learning 4/10

You can now acquire skill in Disciplines, such as Occult, Physics, and Engineering.

One of your skill talents has upgraded to a Major Skill Talent. Please select the skill you wish to improve. Your options are: Jump, Precision, Medicine, Occult, Mysticism

Feeling my brain rewire itself was both upsetting and liberating. I could hear my thoughts speed up, and begin interacting with each other on a level I had never experienced before. I had always been smart, but now I was bordering on the world of genius. The decision of which skill to upgrade was tricky. I had chosen Jump originally as a way to give myself enough mobility to escape from enemies if I needed to. I hadn't really utilized it yet, except to get into that old widow's window. Precision had been to help me aim my lightning, but my lightning's range was so limited that I had never missed with it yet, so improving that didn't seem like a priority. Medicine hadn't really been useful so far either, I just never had the supplies for it. Occult would help me with my Signing, which could open up a lot of new powers if I improved on it. Mysticism might help me improve my lightning, but that might just make me more dependent on a spiritual force that didn't really like me at the moment. I chose Occult.

You have increased your Occult skill to +6! At skill level 5, you may choose you skill specialization. Choose carefully, as you may not have the opportunity to change your mind later. Your options are:

Vampire Lore- Grants encyclopedic knowledge of all vampiric creatures, their powers, weaknesses, and true nature. Grants ability to prepare spells in imitation of vampiric powers.

Outsider Lore- Grants encyclopedic knowledge of demons, angels, and other extra-dimensional beings, as well as the powers, weaknesses, and true nature thereof. Grants ability to prepare spells of summoning and banishing.

Fairy Lore- Grants encyclopedic knowledge of Fae beings, as well as their powers, weaknesses, and true nature. Grants ability to prepare spells in imitation of fey powers.

Counter Mage- Grants ability to identify any spell that is cast within your perception. Also grants ability to prepare spells that counter other spells.

Arcanism- Grants ability to identify magical and para-magical items in detail, complete with powers, limitations, and origins. Can also prepare spells to remove curses from and sidestep the limitations of magical items.

No need for soul-searching this time. Fairy Lore was exactly what I needed to help me deal with the gnomes. It would help me to understand and even duplicate their powers. I selected it, and felt the deep knowledge fill my mind. Suddenly, I found that I knew things about fae that even they may not know. Decades worth of intense study poured into me. Their history, their magic, their limitations, the way they lived, the way they organized themselves, their likes, dislikes, quirks, their utterly bizarre reproductive process. I had acquired what I now knew to be the most devastating weapon in any battle with them: Knowledge.

When I left the system interface, I discovered that the garden was transforming. The remains of the guardian had sunk into the earth of their own accord, along with most of the plants that had been here when I had first arrived. The black soul was shifting under my feet, rearranging itself. I saw tiny shoots appearing out of the soil, growing so fast that they were visibly moving. I wondered what the garden would become. No, what my garden would become, if I tended and protected it. I was far too tired to stay and watch, however. I went home and slept.

The next morning, curiosity drove me back to my garden. When I reached the top of the hill, I was awed. The original garden had been artfully arranged in a spiraling pattern with the rosebush in the center. The rosebush was gone. The soil now formed what had become the most recognizable symbol I could imagine: A teardrop surrounded by six bolts of lightning. The soil itself had changed to match my personal sigil. The symbol was outlined in the stream that flowed down from the hill, and a set of creeping vines were growing along it. The vines were no longer growing fast enough to be visibly moving. I suspected that their initial burst of growth had been the magic of this place showing off to impress me, and now the plants would merely grow at an unbelievable speed, instead of a clearly insane one. The growth had been so extreme, I already had something to harvest. The vines were growing shiny black berries the size of walnuts. I breakfasted fearlessly on them, since the system had said that I would get an edible fruit to start me off. They were sweet and juicy, with just a kiss of bitterness in them. They reminded me a little of blackcurrant, but were much larger, and had funny little tufts of foliage sticky out from their sepals. I had eaten nearly two dozen of them before I realized where I had seen that pattern before. The berries had little mustaches. The garden had taken my sacrifice, and in some sense incorporated it into this new species of plant. I hoped there wouldn't be any side effects from eating them. Unfortunately, once I saw the resemblance, I could never unsee it. Whatever I did or said, my garden was full of 'Stacheberries.

I saw immediately that these vines would need something to crawl up in order to reach full size. I gathered sticks, and set about building trellises for my mustachioed beauties. While I worked, I found that I was excited at the idea of tending this place. It would need fertilizer as well. The soil was magnificent now, but I was certain that it would need to be replenished regularly if I kept growing crops so quickly. I began to wonder how much fruit this place would produce before winter set in. Was this place even magical enough to grow crops during winter? That seemed like too much to hope for, but all bets are off where magic is involved.

As I worked, I found that my limbs were absolutely singing with energy. I hadn't felt this way since the last I drank way too much coffee. I began to wonder what was in those stacheberries. Whatever it was, it felt good. Not as good as raising my Charisma, but I definitely felt my worries fade from my mind as I completed one trellis after another.

Olga stood next to me. I was really getting annoyed by this tendency among gnomes. Thanks to my extensive Fairy Lore, I now knew for a fact that gnomes could not become invisible in any way. They could just could move so quickly and so silently that a human who wasn't looking the right way would easily miss them.

“So this why you wanted that elemental out of the picture. Aren't you worried he's just going to show up again?” she asked.

“I don't think he will.” I answered, doing my best to ignore her. The gnomes had been able to defeat the guardian on their own, but they hadn't been able to claim the garden or make it produce what they wanted. That was a privilege unique to players, and I had to take advantage of that.

“Isn't that nice. Is this how you intend to pay me back? Its awfully close to winter to be starting a garden.”

“I think it'll produce a bit more this year, at least. You might even owe me by the time its done.”

“I doubt it, but time will tell. What do you call these things, anyway?”

“Stacheberries.” I had been planning to come up with a better name, but I hadn't, so there it was. The word sounded even odder in Vulgar Fae than it had in Arabic.

“Are these magic?” she asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

I shrugged. “Probably. You want some? I could do...” I looked at my crop. They were growing fast, and more were ripening all the time, but Olga was right about the approaching winter. “...a dozen for a favor.”

“Ha! Not likely. Three dozen.”

“Twenty!” I countered.

“Thirty.” she said.

“You'll have to pick them yourself.”

“Thirty it is then.” said Olga, who lost no time feasting on her purchase. I ignored her. It was literally impossible for her to steal now that she had made a deal. Of course, any gnome might take from my garden without asking if I didn't announce my claim to it somehow.

“These things make a pretty good breakfast. Shame they won't be with us long. Have you ever tried making wine out of them?”

“When and how would I have done that?” I asked, distracted. I was busy making a signpost. Vulgar Fae didn't have a written equivalent, but luckily this was another problem I could solve by magic. Signing allowed me to imbue meaning into my sigils, and I now realized that I could create markings that could be understood by anyone. Not merely anyone who could read or speak, anyone who had a mind capable of grasping the concepts involved.

“There's a few brewers down in the colony. I'm sure they'd be interested in a new kind of fruit. Especially this time of year.” Olga's tone suggested that she thought she was being clever, but I was too absorbed in my work to pay attention. The energetic feeling was giving way to a soft, weightless euphoria. The colors around me were more vibrant than usual. I doubled over and vomited on the ground, which was odd, because I hadn't felt nauseous at all. I stared at the vomit for a while. It looked like it was moving a little.

I woke up. I had been lying on the ground. My stomach growled, and my teeth didn't seem to fit in my mouth properly. I decided that Stacheberries, while technically edible, were not a good breakfast all on their own. I looked at my garden. With a clearer head, my hastily-constructed trellises looked shoddy and crude. I felt ashamed of myself.

“Are you Jamil Mesbah?” asked a gnome with a white goatee. These little bastards and their sudden appearances would be the death of me. I recognized him as the gnome who had questioned me after I had first tested my staff.

“Yes! What do you want?” I asked testily. I didn't feel well at all, and I certainly didn't want to have a conversation just a few feet from my drying vomit.

“I am called Sedgewick. I saw your sign. Olga told me you might be willing to part with some of these berries.” he said.

I looked around. While I had been asleep, the vines had continued to grow at supernatural speed. More berries were swelling and ripening every hour. They were already starting to cover the trellises I had just built. I also saw the sign I had erected in the midst of my berry-fuge. It was a branch shoved into the ground with crudely-carved symbols reading “Property of Jamil Mesbah, Keep your hands to yourselves!”. Ugly as they were, the writing could not be misread, for each carving was infused with its intended meaning.

“Ughhh...” Part of me wanted to apologize for the pathetic display of craftsmanship.

“Olga said you're offering one favor for every thirty berries, long as we pick them ourselves. Are you willing to extend that offer to all of us? It'll be counted against your debt to Olga.”

I stared at him. “I don't know if you want these...they're a bit...” I tried to summon the mental power to explain that the berries may not be entirely safe to eat. My head felt like it was full of cotton.

“Yes, Olga mentioned that. A novel fruit, and a very interesting one. Thirty for one alright?”

“Uhhh, yah. That's fine.” My stomach heaved. I felt like I needed to lie down.

“She said yes!” shouted the little man, which frightened me all over again. In a flash, gnomes appeared among my trellises, picking everything in sight with their quick little fingers. I watched in fascination as every single ripe berry was picked, until none remained. The gnomes did not waste time. Soon, they vanished into the woods, carrying away the first harvest in tiny baskets.

“That's six favors repayed already. You''ll be a most prosperous member of our society at this rate!” said Sedgewich with a grin. As lousy as I felt, the impression I got was that I ought to have charged a lot more, if the gnomes were this eager for my produce. I was technically a drug dealer now, and a drug dealer should at least know the value of her drugs.

Over the next few days, the gnomes continued to harvest berries as they ripened. As tiny baskets were whisked away one after another, my financial situation reversed itself dramatically. Each night, it was so cold that I was certain that my garden would be withered when I next saw it. But morning after morning, I saw gnomes picking frost-encrusted berries that seemed to grow and ripen in open defiance of the natural order. With my new wealth, I was able to purchase more tools, clothing, and furnishings from the gnomes, who eagerly supplied me with whatever I asked for. I still hunted, but just as often I would enjoy a meal underground at a gnome's stand or restaurant. I began to think that the harvest would never end.

Then it snowed hard one night, and the spell was broken. The garden's magic finally gave way in the face of icy winds. I was still owed a few favors from Sedgewick, and was well equipped for the winter, but I was a little crestfallen that my only source of income had dried up. Its true that that there wasn't anything particularly honorable about selling the gnomes what was essentially a narcotic, but then there was nothing particularly honorable about the gnomes themselves either. The Fairy Lore ability had shown me that, even if Olga's behavior toward me hadn't. They were civil to each other, in a way, but Olga had spoken the truth when she had told me that they had no family or friends, no love of any kind. The colony ran on an engine of pure self-interest. Gnomes made great customers, but they could never be my friends. My loneliness returned with a vengeance.

After all the work, danger, and hardship I had been through, I finally felt that I could survive in this forest in the long term. Instead of relief, I felt despair. The daily necessity of trying to keep myself fed, warm, and dry all this time had been arduous and unpleasant, but it had at least left me with no time to contemplate my situation. Now that I had the necessities of life more or less taken care of, the future stretched out before me, and I saw little cause for optimism. The thought of huddling around my campfire, catching little creatures out of the snow to eat, and swapping little favors with the gnomes, over and over, throughout the dark, cold months until spring...I felt like a prisoner. Not just because of the harsh world around me, but the simple fact that I had no one to really share it with.

In spite of the cold, it slowly dawned on me that I couldn't stay here, at least not permanently. Having an established home in this world was a good thing, but I needed to find real companionship. I needed to find other humans. I began making preparations to leave.