My mind scrambles to find a solution. Questioning her about mating habits doesn’t seem like a great path to go. Shit, she’s looking at me, I have to say something.

I take a deep breath, straightening my back and squaring my shoulders.

“Do I have the honour of addressing the ruler of this forest?”

She moves closer, reaching a hand towards me.

“You do. I am Leona Cethi.”

She touches my cheek, turning my head side to side as if inspecting a side of beef.”

“And who are you to approach me in this manner?”

“I am TeeCee the adventurer, serf to the Baron Brouswin and the current holder of the Greenlily farm.”

She drops her hand with a snort, walking past me to the writhing bundle of roots that Tiene has become. With a gesture, the roots stand up, revealing the face of a really annoyed Tiene. Leona inspects her the same way she did me, ignoring the spluttering objections.

“I can sense good breeding in her, she’d make a good host. Tell me, serf of the Baron, why should I pick you as a consort?”

I scratch my neck sheepishly. Here goes nothing, I guess.

“My lady of the forest, this woman is not meant as an offering, she is my companion. We were unaware of your presence in these woods.”

Leona’s eyes darken for a moment before she puts on a haughty expression. Did I hit a nerve?

“I suppose my claim to this forest is too young to have travelled far. I will forgive you that trespass, but that still leaves your presence in my lands to explain. Talk fast, half breed, for I tire of your face.”

She’s powerful here in her domain. Her connection to the land is so strong I can feel it, but she’s young. Her lands are on poisoned soil. She’s hiding it well, but she’s inexperienced.

Skill increased: Social Perception.

“My lady, it’s true that we were unaware of your presence, but our meeting was ordained by the fates. We’re looking for a way to combat the poisoned soil.”

Her eyes go wide, anger apparent in her posture.

“The poisoned soil was caused by her people. The trees have told me how they dug into the earth and brought the evil rocks up. They broke them apart, taking very little and leaving behind the worst toxins I’ve ever seen. It’s all I can do to keep my grove from dying.”

Standing by Tiene, I keep the angry dryad in front of me.

“This all happened long before we got here, but the sequence of events sound like what would happen with these people. They lack the connection with nature our blood affords us.”

For a moment it looks like she’s going to get angrier, but the fight seems to leave her as her shoulders slump.

Ability increased: Charisma.

“It doesn’t make sense, they live here just as we do. Why do they keep killing nature?”

I reach out to touch her shoulder. She looks at my hand, but doesn’t pull away.

“Humans rarely make sense from the perspective of nature. But we’ve been given a chance here, to heal the land and show the others how technology and civilisation can coexist with nature.”

She puts a hand on mine, her lips a slight smile.

“I’m not well versed in the ways of your kind, halfblood, but I can tell you’re building up to ask me something. Ask your boon.”

Smiling my most disarming smile, I pray I’m not pushing too hard.

“Will you help us combat the poison? Use your magics to prevent it from destroying my crops so we can meet our obligations to the Baron. From there, we can start earning money and influence in the province, letting us get the equipment and manpower we need to remove the evil once and for all.”

She thinks about my words for a long moment, her face inscrutable. After what seems like forever, she closes her eyes, nodding.

“I will help you. I will protect one quarter of your field from the poison so you can grow your crops there. You will have to find water somewhere else, however.”

I bow to her, making her chuckle.

“There’s no need for that kind of thing, TeeCee. Just go and fulfil your side of the bargain.”

Quest accepted: The Dryad Gambit.- You’ve made an agreement with the dryad Leona Cethi.- You will prioritise removing the poison from the Greenlily land.- Success: Increased standing with Leona.- Failure: Decreased standing with Leona. Suffer the dryads wrath.

She turns to leave and I interrupt her.

“Could I ask for one more favour?”

She turns around, a gleam in her eye letting me know she’s entertained for now, but not for long.

“Could I please have my companion back? She’s going to be really angry if I leave her here.”

Leona laughs, snapping her fingers as she leaves. Tiene falls to the ground as the roots unravel. I hurry to help her up, avoiding her eyes as much as possible. If I start laughing now, I probably won’t survive the night.

Your standing with Leona Cethi has changed to Amicable.

I turn back to the dryad, but she’s already vanished into the forest. Tiene walks off in a huff, and I hurry to catch up to her.

“I think we dodged a bullet there. Are you okay?”

She stops without turning, her voice cold as ice.

“You’re going to have to leave me alone for a while. For the next few hours I will be in the shed breaking things and swearing. It would be best for the both of us if you didn’t interrupt me.”

I stop, letting her get ahead of me. When she’s safely in the shed, I hurry to the cart, careful to stay away from the storm brewing in the poor shed. I retrieve the sack of grains the mayor left for me, inspecting it’s properties.

Emgrass- Common.- Known effects: ???.- Base chance of cultivation: 10%Emgrass is a simple, hardy cereal. Commonly grown in forested areas, it matures quickly and requires less nutrients than other grains. Will deplete soil.

Amount in container: 3000.

Only a 10% chance to cultivate? There must be something I’m missing.

I grab the tools from the cart, hauling them and the sack of grain to the field, one piece at a time.

Ability increased: Strength.

As I survey the area, my farming interface updates with details on the field.

Field 1: small (100x100).Current crop: Fallow.Soil quality: Normal (high mineral content).Field needs to be prepared for planting.- Clear debris from field.- Remove weeds.- Select crop for planting. (2 choices available).

Checking the choices, I’m not surprised to see I can pick either the Fairyhome or the Emgrass. I select the Emgrass.

Current chance of cultivation: 3%- Base chance: 5%- Skill modifier: 3%- Racial bonus: 10%- Seed bonus: 10%- Soil modifier: 0%- Field prep modifier: -25%

I quickly cancel prompt. Apparently, preparing the field properly is the way to go here. With a weary sigh I start picking the largest pieces of debris, gathering it in a pile next to my tools. After an hour of this I shift to clearing weeds and smaller rocks, gaining several blisters in the process. Finally I spend several hours tilling the hard soil, breaking the dry upper layer apart to find the darker, living dirt below. I go back to the grain to check how my chances have changed.

Current chance of cultivation: 53%- Base chance: 5%- Skill modifier: 3%- Racial bonus: 10%- Seed bonus: 10%- Soil modifier: 0%- Field prep modifier: +25%

Well, it lets me break even, but it’s still not great. I wonder if that chance is per seed, per square or per field. I guess my best chances of increasing this is by upping my herbalism skill, increasing my farming level or learning how to work the field more effectively. I decide to go for it.

As soon as I’ve accepted the prompt, a grid is superimposed over the field. Each square of the grid has a different colour, and all of them have a red border. I pick up the sack of grains and move to the closest square. Taking a single grain, I drop it on the ground. Nothing changes. I take a handful and spread it over the approximately one foot square area, and the border changes to a slightly more orange red. Checking the bag, I find I’ve spent 37 seeds. A quick count shows me that there are a thousand squares on the 100x100 field. That means I’d need around 37000 seeds if I want to go at it this way. That can’t be right.

I go to the next square, taking a single seed. This time I dig a little hole, placing the seed inside and cover it up. The border around the square changes colour, nearly matching the colour of the square inside. I plant another one and the colour matches perfectly. Looking back to the first square, I try pushing as many of the seeds into the ground as I can find. I’m rewarded with another colour matched square. Awesome, so I can do this with 2000 seeds instead, leaving me almost a thousand as backup for when things go bad. Diligently, I start sowing each square.

Skill increase: Herbalism.

By the time I’ve finished, my back is aching and I’m parched. Each square on the grid is matching it’s border, and most of the squares are yellow. Some of them seem to have increased towards green, while some have regressed towards orange, telling me that there’s a random element at work here. As a finishing touch I use a watering can to dampen the topsoil. Satisfied with my work, I check the field status.

Field 1: small (100x100)Current crop: Emgrass (1000)Soil quality: Normal (high mineral content)Growing cycle: Sown (0)Average health: 80%Needs: None.

It’s as good as it’s going to get I guess. I head back to the cart, finding Tiene cooking dinner. She gives me a tired look as I return.

“I cooked some of the root vegetables for dinner. How did the farming go?”

Sitting down heavily, I pour some water for the two of us.

“Not too bad I think. As it turns out, despite the training I don’t really know what I’m doing here.”

She laughs, pulling a tuber out of the pot.

“You’re not alone, Tee. I think I was supposed to peel this thing before I cooked it. Or possibly cube it with the skin on. Right now it sort of looks like a walnut.”

Boggling at the poor vegetable, I take over the cooking while she lies back to relax.

“I finished clearing out the shed. There were a few issues with the structure, but I can fix them.”

I manage to slice the root, releasing an eerie hiss as the trapped gases escape.

“I’ll have to go into town tomorrow for more supplies. We’re going to run out of water soon if I don’t. If you need anything, write it down and I’ll grab it.”

Using a skillet and a little oil, I fry the mushy vegetable over the fire, making a serviceable meal out of it despite Tiene’s best efforts. She makes a point out of not commenting on it as we finally sit down to eat. After the meal, we lie there as the sun goes down, revealing the moons and stars.

“Tee… Why haven’t you tried anything with me?”

I nearly swallow my tongue. What kind of question is that? My mind starts racing, showing me memories of Rishi, of others I’ve cared for in the past. I look at her, her eyes firmly fixed on the dark sky.

“Tiene, did you want me to try anything?”

She shrugs audibly.

“I don’t know really. I kind of expected it. A grand adventure with an adventurer, travelling together across the realms. But then Yadra came along, and I like her, but it didn’t really fit with the fantasy. And now there’s Leona, who you clearly have a lot in common with, and now I don’t know what my place here is anymore and…”

She stops talking, leaving me to fill in the awkward silence.

“Tiene… Yadra scares the bejeebus out of me. Leona is powerful and all, but Yadra is a whole other level of terrifying.”

Taking a deep breath, I try to find the right words. She looks at me, her eyes somewhere between laughter and tears.

“I can’t get involved with you any more than I am now. I need you as a companion, as a friend and as a partner. The way things are now, I can’t give you or anyone anything more.”

She smiles at me, nodding as she looks back up towards the sky.

“Good. Because Yadra gave me this knife and told me to show it to you if you tried something.”

With a snapping motion, she plants the knife between us. It’s the same one I got from Fred. I look from it to her.

“I don’t know what a bejeebus is, but I think she’s pretty scary too.”