[Maria, Marty’s smithy]

I begin to describe the weapon I’d like to Marty. “The pole should measure about five feet, about three inches thick, and be made of dryad wood. The blade itself should be viable for both thrusting and slashing, about a foot and a half long. The weight would ideally be thirty pounds, but I am willing to go about five in either direction.”

“Wood isn’t something I deal in, lassie, but I’ve friends who do. Still, dryad wood is expensive, sometimes even more so than mythril. It’s good stuff, but are you sure you can afford it? I can’t tell you the exact pricing right now, but my estimate is roughly five gold pieces for the materials and labor.”

Hearing the price makes me reflexively grimace. “That’s a bit more than I have right now, so I’ll come back after a few more jobs.”

“Don’t be so hasty, lassie. You’ve been a good patron of mine, so I’m willing to take it in installments if you pay half up front, with the rest being over six months. I’m unsure if Aria would be inclined to agree, but I’ll do what I can to convince her when she gets back. Come back in a week or so and we can discuss this further Just remember that she'll likely be here when you do, and that she can be a bit... stiff at times. Anyways, nice seeing ya, come back soon.”

As we walk out the door, I turn to my mom. “That wasn’t so bad, was it? I told you, Marty’s a good man. Now, you said something about going to the grocer?”

Mom sighs “He was still intimidating, but he does seem rather nice to people. How did you meet him, anyway?”

“One of the people I worked with when I just got started as a mercenary introduced me to him. He had a really cool looking axe and I asked him where he got it since I wanted something like that myself. After one of our jobs where our weapons got pretty beaten up, he asked me to come with him to the blacksmith he used. Eventually he left for a town up north, but I still rely on Marty for new equipment.”

[Grocer]

Making our way over to the grocer, I find myself impressed by the amount of produce on display. Nearly two dozen different types of fruits and vegetables are clearly visible, with each one having a name and price label beneath them. Seeing as I don’t know much about shopping for food, I let my mom take the lead here. Still, I make sure to tell her about things that catch my eye, like the apples.

I remember one job where we had to assist a group of dryads in driving out a bunch of thieves from their grove. Our reward, besides the obvious money? Since we captured the thieves red-handed rather than simply killing or driving them off, she gave us a feast of tree fruits in gratitude. They were all so delicious that we ate way too much, giving us a nasty stomach ache the following morning. At the same time, the mana saturating the fruit likely slightly strengthened our bodies, as I noticed a palpable improvement in my capabilities afterwards. I know these apples won’t do that, and they almost certainly won’t be quite as good, but I still want them regardless.

After we finish at the grocer, we follow up at the bakery next door. Again, I let my mother lead thanks to my inexperience. I’ve never been one for sweets, despite them being made far cheaper following the previous hero’s accomplishments in developing agriculture.

When my mother was a child, a drawn-out invasion from Mynydd led to the kingdom’s citizens going through a famine. A decision was made to summon a hero from another realm to end the war, and he did do that, just not in the way he was expected to. Nouka was an expert in the field of farming, and his techniques being spread throughout the land caused the fighting to stop. It turns out the enemy was going through a famine of their own, and was only invading to feed their citizens. Once they had a stable food supply, they called a truce to negotiate a peaceful end to the war.

Our kingdom, still recovering from our own food crisis, agreed to peace so long as reparations were paid. The monarch at the time was very deliberate with the amount he charged, going for a long-term plan costing enough to weaken the military while still leaving them with enough to protect the peace. Nowadays, the two countries are close allies, with Mynydd exporting large amounts of metals and gemstones in exchange for food and other goods.

Several years later, Nouka decided to leave for other lands to help them prosper in the same way he did for Tir and Mynydd. While the king was initially hesitant to let Nouka go, he saw that there was no point in keeping Nouka in Tir, as him helping other lands with agriculture would lead to less conflict in the long term. Supposedly, Nouka settled down with a wife and kids about ten years back, but little has been heard about them since. Makes sense, since he apparently never liked being in the spotlight, so likely wanted to live a quiet life now that he felt he’d done his duty.

Finishing up our shopping with our hands full of paper bags (another hero’s accomplishment), the hour of twilight greets us as we walk home in a peaceful silence. Getting home and putting our purchases away, I talk with mom about the sights I’ve seen, with her replying that she wishes she could see them herself. Dinner consists of simple sandwiches due to the hour at which we got home, and before long we turn in for the night.

Heading up to my room, I gently place my newly acquired bracelet on my dresser as I change into my nightclothes. Glancing back at it upon laying down, I see the moonlight coming through the window reflecting off of the gem it contains, giving it a beautifully soft glow. I wonder how Leon is doing. Those are the last coherent thoughts I have before falling into the darkness.

The same recurring dream haunts me yet again, although things feel slightly different than before. I am wearing my bracelet, and feel it diverting some of the energy into itself, allowing me to get closer than before to my goal, the tree’s base. This time, I manage to see one of its roots, measuring nearly five feet in diameter before my dream body once more collapses from being flooded with life energy. Just how much life energy does it have, and how can it hold so much without killing itself in the process? And what do I have to do to get these dreams to stop?