[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 39 starting actions]

[Tess’s Almanac: 10th day of Fall! 81 days until the Fall Festival. If you don’t have pressing work, it would be a great day to come out to the town square! Especially if you happen to consider yourself someone particularly adventurous or daring, or know someone who might be!]

Jason slowly rolled out of bed and rose, weary as though he hadn’t gone to bed at all. In all due fairness, he hadn’t been able to get to sleep until well after midnight. He had spent the previous several days out in the field, trying desperately to get a good crop put in, but had run into a bit of a problem. The smoke from the torches, as good as it was in keeping away the Juun bugs, also made his own body ache quite horribly. He had been unable to enter the field without extraordinary pain, at least while the torches were going. As such, he had been forced to wait until the torches burned up all the repellant before he had been able to enter, which had resulted in his staying up extraordinarily late, as he hadn’t really been able to get to work until well into the afternoon on the previous day. In any event, the seed was in the ground, and he had been invited into town by Tess.

He stumbled over to the window, still half-asleep, and gazed out at the field. The torches were smoking again, as he had refilled them after putting away the planter, and a smile flickered across his face. The sprouts hadn’t come up yet, but the Juun bugs were staying well enough away. Perfect. He quickly changed into a tunic, then strode down the stairs and into the kitchen.

“Alright, cookbook.” He dropped into a chair. “Make me something that will wake me up. Do we have any coffee?”

With a flash, a mug of steaming coffee appeared in front of him. He picked up the mug and took a sip, then sighed deeply.

“Mmm. Now… Eggs. And cheese. And anything else you might think appropriate.”

There was a flash of light, and a plate of scrambled eggs mixed with a number of vegetables and some sausage appeared in front of him. No… Hardly scrambled eggs. An omelet! He grinned slightly, and quickly tucked into the meal. It had been awhile since he had eaten one of those, and relished the taste. When he finished, and downed the coffee, he felt quite refreshed, though still not necessarily awake, and soon made his way to the front of the house.

When he strode out onto the front porch, his eyes snapped open. If he hadn’t been awake before, he was now. The smell of the smoke filled the air, burning his eyes and stinging his lungs.

“Oh, that’s bad.” He muttered. “We’ve got to find a better solution.”

No one answered him, and he soon had Lady out of her stable. She flicked her ears and tail in irritation, and he sighed. Moving quickly, he put on her saddle and attached a small saddlebag, then filled the sack with oats, mounted up, and rode off with her toward town. He took the ride slow, as Lady was also still quite tired, and in that poor state, they soon came upon Summer Shandy.

As they rode into town, Jason glanced around the area and found a proper gathering slowly taking place. Juun bugs buzzed overhead, but no one seemed to pay them any further mind. Instead, a small stage was being erected next to the Guild Hall, while Tess was standing nearby watching. Constable Hank stood just next to her, and Jason rode up next to the two of them.

“It looks like you’re really planning something.” Jason remarked. “You said you had something going on, but I’ll admit that I didn’t think it would quite anything like this.”

“I think you’ll like it.” Tess turned and flashed him a smile. “I mean, don’t get too excited. It’s nothing horribly extravagant or anything, but…” Her eyes narrowed as she looked him over. “Are you okay? You look awful.”

“Let’s just say that Paulina’s pepper has worked wonders.” Jason sighed and swung down. “If you ever need good human repellant, it’s bound to work wonders.”

At that, Tess chuckled softly and shook her head. “I’ll keep that in mind. Take Lady around to the stalls and get her bedded down. Once you have her settled into place, feel free to head into the Guild Hall and crash. This won’t be ready for a few hours. The warriors in there all know who you are, and most of them are out fighting Juun bugs anyway.”

Jason nodded gratefully, and soon rode Lady around to the small stable. He dismounted and put her in her standard stall next to Angus, then walked up and into Tess’s office. He knew that she had offered to let him stay in the main hall, but whether or not the warriors accepted him, it was a warrior’s hall, not a farmer’s hall.

“We need a farmers guild.” He muttered as he sat down next to her desk and leaned against the outer wall of the building. “I don’t know what we’d do, but we need a farmers guild. Maybe I’ll have Tess arrange it… Once… We’re married.”

His head felt heavy, and he allowed himself to slip into sleep. He wasn’t aware of anything until he felt something shaking his shoulder softly. With that, he sat up instantly and snorted softly.

“Huh? I’m awake.”

Tess smiled down at him. “It’s time, if you’re ready.”

Jason nodded and climbed to his feet. She was dressed in her standard battle armor, though it looked polished, if Jason was any proper judge of it. She quickly led him out into the town square, where nearly the entire village seemed to have gathered. Jeremiah and Delilah stood near the back, while Paulina, Theresa, and Viola stood at the front near the stage. Tess patted him on the back, and Jason walked over to stand next to Jeremiah while Tess climbed up in front of everyone.

“Citizens of Summer Shandy!” Tess called out loudly. Instantly, every eye was fixated upon her, and she flashed a smile. “Thank you for coming out today. I know you’re likely confused by my summons. Some of you may have worked out what this is about, but the majority are probably in the dark. As such…” Tess took a deep breath. “I’m here to formally announce my resignation as the Guildmaster of the Warriors Guild in Summer Shandy.”

A ripple of confusion swept across the crowd. There were certainly no cheers, but there also weren’t exactly cries of disappointment, either. Tess waited a few minutes for the murmuring to die down, and then continued.

“I’ve thought long and hard about this course of action. A lot of you won’t care, I know, and likely won’t blink an eye at whoever steps up to replace me. I’m here to advise you not to be so casual about it.” Tess started pacing back and forth across the stage. “I know I didn’t make many friends last year, when I was vying with Blacksuit for control of the Guild. The fact of the matter, though, is that I care about this town a lot. I care about its safety. Dungeons are how our economy functions. I’ve heard of distant lands where this isn’t the case, where money is generated by banks and then given to their favorite landlords to trickle down to the people. Here, though, all money, all wealth, all of our society comes from these dungeons. Of course, so do monsters. The only way to have a well-regulated economy is to have a well-regulated dungeon. Blacksuit, as you obviously learned at a later date, would have destroyed the town anyway, but even if he hadn’t been a homicidal maniac bent on revenge, his policies likely still wouldn’t have done Summer Shandy any favors. When businessmen from big cities get their hands on small-town dungeons, they suck up every spare coin that comes from the tunnels, and very little trickles down to the citizens. I want to prevent that from happening.”

She paused for a moment, then continued. “Further, there’s the concern of making sure that warriors are kept in check. A feasting warrior, fresh out of a dungeon, can easily get lost in the fight and come out into town still swinging his sword. A guildmaster must be many things to ensure the safety of the town. They must be willing to sacrifice everything. They must be willing to put their life, their reputation, their relationships, and so much more on the line. And, of course, they must be physically at the top of their game.”

She took another deep breath. “Now, despite the Warriors Guild being an international organization, with thousands of Guild Halls spread across the land, each individual hall is run in its own way, at the discretion of the local operator. As such, I have carefully gone over the paperwork and filed with all the requisite departments, and have secured the ability to choose my own successor. Without my approval, no one will be able to take up the mantle of Guildmaster in this town.”

At this, another slow ripple began to build its way through the ranks, and Tess smiled.

“I see that excitement. Yes, you’re hearing me right. I will be holding tryouts among the citizens of Summer Shandy, starting before the Fall Festival, to choose my successor. Anyone interested will need to file their names with Constable Hank, who will vet your criminal record and other such important items. He’ll then pass his findings on to me, and I will consider his report alongside the physical trial. At the end of it, I hope to find the most worthy candidate possible to hold the title of Guildmaster in Summer Shandy. Of course, I’m not going anywhere, I’ll still be living here, but my future duties will prevent me from taking such an active role.”

With that, she stepped back. Most of the crowd began to disperse, returning to their homes and herds, but several strapping young men and women pressed forward quickly to speak to Tess. She climbed down from the platform and began speaking to them, and Jeremiah elbowed Jason in the side.

“You think you’ll try out?”

Jason snorted and shook his head. “I’m nowhere near strong- Hey!” He laughed for a few seconds. “You had me going, there.”

“Gotta keep on your feet, eh?” Jeremiah crossed his arms. “Maybe I’ll try out, just for fun.”

“You’d best not, if you know what’s good for you.” Delilah turned away and started walking back to the carriage. “Now finish up whatever you’re in town for. I have a few pies to deliver, and then I need to get back home just as quick as possible.”

Jeremiah sighed and shook his head as she walked away. “I think she came along with me just to make sure I got home in a ‘reasonable time.’” He made scare quotes with his fingers, and Jason chuckled. “Still, though, in all seriousness, it could be a lot to fun to try out whatever Tess has planned for her trial. I always like to see how I measure up to the young folks.”

“And you enjoy having people laugh at you.” Jason pointed out.

“That’s a fair point!” Jeremiah laughed, the sobered. “I smelled that smoke when we drove past your house. That stuff’ll peel the pain off your house, smells like.”

“It’ll peel off my skin if I’m not careful.” Jason sighed. “Now we just have to see how it works. It’s keeping the bugs away for now, but nothing’s come up yet.”

“You’ll figure it out.” Jeremiah clapped him on the shoulder. “On the bright side, I talked with Paulina, and there’s no winter variety. You’ll have at least one season free of them.”

“Yeah, one season where I can’t grow anything anyway.”

“Take what you can get.” Jeremiah shrugged and started to turn away. “Looks like the misses is coming. I’ll leave you to it.”

Jason waved as Jeremiah started walking toward some of the villagers, then turned as Tess approached with a grin. They embraced, and Jason sighed deeply.

“It’s good to see you.” He smiled as they pulled apart. “It’s been a long few days. Admittedly not just because I haven’t been able to see you, but that also hasn’t helped.”

“So I’ve smelled.” Tess wrinkled her nose, then grinned again. “What do you think?”

“I think I didn’t realize there was so much you did.” Jason chuckled. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I knew the Guildmaster was important, but I had no idea you regulated so much.”

“I mean, it’s not like I’m personally responsible for the well-being of the town or anything, but there is a lot that goes into it. It’s not just about swinging a sword.” She turned and nodded at the group of applicants. “They look like a good bunch. I mean, I already know most of them, so I can personally vouch for the fact that they’re a good bunch, but they’re already showing a lot of enthusiasm.”

“What are your steps from here?” Jason asked.

“Well, like I said, Hank’s going to run some background checks on them. That much is actually a step required by the Guild Headquarters, so there’s not a lot I can do about it.” Tess answered. “Once they come back, I’ll be able to start working with them. I’d like to get them into the office and show them a bit about the paperwork on the back end, to test and see their aptitude for different numbers and that sort of thing.”

“Gotcha.” Jason nodded, then frowned. “What happens if you can’t find anyone from among them who’s a good fit?”

“It’s entirely possible.” Tess sighed. “If that happens, I’ll have to start looking elsewhere. I don’t want to do that, but in my travels, I’ve seen what happens when bad Guildmasters get put into office. Some of them are just bad, like Blacksuit would have been, but some of them are well-meaning people who just can’t handle one aspect of the job or another. When that sort of thing happens, it never goes well for the town. If we do hit that point, and I dearly hope we don’t, I’ll start looking at the warriors passing through the city. A lot of warriors will take up a position as Guildmaster when they retire, especially if they don’t actually want to retire, but were forced to do because of some sort of minor injury that’s made them just a bit too slow. Or, you know, if they get married and want to settle down but don’t want to give up the adventure. It works for a lot of people, and might have worked for a few specific people I knew, but…”

Tess sighed and looked down at the ground, then shrugged. “Anyway, that’s my plan. Worst comes to worst, I’ll send some advertisements up to Illumitir, and I’d certainly get plenty of replies from it, but I’d rather avoid that possibility if I can.”

“I think everyone around here would, too.” Jason nodded, then hugged Tess again. “Well, best of luck. Let me know if I can help at all.”

“Of course.” Tess smiled softly, then brightened. “And if there’s anything I can do to help you with the farming, especially getting around that smell, you have to let me know!”

“Will do!” Jason sighed and started to turn away, then paused. “You know, Lady isn’t going to be ready to ride again for a little while. Would you like to grab lunch?”

“I’d love that.” Tess reached out and took his hand, then took a long breath. “To the future?”

“To the future.” Jason nodded. “And to whatever it brings.”