Natalie laid back and closed her eyes, she stayed like that for a while just breathing and trying not to think. Without opening her eyes she asked Sam to log her into Freedom.

When she finally did open them she was greeted with afternoon sunlight in the Sanctuary. She got up and moved out into the garden area looking at the tiny little green shoots sprouting up here and there in the plots, smiling Natalie turned her attention to the Sanctuary's interface now how did she go about getting more farming plots or upgrading the buildings she already had?

Natalie called up the notes using the interface Sam had installed, so she could do things while still in the game. After reading up on the information she had received when she first activated the Sanctuary, she realised that her farming levels were going to be very important to her.

They were important for the tier levels for her farming skill and the sanctuary's tier levels. She had already made a mistake, she should have placed both the skill points into the Farming skill. But no use crying about it now, she would just have to correct it once she leveled up again and received more skill points.

Nodding to herself, Natalie walked over to the little work shack, she still had to finish processing those new berries. So far she knew they weren't poisonous, now to test if they had other qualities that were useful. She took a few out and placed them into the mortar and began carefully grinding them into the same watery paste as last time.

Placing them into glass beaker, she picked up the crystal stirring rod and again filled it with mana, this time she concentrated on allowing a small amount of the mana to leak out of the rod and into the purplish paste in the container, while slowly stirring and watching it carefully for any changes.

She could see the crushed berries were somehow absorbing the mana, she kept up the continued steady flow of mana into the rod. Six minutes later the level of mana in the rod hadn't dropped, the crushed berries weren't absorbing anymore.

Natalie took out another powder, after reading the instructions on the package, she scooped out a tiny amount with another tool that had a tiny scoop on the end of it and poured it into the berries. If it turned blue the berries could be used for mana potions and health potions, if it went red it was for stamina potions or regeneration potions.

If it stayed the same it was just good tasting berries, that would be a nice supplement to her food, and maybe something she could grow to sell as food. Though even now she knew these berries were going to be a good thing for her farm. After mixing the power into the crushed berries, she watched as the berries turned blue, a bright blue, like the sky gets after a storm had passed and the clouds had cleared away.

Natalie's mouth opened in a large canine grin and her tail wagged. These were going to be valuable, she wondered how much she would get from Molly for these. As she was starting to plan she felt the familiar warm glow flowing into her and another system message appeared before her eyes.

Congratulations Traveller

You have reached level 2

you have Aquire knowledge of Alchemy to gain the Alchemy skill you must practice related actions to that skill you also may now use Herbalist levels to advance the corresponding building in your Sanctuary

you have gained a level in herbalist 1/15

you have received 15 stat points

you have received 3 skill points

you may now assign your skill points and stat points use them wisely

Three skill points! One more then last time Natalie was elated, she could put them into farming and gain more levels now. Also Herbalist was going to be linked to her Work Shed, seems like she would be able to fix it up with levels from the Herbalist skill.

This was wonderful, she pondered for a bit, maybe she should go and try to get animal husbandry now? Then quickly decided against it, she still felt she needed to raise her skills but now she wanted to use them on the Sanctuary's tier levels instead.

Maybe by doing that she would get more room for farming. Natalie still had no idea how to make the tool shed better or her sleeping hut, but was hoping this would be fixed by a higher tier in the Sanctuary, since she'd had no notification of it by acquiring Farming itself.

She looked at the berries she had left from the testing, then she placed them on the ground hoping they would leave some seeds behind like the other herbs and berries did. After 10 minutes the berries faded and she wriggled with delight as she spotted 7 seeds left behind.

Natalie picked them up, she still had room in the Yellowdells plot, she planted them there. Whatever she got from them she would allow to turn into seeds to grow more until she had enough for a full plot.

Now it was time to take the harvested herbs and berries to Molly, maybe Molly would volunteer more information, but either way the coins for her harvest would be welcome. She walked down to the storage shed and placed everything into her inventory. She put the remaining seeds she had on her into the storage shed.

Looking around she checked that everything was put away, then exited the Sanctuary, this time there was no one close to it. Natalie had an uneventful walk into the village, she could see a lot of players trying everything they could to get the Village people to talk to them. But it seems like they still didn't get it.

As she past the blacksmiths shop she was surprised when he waved to her and called out to her.

"Hey, you girl!" He called. "Are you Crystal? Molly said you might be able to help me. I'll make it worth your time if your interested."

Natalie was aware of all the player's staring at her and the Blacksmith, but Molly had obviously mentioned her she couldn't ignore him now.

"Yes I'm Crystal," she replied while opening her jaws in a friendly grin. "What can I do for you Master Brethan?"

She walked over quickly to him, for a dwarf his height was normal but across his shoulders he was a very impressive size and she hoped she would never find out what being on the bad side of this fellow was like.

"ehh Know me name do you girl?" He said in a gruff tone. "Been talking to others ehh?"

"No Sir," she replied respectfully. "I heard you yelling at a person that was bothering you when I first arrived, you said then your name was Brethan, I'm sorry if I have offended you by using it before being introduced."

"Not at all girl it's fine, you just surprised this old dwarf a bit is all." He laughed. "But what I need from you is a certain herb, it's call a Blueguard, Molly has run out of them. They are a very useful herb for tempering certain metals with magic abilities."

"Oh ok Master Brethan, I can help, I have some on me I was taking them to Molly to sell them," she said. "How many do you need?"

"Hmm well I can't be too greedy and take the lot Molly needs them also," he answered. "How many do you have?"

"Four bundles, 50 stalks a bundle." She told him. "And a good size crop of them that I'll be harvesting in about two days time. Molly sold me a Sanctuary so I can grow them."

"Did she now," the dwarf muttered, he was quiet for a time thinking. "Then I'd like to trade with you for two of the bundles and another two of the next crops when they come in, in return I'll give you an extension for your Sanctuary for a basic Blacksmith foundry."

Natalie's eyes widened, this was huge! She excitedly nodded, unable to speak as she pulled the two requested bundles out of her inventory and handed them to the blacksmith. The blacksmith suddenly roared with laughter, holding his sides, he couldn't help it, the little white dogkins eyes were very wide her jaw was open and he could see her tail standing straight out behind her as stiff as a board. His laughter increased as she gave him a wounded look.

"Sorry lass," he rumbled, once he got himself under control."but the look on your face."

He didn't go any further, just turned around in his shop, rummaged though a clutter of stuff on a shelf then pull out a wooden scroll box like the one Molly had sold her.

"Here you go just take this into your Sanctuary, open it up a bit and say the word of power written in the scroll," he told her." A foundry will appear somewhere in your Sanctuary. The scroll will then disappear, but don't mind that Lass it will just be placing itself into the scroll box of your Farming Sanctuary and become part of it."

"Thank you." Natalie manage to get out."Can I learn how to do Bkacksmithing from that foundry?"

"Ya Lass, won't be easy but that's how most blacksmiths learn in these parts," he replied. " when your ready to learn more difficult things then you come to me."

"Now git girl." He growled. "I have things to do, and don't forget my other two bundles you hear!"

"Yes Master Brethan, I won't, thank you again Sir." She hurriedly said as she was bustled out of his foundry.

She stood looking at the shop in amazement, then became aware that she was the center of a rather large crowd and that it was getting larger by the minute. As she looked around she was aware of angry and frustrated faces on all sides of her.

Then they began shouting questions at her, moving in closer as they did, she couldn't tell what the questions were they were a confusing roar in her ears, which she had flatten to her head to try and protect herself from the loud noises.

"Out of my way! Move ! " came an unexpectedly louder voice that rose up over the crowd somehow. And in came Molly, shoving players to either side of herself like an icebreaker in an icey sea.

"Move I said!" She yelled as she reached Natalie, the crowd became quieter around her, she reached out and took hold of Natalie's arm and started to pull her with her as she move out of the crowd.

Natalie didn't fight it, she followed as quickly as she could, Molly led her to the Alchemist shop, pulled her inside and shut the door on the people who had followed them.

"Are you ok Child?" Molly asked. "Did they hurt you?"

"No I'm ok thank you Molly, I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't rescued me." She was shivering uncontrollably.

Seeing this reaction Molly went into the back room and in moments reappeared with a warm cup of a sweet drink in her hands.

"Here drink this child, your in shock," she said gently, and holding the cup she made Natalie drink a bit of it. When she could see that Natalie could hold the cup herself she let go, and moved to the window to check out the front, the crowd was still there.

"What riled them up so much?" Molly murmured.

"They are frustrated," Natalie replied. " she had closed her eyes so didn't see the speculative look Molly threw her way.

"Why Child do you know?" She asked keeping her voice low and even so the child before her wouldn't realise she was being interrogated. The sudden appearance of all these people into their little town was alarming.

"They want to learn skills and things but none of you will talk to them," Natalie responded she was feeling tired now. "Of course I don't blame you, so far I don't think I've heard any of them actually ask, they are all demanding."

"They just want to learn?" Molly said surprised. "That's all ? To learn just like you did? But indeed you were much better mannered about it."

"Yep," yawned Natalie. "Oh sorry, that was rude of me,"

"Have you tryed to talk to them child?" Molly asked.

"Once I did but they didn't listen to me," she said. "I could try again, might have to do something or else they will hound me for weeks."

"Alright this is what we are going to do Crystal," Molly said. "I'm going to allow a few in here and you can answer their questions, I can't interfere and tell them myself since the Village council has forbidden us to talk to the rude strangers until they can behave."

"Oh and they won't behave until they know what's going on," Natalie said quietly. "This is brewing up to be bad very bad."

"Only for them Child," was the ominous reply. " all of you are low level I think the highest I've seen is level 5, none of them will survive if they try to cause more trouble."