While I was in a writer's block, I drank six cups of coffee and watched Wreck-it Ralph for the first time. It was so beautiful it made me cry. I was watching it along with my cousins (ages ranging from 5-12 year old). They all laughed at me for crying. I can't help it. I'm such a sucker for those kind of stories.

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Chapter 12

Leafy's Growth

As Pristine was preparing to leave the shop, Lenden appeared carrying some items and asked her, "Do you know how to mine?"

"No, I don't." Pristine had just sold all the items she didn't need to the owners of the shop. She had asked what they would use the equipments of the Ajucanii for, and they told her that those equipments can be dismantled to salvage some of the parts. Those salvaged parts can then be reused to forge better equipments. They offered to improve the equipment she had, Iness's Armor and the leather equipments made by Raylight, but she declined. She had noticed that the couple had bought the junk she had at prices slightly higher than the market price, because of the gratefulness they had for her.

"Here. I know Travelers need a lot of ores for forging their equipments." He handed over a pickaxe and an instruction manual.

"I think I have already received too much of your gratitude. I can't accept anymore." She tried declining.

"There's no such thing, dear. Please take them." Zen at the side convinced her to receive them.

Durable Pickaxe

A pickaxe made out of superior material. It can break through almost any rock.

Mining Instruction Manual

A manual used to learn the basics of mining. It includes step-by-step instructions on how to properly use mining tools. It emphasizes efficiency and safety.

With Leafy still sleeping on her shoulder, she went back to the mines along with some NPCs that Lenden sent to clear the corpses and restart the mining operation. Pristine used the manual and learned Mining on the way.

When they arrived, she checked the time. It was already half past five in the afternoon.

"I haven't been managing my time properly. I guess I was too engrossed with fighting," she thought with a sense of déjà vu. It should be past two in the morning in the real world. She usually wakes up at five, so she still had around two to three hours to play. That was four to six hours in Tataria. "I should just see how much I can do during that time, then go back to the inn in Macca around nine pm."

With all that sorted out, she helped a bit in taking the corpses outside the mine, then proceeded in testing out the Mining skill.

The result: It was terribly hard. Although her Strength and Dexterity stats were Expert-ranked and both at 100%, the correction provided by the stats was not enough. Controlling the amount of power to put in each swing and hitting the right spot was very difficult. When she finally managed to get an ore, two hours had passed since she began.

Small Unidentified Ore

Take this ore to a blacksmith to appraise and refine.

It was a bit disappointing, but Pristine didn't really mind. She had found something to do other than killing monsters and ripping their corpses apart. Although Mining seems like something a girl shouldn't be doing, it doesn't compare to what she had been doing the past few days. For her, it was actually quite refreshing.

She returned to town and arrived around ten pm. There was not enough time, so she decided to log out at the inn. She will ask Lenden to appraise the ores when she return.

Leafy was still asleep. He had been sleeping for a long time already, and Pristine was getting a bit worried.

* * *

Kristine did her daily routine after waking up and walked to school. She was surprised to find Rayhlee with the two seniors waiting for her along the way.

"We heard what happened yesterday," Catherine said. The four of them walked together. "We went to Rayhlee's this morning to pick her up. We want to make sure the two of you stay safe."

Adding more females to the group doesn't seem like it'll be safer, though, Kristine thought as she remembered the group that attacked them yesterday. She suddenly felt some strange stares coming from all directions.

"I used my connections to hire some bodyguards. They're keeping their distance, but be assured. Those guys are professionals." Catherine seemed to figure out what she was thinking, and so she provided an explanation. The mention of her connections made Kristine remember her first day, the invitation to the club, and the sudden installation of the necessary equipment to her home. Looking back, they had only met a few days ago, but it felt like a really long time. The extra time she had been spending in Tataria had really messed up her sense of time in the real world. She wondered if the others felt the same.

The four of them quickly arrived to school and separated as they went to their respective classes.

During the club meeting.

"We have procured all the necessary supplies for the operation tomorrow," Anna reported. "Health potions, Mana potions, Food, Water, Repair Kits, extra weapons and armors, Antidotes, and other necessary consumables. We have set a temporary base near the dungeon, and we added the option of accessing it through the Guild Point Travel Portal."

"Do we need to prepare anything?" Kristine asked.

"Just make sure your equipments are in their best state." It was Catherine who answered. "Anything else?"

"I'm in Macca right now, and I don't know where the closest Travel Portal is."

"Just go West from the town and look for a grassy hill with a single tree growing on its top. Head straight North from the tree, and you'll easily find it."

They ended their meeting and had dinner outside together. It was Catherine's treat. The two seniors then escorted Rayhlee and Kristine home.

Kristine quickly took a bath and prepared to enter Tataria.

* * *

Once again, Pristine woke up on a single bed in a small room. She sat up and stretched as she removed the blanket, and was greeted by a sight that stopped her mind in its tracks.

Leafy still had its eyes closed as if asleep, but the sparse leaves on his back were gray and crisp. They were wilting.

"Wh-wha-wha..." her mouth flapped open and close as she didn't know what to say. Her hands trembled as she slowly reached out towards the baby Leaf Turtle. When she touched him, some of the wilted leaves fell down. The sight pushed her to the brink and tears rolled down her cheeks. She lifted the small creature and hugged it to her chest, then swiftly ran out of the inn.

It was still dark outside as it was early in the morning in Tataria. All the shops were closed, and there were no one walking on the streets. Not knowing what to do, she ran towards a familiar building. It was the blacksmith and tailor shop. She began to frantically knock on the door. After a few minutes, the door opened. By then, she had already lost strength and had sat down on the ground while sobbing.

"What is it! Don't you know what time it---!" Lenden opened the door in a bad mood. He was wearing loose sleeping attire and was holding a lit candle. He was about to let out a long tirade when he found the girl sitting in front of the door. He helped her up and brought her in, then went to call his wife, Zen. She prepared hot tea and let Pristine drink it to calm her down.

"So, can you tell us what happened?" Lenden asked as Pristine settled down.

"Leafy is... Leafy is..." she couldn't explain properly so she showed it to them.

"That's a Leaf Turtle, right?" Zen asked. "We saw it sleeping on your shoulder the other day. What's wrong with it?"

"I... don't know... Its leaves are... wilting... and its not... moving!" Pristine answered in between sobs.

"Let me see," Zen said as she put on her glasses. She then gently took Leafy from Pristine's hands and carefully observed him. After a while, she let out a breath and smiled warmly at Pristine. "Don't worry, dear. Its fine."

"Really?"

"Yes, take a look." As Zen lifted the baby Leaf Turtle close to Pristine for her to see, she stroked some of the wilting leaves and revealed very small leaves sprouting underneath them. "It seems like your Leafy has started to develop. Its not a baby anymore."

Pristine noticed that the new leaf sprouts resembled the herbs that it ate. Realizing her mistake, she sighed in relief and had an embarrassed expression on her face. "I'm sorry to disturb you so early in the morning."

"Yeah, you really disturbed us big time---!" As Lenden said that, he received a smack to the back of his head.

"Don't tell me you already forgot about the time when I left you alone with the kids and you started running around town screaming bloody whatever it was because they won't stop crying, only to find out later on that they just wetted their diapers."

Pristine chuckled at the sight. She was truly relieved.

After apologizing, the couple went back to sleep, while Pristine went to the plaza to check if there were any stalls open. It was still too early, and so there were no open stalls.

She sat on a stone bench around a fountain and placed Leafy down, quietly observing it. Too obsessed into what she was doing, the sun rose without her noticing. Slowly, Leafy's eyes opened. Seeing Pristine watching it, it opened its mouth and cried "Pya!".

"Morning," Pristine said and stroked its head with a finger. It eyes were half-open in satisfaction.

Leafy moved back a bit and shook its body. All the wilted leaves on its back fell. As rays of sunlight hit its back, the small sprouts slowly but surely grew. The amount of leaves were thicker now, and covered almost all of the skin on its back. After that, it cried with a "Pi pya pi pi pyaa!". A small familiar looking orb rolled out of its mouth, and a bunch of messages appeared in Pristine's field of view.

Leaf Turtle successfully tamed.

The Baby Leaf Turtle had grown after spending time with you. Due to its high affection, it accepted the name you have given it, Leafy.

Leafy is now your pet.

Name:LeafyRace:Leaf Turtle

StatsStrength:BeginnerAgility:BeginnerDexterity:BeginnerEndurance:ApprenticeIntelligence:ExpertWisdom:Apprentice

SkillsUnique Skills

Material Absorption: Beginner ( 10% )Pet Skills

Soulcore Infusion

Note: Pet stats can not be raised normally. It is raised along with the natural growth of the pet, or through evolution.

Note: Soulcore Infusion is gained when pet loyalty or affection exceeds a certain value. The pet will provide a Soulcore to its owner, which can then be infused into an item. The properties of the item can affect the abilities of the pet, and vice versa. A pet with an infused soulcore can be summoned and unsummoned into ether by the item owner.

Leafy's Soulcore

Leafy sees you as its parent and trusts you with its Soulcore.

New Information: Soulcore

Tameable beasts do not possess a core unlike monsters. Only when the beasts are tamed by a Traveler do they develop a magic core within their body, known as the Soulcore. It is formed due to the constant exposure of the beast to the warped magic aura of Travelers.

Unlike monsters, the Soulcore does not affect the beasts' mental and physical states.

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A panicking Pristine is also cute. :D