Chapter Two #2
All eyes turned to see Hunter Gibbon, the solitary hunter who lived on the outskirts of town in a small hut. His dirty and wrinkled face was partially hidden by a large fur hat that hung low over his brow, and his usual oversized coat made of different pelts hid his beefy frame.
“I’ve got enough wood to build a few watchtowers,” the recluse said. “I’ll bring it over now, in fact. The sooner we build it, the better. Not just because of the bandits, but because of the cold.”
“I can help,” Alaek, Karrida’s father, said as he pushed through the crowd to stand beside the furry hunter. “You’ll need a dwarf on hand when it comes to regular construction.”
“Don’t be getting too ahead of yourself, Arrowstone,” Gibbon joked.
“Try it without me, and you’ll be here next summer,” Alaek fired back with a boyish grin. “Any other dwarven folk in this town wanting to lend a hand will have us done in the next few days.”
“I’m sure we can gather some good men,” Alden said as he inserted himself into their conversation. “We will need a constant watch, too. Even without the watchtowers built, someone should be standing guard inside the entryway.”
“And if people need to leave and come back?” an elderly woman croaked. “My son travels to and from Midhallow for his work as a farrier.”
“Traveling between the towns isn’t safe anymore, Marta,” Alden said. “Tell him he needs to pick where he stays until this mess is dealt with. But… should he return, he needs only to call out and identify himself.”
“And what of adventurers?” Marta fired back. “Gladewood was finally back on the map--”
“Tourism is the least of our concerns right now,” the Overseer said in a firm voice. “No doubt anyone wanting to travel through Gladewood has been put off by the rumors Drakar has already spread. Along with word of this conflict here and in Burnberry.”
“Gladewood isn’t going under,” I added. “We just need to protect ourselves until we can deal with Shaar and Drakar.”
“And how long will that be?” Marta asked as she crossed her thin arms and raised a barely-visible eyebrow.
“I don’t have all of the answers.” I sighed. “I’m… just a farmer. I’m trying to figure everything out, just like all of you.”
“And he’s done enough,” Alden said as he placed a hand on my shoulder. “Go home, Noah. We can handle it from here.”
“But I can do mor--”
“You’ve done more than enough,” Alden cut off my protest and squeezed my shoulder. “Night is falling. You look exhausted. Go home and rest.”
He was right. The burning hues of orange had bled into a midnight blue, and that dark sheet was slowly enveloping the entire sky.
My body ached, and my head was still swimming, but I was stubborn, just like my father.
Maybe there wasn’t anything else I could do. But I wanted to make sure that Gladewood had everything it needed before I went back to my farm and called it a night.
“Will you let the wizards know about this, at least?” I asked. “I know it’s a pipe dream, but maybe they can be useful for once.”
“Of course,” the half-orc said with a slow nod. “I’ll write a message for the carrier pigeon immediately.”
“Thanks, Alden,” I said. “I’ll try and come into town as often as I can to make sure everything’s alright.”
“We’ll light a fire as a smoke signal should anything happen,” Alden said. “Sending someone to your farm is too risky now.”
“I’ll be on the lookout,” I promised. “And if you could send a guard with my farmhands when they come to work, that would be a great help, too.”
“I’ll see it done.” Alden nodded and let go of my shoulder as he turned back to the crowd. “All of you, back inside the wall. Return to your own beds and try to get a good night’s rest. I think we all deserve it.”
The swarm of people slowly shuffled back through the opened gate and split off down the numerous side streets to return home.
My girls waited for me to reach the entrance and then followed close behind, with the shard floating in tow.
Once everyone was back inside, the flat sheets of vine spiraled again and conjoined with a squelching sound.
We were cut off from the outside, once again, and I’d never been more pleased at feeling so… isolated.
Shaar was injured, and he’d clearly realized Gladewood wasn’t going to bow so easily. And that had to be enough for now.
With that in mind, I made my way back to my side-by-side and waited for my girls to hop in.
Most of the other Gladers had retired to their own homes, and soft orange light began to appear in the windows lining the streets from the candles burning inside.
Despite the destruction that had happened today, there was a calm sense of peace that settled on our little town now. And that made me happy.
Ellyn slid into the passenger seat, while Raeth and Karrida settled in the back together. But Tirii hesitated near the front of the Gator.
“What is it, Tir?” I asked. “Are you going to stay here?”
“I think it’s for the best,” Tirii said with a furrowed brow. “My brothers are going to need some kind of reassurance after the fight. And Sirus isn’t the most maternal kind of orc.”
“That’s okay.” I nodded and pulled her against my chest. “Stay safe, alright? And don’t go out hunting anymore. At least not without me.”
“I won’t.” The brunette smirked as she pressed a soft kiss to my cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Yeah, see you soon,” I said as I pecked the top of her head and finally let her slip out of my grasp.
I slid into the driver’s seat and watched Tirii make her way down the freshly-fixed path, but before I could start my Gator, Bathilda flew out of the Frostfyre with my sword in her hand.
“Don’t forget this!” the busty older woman called out as she shuffled over to my side-by-side. “You might be needing it.”
“Thanks, Bathilda,” I said as I took the belt from her and wrapped it around my waist. “I appreciate it.”
“Just keep yourself alive, you hear?” Bathilda asked. “We can’t have our resident farmer and protector kicking the bucket.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” I winked and turned the key in the ignition. “You take care now, Bathilda.”
I did a small U-turn in the street and left the elderly innkeeper on the side of the path outside of the inn. She waved us off with a handkerchief she pulled out of her bosom, and when we reached the exit toward the back of town, the vine wall slid open to let us past.
The drive back to my farm was spent in silence. The exhaustion from the day’s events had hit us hard, and all I wanted to do was crawl into my bed and sleep for the next few days.
But I had work to do.
Even though I was exhausted, I knew I had to protect my own home, too. So, once I’d entered my farm and parked the Gator just outside of my house, I gestured for the shard to come over to me and pressed my hand against its plane.
It was much slower and grueling this time around, but, slowly, the vine wall surrounding my farm began to grow taller.
Every muscle in my body ached, but I pushed through the dull pain, even as it traveled to my feet.
I could feel the ground churning just outside of my farm.
The vibrations rumbled beneath my feet, and even though I couldn’t see it, I knew the large thorns that had appeared around Gladewood were now there, too.
As soon as the wall grew almost as tall as my barns, I eased my hand away from the shard.
There was no breeze anymore, and the only sounds I could hear were the soft bleats of my animals and the creaks of the vine wall as it settled.
I breathed another deep sigh of relief, and for the first time in a long while, I felt at ease.
Gladewood was protected.
My farm was protected.
With Shaar gone for now, I could focus on what my life was all about. Farming. I turned to gaze around at the sprawling fields beside me and the animals that still grazed the fields before they got too frosty.
So much had changed since I arrived in Mystica. I’d grown and flourished as a farmer, but now I had magic on my side.
The shard made everything easier, and it was an insane boon to have as someone who sold crops for a living, but the shard wasn’t guaranteed to stay in my life forever.
I had time, and with that time, I wanted to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Whether that be the shard choosing another master, or Drakar or Shaar somehow getting their claws on it, I wanted to be ready to stand as a normal farmer again.
It was only now that the chaos had dwindled that I realized how much I missed getting my hands dirty. The shard allowed me to revive and grow plants and crops in the blink of an eye, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d actually gotten elbow-deep in mud and compost.
Tomorrow, I was going to build a greenhouse.
But before I could think any more about my plan and getting resources, a shrill shriek pierced through the quiet of my protected farm, and I almost let out a groan.
The noise was coming from the Mist Woods.
And, of course, it was close.