I hummed as I picked berries as quickly as I could, plucking them off the branches and placing them on a cloth I had spread out on the mossy ground. When I had collected a whole bunch I knotted up the cloth into a sort of baggy and tied a neat bow at the top.

Cloudberries

These berries grow on tough bushes that are quite common across most marshy areas and bogs. They are a delicacy in certain northern territories. Hard to cultivate in an artificial environment. They require a few specific temperature ranges and a precise acidity level in the ground to grow. The bushes will often create foggy clouds around them that might disguise their presence.

The berries are edible by most humanoids and are quite tasty if fresh. They don’t keep for long. The berry’s juice has a very weak lightening effect that makes the eater weigh less. This can be heightened with a few alchemical processes. It’s also one of the main ingredients in cloud tinctures and smokescreen vials.

The only thing better than yummy berries were magic yummy berries.

I hopped on the spot a few times but didn’t feel any lighter. Maybe it took some time for the magic to settle in? Whatever. I was happy for the snack already.

Bending down, I picked up my baggy of berries, then gave the bush a pat. “Thank you,” I said.

Congratulations! Through repeated actions your Gardening skill has improved and is now eligible for rank up!

Rank D is a free rank

“Oh, sweet!” I said.

Bing Bong! Congratulations, your Cinnamon Bun class has reached level 6!

Health + 5

Resilience +5

You have gained: One Class Point

You have unlocked: One Class Skill Slot

... Eh?

I ran back to camp to find everyone sitting around the campfire, all of them looking to be in a good mood. Milread was skinning a rabbit while Noemi stirred a pot full of something that smelled scrumptious.

“Guys!” I said as I ran over, then paused to pant and catch my breath. “Guys, I levelled up!”

The three of them paused, then Severin nodded. “Congratulations.”

“No,” I said. “I mean, I just levelled up, like that. I didn’t kill anything.”

“That’s great?” Milread said. She sounded a bit confused. Which was good because I was very confused.

“I just got a rank up in my gardening skill, for picking some berries. Um, I found some cloudberries, by the way. And then I got a level up. How?”

Severin and Milread looked at each other while Noemi kept stirring the pot. “That’s how levels work,” Milread said.

“But every level I got so far was from combat with stuff,” I said.

She perked one eyebrow at that. “That’s unusual for a non-combat class. Most of the time you’ll level up from doing things in line with your class. I’m a Sword Sweeper. I get levels from fighting and practicing with a sword. But if I were a Baker I’d get levels from baking.”

Severin shook his head. “You could get levels from baking wiz your current class as well. It would just take an order of magnitude more work zen usual. You said you received a rank up, Broccoli?” he asked.

“With Gardening, yeah,” I said.

“Well, zere you go. Zat pushed you past ze experience you needed to level. Didn’t anyone teach you zis before?”

“No,” I said. “I thought that I would need to fight for every level.” I found a spot to sit down next to the fire and placed the berries close to Noemi. Then I handed her a little bundle of fresh parsley that I had gathered earlier. My book didn’t have much on it other than its use as a cooking spice, which was enough for me.

Noemi hummed as she sniffed the herbs then tossed a sprig or two into the stew. The berry bag she opened and then re-tied. I supposed that berries didn’t fit in with the current lunch.

I shook my head and refocused. The surprise at levelling had robbed me of the chance to bask in the glow of levelling up. The pleasant tingles were still coursing through me, but they were faint now.

So, I could level up from things outside of combat. Did that mean that I could just sit back, find some cleaning work and maybe tend to a small garden and just live a happy, quiet life? I did want that. A nice little house with a pretty garden full of flowers. Two kids and a loving husband and a big dog and a couple of cats.

That had been my dream once. But now, in this world, my sights had changed a little. The thought didn’t appeal as much as it had just a few weeks ago.

Now I wanted... I didn’t know. Not yet.

Well, I did want an airship.

A big one.

With a garden on it. And a house. And a little park area for my dog and my cat and my two kids. My husband and I could both rock tricorns.

Friends first, new dreams second.

Lunch passed in no time at all. Noemi gave us all a big portion of meaty stew and some hardtack that became a lot more palatable once dipped in the hot greasy juices, and then Milread passed around a skin with what I thought was juice at first but discovered, with much sputtering, was actually strong wine.

And then we were off again, the wagon loaded back up and bumping off while everyone took turns nibbling at a quickly dwindling supply of cloudberries.

“These are worth a fortune back home,” Milread said as she stuffed a handful of berries into her mouth. “There’s this whole thing about being as thin and light as you can be. I love my sister harpies, but by the world can some of them ever be vain.”

“Are non-harpies allowed in harpy lands?” I asked. It was a bit off-topic, but I was really curious. If the best airships were harpy-made (according to Milread the harpy, there might be some bias there, just like how I believed that the best maple syrup was from home), then it made sense to learn all about them as soon as I could.

“Of course,” Milread said. “Unless you’re a Sylph. Not that there are any laws against being a twinkly little faerie, it’s just, well, they don’t get the warmest welcome.”

I looked at Severin, the question obvious in my eyes. He sighed. “Ze Sylphs and ze Harpies have been at each ozer’s throats for two generations now. Zey compete over land and territory and dungeons. It’s quite a spectacle.”

“What about Deepmarsh, do they have enemies?” I asked.

“The Trenten people,” Severin said with a growing scowl. “Zey pushed into our territory some time ago before zey were repelled. Ze tensions between us and zem have been strong ever since.”

“Oh no,” I said. I didn’t want to get caught up in some big war. “I hope that things get mended.”

Severin snorted. “Don’t concern yourself over it. Your time would be better spent practicing your magic.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” I said. “I have an open skill slot now. I could get something magic related to fill it!”

I got back to forming magical blobs of cleaning magic in my hand then watching them deform and break apart when my control slipped. It was a bit of a pain in the butt, but I figured I was going to get the hang of it one day.

Time moved on, seconds counted by the steady clip-clop of Missy’s hooves across the road. We crossed a couple of forks in the path and then we rode past first a hut, then a couple of little cottages, and finally little farmsteads along the sides of the roads.

There were big areas cleared of trees and with planks running over the ground where rice was growing and some spots that looked drier with barley stalks waving in the wind. We even crossed a few fenced off areas with big cows and bulls. Then an entire field filled with cockroaches the size of greyhounds (the dogs) and beetles the size of greyhounds (the buses).

There were big muddy pillars with a few grenoil in overalls and strawhats walking around them with shovels. They were patting the sides of the pillars while another group were tapping a spigot into the side of one of the muddy towers.

A termite farm.

“Oh, eww,” I said before snapping my attention back to working on my magic. If I didn’t think about where the food I was going to eat came from then it couldn’t hurt me.

When I next looked up, it was to see that the sky was starting to turn orange. There were plenty of lights on the horizon though, both from Port Royal above and from a tiny village that was coming up ahead.

“Bottom’s Rest,” Milread said, probably for my benefit since I was the only one that had never been to Port Royal before. “That’s where we’re stopping for the night. If you guys want to split, this is the place. I’m only heading up the mountain in the morning. Missy needs a rest before trying that climb.”

“Zen I think it’s where we’ll part ways,” Severin said. “It was an enjoyable ride.”

“Hmm,” Noemi said.

I swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, I guess it was. A tiny adventure. Um, Severin, I never did cast fireball, but you taught me a bunch, do you... well.”

“Keep your silver,” Severin said. “You’ll need it more zan I will, I have no doubt.”

“Thank you!” I said. “If we ever meet again, I’ll be sure to show you how good I’ve become at magic, alright?”

He croaked in what I thought was delight. “We shall see.”

Missy pulled the wagon up to the large wooden gates of the little village and got in line behind a few farmers and a single fancier carriage. Each vehicle was inspected in turn, but it was a quick affair, more of a formality than anything.

Milread pulled out some documents that showed that she was a courier and the guards, after looking at it for a while, let us pass without trouble.

Bottoms Rest was a small village, maybe twice the size of Threewells but with a lot more shops and a bigger inn. That’s where Milread led the wagon with Noemi’s help and stopped before the stone building. “This is it,” the harpy said.

I hesitated a little before jumping off the wagon and looking around. The town was fairly quiet, though there was a murmur of conversation from within the inn. It made sense, what with the sun just about to set.

I spun around when Milread tapped me on the shoulder. “You be safe, alright, kid?” she asked.

Smiling, I stepped up to the taller harpy woman and gave her a quick hug. “Thanks for the ride,” I said.

She squawked in protest and shoved me off with a ruffle of feathers. “None of that, brat. I’m not the hugging sort. Go try with Severin. We’ll see us when our paths next cross, world willing.”

I smiled to keep the melancholy away and found Severin climbing out the back of the wagon. He was in the perfect position to hug as he came down. “Bye Severin,” I said. “You were a great teacher.”

To my surprise he returned the hug with a good pat on the back. “Of course I was. Anyone would be a good teacher to someone so poorly educated as you.” He laughed. “If you’re heading up, zen you’ll want to follow me a little more. I’m taking ze carts up.”

“Oh,” I said. I didn't know that there were carts leading to the top, but it made sense.

Then it was time to say bye to Noemi.

“Hey,” I said. “Um. I’m sorry if I came on a little strong. I just wanted to be friends. But I’m glad we got to meet anyway.”

“Sometimes people don’t want friends,” she said.

“Isn’t that when you need a friend the most?” I asked. I gave her a quick hug, then backed away. “I hope we meet again someday,” I said.

Then it was time to be off. I had an entire city to explore!

***