Hours later, I lay on the hard ground before the fire in Agga's house. It was getting dark, and it had taken three trips to bring all the wood back. It lay in a neat pile in the corner, adding a fresh wood scent to the room's dank and smelly odor. It was quiet, Agga having left to get us more food.

Staring at the ceiling, I felt muscle pain. It was so surreal I almost couldn't believe it. In all the games I'd played over the years, I'd felt plenty of pain. Sword cuts, falling damage, and a host of different magical attacks like fireballs and acid. But muscle pain?

I hadn't had the chance to look at my status yet, and this was as good a chance as any. As soon as I opened it, bars filled and emptied, and stats rose. A second later, the muscle burn was gone, and a weary, comfortable feeling remained.

> Derived Strength: 4

> Derived Dexterity: 3

> Derived Constitution: 4

> Derived Intelligence: 2

> Derived Common sense: 1

> Derived Charisma 1

> Total mass: 60 KG

> Current weight: 60 KG

Active attributes: (Easily changed)

> 08/10: Muscle mass

> 01/40: Fat

> 07/12: Coordination

> 08/10: Stamina

> 02/10: Learning rate

> 11/99: Knowledge

> 02/10: Beauty

> 00/99: Grooming

> 02/20: Well spoken

Checking the values, I quickly realized a few things. Strength seemed to increase by one for every two muscle-mass, and the same applied for Stamina and Constitution. Also, not unimportant was that knowledge seemed to increase my Intelligence.

No, I corrected myself with a frown. Derived meant that Intelligence and Strength were just a reflection of other things. Looking through the rest of the status screen, I saw the three dots at my name. I tried recalling if those had been there the very first time I had looked at it but failed, the memory eluding me.

Well, I'd better make myself recognizable to Sandra. I hadn't seen any overhead bars for the NPCs that showed their name, but perhaps players could see it. I tapped the dots, a blinking bar appeared. Now how was I going to enter something there? Frowning, I whispered the name I had used in almost every game I had played, sometimes padded with symbols due to duplicates.

"Est!"

The name appeared on the status window and a confirmation box popped up, asking me if I was sure. Selecting yes, the name box blinked twice before turning grey-ed out. A second box popped up also greyed out—title: none.

I grinned. Sandra would be so happy with that; she loved getting Titles. In one game, she had actually picked the name L and added the postfix title Bountiful, resulting in me running around beside L Bountiful, the level 90 crusader.

The door swung open, and I looked up. Agga was walking inside, carrying a wrapped steaming bundle. The smell of fresh bread drowned away the other less savory smells in the room. My stomach rumbled as my mouth watered. I pushed myself up, moving towards the table, my eyes solely on the package.

"As a reward for saving my life, "Agga said, a momentary smile replacing the tired look on her face. It didn't last, and as she put the packages on the table, she sat down, breathing heavily.

What was wrong with her? I examined her face, and I noticed that her skin was more grey than this morning.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

Agga looked up, and she sniffed. "None of your concern, boy. Instead of worrying about the elderly, get some plates and cups of water!"

Shrugging, I complied, picking the requested items from the cupboard. A jug of water was there, and as I filled two cups, I wondered if diseases were a thing in this game. It wouldn't be a good idea to get salmonella. Resolving to ask Agga later, I unwrapped the bundle and found there were a dozen packages in it. Only the top one was steaming hot, and I figured that was what we would eat now. Opening it showed half a loaf of dark bread, and I had to resist ripping it apart and stuffing it in my mouth. Instead, I looked around for a knife to cut it.

"No need, just divide it in two. There is some dried fish in the other package, "Agga said, putting her hands shakily on the table.

Five minutes later, I was licking my fingers, searching for crumbs on my empty plate. Sadly there were none. The fish had been alright, especially added atop the bread. Patting my stomach, I felt content and sleepy. Somehow the ground beside the fireplace seemed to beckon me.

"I've a proposition for you…" Agga said.

Her arms had stopped shaking, and the color had come back to her face. Perhaps she'd just been hungry? I raised my eyebrows, curious if I had unlocked the requirements to gain a profession.

"As you are young, I'm wholly expecting you to leave here eventually, but this world is a harsh place. Without knowing a thing or two, you might starve. Most of what you can hunt or find in the woods is poisonous, and that which isn't, is so strong you wouldn't be the one hunting."

I had a good idea where this was going, having heard sales pitches like this many times before. Still, I let her continue. It would suck if I said something wrong, and she would take back what she was about to say.

After some more meaningless chatter, she came to the point I'd known she would get too.

"I want you to stay here for a few weeks and help me gather a stockpile of wood. In exchange, I'll teach you either leatherworking or wood-crafting during the evenings."

I waited for a second, wondering how long it would take to learn the profession. In most games, it was just a bunch of lines, and everything went automatic, but somehow I had the feeling things would be different here.

"How much do you need?" I asked.

Agga pointed at the stack beside the wall. "That stack needs to reach the ceiling if I want to have enough to pass the winter. Going out last winter almost killed me."

Thinking for a second, I nodded. "Alright. Do I have to choose what to learn now?"

Agga barked a laugh and shook her head. "No. Now we sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." She got and moved up the staircase. Before she disappeared, she took a last look at me. "And decide on a name. I am done calling you boy all the time, boy."

Seeing her gone, I looked at the dirty plates. Did she expect me to clean those? Sniffing, I moved to the fireplace and curled up. My arms and legs were meatier now, as was my back, and I found it wasn't that uncomfortable anymore. Closing my eyes, I fell into a chaotic, nightmare filled sleep.

--

"Do you see those dark lines across the leaves?" Agga asked, pointing at a tree not too far away. It looked better than most, and I'd thought it a perfect target for some chopping.

"Yes, "I said, staring at the lines she spoke about. They ran along the edges of the vibrant green leaves.

"Any tree with leaves like that has been infested by a powerful magic rot. Touch it, and you won't last the day."

Nodding, I followed her back into the darker parts of the woods. We had been walking for hours now and still hadn't found a tree. Even if we did find one now, how were we to bring it back? It would take days for a single tree.

"Ah!" Agga's surprised voice caused me to jump forward. Looking around for an enemy or thing to kill, all I saw was an odd, gangly tree. It was bent and ugly, and even the other trees didn't seem to want to close. Staring at it, and then back at Agga's surprised and happy face, I guessed appearances were deceiving again.

"This one?" I asked.

"This is a Winding Weed tree. It's wood is used for anything from bows to swords and tools," Agga said as she moved towards the tree. She stayed a few meters away, staring at the roots.

"Swords?" I muttered in surprise.

"Yes, swords. Knives too! When burned, this wood shrinks to a third of its size and becomes hard and sharp as metal." From Agga's excited voice, I guessed we had found something really special.

"So? Let's chop it down?" I said, stepping forward. The idea of a sword, or four, one in each hand, seemed like a great idea.

"No! These trees are far too rare and special for that!"

Agga moved around the tree until she cried out in joy. "There! Grab those, but be careful of the roots!"

Turning with her, I saw two broken off branches, each as thick as my leg and twice as long. Almost completely straight, they lay close to the trunk, and I couldn't see how they had been removed. Remembering her words, I moved forward, watching the roots. As soon as I got close, a shiver ran through them, and they lifted up, the tips swaying around like snakes to a snake tamer.

"Don't worry. They probably won't attack if you are careful only to touch the snapped branches."

Agga's words didn't feel comforting, and when I bent up to pick the branches up, I was sure the roots would attack. They didn't, but something else did happen. I barely managed to lift the branches. They felt like they were glued to the ground, and only with incredible effort did I manage to carry them back. As soon as I moved away, the roots lowered back down.

Dropping the branches on the ground, I was breathing ragged from carrying them just the short distance.

"This will be enough for today! Let's get these back, and make sure nobody sees us!"

"I don't think I can carry both, "I muttered. Agga laughed and bent down. With apparent ease, she picked up and held one of the branches close to her chest. It almost seemed like a quarterstaff with a few twigs on it.

"Odd, "I muttered as I stared at the straight branches and back to the tree. Not a single branch, root, or even the trunk itself was straight. All curved and bent awkwardly.

"Follow me. I'll explain, "Agga said, walking back in the direction we came from. With an annoyed sigh, I picked up the other branch and felt my bare feet sink a bit into the soft mud. Holding it close to my chest, juggling the ax with my other arm, I followed Agga.

"Look carefully where we walk, remember the path. Tomorrow you will go back here and pick up the next branch if there is one. "

I did as asked, looking around and finding enough marker points to remember the spot. Although all the trees seemed the same, looking closely, you could find differences; a snapped-off branch at an odd height, a double trunk, or three low side branches to one side and two on the other.

"Those trees are a bit magical and partially conscious. Somehow they only desire and enjoy odd and crooked things. All branches that are too straight get rejected and fall off the tree after a certain length. Sometimes it's like an arrow, and at other times twice as long as this. They grow fast too, on average, one new rejected branch per day."

Ignoring the soft ping that probably meant I'd learned something new, I looked around. We weren't that far from town. "How didn't you find this sooner?" I asked.

"Because I haven't been in Sart that long. I came here in spring, almost two years ago, and last summer I searched on the other side of town. Also, I don't dare come this deep on my own."

Nodding, I quickly memorized the name. Sart must be the town I was in. I continued looking for markers to make sure I could find my way back the next day. It shouldn't be much of a problem. Finding my way in unfamiliar areas was a knack I had. It was why I usually ran point when we headed to dungeons in games without maps. Looking at Agga, I noticed she was moving at a brisk pace, none of yesterday's odd weakness in sight. I tried thinking of more things to ask her. Since saving her yesterday, she had been more than willing to answer most of my questions. I guess my favor had increased.

It took us a bit longer to return, then on the way back, the weight slowly wearing me down. When we moved back into her shop, I felt my arms, all four of them groan in relief.

"Put it over there, "Agga said, pointing beside a table in the corner. It was empty, tools hanging neatly above it, and a stool in front. Placing the branch on the table, I suddenly felt a lot lighter. I couldn't wait to open my status window.

"Alright! Now go out and explore the town for a while. I need to focus on this wood, it's been years since I had the pleasure to work with it. Come back at sunset, and tell me what you want to learn so we can begin your first lesson!"

"Don't we eat first?" I asked, my stomach growling in response.

"No, "she replied, already sitting at the table, her head close to one of the branches.

With a groan, I moved through the shop and stepped outside.

"Close the door!" Agga yelled. Annoyed, I slammed the door shut.

Looking around, seeing the alley I had started at, I wondered what was on the other side. Summoning my status window, taking note of the increase in stamina and muscle mass, I closed it again and stepped forward. It was time to explore this town.