She takes me by the hand, leading me to a circle of trees. I lay down on the ground, finding it softer than I’d expected. Her body language is relaxed, as if she’d completely forgotten our exchange just a minute earlier. I close my eyes, letting the sounds and smells of the forest lead me to sleep. As she promised there were no more dreams that night.

***

You are well restedYour standing with Dale has increased to Friendly.

I am woken by birdsong as the sun slowly comes out from beneath the horizon. Stretching, I enjoy the sensations of the forest. It’s easily the most comfortable sleep I’ve had since starting this game. With some regret, I leave the circle of trees to return to the farm.

My first stop is the field to check how bad the damage is from overnight.

Field 1: small (100x100)Current crop: Voidsiphon (384)Soil quality: Slightly depleted (high mineral content)Growing cycle: Sprouting (1)Average health: 78%Needs: Watering, Weeding.

As expected, just above 200 bulbs lost. I refrain from replanting them this time, opting for a second planting later. Weeding and watering increases the average health to 87%, promising a good harvest of vegetables. By the time I finish, I see movement up at the camp. When I get there, Dale is exposing himself to the elements. Apparently he likes to sleep in the nude. I ignore it as best as I can, ticking off another day on the calendar.

“Morning!”

He spins around, relaxing when he sees it’s me.

“Good morning Tee. I didn’t hear you wake up this morning. Is Tiene up as well?”

I shake my head.

“I don’t know, she was sleeping when I left.”

Technically true. I enter the hut to find her on the pile of hay, a sack over her head to keep out the light. I go back outside without waking her.

“Let’s get breakfast ready before she’s up.”

Soon the earthy aroma of roast mushrooms fill the air. I take the opportunity to heat up a pail of water as well, and soon a groggy woman slinks out of the shed.

“Good morning sunshine. Food is ready, help yourself to all the mushroom you can eat, and some clean hot water for washing.”

She gives me a look somewhere between hate and love as she sits down and grabs a bite to eat.

“Sleeping indoors is better than sleeping in a tent, but the straw isn’t good enough for sleeping. We need proper beds, sooner rather than later.”

A new farm task is available: - Procure beds.

I smile at her misfortune until she throws the rest of her meal at me. As she starts cleaning up, I go to help Dale prepare his cart for travel.

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

He smiles, extending a hand. I shake it.

“It’s been a pleasure. I hope you’ll come visit us soon again.”

Tiene hugs him, and as he rides away we stand together, waving him off. Afterwards we start cleaning up the leftovers.

“So what’s the plan going forward?”

I sit back, breathing deeply.

“We need money, quick. I’ve got three more days until Quarn repossesses Reynard and the cart, which would suck. Before then, we need seventeen gold. Currently, I have two.”

She nods, casting a worried glance towards our pet.

“After that we have a few more days before the Baron wants his goods. That’s going to be impossible if we can’t fix the fields and improve our output. If we manage to fill that order, I’m pretty sure there’ll be another, much harder one, but that’s a problem for future us.”

Complaining about our rent seems pointless at this time.

“So my plan today is to visit Serran’s Reach. There’s a… farmer who lives there. He’ll trade water and supplies for the miners sludge. When I come back I’ll start preparing the mine for growing mushrooms.”

After a few minutes of silence, she stands up.

“Then let’s get started. I’ve got some ideas for the field and for the caverns.”

She hesitates, looking towards the forest.

“If Leona doesn’t kill me, I think I’ll find the resources I need in there.”

I roll my eyes.

“She won’t kill you. Just be polite and don’t antagonise her. She’s a very young dryad so she’ll be open to talk.”

I stand up, hugging her.

“And if she eats you I’ll chastise her when I come back.”

She hits me as I dodge away laughing.

Before I leave I prepare an area near the field for drying the mushrooms. Planting four stakes I tie a piece of cloth between them, raising it off the ground. Then I place half my mushrooms on top. With any luck I’ll be able to collect some spores when I get back. The rest of the goods, together with a thousand emgrass grains, I place on the cart. When I’m ready, I set off with Reynard to visit Vlyk.

***

The farm was, if possible, even more dilapidated in daylight. The teal corn makes for a spectacular sight as it sways in the afternoon breeze, and I consider taking a sample for myself. I decide against it when I see the human form of Vlyk come towards me grinning widely.

“Friend Tee. You came back. Did you bring with you the tasty mushrooms?”

I nod, handing her a sample of the mushrooms and lichen. She investigates each of them, eating them as she goes along. The lichen gets stuck in her teeth, which are already coloured by the bloodgrin. When she’s finished she looks at me with her usual wild eyes. After a moments silence, I pick up the conversation.

“So are you interested in trading?”

She looks genuinely surprised.

“You brought more? This is a most happy encounter. Yes, we are interested in trading. What do you need?”

I smile as I look around, taking stock of whats available. I’m brought back down when I realise there isn’t a lot other than the corn.

“To begin with, can you show me the crops you’re growing?”

She nods eagerly, leading me to the edge of his field.

When I get there I try accessing the interface, but get a notification telling me I lack permission. Vlyk turns toward the field and starts making some clicking sounds, then waits. Soon I hear a rustling from the corn stalks. Four of the little cockroach creatures come scurrying towards us, clicking excitedly. Vlyk in turn makes some chastising sounds, which makes them scatter, and I hear the sounds of stalks falling. Another minute passes and they return, dragging along a stalk with several cobs of the teal crop. I kneel and pick it up, earning a hiss from one of the critters. Looking closer, I see it really does look like corn, except it’s teal.

Umbral DelverCommonBase chance of cultivation: 10%Edible

I can use this. Looking at Vlyk, I catch her staring at my cart. Stretching my merchant muscles, I get ready to haggle.

“I guess I can swing a trade against this, but I’ll need water too. Maybe some soil.”

She nods eagerly.

“Yes. I can give you two crates of the corn for your mushrooms. Water is from the well. Soil in the ground.”

Scratching my head, I consider the trade. She’s too eager, too happy to agree. I kick myself lightly for not picking the insectoid perk for Social Perception.

“Two crates? For the two hundred mushrooms I brought.”

More nodding, followed by a series of clicks. The critters click back until he raises his voice, then they scatter, harvesting corn as they go along.

“Come, we get water.”

She leads me away, and I fetch the wagon.

The well is as run down as the rest of the place, but at least it’s functional. I taste the water, finding it fresh and clear. Pail by pail I fill the barrels I brought, happy that I’ve finally found a closer source than town. By the time I’ve finished, the little ones have finished the first crate, and she helps me lift it into the cart.

“Tell me Vlyk, where did you come from?”

She stops, nearly dropping the crate.

“We came from underneath.”

I wait for a moment until she continues helping. When we’ve placed the crate, I hand her the remaining mushrooms. She breathes deeply from the bag, a content smile spreading on her face. The little ones click angrily, but she ignores them.

“Underneath where? Did you live underground?”

The question brings her halfway out of her happy place. She shoots me an annoyed look.

“Underneath everywhere. This is not a topic for discussion.”

She turns back to inhaling mushrooms, and I focus on the goods instead. Grabbing a sack, I start filling it with soil. With a little ingenuity I should be able to create a planter for things like the poor fairyhome. By the time I’ve finished, the little creatures are done as well, chirping happily at Vlyk who reluctantly hands out a few samples of mushroom.

“I think it’s time for me to leave now.”

She nods in agreement.

“Friend Tee has been good. We will see each other soon, yes?”

Smiling, I hold out my hand. She takes it after a moment.

“We will indeed. Oh, and before I forget, do you have any more of those glowworms? I’ve got to explore underground in a place where torches don’t work.”

Tilting her head, she looks at me in confusion for a moment before a look of understanding dawns on her face.

“Yes.”

I blink a few times, counting quietly to ten.

“Can I have some please?”

She nods.

“I will get.”

When I finally head back to the farm I’m the proud owner of ten maggots the size of baguettes. She didn’t give any instruction in how to care for them, so hopefully my animal handling is good enough not to kill them.

***

I arrive back at the farm as the sun starts dipping under the horizon. The campfire is bright, and Tiene is working on something in the light. When she sees me she jumps up, spilling her tools all around her, and runs over to greet me.

“Come on, there’s still light, we can still check it out!”

Her excitement is infectious, so I hurry through grooming Reynard before I follow her towards the mine. The first thing that greets me is a lid. She’s put a large, hinged piece of wood on top of the hole. With some effort she lifts it off and starts climbing down. The rope ladder has been exchanged for something more solid, making it easier to get up and down. When we reach the entrance chamber, she lights a torch.

“You were right about Leona. She’s really nice when you get to know her.”

She leads me to the path to the slag pile, showing me a construction across the entryway.

“I made a dam to stop the flow of brackish water.”

I look at the block of wood blocking the water. I point to a root thicker than my chest that goes from the deepest part of the puddle she’s created up through the roof.

“What’s that?”

She grins.

“Remember the water pump I showed you back in Hogsmudd? I made a bigger one with Leona's help. She managed to completely seal the cylinder, which means I can pump the water from down here to a basin on the topside.”

She’s almost glowing as I look at the construction. I’m not sure how it would work.

“Doesn’t the vacuum slip when there’s no more water?”

Her face drops, showing obvious annoyance at my raining on her parade.

“There are some design issues, but I’m confident I can fix them. It’s just a matter of making the dam bigger. It’s not going to fix the problem, but at least it won’t make anything worse.”

She turns away from me with a huff, and I suppress a laugh. I put my arms around her in a hug instead.

“It’s fantastic. A true show of genius. I know you’ll solve any and all issues.”

She leans her head back towards me, and I let her go, nearly dropping her in the process. She looks at me, confused and a little hurt. Looking around, I try to find a distraction.

“Did you get anything done in the mushroom cave?”

She nods slowly.

“Yeah… come on, I’ll show you.”

There are twenty five rocks here, equally spaced out. Each of them flat on top, perfect to put the growth medium on. I turn to smile at her, but she’s already left me alone in the gloom. Putting my back against the wall, I bump my head into the stone rhythmically for a while.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

There’s no answer.