Cora sat beside her field, fingering a ping pong ball sized piece of crystal. According to the description, it was an uncut piece of cloud quartz. It was easy to see why it was called that, even with the dirt still roughly crusting the outside. The quartz was relatively clear with little balls of something else floating inside its matrix.
Cora reached for the watering can beside her. It was still full from when she last watered the corn seeds before heading out to mine. She poured some water over the crystal, washing most of the dirt away. There was still some stubborn bits in the minute crevasses along the outside of the crystal, but most of it was clean.
She held it up to the sun, marveling at it. The little balls did look like clouds floating in a clear sky. The description had also stated that it was 30 carats if cut. Cora shook her head. So much of the crystal would have to be cut away for that to happen. Perhaps if she could find a master gemcutter it would result in a bigger gem? Or perhaps more than one?
The granite blocks had completely filled up the large sack, giving it a whopping two hundred points of experience for only four blocks. The gunny sacks only expanded enough to show that it was full and weighed only a few pounds. It was one of the few things she was thankful for. When she called it quits, she'd had a few dozen ores, a few gems and crystals and the granite blocks.
"When you're tired of looking at the pretty rock, you could harvest the corn and sow something else." Blue lounged on her usual post. "You could also stow the shards for future use."
That got Cora's attention. She was familiar with the idea of gathering resources to build things. She'd wasted a year of her life in her teens playing games of that ilk. She'd been happy to immerse herself in games while her custody was being fought over between her parents and her Great Aunt Addy.
Well, to be fair, she was actually Nate's Great Aunt Addy, his grandfather's sister-in-law. She wasn't sure how that made them family except by virtue of Addy being close to her Great Aunt Jerry, and her grandfather's letter to Addy asking her to look out for her and Nate after his death. She was fairly certain that a generous sum of money had been passed to her parents, enough that they gave up trying to pry it out of Mr. Weatherbee and happily signed her over.
Cora would never forget seeing Nate's smiling face when she walked out of family court and into the waiting limousine. Great Aunt Addy had fussed so much when she'd seen how skinny she was, and words she'd never heard before had blued the air when she saw the bruises on Cora's torso and back when she dragged her to buy some 'proper' clothes. Of course they weren't on her face or arms, she'd patiently explained to her appalled aunt, because Mr. Weatherbee wouldn't disburse funds at any signs of abuse.
One black eye was enough to teach her parents a lesson about holding back and judging their aim.
Cora shoved the unhappy thoughts down as she harvested the corn and tossed a few ears into the ever useful seeder. When she got to a hundred kernels, she then put the rest into the baskets. There was only one small bag that wasn't in use.
She made a mental note to see how many gunny sacks were left in the storage shed. She knew that the four she had were most of them but was hoping that there were still two or three left.
Cora glanced to the side. When Kai and the warcorns had come, the little goblin had shown her how to use the seeder and had also dragged enough stones and broken boards to form a rough shelter for the seeds and tools. The makeshift shed lacked a door but had enough room to stow the tools and the bags of seeds.
Cora walked to the shed and grabbed the seeds for the red sorghum. She was interested in seeing just what would grow. While the corn seeds had simply been labeled 'corn seed' when she'd examined them before that first sowing, the beautiful red kerneled corn that grew from them was labeled ��blood corn' as a simple descriptor. She had an inkling that it was vastly different from the corns she knew.
Similarly, the red clover she'd grown had sported nearly crystalline flower heads, and their description of 'ruby clover' had been apt. Cora still wasn't sure how Kai had harvested it, despite watching every move the little goblin had made. She had a feeling that he had strongly suggested growing the sorghum after this batch of corn because the clover needed some sort of additional processing.
In a few minutes, the seeder had done its job, depleting ninety-five percent of her MP. Cora looked at it slowly refilling with a sigh. Then she glanced at the seeder. It took a fifth of an MP point to turn one cob into seeds, giving her ten seeds. Now she regretted making her seeds before sowing her field. Then she'd have at least a minute increase.
She raised the watering can and eyed her field. Unlike the corn, the research she'd done had insisted that the sorghum not be watered immediately after planting. She vaguely understood that because the corn stalks weren't dried out before she'd recycled them into the field. Adding more water would cause the seeds to rot.
Cora decided that she would water it when she came back. She tossed the seed bag back into the shed.
"You were saying something about storing the shards somewhere?" Cora looked up at Blue who lazily opened one eye.
"I did indeed," Blue agreed. She stood up on the tree limb and stretched. "The stele you need is by the entrance to City Hall."
Cora frowned. She didn't remember seeing a stele anywhere in the plaza, much less one that she could pour something into. She trailed behind the leopard as Blue jumped down to the ground and headed towards City Hall.
They stopped in front of the ruined building. Cora sighed as she looked it over. There were weeds growing in the cracks of the steps, buckling the slabs and bricks that made them up. Some of the stones had been reduced to fine rubble over the years by the tenacious greenery. Struck by an idea, she squatted down and used Appraise on the grass.
'Wonder Ivy Level 20 (Decorative, Herbaceous, Component) - A multi use species of the ivy family, much sought after by alchemists and armorists as well as weapon makers. Can also be used in the construction of furniture and decorations. Only found in the Wildlands. Caution: this vine can break down the strongest of stone given enough time.'
Cora blinked at the information. She'd thought it would say something like 'Normal Grass' or 'Northern Ivy' or something. The vine in question grew close to the stone, nearly blending in, sending out thin shoots that mimicked grass. The grass-like leaves even waved in the slight breeze like real grass.
She followed the vine to a grassy mound next to the City Hall. From the looks of the broken bits of stone surrounding the area of the mound, it used to be some sort of resting place. She stood and glanced around the little area. The mound was one of many. It was simply the biggest.
Cora thought about the description. The vine wasn't ugly, and the fact that the leaves resembled grass gave her ideas. More than likely the big mound it came from covered some centerpiece and the smaller mounds regularly dotting the perimeter used to be benches or chairs of some sort.
"This reminds me of Great Aunt Jerry's garden," she muttered under breath, blinking back tears.
After her Great Aunt's death, her and Nate's parents, as the oldest surviving relatives, had sold off her Great Aunt's estate to developers who'd promptly bulldozed it for lakefront condos. She couldn't even fault the sale since Mr. Weatherbee had been overseas on vacation, and by the time the man had hurried back, the quick burial and disassembly had already begun.
She did have a photo she cherished of a webcam frame from when Mr. Weatherbee had shown up with deputies to put a stop to the estate sale. He'd immediately enforced the terms of the unread will, making her and Nate instant millionaires and their parents mere trust-fund babies. Cora and Nate had been sent to summer camp while the details were hammered out.
Cora had hated it. She'd spent most of the time bumming internet connections from the counselors' area (their wi-fi wasn't password protected because they assumed, however incorrectly, that most, if not all, of their charges had been divested of their phones and tablets). Nate had loved it, diving into the most physical activities that they offered. The only upside was the response she got from Nate's grandmother, her Great Aunt Addy when she sent her an email asking why she hadn't attended Jerry's funeral.
She had printed out and framed the blistering reply she'd received. Throughout the email, Addy's concern and love shone through. Addy hadn't known, busily renovating a hotel in Barbados that she owned. She'd immediately flown home, filing for custody for Nate as soon as she landed. Cora had been a trickier situation since her parents had lawyers trying to break the will to no avail, paying for them with Cora's allowance.
Still, Addy had persevered. Cora just wished that out of all the knowledge the old lady had stuffed into her head had been warnings about guys like Gerald and how to deal with them.
"Blue? Do you think that someone would pay for the ivy?" She called to the leopard who was lying in the middle of the plaza, staring with some disfavor at a vast empty place.
"Who knows? People seem to pay for all sorts of useless things," Blue replied. She lay her head on her paws. "You know what would be good right there? A treant would be good right there or maybe a dryad grove. It's big enough for some kids," Blue remarked, flicking her tail for emphasis.
"A dryad grove?" Cora asked, walking over to Blue. She looked at the empty spot. It was conspicuous even in the broken expanse of the plaza. "I thought that a fountain or water decoration went there."
"Water? There's water everywhere," Blue protested. It stood up and walked to the empty spot, paws stirring up dust. "This is meant for greenery of some sort. Haven't you noticed all the garden areas?" The leopard looked around the plaza at the ruined buildings and empty spaces. "There are stories that this was a legendary growing place for all sorts of weird plants."
"Then why is it ruined?" Cora asked, turning in a circle to take it all in as well.
"There was a war, and war devastates," Blue said in a solemn tone. "Now, you're the Mayor and should try to fix it. Well, at least fix the stairs to your office."
Cora sighed and hefted the large gunny sack that held the granite blocks.
"Show me where I can turn these into blocks. I can use the pickaxe to get rid of some of the broken bricks." Cora reached into the medium gunny sack and pulled out her pickaxe. She hadn't been sure that she could put it in the sack and had been pleasantly surprised.
She leaned it against the ruined steps and turned towards the leopard. Blue lazily stretched and walked off towards one of the ruined buildings, going down the empty space next to it.
Cora followed, surprised to find that it was a street. The smooth stones it had once been paved with were missing in some places and broken or outright shattered in others. She thought that it might have fit two carts side by side at one point, using the few she'd seen in the beginner village before her run-in with those stupid baby-killers.
She had to laugh at herself. Most of the player base would think she was the villain in that scenario, and the forum posts where that group was still complaining two days later showed that she was right, at least where they and their fans were concerned. That amused her. The game was old enough that people had garnered fans for all that they looked like newbies like her, only with expensive bought equipment.
Blue stopped in front of a large building that had weathered time better than its neighbors. The door lay in shattered pieces on the ground, and scratches and dents around the doorframe showed that it hadn't been time that had led to its destruction. Cora felt uncomfortable at the sight.
"This war was a long time ago, right?" She asked as she cautiously stepped over the door's remains. The hallway was remarkably clear.
"Centuries and some ago," Blue agreed amicably, brushing past her. "The cutters are in the room with the numbers on the wall."
Cora stared fixedly at a dark spot on the hallway wall, partially sheltered by a chunk of destroyed door. Then she took a deep breath and followed her only resident.