Amelia begins to smile and says, "It's nice to meet you, Zily." Glancing around, she adds, "Do you think you could help me find some good companions? The forest is dangerous, and I'm scared to leave my area." Zily looks at the human, blinks for a few seconds, and responds, "Do you want me to point them out or draw them for you, human? Because I won't be bait." Amelia quickly clarifies, "No, no, that's not what I meant! I meant that you could point them out, as you're more knowledgeable about your surroundings!" She adds, "If you have any other blessed friends in the forest, I could use someone to protect me as well. Perhaps something that could feed on the plants I grow would be nice."
Zily shifts nervously before replying, "I have a friend who's a crimson deer, but..." The rabbit fidgets, searching for words, "This deer was once favored by its master and has since evolved far beyond any other in the forest," hinting, without directly stating, that the deer might be reluctant to accept. Amelia tilts her head, appearing uncertain for a moment before speaking, "I'm not sure what deer like to eat besides sweet things. I recall my grandmother grumbling about them eating the fruit from her trees." Zily says, "That's true, some creatures trade for Oak's fur for their homes because it emits a magical power that keeps low-level beasts at bay. He only likes sweet things." Zilly adds, "I'm aware of some fruit trees nearby. If you gather some of the young fruit trees, you could bring them here."
Amelia offers, "I have a wheelbarrow that could help me transport them. Could you show me where they are and keep an eye out for predators? I'll add two more potatoes to the deal." Zily, looking energized, exclaims, "Deal, human!" and bounds off toward the forest. Amelia yells, "Wait!" She hurries to grab the wheelbarrow and dashes after Zily. Catching up, she realizes she's outside her territory and scans the surroundings with caution. Zily glances back and reassures her, "I'm a prey creature, human. I'm adept at sensing others nearby; you have no reason to fear."
Surveying her surroundings with an uneasy expression, she replies, "I'm looking for ingredients to grow," a harmless fib, though it would indeed be fortunate if she truly discovered something. "I am aware of other plants my master has consumed," Zily replies, then adds after a brief pause, "Of course, for sustenance. However, my information is not without cost." Amelia, looking excited at the prospect of more food choices, responds, "I figured. Do you remember what they were called?" "I believe my master referred to them as carrots, peanuts, onions, and tomatoes," Zily replies, glancing quickly from side to side. "My master was familiar with many, but his children weren't interested in gardening. So, when they sealed the house and left, everything was frozen in time."
Amelia, looking confused, asks, "Sealed in time, like left behind?" As she continues walking with Zily, she begins to spot the fruit trees in the distance. "It leaves everything on the property frozen in time. Time doesn't pass within the area. Only those with the master's magic can enter, and then time would resume," Zily explains. "We are here," she declares, hopping over to a young fruit tree. "Avocados, bananas, lemons, and oranges—these are really good!" Amelia exclaims, running excitedly around the trees. She spends the next few hours loosening the soil around the saplings with a stick, securing two of each tree for transplantation to ensure she has a backup if one fails. As she loads them all into the wheelbarrow to head home, the sun begins to dip below the horizon. Zily and Amelia make their way back, pushing the laden wheelbarrow; darkness has fallen by the time they arrive. As Zily prepares to depart, Amelia hesitates before asking, "Hey, um... would you like to stay over, since it's gotten so late?"
Zily appears surprised but agrees in a subdued tone. They go inside and settle down as Amelia prepares a potato dish for their dinner. Zily inquires in a subdued tone, "Why did you invite me in? You don't owe me anything." Amelia looks up from the potato she's eating and responds, "Why did I invite you in? You've been helping me all day and plan to help me in the future. Why wouldn't I offer?"Zily gazes at her incredulously, "You are a strange human, Amelia," to which Amelia responds with a puzzled look. Zily continues, "Your house is in ruins, and you have only one source of food, yet you offer both almost freely. If I needed a place to stay, I could always go to my master's house." Amelia raises an eyebrow and asks in a somewhat lonely tone, "If you don't like it here, why did you agree to stay?"
Neither of them speaks, yet a sense of kinship emerges in the silence, the emptiness itself conveying their mutual loneliness and desire for conversation. Ameila trying to start a conversation asks, "what was it like with your master?" looking a bit curious looking at zily. The rabbit gazed at her and replied, "He was a kind man, an adventurer in his earlier days. But as he had children, he slowed down, sold his beasts to nobles, and settled. I became his companion so his children would have a friend." The rabbit bowed its head, continuing, "As they grew, the children lost interest in talking to me. They never really understood me, only my master did. When he passed away, they left to live their own lives, leaving the house untouched and me behind."
Amelia looks sad and replies, "I'm sorry that happened," before sharing her own story, albeit with some details omitted. "I'm the eldest of three children, from my mother's first marriage. I loved my family, but I was never really noticed; there was always something else that needed their attention more. "My grandmother helped raise me, but she was often unwell during my childhood, so her presence was limited," she pauses. "Her passing left me feeling adrift, searching for a purpose. Before everything changed, I was on my way to becoming a teacher." Zilly gazes at her and inquires, "Then why are you out here?" Amelia returns the gaze and replies, "I believe the gods have placed me here." Zilly considers this and says, "If that's true, then a greater purpose awaits you." With that, she hops off the stool, curls up on Amelia's pile of old clothes, and settles down. Amelia takes this as her cue and prepares to go to bed.
As the sun beats down the following day, she awakens and surveys her surroundings. She dons her outer garments, readying herself for the day's tasks, and heads to the stream fed by a cold spring to quench her thirst. It's then she realizes Zily is nowhere to be found. With no time to search, she begins to prepare holes in a sunny clearing near her barn. Once the saplings are planted and watered, she casts a growth spell to enhance their vitality. The trees rapidly mature, appearing four years old after several incantations, leaving Amelia too exhausted to cast any further spells. She sits down on a tree stump to rest for a second and checks her system and sees that she leveled some of her skills.
Beast Speak-L3- 02/100
Crescere-L4- 05/100
You have 4 low level Gift packs do you wish to open them? Yes/No
You have 4 low level Gift packs do you wish to combine two to get a medium level gift pack? Yes/No
After carefully considering her options, she chooses to merge two while maintaining the rest at a low level. She contemplates the contents of the gift packs, concluding that she will receive one medium-level gift pack and two low-level ones.
You have got a Steel Axe
1 LB of Salt
1 Hairbrush
Seeing what she has acquired, her excitement grows at the sight of the axe, knowing she'll need firewood for cooking and winter preparations. Although it's spring, she's aware it won't last. She lifts the axe, gauging its weight, and spends about an hour searching for fallen wood near her boundary, dragging it onto her property to chop later. There were oak, maple, and cedar trees around the area, with some pine trees further out from what she could see. With everything on her property, she glances at the sun, estimating it's about 4 in the afternoon, then cooks a potato and eats it with a pinch of salt. She munches contentedly, replenishing her energy after the expenditure of mana and physical effort.
Mana 105/250
Her mana hasn't depleted to half yet, so she opts not to pursue the potatoes' growth further today. Instead, she explores the nearby land. A short walk along the stream leads her to a lake, its perimeter adorned with smooth river stones and sandy shores. It's quite picturesque! Surveying her surroundings, she concludes that it's unlikely there will be any humans around, and since it's a watering hole, animals are not expected to be aggressive. She strips down till she's nude and she steps into the water, which feels pleasantly cool against her skin after the heat of the day, and she savors the sensation for a while.
After she steps out, she drips dry for a moment before dressing and heading home to prepare dinner. It's another potato meal, but the discovery of a lake gives her hope for fish. Perhaps luck will be on her side, and she'll obtain a fishing rod from one of the medium-level gift packs. After finishing her potato, she hears scratching at the door. She cautiously approaches, peeks out, and upon seeing Zily, she swiftly opens the door. "Where were you? I didn't see you when I woke up," she inquires. Zily gives her a look as if she's the silly one and says, "I was gathering my things from my burrow, but I didn't fit anymore, so it took longer to gather them." Amelia notices that Zily has a bulging cloth, and, with surprise, she asks, "Are you moving in?"
The rabbit shakes her head. "I'm going to build a burrow here; it would be wasteful not to be closer, and besides, I don't fit in my old one anymore." Amelia smiles. "I'm still glad you didn't just leave; I thought I would never see you again," she says, looking at the sack. "What have you got in there?" Zily responds, "My shed fur and some torn cloth from my master's house for bedding." Gazing at the sack, Amelia says, "You can stay inside for the night and build it tomorrow," as she lets Zily in and closes the door. Amelia begins to share, "I explored the area nearby today. I found a lake and took a dip; it's really pretty there. Hopefully, I can catch some fish in the future, maybe even some big ones like bass."
Zily suggests, "I think we should collect some of my master's belongings and bring them here. My master's children haven't visited in decades, and you could use many items to repair this place." Observing the room, it's evident you've attempted repairs, but I recommend utilizing my master's space bag to simply take his house." Amelia looks flabbergasted, "A space bag? Taking a house?" Zily explained to her in simple terms, "Yes, my master retained his space bag from his adventuring days, so it has a large capacity. You can use this house as a sort of expansive storage shed if you like." Amelia, still puzzled, discusses the house's foundations and stability, trying to understand how it could be mobile. Zily responds, "Amelia, my master built his house to be portable because his family enjoyed traveling. They didn't reside here long before he passed away." Amelia doesn't expect too grand a home, likely just one in better condition than her current place. However, if it's a mobile home, it might be made of wood, and she could consider attaching them. Since this house is stone, it's probably better insulated for winter. After finishing their explanations, they chat briefly about their day and then head to bed, ready for the following day.