The sun peeked through his window, and Fin opened his eyes. His blanket and sheet were lying on the floor next to his bed, and he was drenched in sweat. This happened occasionally; some nights, he needed a blanket, and other nights he needed a dip in a partially frozen lake.
He left the bed and walked outside to find his father splashing water on himself from the rain barrels. “Sleep well?” he asked.
“Slept hot,” Fin responded, peeling off his shirt and stepping up to the rain barrel. “I woke up wet like I went sleep swimming last night.”
“I’m sure Hildred won’t mind the extra warmth,” his father joked and smiled.
Fin laughed. “Have you ever considered how our marriage would affect you? If she came here, you would have to see her every day. But, if I moved there, you would have to tend the farm by yourself.”
His dad’s face grew serious. “Good thing I don’t need your help because there’s no way I’m going to be able to see Hildred every morning. It’s enough that only one of us has to suffer.”
“I’m your son, and you’re just going to banish me to the Grobers like that?” Fin asked in mock offense.
“Well, son,” his father took a towel and dried off. “I suppose if you don’t marry Hildred, everything should be fine. I just don’t know how long you can hold off falling in love with her.”
The two laughed together before the familiar sound of a horse-drawn cart froze them in place.
“Go get some clothes on and tell your mother to open shop,” his dad ordered. “I’ll go see what we have in stock.”
Fin ran inside and told his mother. As soon as he had proper clothes on, he went back outside to see two soldiers driving a cart that looked like it was for carrying prisoners.
His mother greeted the two men from the potato stand. “Hello, gentlemen. What brings you to these parts?”
The men pulled the cart to a stop and began approaching before one of them answered. “War, ma’am. King Sevornand is calling in the draft.”
“War?” Fin’s father said, exiting the house. “We haven’t heard anything of war, and we had customers from the Alam Kingdom just a few days ago. Rumors precede wars like a horse and cart.”
The other guard spoke up quickly, “Ah, yes. Well, it turns out that the Kingdom of Rudford has been scheming to overthrow Alam for some time. The king just found out several days ago. But, don’t worry, his majesty doesn’t necessarily want to fight a war, just accrue soldiers to show his force.”
“How long ago did you find this out before the king dispatched you to gather soldiers for the draft?” Fin’s father had keen eyes. “Last time I checked, King Sevornand’s troops outnumber Rudford three to one.”
“Not long,” the first solder stated. “We’re in a hurry, though. The king is only demanding one man per family to show his force. I recommend packing heavy; we have a lot of ground to cover. If it is as you say, we’ll have you home before you know it.”
Fin spoke out before his father decided to enlist himself, “I’ll go.”
“You can’t go. We need you here. Hildred needs you.” Fin’s mother scolded.
Fin’s face flustered with anger. “No, you need Father. Also, I’m not marrying Hildred. I don’t care what you say. I don’t like her, and that’s all there is to it.”
The two soldiers awkwardly turned away, pretending not to pay attention.
“Let the boy go,” Fin’s father said finally. “I think it’ll be good for him to get some real-world experience. Alam has enough soldiers that they won’t need him. Rudford isn’t even a threat. Plus, it would be better for everyone if you parted with words of encouragement.”
Fin’s mother stood still as a stone until she finally relented. “Okay, but I won’t send you off on an empty stomach. I’ll run inside and make you something special.”
“We would also appreciate something special before we left too.” One of the soldiers said before she went into the house.
“Fin, let’s go pack your bags,” his father said, ignoring the two soldiers. “I want to have a conversation with you before you leave.”
Fin walked into his room and took out whatever clothes he thought he might need while his father left and came back with a large sack.
“It’s not completely waterproof,” he tossed the sack next to a small pile of clothes. “So try not to take it swimming.”
Fin began stuffing clothes into the sack while his father spoke, “I was hoping you would have unlocked your first quest by now, but it seems you’re going to have to do things the old-fashioned way.”
Fin gave his father a puzzled look as he continued, “I know you never really believed about the whole dragon thing, but I assure you it’s real. I have proof, and before not too long, you’ll have proof too. It started with your grandfather, who could see the window and got a few buffs but couldn’t do much with it. I could not only see the window, but I could also allocate stat points. I just can’t do anything with the ability points.”
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He raised his hands in defense, “Look, I was hoping you unlocked it before we had this conversation, so now you’re just going to have to trust me. Through the generations, we absorbed something from the dragon. I don’t know what it was, but each generation seems to get stronger. That will mean you will have more of the power than I had. The problem is the power was meant for dragons. The quests are hidden, and you can only reveal the quests or complete them by experiencing life… Well, by experiencing a dragon’s life which is hard to do. Some quests aren’t worth completing even though they will give you more power, and some are just not possible.”
Fin tied the top of his sack and set it down. “You’re saying we get quests, but they are hidden? And completing them makes us more powerful, but some of the quests aren’t even possible?”
“Precisely,” his father said. “And some are just too outrageous. Right now, I have a quest to battle all my children for. Hold on.” He stared blankly up at the ceiling. “Battle your offspring for dominance. +1 Patriarch quest. +5 levels, +8 gold stat points, +2 ability points. Upgrade Sovereignty Quests to Patriarch Quests.
“Obviously, I’m not going to battle you for dominance,” he laughed. “So you’re safe for now. Usually, you can only see the quest after you complete it. Some quests reveal other quests. I once completed a quest after standing on the mountain and looking around. It said, “Quest complete: Survey the land, and then it gave me some perks. I’m glad it didn’t require wings because I would have never gotten it if it did.”
“Wait, are you just being crazy so I don’t feel bad about leaving you to do all the work yourself?” Fin’s face was somewhere between jovial and mock-serious.
“First of all, maybe,” his father said. “But, whatever my reasoning, I need you to listen to this next part very seriously.
“There are six stat categories. Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. The first three can only be upgraded with basic stat points, but gold stat points can upgrade any six. All stats can technically be upgraded naturally, so think carefully about which one you find best. Most importantly, upgrading any of the first three will make you very hungry, and the last three will make you tired after upgrading. I put two into strength once and had to eat a meal big enough for a family. I put one into Charisma before I went to sleep and woke up in the morning a full day later.”
“First three food, last three sleep, got it,” Fin said.
“Other than that,” his father smiled, “Trial and error. You’ll have to get creative to complete the quests you know about, and for the ones you don’t know about, just try doing dragon things to complete them. If I’m correct, you’ll have the first one completed before you get to the castle.”
“What are dragon things?” Fin asked.
“The fact that you asked that question means you’re on the right track,” his father picked up the bag and led him out of the room. “I want you to ask yourself that question every morning. All I know is the more experiences you have, the more likely you’ll complete a quest.”
The two talked while their meal was being prepared. Finally, Fin’s mother brought steamed potatoes, butter, fermented vegetables, and mushroom gravy. The sour crunch of the vegetables balanced out the rich flavors and textures. The taste of the potato skins transformed in the areas that were burnt. Fresh butter melted and mixed in with every meal aspect, making it an altogether pleasant experience.
When everyone was finished eating, she gave Fin a sack of provisions, “That’s a week’s worth of food and a water skin that should last you four days if you ration it. It should get you to where you’re going.”
Fin hugged his parents and wished them farewell. One of the soldiers put Fin’s pack on top of the cart and then held out his hand for the provisions. Fin opted to hold on to the food as he climbed into the cart.
“Looks more like a slave cart than a soldier recruiting cart,” Fin’s father said.
The soldiers looked at the cart as if noticing it for the first time. “I guess it kind of does. All I know is the king sent out every available cart, carriage, and wheelbarrow for the draft. I guess they were running low on options. Everyone ready?”
The soldiers climbed onto the cart and urged the horse forward. Fin waved to his family as they got further and further away. Minutes passed, and no one felt like talking much, so they moved forward in comfortable silence.