Beneath a cloud-covered sky, a creature of unparalleled mayhem slunk through the underbrush of a verdant forest. The sun had set almost an hour ago, the day's illumination slowly giving way to the murky darkness of night. Despite a distinct lack of wind, the air was thick with noise, calls of countless crickets and cicadas climbing before fading away once more.

Most humans, with their fragile bodies and rampant anxiety, would see such a night as a bad omen. They'd retreat to the caves, hollows, and houses that they called home, not leaving until the rays of the coming morning graced the world once more. Other beings, however, delighted in the lack of light, wind, and silence by which prey could sense them. The creature currently slinking through the underbrush was one such hunter.

The reason was rather simple; it was a perfect night for mischief.

As if to confirm this very fact, faint voices broke through the still air, reaching the enhanced hearing of the creature. She grinned, revealing needle-sharp teeth that would have gleamed in the moonlight if any were present. With anticipation roiling through her veins and her vigor replenished, she rushed forward, her limbs as silent as the non-existent wind. The forest blurred past. It took only moments for her to reach the source of the conversation, and she stared at the home, a devious sparkle in her eye.

"I hate moonless nights," a feminine voice said from inside.

"I know, dear," a man responded, his footsteps closing the distance between them. "At least it's finally getting warmer. We might not even need to light the fire tonight."

The woman snorted. "And sit in the dark? We may as well just run out into the night and let the horrors have us."

It was all the creature could do not to leap through the wall in that instant. They were taunting her. Inviting her to enter their home in a suitably dramatic manner and confirm their wildest suspicions. She tried to fight back the urge, knowing her master would probably disapprove… but she wasn't strong enough. Her muscles ached with the desire to obliterate the wall, to shatter the side of their home and appear before them in a storm of rubble and dust. She wanted to see their faces.

No, she had to see their faces. She needed their fright as much as she needed to breathe.

Hunching down on all fours, lightning chi jolted from her core. In the blink of a cultivator's eye, it wreathed her limbs. She exploded forward, prepared for impact, and… halted midair, an unyielding grip holding her by the scruff of the neck.

***

I raised a brow at my troublesome otter, bringing her up to eye level. "And just what do you think you're doing, missy?"

There was a flash of panic in Corporal Claws's eyes that was swiftly hidden behind a thin veneer of innocence. Who, me? She seemed to chirp, shrugging and giving a half-hearted trill. Nothing.

"Nothing, huh? You definitely weren't about to launch yourself through someone's wall with the express intention of terrifying them?"

She'd opened her mouth to retort, but it remained ajar as she searched for the correct response. In desperation, she swung her head to the person beside me, seeking assistance.

Maria shook her head, her sun-bleached hair swishing and eyes unable to completely hide her amusement. "Don’t look at me, Claws. Fischer is right. This first meeting is important." She reached up and scritched behind Claws’s fluffy ear. "The last thing we want to do is make them scared of us."

Claws deflated, going limp in my grasp. Sorry, she chirped.

"It's okay," I said, cradling her still-limp body in my arms. "It's not your fault that trickery lives in your heart."

She nodded sagely, agreeing with the assessment as Maria gave her a reassuring pat on the head.

"Who's out there?" a voice boomed from the building.

"Best behavior," I whispered to Claws, carrying her with me as I strode around the side of the house. "G'day, mate," I said, giving a small smile.

"This is the Osnan family's private land, and if you value your neck, I suggest you leave." Despite the strength of his words, worry lined his face.

"We passed the watch house on our way here." I pointed behind me, back through the forest. "It was empty."

"The guards must be doing their rounds. This is your last chance, friend. If they find you here..."

"Hello!" Maria said, resting her head against my arm and casting her beautiful smile his way. "You don't have to worry—we're not here to hurt you."

The man's hand tightened around something out of sight, and as he pulled a metal-spiked club into view, I let out a sigh.

Corporal Claws stood to attention in my arms, puffing out her chest. She jabbed a paw in his direction and let out a high-pitched growl, demanding he put the weapon down. I rubbed my temples as Claws climbed atop my head, getting a higher vantage point from which to stare down her nose at the man. His eyes went wide, the undeniable proof that she was no normal creature worming its way into his psyche.

Showing incredible stupidity, impressive bravery, or an unholy combination of both, the man pulled the club back with practiced speed, preparing a strike. He was clearly trained. To our enhanced awareness, though, he may as well have been moving through water. Despite his lack of a threat, Corporal Claws reached for her chi, preparing lightning just in case.

"Enough," I commanded, letting my will pour out.

The world obeyed.

Light surrounded everyone, appearing from the ground so swiftly that only I witnessed its movement. I made a slight gesture with my hand, and the woman, who had snuck out a back door and flanked us, appeared beside him. She had been taking sight with a crossbow, its stock braced against her shoulder. I stepped forward slowly and pushed the weapon down with one finger.

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"As my beautiful fiancé said, we're not here to hurt you."

"Cultivator..." the man said, his thousand-yard stare seeming to peer through me. His vision refocused and drifted up to land on Claws. "Spirit beast..."

"Yeah, mate, but it's not what you think." I reached up and yoinked the troublesome otter from my head, resting her on one arm and giving her a good scritching. She leaned into it, cooing and forgetting all about her animosity. I hoped showing them her soft side would ease their worries, but considering I was still holding them in place with translucent vines of light, I wasn't surprised when their panic remained.

"I'm guessing the guards have been gone for a month or so, yeah?" I asked, shifting the conversation.

The man didn't respond, but the woman shook her head. "Two weeks..." Her male companion shot her a warning glare, but unaware or uncaring of his disapproval, she continued. "They returned to the capital, but their replacements never arrived."

I nodded. "I can explain that. It’s a pretty crazy story, though…"

I gave them an extremely abridged version of my time in this world. My arrival and awakening. The slow trickle of animal pal ascensions. The founding of the Church of Fischer, our raid on the capital city in which we stole the king’s artifacts and sent him flying through a mountain or two, and finally, the king's failed attack on Tropica. Surprisingly, some of the color had returned to their faces as my tale petered out.

"You're serious, aren't you?" he asked.

"Serious as a summer storm, mate."

"Aphrodite's bohemian breasts..." the woman swore.

Maria choked on nothing then cleared her throat, her eyes dancing as she pressed her lips into a line.

"What are you going to do to us...?" the man asked, his thousand-yard stare returning.

I cocked my head. "Do to you? Nothing. I actually had a request, but you're free to turn it down. You can do whatever you want, really."

"A request...?"

"Yup!" Maria answered, beaming another smile. "We were hoping you'd keep tending this farm as you’re doing now. Nothing more, nothing less."

"You'll be compensated, of course," I added. "And protected."

"We... we can keep tending to our grove...?" the woman asked, hope entering her voice.

"Exactly." I grinned. "We're quite fond of your work here, you see. In fact, I'm not sure I could function without it."

I retracted my power and released my hold on them. Neither raised their weapons again. We spoke for hours, taking the time to answer each and every question the two had—they were about to become a pivotal part of Tropica’s operation, after all. In the beginning they were hesitant, but they slowly grew more sure of themselves. By the time we were finished, the hour was late. The information revealed had taken its toll, leaving the couple yawning and watching us with bleary gazes. As a bonus, their fatigue seemed to wash away the shock of our answers.

"Sorry," the man said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "We had a long day pruning."

"Hey, don't sweat it. You should get some rest. We'll camp overnight and head out in the morning after we procure some product."

He raised both hands in protest. "No, we couldn't sleep inside while you sleep in the elements. Please, take our bed, your, er... grace?"

Maria chortled at the horror dawning on my face. "What say you, your grace?"

Confusion shone through the two farmers' exhaustion, and I shook my head. "Please, just call me Fischer. And we don't want your bed."

"If you're sure..."

"Positive." I gave them a smile and nodded at the door. "Go rest. We can talk again in the morning."

With sheepish expressions, they retreated into their home, immediately whispering in hushed tones the moment the door was closed. I shook my head and withdrew my hearing, sharing a smile with Maria at their excitement.

"Well, that went well," she said as we strode in the direction of the grove.

I rubbed Claws's head. "It did, all things considered."

While we’d talked, the clouds above had cleared, revealing a blanket of stars and a crescent moon. No one spoke as we traveled the few hundred meters to the trees we’d come to see. Ahead, the other three members of our expedition withdrew from the shadows. Brigadier Borks wagged his bushy tail, excited by our approach. Sergeant Snips, her eyepatch looking marvelous in the pale moonlight, blew happy little bubbles. Beside her, Rocky took a long drag of his cigarette as he looped a claw around Snips's carapace and pulled her close.

She batted him away half-heartedly, giving him a look that was filled with such love I felt the need to grab Maria's hand. She planted a swift kiss on my cheek before returning her attention to Snips and Rocky, who were now play-fighting.

Claws made a retching sound, causing Snips to freeze. She slowly spun the otter’s way, murder shining in her lone eye. Claws held her gaze, bent at the waist, and mimed making herself sick. It was a declaration of war if ever I'd seen one, and Snips's answer was swift. I could have stopped them if I wanted to, but I didn't. Doing so would just make their tempers flare later.

Snips raced toward Claws with blue chi billowing from her carapace. Claws grinned, revealing her dagger-sharp teeth as lightning wreathed her body. The two collided and shot off through the forest in a blur, dozens of blows exchanged with each passing second.

"Come on," I said, walking forward. "Let's have a peek at the trees we came to see."

The closest corner of the grove was where the apparent pruning had taken place. The trees were heavily cut back, anything above head-height lopped off. I felt the need to inspect it, to examine the trunk and the cut they'd used to reduce the size of their prized trees, but something in the distance caught my attention.

Maria let out a soft gasp. "Are those...?"

We looked at each other, and before our grins could fully form, we were off. We sprinted across the grass, traveling as fast as only cultivators could. When we skidded to a stop, I reached up and softly squeezed a red berry. Though it appeared ripe, the fruit was firm. Borks appeared beside us a moment later, his tongue lolling and tail wagging as he stared up at the fruit-laden tree. I cast a gaze down the row, expecting to find Rocky racing after us and blowing insulting bubbles.

But he was no longer the same crab. Rocky strolled leisurely, like a gentleman perusing a noble’s garden. He gave me a respectful nod.

Maria snorted. "Still not used to that.”

"No kidding," I replied, my gaze drifting back to the surrounding trees.

"I can't believe how many there are..."

A soft breeze blew, making the leaves and clusters of red berries shift in the moon's ethereal light. I plucked one from the small tree, and with it held before us, I squeezed. The skin ruptured, releasing a sweet fragrance that reminded me of jasmine and hibiscus. We partook of the tiny berry's flesh, and my forehead creased as I took in its unique flavor, both fruity and floral.

Twin powers approached, and as Claws and Snips attempted to fly past us, I dashed before them. They skidded to a stop, staring up at me.

“Truce,” I said. “Try this.”

With care that belied their murderous movements only seconds ago, they ate the last of the fruit. All that remained on my palm were two seeds, their forms pale and green.

"Uhhh," Maria said, poking them. "Are they not ready yet?" She picked them up and sniffed, her nose scrunching. "Yuck. They smell wrong."

I laughed at the expression of vague disgust on her face as she appraised the treasures we'd come all this way for. It wasn't surprising; she'd only ever seen the finished product.

"They're perfect. This is what they look like when they're still raw."

She placed them back on my palm and licked her lips, returning her attention to the dozens of trees around us, each of them covered in hundreds, perhaps thousands, of berries. "Each fruit gives two beans...?" she asked, her disbelief evident.

"They do," I confirmed, also staring at the trees and the wealth they held. A wave of relief washed over me. "Looks like we're not gonna run out of coffee any time soon…"