The soft movements of the Yscalent sent Drake into a deep slumber, while he was still sitting on it. In his dreams, he saw Frisco, the man he had killed.

At first, Frisco was stretching his hands towards him, his fingers trying to claw his face. The two holes on his torso oozed dark blood. Drake was terrified.

But before the dead man could touch him, a shadow entered between them. Frainer chirped happily, and, when Drake looked again, Frisco had disappeared. The three red eyes of the Ifere focused on him, and he saw compassion in them. Smiling, he patted Frainer, after which they both faded into darkness.

...

Higler saw the mist ball grabbing the side of Drake's head, and, for a moment, thought if he should interfere. In the end, he decided against it. Drake and Frainer had a Spirit Contract, so, whatever it was doing, it must be to help Drake, who was talking in his sleep.

Although he didn't understand what his travel companion was saying, the ranger was sure it had to do with the person he killed. The first one was never easy. However, it started to get numbing after a while.

"Fuuo?"

Suddenly, Warkin bit his hand lightly. He looked at the Ifere, and smiled while scratching his muzzle.

"I'm a little worried, yeah. But not too much. He is a good person, and he has potential. Did you see how he dealt with that criminal?"

"Fuuuu!"

"Haha... I know you had my back. But I needed to see what he would do. And I wasn't disappointed. He is fast and has good aim, he just needs a little training."

Warkin grunted, and shook his head as if he was agreeing. After that, it found a comfortable position in Higler's lap, and went to sleep again.

-------------------------

"Hey, wake up. Drake!"

In just a few seconds of being shaken, Drake was brought back from the dream world. He saw Higler had brought his Yscalent close to his, and was looking at him.

"Sorry, I fell asleep."

"I noticed. But that's quite normal. We did do a lot yesterday. But that's not the reason I woke you up. Look over there."

The ranger pointed towards the trail, and Drake saw that there was a crossroad. A sign showed Fallen Star City was directly ahead, while another sign, broken and dirty, said...

"Box O Farm? What is that?"

Higler looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Instantly, Drake realized it was a stupid question. The clue was in the name.

"It's our next stop. An old friend is the owner."

Of course, several questions flooded Drake's mind when he heard that. Trying not to sound annoying, he asked in order of importance.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"I thought you were new to Menoraz Kingdom? And how is there a farm out here? Isn't it too dangerous?"

"Mystic Iferes, I don't know what they teach you in those fancy schools. The wilderness is dangerous, but it's not like you are going to die as soon as you step in it. Sometimes farms and ranches get attacked by Iferes and bandits, that's true, but it's not that often. First of all, farmers don't have that much money on them, so they aren't a desirable target. Secondly, they have their ways of defending against wild Iferes."

Feeling like he was being lectured, Drake kept his silence as they started to follow the small side road. It wasn't as well cared for as the main one, but the Yscalents had no problems to traverse it.

"As for how I know him... I've been a ranger for fifteen years, ever since I was nineteen. This might be the first time I've been assigned to Menoraz, but I've been here on many missions. I've been to pretty much every kingdom, to be honest."

Drake nodded slowly. It made sense. It also impressed him to know that Higler had joined the rangers when he was just nineteen. That meant he had already shown his worth to them when he was even younger.

"By the way, since you were assigned to Menoraz Kingdom, why aren't you at the capital? Your base of operations should be there, no?"

"Hahaha... Maybe it should. But rangers don't like to be tied down, kid. We are only two thousand and four hundred to cover the entire Confederation. We spend most of our time on the road, helping anyone who needs it. You would be impressed by our ability to find trouble."

Drake couldn't agree more. According to what Higler had told him, he had just arrived at Major Johnson's outpost the previous morning, and found himself entangled in the case of the murdered soldiers. If that wasn't a predisposition to find trouble, he didn't know what was.

"Is that all you do when you don't have a mission? Walk around and fight crime?"

"Ha! That's one way to put it. But not exactly. We all have our own lives. When command needs us for something, they send a message to the cities around our previous location, and wait until we get there, or send someone after us. In the meantime, we can just go on with our everyday life. However, one thing all rangers have in common is that we can't see people in need of help and not do something. It just doesn't sit well with us."

Drake nodded, and they continued walking silently for a few minutes, until they reached the top of a hill. From there, they were greeted with an impressive sight.

There were farmlands going as far as the eyes could see, with many kinds of crops. Drake could see at least two dozen people working on them, and a few others riding Yscalents going from one place to another. There were also a few Iferes that he was very familiar with.

The first species was called Tezar. Rock-type Iferes, an adult could be almost two meters tall, three meters long, and two meters large. There was no way to describe them other than wide. Their bodies had a hide strong as iron, supported by eight legs made of rocks and boulders. Literally. Drake wasn't sure about how they had evolved to become a fusion of flesh and rock, but there were a lot of unexplained things in this world.

Tezars also had two eyes, each one as large as a human's fist. Their skin had a metallic blue luster accentuated by the needle-like fur. All in all, they were strong and resistant, perfect for pulling carts and wagons.

The second Ifere species was very different. It looked like a big bubble of gel and slime. It had a light blue color, and dragged itself around by extending two 'arms'.

Although it wasn't very impressive, Ricianides had a skill, Rain Summon, that was fundamental for any farm. As the name implied, it would release a special substance in the air which created rain clouds. The skill didn't have much application in combat, but was used during their reproduction. Besides, not many creatures liked to eat piles of water.

Tezars and Ricianides were some of the most common Iferes that lived with humans. By signing a Spirit Contract, they would receive protection and food, while the effort they made wasn't that much. It was safe to say, however, that without them, humans would have problems sustaining their society.

As Drake and Higler passed by, going towards the house in the middle of the fields, the workers all looked at them curiously. At first they had some hostility in their eyes - Drake supposed it was because they weren't used to strangers - but when they saw the weapons they were caring, they diverted their gazes. If it was because of fear or some other reason, he didn't know.

"Whose's ugly muzzle do I see? Is that Ben Higler, you sly bastard?"

Suddenly, a loud voice got Drake's attention. A tall man, with a huge beard and a muscular body, was waiting for them at the front door of the house. Even though his words sounded hostile, he had a huge smile plastered on his face.