Joram hurried over to inspect the boulder and round that a large section had shorn off in a plane that matched the holes that he’d made. Then he watched as frost slowly formed, first on the outer edges of newly shorn rock, then as it slowly crept inwards for almost half a metre before stopping, then receding as the warmer night air finally won out.

He was also impressed with just how clean the fracture was, almost as though the boulder had been cleanly cut by a diamond saw that left both sides shining as though polished.

Now that the rock had a polished finish, he really did think that it resembled granite, though if granite had that same dark green of jade. All told, it was quite pretty, so he didn’t mind in the least adding it to his home.

With a mental command, his constructs came over and retrieved the fallen piece, though six of them were needed to move it.

He wondered if he should continue after dark, but then shrugged that worry away. If he really needed to, he could run back inside and cover the inside of the door with a good foot of stone and be safe enough until help arrived…. That is, if he was OK with wasting all that sweet-sweet XP.

Well, not that it did anything for him at the moment seeing as how he didn’t have a Path yet. Though, he was still intensely curious about what he’d get once he finally “Looted” something. Would it be like what would drop in a video game? Or would it give him something completely random?

Shaking his head, he adjusted his PPE and got back to work. As he did so, he instructed the constructs to move a considerable amount of the stone inside and away from the door, just in case. As it was, it took him another twenty minutes of shooting before he was satisfied and ready to try another round of breaking.

Though… if he did all the lines at the same time, could he save time overall by only using one [Energy Ball]? Probably. So, he continued for another hour, completing another three rows of holes before deciding that it really was getting too dark for his comfort and calling it there.

He then quickly retrieved the bucket and filled the holes before retreating back to his doorstep. One [Energy Ball] later, and a much louder *CRACK* was heard, then a few thuds.

Eager to see how it had turned out, he hurried back to have a look. He was then disappointed to see that it hadn’t quite gone according to plan. Instead of getting four slabs of rock like he’d wanted, the boulder had instead chosen to break into pieces that looked like… fries. Like, potato fries. French Fries. Etc.

Looking at them, he supposed that they were kinda nice looking, so he didn’t let it worry him. On the contrary, it made things much easier for the constructs, as they could each- barely- carry one of the snack-shaped pieces of stone back to the house.

Upon further reflection, once he was back inside, he supposed that he should have expected as much given the pattern he’d drilled into the boulder and how uncannily straight the fracture line had been. Well, that was enough work for one night, so he took off his acrylic PPE and tossed it to the side, not caring about it anymore, especially since it wasn’t a permanent item and would vanish sometime tomorrow.

Then he looked to his plants and sighed, remembering that they still needed sunlight to thrive.

Then another thought popped into his head. He remembered going over the [Grow] power and how it worked, specifically the augmentation option that allowed a person to take a sample of a plant and create a viable seed out of it. As he thought, he made his way to the light switch and flicked it on, giving the plants at least a bit of light.

He considered putting them outside, but worried that the goblins would just smash them for the fun of it. Heck, he wouldn’t even trust that they’d be safe on the roof until he finished his renovations.

“Ah, crap. Knowing my luck, those damn goblins will have their next ambush use part of the roof,” he said, looking over to Avi to see what she thought of that.

‘That’s definitely in the realm of possibility,’ she said, once again pretending to be an emotionless construct, though sounding remarkably like his favourite unshackled AI.

What’s up with that, anyways? He thought, going over the many apparent mood swings she’d been through. Was she just having fun in the only way that she could?

‘So, [Grow],’ she said, pulling him out of his speculations. ‘That is another useful power… if you had the need to eat, that is,’ she said, shaking her head.

“Yeah, well, I still kinda want to properly entertain my guests and that means feeding them. Which also means that I’ll need to restock my food sooner, rather than later,” he said, giving her a bit of sass that just rolled off her back.

‘Then might I suggest starting with the oregano? It is a seeding plant, and would thus make for the best test subject.’

Joram nodded at her logic, silently adding that it had gotten quite big over the past year and could use a good pruning.

So, now having a task for the night, he got to work.

* * * * *

*Earlier that morning*

“So, you’re saying that a Pathless kid was able to take down more than a half-dozen hobs all by himself?” Nalun asked again for what seemed like the tenth time.

“Yes, though I would venture to say that he’s had some form of training,” Celys replied, still wondering just how he’d managed to do what he’d done.

“I’d say,” Nalun said, shaking his head. “All this is after he took a spear to the chest?”

“Yes,” she replied tiredly.

Nalun may have been a good man, a good hunter, and a wonderful father, but he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the kitchen at times.

“Well, I’m glad that I’ll be going along for tomorrow’s visit,” he said, letting out another sigh that fluttered his long black hair a bit.

Celys wouldn’t argue that point, especially because of the very incident that had occurred last time that they were currently going over.

“So,” Nalun said, holding up a hand as he covered each point as he saw them. “We have an unknown Pathless young man with mysterious powers, who doesn’t even speak common, but is picking it up with astonishing speed. He’s also very strong, likely with a Strength in the early teens- which is completely ridiculous by the way!- and can cut hobs in two. He can also cook better than anyone else you know, and has thus captured the heart of our incredibly muleheaded and lovely daughter who’s at the top of the list of people in the village who’ll never likely marry,” he finished, unknowingly [Strike]’ing their daughter through the heart.

Celys watched her daughter as the pain of her father’s words warred with the deeply-rooted stubbornness in her heart. Eventually, the stubbornness won out.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Dad! I am not taken by him!” she insisted, punching the floor beside her cushion to emphasize her point. “I am merely concerned for my student. That he’s survived out in the forest for so long is a [Miracle]! We need to convince him to move to Kirkwall as soon as possible,” she finished, once again insisting on bringing Joram back with them this time.

“~Aaaaand, he’s not human,” Kal piped in, earning him a glare from his twin that his grin seemed to deflect. Nalun, though, nodded and raised another finger, counting that as another valid point.

“So, would it really be wise to bring someone like that into the village?” he asked, playing the devil’s advocate.

Celys was very much able to see that side of the argument, having the very same misgivings that her husband had and all.

“He certainly isn’t forthcoming with sharing his background,” Theril added, causing yet another one of Nalun’s fingers to rise.

“That said, he hasn’t lied to us yet,” Kal added, getting a nod from Nalun. “He just tells us that he’s not comfortable answering something, which I think shows a bit of his character.”

Myra nodded at that, then added her own thoughts.

“And, as humiliating the whole experience was, he didn’t treat me any poorer after what had happened,” she said, her face going red as she spoke, but her back remained straight.

Celys once again wondered just how infatuated her daughter was with Joram. For her to speak out for someone, especially as they were considering inviting him into Kirkwall, let alone after having gone through what she’d gone through, was very much a [Miracle].

“Well, at the very least, we won’t have to worry about what he’ll do for a living,” Kal said with a smirk, causing Reldan to nod in agreement.

The young [Scout] hadn’t spoken after having greeted them all after he’d arrived. Celys had called him over to also get his opinion about Joram. Yes, he’d already given his reports, but sometimes things were forgotten but then remembered at a later point in time.

As she saw it, Reldan had already taken a liking to Joram, the food notwithstanding. Celys could see it too, as she’d gotten to like the young man after just their first visit, the goblin attack and amazing food afterwards notwithstanding. Though, she had to admit, Joram had very much cut a heroic figure as he had fought against the small war band.

And, once again, the knowledge that he could cook eased her heart a bit when considering that her daughter was so taken with him. At least she wouldn’t starve any time soon….

That last thought nearly caused her to fall over in shock.

“Dear?” Nalun asked, reaching out to touch her hand. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she lied, her head still swirling.

“So, should we invite Joram to come live in Kirkwall?” Theril asked, getting them back on track.

Celys considered it very carefully. Sure, she could ask the village council what they thought, but really didn’t think that they’d be informed enough to make a proper decision, one way or the other. Her closest “adviser” was actually her husband, and he seemed more inclined to wait a bit longer than anything.

“I think we should wait a bit longer, perhaps after another couple of ‘lessons’,” Celys said at length, earning her daughter’s ire.

“But what happens if even more goblins attack than last time?” she demanded. “Even with the four of us, we barely made it out of there. What chance would he have, all alone?”

Celys sympathised with her daughter. She had truly started liking the strange young man but, ultimately, she had to take into consideration everything else as well.

“I’m sure that he’ll make it through,” she half lied, then held up her hand to forestall her daughter. “But, as your father summarized, we don’t know enough about Joram yet. We don’t know if he’s been exiled from a distant country, and thus a danger to those around him. We don’t know where, or how, he managed to learn and do what he does,” she said, bringing the memory of his ridiculously huge crystal-like sword back to the fore. “We don’t even know what he is, considering that he claimed to not even be a human,” she finished, fixing Myra with a look that brooked no argument.

“Could that have been a misunderstanding?” Reldan finally spoke, raising a hand as he did so.

“With how comfortable he’s gotten with the language, I doubt it,” Kalduin answered, shaking his head.

“Either way,” Celys said, looking every person present in the eyes. “Either way, I’ve decided that we need at least another two visits with him to be sure of his intentions, or the lack thereof,” she finished, causing Myra to sulk.

She then went over the preparations for the next day. Who would come, what they’d bring, and what they’d talk about. Myra left during the discussion, claiming the need to check on the kits.

Celys truly wondered if her daughter’s infatuation was a good thing, or a disaster for her.

Shaking her head, she got back to planning.

* * *

*That night*

Myra tucked in the kits, making sure that they’d be nice and warm. Their parents, a white vixen and a black tod, were off hunting together. That they’d trusted her with their litter showed how well she was doing at her job. Well, her calling, if she was being honest with herself.

She loved taking care of the village foxes. They weren’t judgemental, nor did they have unreasonable expectations for her to live up to. She just needed to care for them, love them, and be there when they needed her.

Being away from them to teach Joram had been a bit of a struggle, but both she and the foxes had managed. In fact, she’d been getting more attention after returning than she would have normally gotten, which pleased her all the more. Because, who didn’t like fluffy cuddles?

Then her thoughts turned back to Joram. He didn’t seem like a bad person, far from it. Yes, it had been mean to let her take the red sauce of death… but she’d quite literally asked for it. So, really, she couldn’t fully blame him for that. Even after that, he’d still treated her the same way he’d always treated her, which was a bit new for her.

After someone had experienced her… personality, they invariably changed how they treated her after that. Not always poorly, just differently than before. If anything, it seemed as though he’d softened towards her, which confused her a bit.

Does he like me? She asked herself, getting a bit flustered at the thought. She’d had plenty of attention growing up, but almost all of her would-be suitors had given up trying to get closer to her, especially after she’d told each of them what she thought of them.

Sure, he was handsome enough, for a human! He was tall and had a full beard, though his chest lacked hair. But he was also strong, and incredibly intelligent! After just a few lessons, he’d almost picked up Common, and had certainly learned how to pronounce things properly.

… And he can cook, she thought, drooling slightly at the heavenly stew she’d had the day before. Who knew that a stew could taste so good! Compared to everything else she’d ever had growing up, the food he cooked was fit for royalty!

Myra shook her head, clearing away those extraneous thoughts. She, like her mother, had to consider what was best for the village, specifically because the was next in line to become the village [Miko]. She had even gotten the Path offered to her as her Path which, she was told, was very rare. So, she needed to take into consideration the good of her village and not just the comfort of her stomach….

“But, it would be nice if he could live here too,” she mused out loud, now staring out the window at the large, nearly full moon, low on the horizon. That their village was near the border of the Great Forest meant that they had much more sky to look at than they would have if they had built further in.

“I just hope it’s peaceful tomorrow…”

* * * * *

“Hmm, I should probably do my homework before they get here,” Joram thought as he finished up with his workout, still feeling as though he was at a threshold that he couldn’t quite pass no matter what he tried.

‘That would be a good idea,’ Avi said, nodding. ‘It wouldn’t do to slack off.’

Joram gave her a wry look, then shook his head. He’d gone to bed earlier than he had the previous few nights so that he could get in a bit of a workout and do some studying before his guests arrived for his next lesson.

Given how the lineup changed each time, he idly wondered if anyone would be switched out this time, but also wondered if they’d bring more people as well. Because: goblins.

He still wanted to go find where they were coming from, and felt that he was getting close to being able to survive if he did find their lair. So, maybe after the lesson, and the next attack that he anticipated would come later that evening, he would set out.

Well, he’d set out if he managed to survive the next attack, anyways. The one from two days ago had been rather extreme, though it had provided him with a dozen more cores. He’d been surprised when most of them had been identified as Grade D Cores, taking up a new line in his inventory and everything. Upon inspection, they were tetragonal in shape, having four sides that then angled into a four-sided pyramid at the ends. They were also slightly larger, maybe about ten percent or so if he had to guess. Which he did, being too lazy to actually measure them out.

Thinking about how he’d deal with a goblin lair, he made his way back to his table and grabbed the dictionary and started going through it. He hadn’t done something like that in decades. The memory of having spent days going through the massive dictionary in the library because he’d bored in elementary school brought a smile to his face. He’d gone through the entire thing, though it had taken him over a month, probably two, to do so.

Now he was doing it again, though this one was considerably shorter, with pages considerably thicker and much rougher than the expensive dictionary from his youth.

Well, at least this’ll hurry things along, he thought with a smile. For as much as he liked cooking, he was getting annoyed with it because he didn’t need to eat. Though, perhaps he could start charging for it, as he’d probably need to buy some meat at some point if the number of visitors kept increasing….