No sooner did Dante and his father step through the door did it close silently behind them. They turned back to watch for a moment before continuing down the hill after Oscar. Oddly on this side of the doorway, Dante's body no longer vibrates. He felt calm and refreshed. Wherever they were it reminded him of a warm day in hills of rolling grass.

'If there ever was a paradise, this might just be a piece of it.' Dante thought with a smile upon his face.

As they continued to follow behind Oscar, Dante's father asked, "What do you think is down there?" Dante's father asked as he indicated toward the nearest village, which was located several hundred feet from the base of the hill.

"He said it was his pride and joy. Maybe it's a bunch of flesh golems doing various tasks. We will see. Besides, I am fairly certain... You know what let's just test it. Virgil!" Dante started with an abrupt change of his tone.

The familiar golden figure of Virgil apperated alongside, floating with them as they continued on their way down the hill. Virgil looked upon his surroundings at first with confusion and then with a warm smile. "Ah so you've met the Flesh Monger, and earned his friendship?" Virgil asked, his voice joyous.

"Yes we have. Do you know what this place is?" Dante asked Virgil, "Yes however, i feel it is not my place to say. He will tell you soon enough." Dante cocked his head, that had not been one of the answers he was expecting. "Can you please tell us if he would do us harm?" Before Virgil could respond they had arrived at the outskirts of the small village.

There they saw what appeared to be the equitaur people he had seen a few other times today. Every person in the village was an Equitaur. There were even "small" equitaur children running around. Small by the standards of their parents. In actuality they were about as tall as an average human teen. At first Dante's father did not know what to think. Dante however finally realized what Oscar had meant by bearing fruit.

Virgil stated, "I think this answers your question." Oscar, seemingly distracted by what was in front of him had yet to notice Virgil's arrival. "Wonderous isn't it? My greatest works yet." Oscar stated.

Dante wanted to be certain, and he wanted his dad to be informed and so he asked, "You made flesh golems that can reproduce right?" Dante's father looked to Dante with a shocked expression then towards Oscar awaiting his reply.

"Yes. It has been years of hard work and research to accomplish this." Dante's father was shocked into silence. Dante however still had more questions, "Why?" Dante asked flatley. "Why you ask? I did it because I saw the potential of this race and many other labeled monsters going to waste. So I petitioned the system for the chance to change things and now..." Oscar crouched down as a group of five child equitars ran over to him. Each of the children was of a different color. One was tan, another brown, one black, then grey, and finally grey with black and white spots.

Each child was wearing clothes that would be sized for a human teenager. Though most wore rather simple white shirts and brown pants, they were wearing clothes.

In honesty the children looked kind of creepy. Their limbs weren't as full as you would expect save for maybe their legs, though it was hard to tell though their pants. And they did not wear shoes, no surprise there. their hooved feet clipping and clopping as they ran and played.

One was climbing on his back while the others grabbed onto his arms, one for each. Oscar stood tall and held each of his four arms outward away from one another while still parallel with the ground. Then he began to slowly turn, like a merry-go-round. Virgil looked on in joy at the events unfolding before him.

Dante's father leaned over and asked Dante, "Did anything like this ever happen in those fantasy games you like so much?" Dante immediately replied, "None I can remember playing. This kind of thing was normally only in sci fi settings." Dante, his father and Virgil continued to look on at the sight unfolding before them.

The children nayed and snorted as they each were slowly pulled outward by centripetal force. Oscar began to lower and raise his body bringing the children closer to the ground and then back up. Dante and his father looked past Oscar to the equitar people who were watching them.

They were male and female alike. Infact, there seemed to be an equal number of each gender. The adults wore more varied clothes, brown shirts, grey pants, though it was more colorful it was still in the end rather basic.

Oscar slowed to a stop allowing the children to get off, only for them to fall over from the dizziness. They seemed however, to be having fun. Oscar turned toward Dante and his father, only just now noticing Virgil.

"Dante who is this with you?" He said calmly whilst indicating toward Virgil. "This is Virgil, an avatar of the system. He is my guide." Oscar's blank poker face relaxed upon hearing that.

"I see you've named your guide. I knew I liked something about you. Not many people see a need to name their guides. Such a shame." Oscar stated as he smiled.

Dante smiled as well, before he turned to Virgil who looked at him in turn.

"Come meet them, please." The children began to get back up having shaken off the dizziness, as Oscar began walking farther into the village. The three of them continued onward into the small village with him. Dante poured 50 mana into his summoning skill just to give virgil more time to look around.

Oscar approached what Dante presumed to be an equitaur couple standing in their yard next to a small wooden fence. Their home was a simple one resembling a home you would have found in the old west. One made of wood planks nailed together. It even had some glass windows.

Dante and his father arrived and stood beside Oscar. One of the equitaur children from earlier opened up the fence to their yard and locked it behind them. The kid then stood with his parents. The larger of the two adult Equitaurs lifted the child up. Holding the child in his arms, while the kid wrapped his arms around their neck and hugged him.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The two nestled each other for a moment before they set the child down indicating for them to go inside. The kid ran and was at his front door and through in just a moment. Dante had an idea, he opened his inventory and pulled out an apple from the bowl that had been placed in there several hours ago.

"Oscar is this ok to give to them?" Dante said whilst handing Oscar the apple that seemed more like a golf ball in his large hands. Oscar inspected the apple for a moment before handing it over to the larger of the two Equitaurs. Whom immediately consumed it. The equitaur nodded vigorously as if to give approval.

"Oh they liked that, do you have any more?" Oscar asked Dante, who simply pulled out the entire bowl and handed it to him. Oscar took the bowl from Dante, "Thank you I will repay your kindness." As he said this he made a grasping motion with one of his free hands and in his palm appeared a small brown sack. "Here you go, 10 gold should suffice." Oscar said as he handed the sack over to Dante.

Dante regarded the sack for a moment then handed it to his father. "They were from the table, so it's your dad." His father nodded then asked, "Where do I put it?" Before Dante could tell him Oscar chimed in. "Hold it in your hand and think of... how do you say? A bank!"

Dante's father looked on in confusion but did as he was instructed. In a second the bag was gone and his father received a notice showing his coins had been deposited into his "System wallet". "That's useful." Dante's father said, but not more.

Dante watched as Oscar gave one of the apples to the smaller, seemingly female, equitaur. He pulled another apple from the bowl and held it in his open palm.

For a moment nothing happened, then the apple began to sag as if it were rotting on fast forward. All at once the apple turned to something similar to apple sauce. However, the strange semi liquid slush did not leave his hand. Instead it once more took the shape of an apple. Several small dots emerged from the slosh and landed onto his palm.

"Dad i think i know how he makes some of his golems." Dante said as his father looked at him then to the apple and stated, "I don't want to know!" He exclaimed whilst waving his hands in front of himself.

"These shall make fine additions to this place. Thank you for this friend." Oscar said as he turned toward Dante, his emerald eyes catching the light and sparkling. Dante nodded as Oscar handed a single seed to the larger of the two Equitaurs who took it in his hand. Please plant this behind your home." As he said this his eyes flashed with emerald energy, the equitaur turned and walked to the back of his simple home.

"What did you do right there?" Dante asked before his father could, "I gave him the knowledge of how to plant, nurture and harvest the seed from the apples you gave me. I purchased it when I examined the apples." Dante and his father nodded finding the answer acceptable. Then Dante had an idea. "Oscar can you do that to me? Give me the knowledge of how to raise and nurture an apple tree I mean."

"Certainly. Would you also like to know?" He said whilst indicating towards Dante's father, who passed on the opportunity. "Not really my style."

Oscar smiled as he reached over with his left lower arm and grasped Dante by his shoulder. Dante watched as his eye flashes green once more. Then he felt the little door in the back of his mind open once more, and new knowledge poured through. The door closed a moment later, but the knowledge remained.

Congratulations! You have been granted knowledge of Horticulture!

You have obtained the skill, "Horticulture" Lvl. 1

Level of the skill has been set to 5.

Horticulture Lvl. 5

Horticulture is the agriculture of plants, mainly for food, materials, comfort and beauty for decoration. Horticulturists apply their knowledge, skills, and technologies to grow intensively produced plants for food and non-food uses as well as for personal or social needs. Proficiency in farming and agricultural related skills rises with level of the skill.

Horticulture is a sub-skill of Farming

Congratulations you have obtained the "Farming" skill

Farming Lvl. 1

You work so that yourself and possible others may eat. Proficiency with farming implements increases with skill level. Quality and Yield of crops and from animal husbandry increase with skill level. Increased quality of foraged materials per skill level.

Dante was rather happy as he now had 34 Rp, most of that he had gained in the few minutes since he had meet Oscar. It gave him joy to read the text boxes. He would experiment with the skill later, as well as spend the Rp and resulting stat points.

"Where did you learn to do that if you don't mind me asking?" Dante asked Oscar, curious to find out. "I gained the skill to grant my knowledge to others about 5 years ago. At the same time that I finally had success making the first of them. When I made the first of them." Oscar said whilst indicating toward the female Equitaur flesh golem still standing before them.

"They had only a small bit of intelligence in addition to their reproduction capabilities, but that was enough. As a reward for my accomplishment i was granted the skill, Bestow Knowledge. It is limited by several things but is very useful overall." Oscar finished his little speech.

Dante nodded satisfied with the answer. They then proceeded to go around giving the remaining apples and seeds to the rest of the adult Equitaurs. Oscar gave the knowledge of how to take care of the seed to the rest of the adults. When all was said and done they returned through the door they had arrived through. On their way out the door Oscar called Dante over for a moment. His father waited by the entrance to the shop as Dante walked back over to the counter. Where Oscar had resituated himself, after sending his simulacrum back to the workshop.

Oscar produced a small blue box and handed it to Dante. When he read it he was more than a little shocked. He was thankful he did not read it aloud. 'You are granted one free casual encounter with a golem of your choice at, "The Golem Menagerie'.

No sooner had Dante read the small blue box than it disappeared. He received a notice stating it had been saved for later use. Dante thanked Oscar for his time and the opportunity on his way out of the shop.

Dante told his father, "Not what I expected to see when i came here." Who replied, "Same. I liked it though. I'm definitely coming back here when I have the money. I saw a few things in there that i liked." Dante laughed as did his father.

Dante and his dad decided to return to the Inn where they were staying, turning in for the night. As he was getting ready for bed Dante made a mental note to spend his points in the morning. Dante fell into deep slumber. He dreamt of apple tree's and racing horses.