Two more days went by in a flash. Theo had gotten plenty of work done in the Barge under Wen’s supervision. While it had been tough going, especially considering Theo’s rather abysmal stats, he had gained a small variety of new skills thanks to the kind-yet-harsh instructor’s tutelage. She’d been strict and commanding, but never, not even once, had she been expecting too much. She allowed him rest in between especially harsh and stressful hours and she had provided him with more meals than he had paid for.
The volatile mana remaining in his supposed Boon had been reduced to 181, a massive reduction considering he wasn’t simply trying to get it down to zero anymore. Some of that had simply been lost to time while most had gone down the drain, metaphorically speaking. Because it had been turned into water. He’d kept his plants exactly as hydrated as he’d been told to, even the new neato seeds he’d planted in the third planter box. Besides that, Wen had made him conjure up a little bit of clean water every now and again, but Theo had been adamant he couldn’t keep it coming the way she wanted it to. She had settled down a bit and decided the Barge could stand to become a bit more dirty before she gave it a thorough clean again.
As for his own capabilities and energy, now that he was doing physical and manual labour most of each day, every skill he gained gave him a notable boost in performance, be it his stamina or his reflexes, his strength or his dexterity. He grew nimbler and stronger and, honestly, he felt amazing. Of the skills Wen’s disciplined training provided, each one provided him a better outcome for the future, and that was his entire reason for doing this in the first place. Living a longer, healthier life due to a few days of hard work? The easiest trade he’d ever made.
Congratulations! You have earned the Level One skill Brooming.
Brooming (Level One): Is that a cloud? Yes! A dust cloud. That broom is a-broomin’. All stats +5.
The first skill he received was a bit snarky, but it did actually help in providing him a bit of confidence in what he was doing. Yes, the broom was a-broomin’! At least it was, until it snapped in twain the morning of the third day. Wen told him not to bother with it as it had been inching closer to its eventual demise by the day already. The ranking was happening at noon. It could wait until after, she’d said.
Speaking of, Theo had somehow been distracted, pushed away, sent to do other busywork, ordered this way and that and been told to zip it and eat every single time he was about to ask what the hell the ranking even was and why it was so important to them. He’d plain just given up and had decided that it was easier to just wait around for it and see it for himself.
Congratulations! You have earned the Level One skill Serving.
Serving (Level One): Ale! Three wines! Two plates of cheese, four crackers, seven wines and some ciders for the kids! This is a party and you’re not invited, because you’ll be doing all the serving. All stats +5.
It wasn’t entirely clear to Theo whether children were allowed to ‘attend the alcoholism’ of this world, but that specific prompt from the system sure made it seem like it. Maybe they were getting some non-alcoholic ciders? Wasn’t that just fruit juice, though? Theo wanted to make it clear to anyone watching him that he’d never serve alcoholic beverages to minors!
Congratulations! You have earned the Level One skill Cleaning.
Cleaning (Level One): How is this place still dirty? You’ve been doing nothing but cleaning all day and the table is still sticky! No, no, take the criticism and get me a beer while you're at it. There’s a game on. All stats +5.
These skill gain messages were getting a bit unhinged and Theo wasn’t sure he was up for it. If it hadn’t been for those sweet, sweet stats at the end, he would’ve stopped bothering to read them already.
Wen was excited for him to gain the skills so quickly. It was outside the norm but also not impossible, which was right where Theo wanted to be anyway. It was slightly hurtful that she supposed he got them so quickly because he was a grown-ass man that should’ve been doing some cleaning, sweeping and putting some plates down in front of others for most of his life already, but it was a fair assessment. Theo reckoned the world didn’t recognise his past endeavours, him being from a completely different world, supposedly in a completely different god’s domain. It didn’t seem like Arcana was doing much either way, actually.
The three skills gained from his hard work in the tavern weren’t all that he’d gained, though. He had spent some time with Willam as well after getting the neato seeds, which seemed to be just potatoes with a different cosmetic skin wrapped around them. Theo was progressing in the skills for tilling and farming, but hadn’t yet received them. What he had gained was from his own personally chosen chores, namely his plants! He had been diligent in watering the different seeds when they needed it and was careful he wasn’t overdoing it and drowning them.
His plants were growing steadily, pretty quickly according to Willam himself, but most of all, they were very healthy. Whatever curse may lay on the land, or rather in the land, didn’t seem to affect Theo’s plants. Maybe it was the soil after all? Theo hadn’t used it, but everyone else had to if they couldn’t just make their own soil with magic. But why would seemingly very fertile soil be not fertile? There were tests that could be done, and had been done when Brook Town was founded just a few years ago, yet still the test seemed entirely wrong. It was a mystery Theo didn’t care too much about, considering the village still stood and he could make his own soil. It was pretty fertile, it seemed, which was great. He’d been worried when it turned out to be sand-like in feel.
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Congratulations! You have earned the Level One skill Plant Tending.
Plant Tending (Level One): With each sprout that grows, your relationship with your plants grows with them. Careful so your relationship with them doesn't grow too spicy, unless you’re growing chilies. All stats +5.
Both his gingerelli and his violetberry patch had grown small sprouts above the soil. Theo had felt an enormous pride when he touched the small, green crops with his finger, and it was like they were tickling him back as thanks for him nourishing them. He was quickly growing very fond of them, and his new little hobby of growing them. It wouldn’t become a spicy relationship. He wasn’t that kind of tender.
The biggest surprise was the last skill he’d gained. It had popped up just this morning after watering his plants. The past days he had slowly weaned them off the nightly water session and moved it into the morning as it was just simpler for him to water them when he woke up. It was pretty easy math to divvy up the plants’ water requirements into hours and just water them an additional six hours worth one night, but Theo wanted to make sure it worked as intended and that all the seeds had enough water to drink. Spreading it out was the hardest part, but it seemed to have worked. The skill he gained, though, was a clue to how he could gain even more skills by doing what he had already been doing.
Congratulations! You have earned the Level One skill Water Affinity.
Water Affinity (Level One): Moist. All stats +5.
By using his sigils, it seemed he was slowly gaining affinity for the elemental sigils he was using. Sure, it had taken quite a bit of mana to get that one skill, but he wasn’t lagging that far behind in his ‘Create Earth’ after planting the neato seeds. He wasn’t entirely sure as to how these affinities worked, but he figured they weren’t locked to his genetics or anything. Chaste had a few that he’d mentioned, but was focusing more on his fire affinity. It seemed to be more a choice than anything, but Theo needed skills to catch up with the rest of the people. He was lagging twenty years behind, not even including the breast feeding skill transfer Chaste had told him about for babies.
He’d focus on getting earth affinity next, as well as his more farming-related skills. He considered the skills he had along with those he was currently reaching towards and chuckled. With calculation, his gardening skills and soon his farming skills, paired with his innkeeper skills, he could start his own restaurant or something where he grew his own ingredients. Although he probably needed some more cooking-related skills before he was certain he wasn’t poisoning anyone.
As midday approached, a giant bell that Theo couldn’t remember having seen anywhere around town chimed. The walls nearly shook as the resounding ding resonated with the very ground. Theo first thought it was a sing-songy earthquake that had simply wanted to perform a song for the villagers.
Wen then shoved him out the door of the tavern along with anyone still remaining inside and shut the door behind her. Theo then noticed a procession of villagers heading toward the south of the village, where Theo had come from several days prior.
“Come on!” Wen exclaimed as she pulled him along with her by his arm to catch up with the remainder of the villagers.
“What’s happening? Are we going to church?” Theo asked as her strong, tight fist was wrapped around his wrist.
“It’s the rank! O goddess, be fair,” she answered with a nervous breath. Her palm was quickly growing sweaty around his hand and she kept shifting her strength around as if she was simply fidgeting with him.
She wasn’t the only one. As they left the village proper, Theo saw the same faces as he’d seen several times for the past few days, each and every one of them with their own nervous ticks. One man rushed quickly down the street, quickly overtaking the procession as he blinked furiously. Another man seemed to struggle with deciding which of his children should hold his hand as they walked. A woman was pulling her hair into her mouth and was nibbling on it.
Theo looked once more for the unnecessarily huge bell that must’ve been rung, though it had never chimed a second time. It was still the first ding of the bell that echoed across the entirety of the town, the source nowhere to be seen. Theo felt the chime in his bones, but seeing Wen’s expression as she pulled him along took the excitement out of it. Whatever the ranking actually was, it was extremely important to the villagers. His friends. He looked around and found Willam towering over a lesser crowd behind them. He seemed to be comforting his stouter parents.
Eventually, the crowd stopped a short distance outside the village. About a hundred or so people, maybe more, stood facing the town with empty expressions as if they were possessed. The mayor walked in front of the gathered crowd and spoke.
“Our second year is over. Brook Town has strived to be the best it could be in a time where being good is hard. Our immunity is passed, and as it has passed, so shall judgment be passed onto our beloved village. As we all know, the ranking has already been done by now. Now we wait. In a moment- the ranking bell will-”
Silence. The shaking of Theo’s bones, the slight rumble of the ground, the crowd’s hushed whispers, all of it grew quiet. The mayor himself was shut up by the sudden onslaught of soundlessness, and he turned. He eyed the skies above Brook Town just as everyone else did. Theo did as well, for there was a massive magic circle there, shining brighter than the sun and the pale, blue sky.
Symbols appeared from magical lines projecting from the large circle.
Designation: Brook Town
Theo eyed the symbols as they slowly changed.
Current ranking: N/A
The crowd was getting noisier. Some had started crying, their collective sniffles being too loud to avoid hearing as everything else was dead silent.
New ranking:
The symbols were slow. Theo noticed Wen’s hand, which had been grabbing him tight this whole time, had interlaced with his fingers instead of crushing his wrist. He eyed her in his periphery as he waited for the rank to be fully written in the arcane sky writing. Her mouth was open in an ‘O’-shape and her eyes wide. He noticed her shift for a slight instant just as her hand clenched his own as hard as it did earlier. He looked back to the sky.
New ranking: Inadequate
The mayor’s speech from a few days prior came to mind. His hopes were for the town to be adequate. The world, or whatever or whoever was doing the ranking, didn’t find it fit for that classification, it seemed.
‘Maybe next year,’ Theo thought.
Then the magic circle flashed a dark blue and fell to the ground. The town flattened in an instant. Brook Town, considered ‘inadequate’ by the world, was gone.
‘My plants!’
Should Theo gain a bonus to skill gain speed?
