Hector shook his head, grabbing Marcus’ outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake. It was unfortunate that his friend couldn’t come with them, but it was to be expected—he wasn’t a fighter.

  “Keep those coins safe, alright?” Hector said, releasing Marcus’ hand. He then patted Delworth on the shoulder, pulling his lips into a tight smile. “And you get home safe; I’d hate to have to save you again,” he said with a slight chuckle.

  Delworth lowered his head. “I’m sorry for the trouble I caused,” he turned his head towards Marcus. “Thank you for helping me meet such nice people.”

  Marcus shrugged. “It’s fine. Not really like I planned for it to happen, but it turned out well in the end, anyway. So I won’t complain.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll figure something out,” Emela said. Hector turned his head towards her. She and Nyx stood to the side, saying their goodbyes for the night. The entire atmosphere was a tad bit morbid if Hector thought about it.

  With what Delworth had said, it was like they were going off to war. Though, in a way, they kind of were. It wasn’t often that your average cultivator went off to raid a farm controlled by demonic cultivators—not in the city of Middlec, anyway.

  We will be fine. I’m sure about that. At most, we can just run away once things get a bit too dicey. It’s not like we have to fight to the death or anything.

  Hector turned his attention to one of the far walls of the abandoned brewery. The smell of stale, rancid ale continued to slither through the air. Lincoln sat, his back firmly pressed up against one of the supporting pillars.

  He’d chosen to take the time to rest and mentally prepare himself. He also wanted to get a little cultivation in beforehand. There was no guarantee that he’d break through, but every little bit would help. Plus, they needed to wait till the dead of night before they could leave, and that was a while away.

  Jodie, much like Lincoln, was also meditating. She sat on the other far wall—which was actually roofed. Though if that was a good thing or not could be left up to debate; after all, you never knew when it would collapse.

  The two hadn’t made up since earlier. Hector doubted they’d make up for a while. Too many wounds too quickly. If lives weren’t on the line, he’d have preferred they not be around each other. But thankfully, they could both put aside their differences and work together.

  Nodding at Marcus, Hector stepped past him and made his way over to Emela and Nyx. He nodded at the both of them as he walked over. “Are you sure you can’t stay?” Hector asked, with a slight pleading in his voice.

  It would be an understatement to say that having a Gravity Forging five around would help a lot. A mouse skittered by. And the dripping from a far-off wall caused Hector’s ears to twitch. Emela gave him a weak smile.

  “I would love to, trust me,” she said, brushing one of her ponytails behind her. “But I just can’t. Maybe in the future, who knows?”

  Nyx shot her a look. Hector pretended not to notice. The girl was doing a lot today; it was as if something had happened between the two of them—they wouldn’t say, though. And it wasn’t like he needed them to.

  “That’s a shame,” Hector said with a heavy sigh. He rested his hands on his hips.

  Footsteps came from behind him, and he turned his head. Marcus and Delworth walked over, both holding a few of the coin pouches. Hector spared a look behind them, checking on the Farmhand.

  The boy hadn’t so much as moved since his little breakdown. While Hector didn’t fully trust him, he didn’t see a need to force anything else out of him. That would just be pointless.

  A cough caught Hector’s attention. He turned back towards Emela, as she lowered her hand. “We should get going now,” she said, gesturing to Marcus and Delworth. “Remember what we talked about? You need to focus on your safety. If it gets rough, get out of there.” Emela gave a pointed look at Nyx.

  The girl nodded. They all then said their goodbyes, the three leaving through the front of the brewery. Emela had agreed to walk Delworth and Marcus home before making her way back, so Hector wasn’t too worried about his weaker friend’s journey.

  “I’ll stay on watch. You should go join the other and cultivate, it’s best your mind is prepared for what we may fight,” Nyx said. She then turned and walked over to one of the pillars. She leapt off the ground, scaling it effortlessly, before jumping onto the broken-down walls of the brewery and finding a place to sit deep in some shadows.

  I wonder if she’ll ever open up to anyone else. The way she sees the world must be quite interesting. But then again, maybe I just don’t know enough about her, so I’m filling in blanks that aren’t there.

  Hector turned away, crunching across the dirt and coming to a stop by a small pile of crates. He deliberated, climbing to the top of them. But after what happened to Lincoln, that seemed more than unnecessary. He spared a last glance at the Farmhand before sitting down in a meditative position.

  Nyx had been right. He needed to prepare. He glanced up at the fading sunlight. Its rays trickled into the room like curtains of light washing over the rotten wood that littered the place. He wouldn’t break through to the second level in the hours they had until the raid. But he could grab another Talent.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Hector closed his eyes and fell into the Talent Garden.

  Once there, feet sloshing through the water, Hector made his way over to the three marble pedestals and sat down. It had been twenty-four hours already since he planted them, so he had another twenty-four to go. But with the fourfold boost he could give them, he should have another set by the time they need to leave.

  “Alright, I hope I can get something good, because I’m going to need all the help I can get.” Hector closed his eyes. A wave of calm washed over him, flowing deep through his bones like he was drinking a fresh glass of water.

  Then the mana flowed.

  Hector sat, his mind clear, and focused. It was as peaceful as ever. Why couldn’t it always be like this? After some time, Hector’s eyes flicked open. He looked up to find a system message blinking before him.

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  ///: Talent sapling requires watering, do so before they perish.

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  Hector grunted as he got to his feet. He looked over the plants, raising an eyebrow. What was the system talking about? They looked as healthy as could be. But then again, what did he know? If they dropped dead, the next second, he’d be just as confused.

  Alright, I best get to it. It’s a miracle that you guys are still alive.

  He’d exceeded the recommended watering time by some hours. The timer suggested that the plants would probably die any minute, and he didn’t want to test that to see what it would look like.

  As Hector got to work, the sound of skittering echoed around the void. His back prickled, like there were thousands of ants running along it.

  The rats were out again. Were they crawling over him? No, if they were, that would have pulled him out.

  But the idea of it. Their tiny, scale-like feet clambering over him as they took bits out of his skin. Hector’s heart rattled in his chest—even as the water ball formed above the plant, Hector’s mind reeled with the thought.

  No, it’s fine. If anything happens, I’m sure Nyx will handle it. I just have to focus. I’m almost done.

  He’d been in here for three hours already. With three more, he’d be done and would have three new Talents to choose from.

  After a few minutes, Hector finished watering the last plant, water dripping from its leaves. A system message popped up before him.

  He jerked and staggered back, resting a hand on his chest as he let out a breath. The skittering had stopped, but he was still a little on edge.

  ————————————————

  ///: The system has met the requirement for another system upgrade. Please standby as it is initiated… (0%)

  ————————————————

  With a smile, Hector pumped his fist. He’d done it—not for a lack of trying. Even so, he’d gotten another upgrade to his system. The last one had brought the Talent Garden. What would this one bring?

  Hector took a breath, and walked back over to the middle marble pedestal, reaching down to the water, and bracing himself on the bottom as he took a seat. He grunted, getting comfortable, as the cool liquid splashed over his lap.

  It had taken the last upgrade a while to complete. There was no timer on this one either, so who knew how long it was going to take? He shook his head, resting his hands on his knees. There was no point thinking about it—not until it was closer, anyway.

  Closing his eyes, Hector fell back into a meditative state as time flowed by again. His mind drifting… and drifting… like a boat on a calm sea.

  An unknown amount of time later, a sharp tug, quick and forceful, pulled his mind back to the surface. His eyes snapped open, and he glanced up, smiling at what he found. It wasn’t a great haul, but it was good. Four Talents in total across all three plants.

  He pushed off the ground and climbed to his feet. The waters of his soul slicked off of him like it was a duck’s back. He stepped forward, his hand brushing across the first plant.

  What would this one be? He’d love for another one that could help him in his cultivation, but something that would be useful in the battle to come would also be good.

  The plant fell apart in a shower of gold, leaving two Talents floating in front of him. His eyes, wide with excitement, scanned over them both. He needed something good. It had to be something good.

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  ///: Spark Capacitor (Common): Once every 6 hours, the user may activate this talent. Once active, the users’ legs are charged with energy, allowing them to move faster when running.

  ————————————————

  ————————————————

  ///: Spark Capacitor (Common): Once every 6 hours, the user may activate this talent. Once active, the users’ legs are charged with energy, allowing them to move faster when running.

  ————————————————

  Oh, boy. Two. I got two of the same… wait a minute, doesn’t this mean I can upgrade [Spark Capacitor] to Uncommon? Oh, this is perfect.

  Hector resisted the urge to jump as he waved his hands to the side to send the Talents away. He’d merge them in a second. First, he’d have to see what else he got from these plants. But what would a merged [Spark Capacitor] even make?

  He moved over to the next plant, brushing it with a finger and watching intently as it dispersed into a shower of golden flakes, leaving behind a single floating Talent.

  ————————————————

  ///: Tracker’s Charm (Common): Once every six hours you can track a particular scent. You can tell how strong it is, allowing you to determine age, as well as the direction the scent you are tracking is going.

  ————————————————

  His face fell. It was the same Talent he’d already sacrificed once before. He sighed; it was a good thing in a way. At least he now had a simple choice to make about which Talent he’d plant next.

  Hector flicked his hand to the side. The Talent shot off with a whoosh, joining the other two he’d picked a moment before. He then sloshed over to the last pedestal, taking deep breaths, and throwing glances at the two [Spark Capacitor] Talents.

  No matter what came out of this Talent tree, it would never be as good as an uncommon Talent. But then again, maybe it would be more useful. But somehow, Hector doubted that. He reached forward, brushing his finger across the plant’s surface, and it exploded into a shower of golden light.

  The Talent floated silently in the air; its swirling surface giving off the characteristic white light of a common Talent. Hector focused on it. The system message popped up a second later.

  ————————————————

  ///: Static Field (Common): (Passive) A constant electrical charge is maintained around the user, granting several buffs. 1. Enemies struggle to move around you because of the charge in the air. 2. You can flow through water with ease and suffer less in wet conditions. 3. Using metal weapons against the user becomes difficult as charges flow through it.

  Note: It can be willed on and off.

  ————————————————

  Okay, Maybe I was a little wrong.

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