It took Gato a little over an hour and a half before he finished tilling the ground. When he could safely say he was done with the chores for the day, he didn’t know.
Let’s hope this isn’t going to be interrupted any time soon. I think I could stand to get all the tasks done before I go straight to bed.
As it stood, he saw that things were as ready as they could be. How come? Well…
Quest Completed! Honor Your Mother and Father (I)
This quest has given you more good stuff.
You have gained 1,400 XP and 350 Gold Pieces.
Congratulations! You have reached Level 2! You have gained 5 Stat Points.
Yeah, it was that easy to explain. How come so many things like that were taking place? He didn’t know one wit of the truth.
Let’s just hope mother doesn’t get me in trouble with the rest of the family upon waking them up. I’d hate to have to explain why I’m the one who had to get the shadow oxen involved.
Shortly enough, he knew he needed to get himself ready for the rest of the day. However, it wasn’t likely he had to be awake for much of it.
As he pondered that, however, he heard rustling in the bushes nearby. What the…?
Gato spun around to face the bushes before he picked up a rock from the ground. With a careful aim, he threw the rock with all his might at the nearest bush, mainly to get a reaction out of whoever (or even whatever) was there.
*THWACK!!*
Thwack?! There’s someone there!
Gato blinked when he saw who stepped out from behind the bush. It was, for all ensuing appearances, a bandit… one who obtusely looked like a stereotypical ninja from Japan?
This begs the question of what’s going on in this world. Why are there ninja like what can be found in ninja movies?
He still had his guard raised. It wasn’t likely his current foe would allow for him to get out of this the easy way.
“Ow… you throw hard, kid,” the bandit said. “Remind me to find a better way of dodging in the future.”
Way to throw my expectations to the side, there…
Gato coughed into a fist. “Who are you, and what are you doing here at this time of night?”
“Oh, right, that’s a fair question. My name is Tristan, and I’m here to find a stolen group of livestock,” the bandit said, throwing Gato for a loop.
Wait, a stolen group of livestock? And I didn’t expect that to happen, getting a name out of the bandit in question. Huh, what do you know? Miracles do happen.
“To clarify, these animals are not supposed to be visible to the naked eye. In fact, they’re only visible to certain people in times when it’s clouded over in the middle of the night,” Tristan said.
Gato blinked. “Wait, do you mean like Shadow Oxen?”
“Yes, but not specifically Shadow Oxen, kid.”
“I’m confused,” Gato said.
Tristan sighed. “Let’s just say that there’s a valid reason why I’m trying to find the Shadow Donkeys.”
“What would that reason be?”
“My boss is interested in getting his property back.”
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
“Your boss?”
“A very persnickety elf by the name of Aerlio von Recketturg,” Tristan said. “He’s heir to the Recketturg family, and he’s very much one of the more dangerous people to get mad at you. Don’t let him get mad at you if you desire to live.”
Gato blinked. Elves are real in this world? I never heard of such talk before. Where have they been when I thought only dwarves were supposed to exist as non-human beings? “That’s a lot to take in at once.”
“I don’t blame you for that, kid, not one bit.”
At that moment, a glow appeared near the outer left pocket of Tristan’s apparel, specifically his pants.
“Excuse me for a bit,” Tristan said, pulling out a glowing compact hand mirror.
“Go ahead.”
“Thank you. I’ll have to take this message off your farm.” With that, Tristan walked away from the farm.
O=====||===============================>
A few dozen yards away…
“Okay, this should be good enough,” Tristan said. “Here’s hoping I can find out who’s calling me about what.” He opened the compact hand mirror and looked into it. “Tristan here.”
“Tristan, did you happen to find the Shadow Donkeys I hired you to locate yet?” a man’s voice echoed out of the mirror.
Tristan shook his head. “No, sir, not yet. I do know that there’s Shadow Oxen in the area where I’m in at the moment.”
“Shadow Oxen? Where are you now?”
“Near a farm in the vicinity of the town of Alfheimwood, sir. Do you need me to send you the exact map coordinates?”
“No, not right now. I can find Alfheimwood on my own, but I will need you to direct me to the farm in question later. They potentially have the answers to where the Shadow Donkeys went, and I intend to get those answers.”
“That makes sense, sir. Please let me know when you plan to reach Alfheimwood proper.”
“But of course, Tristan. Aerlio von Recketturg, signing out.”
With that, the compact hand mirror stopped glowing.
“This whole situation just bites…” Tristan said a few seconds later. “How am I supposed to keep things from potentially becoming a bloodbath?”
He sighed, before he closed the compact hand mirror and put it away. It wasn’t that expensive, but he only had the one.
“Well, better be ready for when Lord Recketturg shows up in town.”
O=====||===============================>
Gato groaned when he put the Shadow Oxen in their pen. Of course, things are going to be tough to explain for mother’s sake. What am I supposed to say, though? I don’t know, nor do I think I can safely explain a single thing. This is going to be ridiculous.
“Gato, I’m glad you’re done with the task I set out for you to do,” his mother said from right behind him.
Gato jumped within a few inches of his feet’s location on the ground. “Mother, please quit startling me!”
“Sorry, Gato,” his mother said, though the tone suggested it was unapologetic. “I just wasn’t sure you were paying any attention to the message I had to give you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I need you to prepare for the next evening, when we’ll be inviting Baron von Riddle and his family over for a meal. It shouldn’t have to be said why this is important, given the circumstances.”
“Are we secretly nobles, mother?” Gato asked.
“No, no, not even close. Your father has been on the verge of becoming a noble over the years, but something always keeps him from that.” Gato’s mother shook her head with a sigh. “I don’t have any nobility in my family tree going back at least 15 generations, but you’ll have to ask your father about the issues he had to deal with, at least when he’s awake.”
“Wait, you mean he’s not awake now?” Gato asked, mouth going agape. “What happened?”
“Trust me, if I knew the answer to that, I’d tell you.”
“I’ll hold you to that, mother.”
“Thank you for that, my dear and obedient son,” Gato’s mother said, before lowering her head momentarily. “Just as a heads up, for the record, don’t be snarky like that again.”
But I wasn’t being snarky.
“Are we clear now?”
“Yes, Mother, we’re clear,” Gato said, raising his hands in surrender. “I’ll be less snarky in the future, going forward.”
“I hope so.”
O=====||===============================>
Later that morning…
Gato walked out of his bedroom again. It was a lucky break that he was allowed to sleep until breakfast this time.
Let’s just say that I need to be less stupid about irritating my parents in this life. That would be the best first step here.
With that thought, Gato cleaned up for breakfast, allowing himself a bit of time to think about things he normally wouldn’t. As part of that, however, he had to be careful to avoid things going backwards on himself.
Still, how come I haven’t seen or heard anything about Tristan since earlier this morning? I find that rather odd.
As he walked over to his family’s kitchen table, he saw the main dining room table was sparkling clean, at least to his untrained eye. That was something he never thought was possible, a table that sparkled when clean. He had to discover how that worked out.
Maybe it’s just the laws of nature in this world. I’m not familiar with them at all, and I doubt anyone here knows them, either.
With that thought, he arrived at the kitchen table, seeing a spread of food that only those of common birth would find appropriate. “I’m ready for breakfast, Mother,” he said.
“I’m glad, Gato,” his mother said. “Now, let’s see if you’ll be able to enjoy your food before you go to the city guard. This is rather important.”
Gato pulled up his seat at the table before fully processing that statement. Come again?
“What I mean is, if the guard at the gate doesn’t think you’ll be a respectable, law-abiding citizen, he’ll have every right to imprison you,” his mother said. “I don’t want that for you.”
Gato sighed. “I understand, mother. I’ll be sure to avoid that fate, I swear.”
“Thank you.”
