Chapter 3: Skirmish
Kris and Sloane charged into the clearing with wild abandon, running directly towards the sounds of shouting, every second counted. Kris went over his repertoire, thinking of how he could actually engage an enemy at this point, the only spells he knew being [Accelerated Growth], [Plant Control], and [Calming Touch]. He spared a glance at the axes in each of Sloane's hands, deciding that it would be best to stay a bit behind and try to support.
As they neared the farm, the nature of the attackers became more clear. A Grellkin, riding a wolf turned away from the house and began to charge them, releasing a loud yip, while two more were hog-tying a figure near the shed, their mounts close by. Sloane replied with his own war-cry, and met the charge head-on.
Kris took note of the four extra figures in the background, channeling [Plant Control] he waited until Sloane and the wolf rider were a few paces apart, then twisted the tall grass around the wolf's rear paws into a vine-like shape, trapping them in place just as the wolf was finishing a pounce. The unfortunate passenger was launched directly into Sloane's downswing as the mount was sprung back to the ground and immobilized, one of its legs broken from the abrupt push and pull. Sloane didn't miss a beat and finished it off with his next strike, an axe tearing neatly through half of its neck.
[Grellkin Raider Killed: +20 EXP]
[Forest Wolf Killed: +10 EXP]
[Exp: 80/200]
Two down.
Kris was feeling more confident, he maintained the channel and looked back to the other combatants. The two wolves were charging directly at them, while their riders were circling around an oak tree, one pulling a blowgun from their back, the other a sling. Sloane met the wolves face to face once more, sidestepping leaps and crunching the pommel of an axe into the top of ones' head after it overextended on a bite.
The harvest wizard used [Plant Control] to twist a branch above the blowgunner's head, letting it snap down and break its nose with a sickening *crack*. He followed up with an [Accelerated Growth] on the ground beneath the slinger, pointing the tip of his staff at the ground while seemingly lifting an invisible dumbbell with his left hand. The results were effective, roots as big around as a grown man's forearm surrounded the goblin, pulling it deep under the earth as Kris reversed his hand motion, and soon after began curling his fingers as if he were crushing a ripe tomato in his hand. Something similar happened underground.
[Grellkin Raider Killed: +20 EXP]
He looked back, Sloane was just about finished with the two wolves, sitting down on one of his kills, panting and covered in blood that wasn't his. He'd have to see if he could keep that one around, maybe the game allowed for companions? It looked like he hadn't received any experience for those two, seeing as he didn't contribute to their kills. He turned back to the broken-nosed grell. It was still rolling on the ground in pain, its blowgun forgotten a few feet away. Kris checked his mana.
[Mana: 24/200]
Maintaining [Plant Control] for the entire fight had taken its toll for sure, but it seemed the combo attack using it and [Accelerated Growth] at the same time had been incredibly costly, but also effective. Kris sighed and walked up to the incapacitated thing, hefting his [Gnarled Stave].
"I'm sorry, little one."
*BONK*
*BONK*
*BONK*
[Grellkin Raider Killed: +20 EXP]
[Exp: 120/200]
[SYSTEM NOTICE: "New skill learned! Stave Fighting has been raised to beginner rank through player use."]
Kris didn't have time to celebrate, as he began to feel a massive headache coming on.
[SYSTEM TIP OF THE DAY: "Food speeds up health recovery, and drinks speed up mana recovery, make sure you are well stocked before leaving town for an adventure!"]
He rubbed at his forehead, unstopping the waterskin he had started with and took a seat on the dead wolf across from Sloane, taking a few large gulps.
[Waterskin: -1 Charge; 4 Charges remaining]
The forester looked up at him, still covered in gore, but grinning.
"Good work, lad, I uh, admired your handiwork on that second one, with the blowgun, from here. Good whackin'." He pantomimed a strike as if he were an old man with a cane.
"Uh, thanks." Kris rubbed the bridge of his nose as his mana began to reach normal levels again. "How's the farmer doing?"
Sloane slapped his forehead, "Shite! Forgot tae check!"
They rushed over to the figure that the goblins had been hogtying by the shed. From where they were standing, Kris could see that the interior had been thoroughly ransacked, bowls littering the floor, straw all over, and a large trough on one side. Then as he jogged up he took a better look at the figure...
...It was a pig.
They'd just risked their lives, to stop a pig theft. Kris sighed heavily, at least he'd gone into this knowing there was a decent reward, at the very least.
At that moment the main farmhouse's door squeaked open, and the farmer himself peeked out at the two.
"Eek! Bandits!" The door opened wider, and a hunched, bearded little man stepped out. "Oh, it's just you, Sloane, who's your friend?"
Sloane grinned and stood upright, clapping Kris on the back with an open hand slap that bounced him forward a few inches. "Hey there, Alan, this's Kris, a fledgling harvest wizard that deigned t'fall from the sky into our cozy corner of the woods, and he just helped me save yer precious pig."
Alan looked him down, taking in the sight of his [Plain-Stitched Robe] and [Gnarled Stave]. "Harvest wizard, eh? Explains why he's dressed like some common bum. Bah, come in you two, Supper's almost done, and I've got some spare silver this one could use to get some clothing that doesn't look like it came from a potato sack!"
[SYSTEM NOTICE: "Quest: Farmers in Peril Complete; Through great bravery and skill, you saved Farmer Alan's prized pig, Oinkers, from a few goblins and wolves ; + 150 EXP ; received 5 silver"]
[LEVEL UP: "Congratulations on reaching level 2! Max health increased by 2 x END and is now 130, Max Mana increased by 2 x INT + WIL and is now 255 ; 10 stat points granted"]
[Exp: 90/300]
[New Spell Obtained: "Mend"]
Kris laid comfortably in a cot in the corner of the farmers' hut, Sloane snoring in a nearby chair, an empty mug just under a twitching hand. Alan and Oinkers were curled up comfortably in the other room, in his luxurious by backwoods standards straw bed. He'd decided to put his ten points from levelling up into willpower for now, bringing that total up to 35. It seemed to be the right call, considering most of his abilities scaled off of it, and it boosted his mana gain from level ups, though not as much as intelligence, while making his mana regen faster overall. He yawned, recalling the encounters leading up to now.
Alan had been good on his word, paying Kris for the services rendered in killing those goblins, and offered a class-based subquest to boost the growth of the crops in his garden, which paid out another 50 EXP and 3 silver, 23 copper pieces. He wasn't sure about the power levelling potential, but there was certainly some living to be made in living up to the name of a harvest wizard, going from hamlet to hamlet and boosting their crops.
Satisfied with the days work, he navigated the menu screen and clicked...
[LOGOUT]
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Lumbago
Lumbago Last chapter for the first day of this, if you guys like it, I'll keep it up.
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