Spring's eyes flicked briefly to the items still in his hand, "…and what's that?" he asked, gesturing lightly.
He grasped the onion, then snatched the carrot.
Spring leaned in, interest sharpening. "Well," he said, voice lowering, "those are more interesting."
"I'll buy them off you. One silver each."
shook his head, [No.]
Spring blinked, then smiled wider. "Ah," they said, clearly pleased. "Keeping them, good, good, wise choice." He straightened and continued, tone shifting into something more intentional, "In that case, I might have something better for you."
A new quest appeared.
[Quest Available: Wild Ingredients]
Collect 5 Wild Onions
Collect 2 Pork
Reward: 2000 EXP, 50 Silver
Spring tapped the board. "Onions, you've got a knack for," they said. "Pork, though… that means dealing with wild boars."
Tank thought about it for a bit. That sounded annoying. He really didn't want to make an effort; he just wanted to cool off. But he needed meat, so he considered it and then nodded.
[Yes .]
[And thank you,] he added through text a moment later.
Spring froze briefly, something about that response catching him off guard, then their expression softened into something almost fond. "Well, aren't you polite," he said quietly.
He stepped back, turned, nearly fell over, and began waddling again. This, he thought, should passively increase his stamina without having to use stat points.
The stat points came up as he moved, hovering in his vision.
[40 points available.]
He didn't hesitate.
Half into HP.
Half into Defense.
NAME: Little Tank
CLASS: Tank
Level: 1
SKILLS: Basic Gathering, Basic Cooking, Noob Streamer
HP: 140 / 200
STAMINA: 100 / 200
DEFENSE: 170 / 200
ATTACK: 2 / 200
SPEED: 20 / 200
EXP: 1000 / 2000
That looked better.
The signboard stood at the village center, a large wooden board layered with requests, notices, and party listings, its surface worn from use. Players gathered, scanning and comparing, forming groups with varying enthusiasm or desperation. He approached without hesitation, armor shifting with each step, his small frame making the sound oddly mismatched, as if something larger should be inside.
Ellie lingered behind him, watching again, still there, still not leaving.
He didn't acknowledge her, didn't need to. His attention settled on the listings.
Party Needed: Wild boar Hunt
2/3 Members
He reached out and selected it efficiently.
A small interface opened.
Two names.
Mirra | Healer.
Rogue | Rogue.
He joined. A moment later, two figures approached, both stopping short when they saw him.
Rogue spoke first, "…that's our third?"
Mirra tilted her head slightly "…that's a child."
He opened the text.
[Hello.]
"…right," Rogue said slowly.
The healer glanced at the interface, then back at him.
"…we need a third," Rogue said finally.
He nodded, then typed again.
[Can I have the pork?]
"…you want the drops?" the rogue asked.
[Ok.]
"…why?"
[Cooking.]
Mirra looked at Rogue.
Rogue looked at Mirra.
"…she's serious," Mirra said quietly.
"…she's going to die," Rogue replied.
[Okay.]
That didn't help.
"…we can keep her alive," Mirra said after a moment, though it sounded more like they were convincing themselves.
"…we can try," Rogue corrected.
He opened the text again.
[I will tank .] Tank thought about it, " Man, I am doing so well in this game. '
They glanced at him, then at each other.
"…you're level two," Rogue said.
He nodded.
"…can you pull aggro?" Mirra asked.
He nodded again.
"…we let her try," Mirra said slowly.
"…this is a bad idea," Rogue replied.
They started toward the edge of the village together, the path thinning as the environment shifted subtly from safe to something less certain, the sounds of the village fading behind them and signalling the beginning of a new stage.
Ellie followed close enough that she could hear everything, close enough that she hadn't decided whether she was part of this or not. Her eyes stayed on him, and for reasons she still couldn't explain, the thought of him walking out there without her felt much worse than it should have, and she didn't understand why.
The three of them set out toward the hunting grounds. The group carried the awkward energy that only forms when two people expect a normal, low-level farming run, only to have their third turn out to be a four-foot-two armored girl. Her name was Little Tank. She had sold her sword for a kitchen knife and had asked, with total sincerity, if she could have all the pork.
The village gave way slowly to scrub land and broken fencing, then to a wider patch of trampled field bordered by low brush, where the earth had been churned by hooves and roots alike, and the smell of damp soil mixed with animal musk in a way that was not pleasant exactly but did at least suggest edible things might come out of it.
Little Tank stopped at the edge of the field and rolled one shoulder, then the other, lifting his small armored arms in a stiff, practical stretch that looked less like preparation for combat and more like a stubborn child about to carry a basket that was clearly too heavy for them. He swung his arms once, then again, shield strapped firmly to one side, little pigtails bouncing against the back of his helmet in a way that would have looked ridiculous no matter what context it happened in. Then he bent slightly at the waist, stretched one leg, shifted his weight, and rotated his neck with the solemn seriousness of someone about to accomplish something deeply important.
Rogue stared, "What is she doing?"
Mirra, who had introduced herself on the walk over as MirraTheHealer and had the permanently strained expression of someone destined to keep stupid people alive for a living, watched in silence for a moment before answering, "I think she's warming up."
"That is not a warm-up. That is what my niece does before she tries to climb furniture."
Little Tank finished the sequence, looked satisfied, and opened party chat.
[Stretching is important.]