Austin and Elliot sat at a table as they waited for Grayson to make their juice. The shed they entered was large enough for several tables and to store tools. Various tools lined the walls of the shed. There were even cabinets within the shed. Austin noticed that the shed looked like it was made of wood that twisted together.

  “Did you make this?” Austin asked as he looked around the shed.

  “Yeah, I took time to create several of these sheds throughout the fields,” Grayson explained as he opened a cabinet and grabbed a smaller juicer out of it. “It gives everyone an area to take a break and to store their tools.”

  “I’m impressed,” Austin said as he continued to look at the structure of the shed. “These seem really solid. It’s cool to see what Essence can do outside of a fight.”

  “I agree, I like exploring my powers in this way,” Grayson nodded with a smile.

  Grayson grabbed a few wooden cups from the cabinet. One at a time, he squeezed juice into the cups. Murky red juice flowed from the fruits into cups. After the cups were filled, he moved on to a fruit that looked more like a traditional lemon. Bright yellow juice flowed from the fruits into the cups. After Grayson finished, he placed the wooden cups in front of Austin and Elliot.

  “Don’t worry, I make sure the cups are polished so they won’t cause splinters or anything,” Grayson said as he sat down across from Austin.

  “Thank you,” Austin said before he turned to Elliot. “What do you say, Elliot?”

  “Thank you, Mr. Grayson,” Elliot smiled before he grasped the cup with both of his hands. He took a sip of the juice, some of it flowing down the side of his face. Then he smiled broadly. “Yummy!”

  “I knew you would like it,” Grayson smiled. “Those lemons are another discovery of ours. They are basically the same as our lemons, except they grow to be sweeter. It kind of lets you make lemonade without having the extra sugar.”

  “I’m just more and more amazed by the discoveries. There always seems to be something new and exciting,” Austin said before he took a sip of his juice. The flavor came across his tongue and was similar to lemonade but had a bit of a bite at the end. If he had to compare it to something, he would say that it tasted like an energy drink.

  “Yes, it’s becoming harder and harder to decide what to grow, but I think it’s really exciting,” Grayson said. “Which brings me to something I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “What’s that?” Austin asked.

  “Well, I was wondering if we could expand the fields? It would give us the chance to grow more things at once, but that’s not the only thing I want to do. I want to see about getting hunters to capture animals, so I can try to raise them as livestock,” Grayson suggested.

  “I’m not entirely opposed to the idea, as long as you have sufficient manpower for the expanded area. Also, it may be difficult to domesticate wild animals like that,” Austin replied.

  “I agree, and I have thought about that. While I know it would be difficult, I feel like we could risk our future if we don’t start trying to domesticate,” Grayson explained.

  “I’m fine with it. It’s a good idea. I would like you to run it by Beth and Mike,” Austin said. “With the orcs moving into town, they are going to handle the logistics of where they will work. We also plan to start a craftsmen division. So, there could be people moving around where they work soon.”

  “Thanks for the heads up. I’ll definitely let them know,” Grayson said.

  “Of course,” Austin smiled before he finished his juice. “This is really good. As long as I get my caffeine fix, I’m happy. So, thank you very much. I look forward to seeing what else you have in store for us.”

  “I look forward to showing you,” Grayson smiled. “I forgot to even ask, why did you come to see me?”

  “I just wanted to get a status of everything before I left town, but you basically gave me a good idea of everything already,” Austin said as he stood up. “I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me. I’ll be taking my leave now. I have another stop I would like to make before the end of the day.”

  “It was no problem at all. I’m happy I got to share these new fruits with you. Let me know if you come up with any names for them. I’ve been struggling on that part,” Grayson said.

  “I’ll try my best,” Austin laughed before he turned to Elliot. “Let’s go. We need to visit Ava.”

  “Yay! Time to play!” Elliot smiled as he jumped out of his seat.

  ***

  As Austin arrived at the daycare facility, Elliot quickly ran to join his friends. Austin could not blame him. He really doubted that walking around town and talking was exciting for Elliot. He probably was relieved that he could just play.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “I’ve been warned about you,” Ava said to Austin as he approached her. She was sitting at a desk and overlooked the kids.

  “I guess that makes sense. You are my last stop of the day,” Austin chuckled before he grabbed a chair and pulled it to the desk. He sat down across from Ava and made an open gesture with his hands. “Do you want to get straight to business then?”

  “Yes, let’s do that,” Ava said with a warm smile.

  “So, I’m going to everyone and getting a general idea of how things are going, any new projects, any new concerns, and so on. As you know, I will be leaving town here soon, so I want to make sure everything is going well before I leave,” Austin explained.

  “Right, that makes sense to me,” Ava nodded. “I’ll start with the current situation. All the other caregivers and I are working harder on our combat abilities. Ever since the gnoll attack, we thought it was necessary. In the meantime, I would like to request guards specifically for these buildings.”

  “I’m sure that is doable. We will have extra manpower with the orcs moving in,” Austin said. “I know that Beth and Mike are going to be reviewing the specifics with Drugos, but I think that is possible. What else is going on?”

  “I only have one other concern. With the orcs moving in, we will have more children to take care of. I want to request a few more buildings and more caretakers.”

  “I think that is doable,” Austin nodded. “Even with the orcs moving in, we should have plenty of buildings leftover.”

  “That works perfectly,” Ava smiled. “I don’t really have any other concerns or new projects coming up.”

  “This was the simplest conversation of all of them. Thank you,” Austin smiled.

  “Things are pretty simple here. I do have a concern outside the operations of the caretaking facilities, though,” Ava said as her face grew serious. “From my understanding, you are taking Elliot with you, right?”

  “Yes, that was our plan,” Austin said. “Why do you ask?”

  “I’m just worried about him. Please make sure he is safe,” Ava said. “I know it can be dangerous out there.”

  “I appreciate your concern for him. I’ll make sure he comes back safe,” Austin said with a comforting smile. “Even if I don’t, I’ll ensure he makes it back home.”

  “He has a good dad, but try to take care of yourself too,” Ava said as she placed a hand on Austin’s shoulder. “He still needs you.”

  “I’ll do my best. Hopefully everything goes as planned,” Austin said.

  “You’ve shown us time and again that you can do what you put your mind to. So, I’m sure it will,” Ava said before she motioned her head to Elliot. “I think he is having fun. Do you want to leave him here for the rest of the day?”

  Austin turned his head to look at Elliot. He was chasing another boy and laughing as he did. Austin’s lips formed into a gentle smile as he watched Elliot. “If that’s okay. It looks like he is having fun.”

  “Of course, I was the one to offer,” Ava said. “Just let him know you are leaving.”

  “Will do, thanks for looking out for him,” Austin said as he stood up. He grabbed the chair he was sitting in and pulled it back to the wall before he walked towards the children.

  Children ran wildly after each other as Austin walked. He smoothly avoided each child as he walked towards Elliot. Once he made it to Elliot, he placed his hand on his shoulder. With a smile, Austin knelt down and made eye contact with the boy.

  “Hey buddy, I’m finished here, but do you want to keep playing?” Austin asked.

  “Yes, please!” Elliot nodded.

  “Okay, I’m going to leave you here until later then. Give me a hug?” Austin smiled as he opened his arms wide. Elliot ran into Austin’s arms, and Austin wrapped them tightly around Elliot. “You have fun. I love you.”

  “I love you, daddy!” Elliot replied.

  Austin released his grip around Elliot and stood up. He waved to Elliot and Ava before he exited the building. As he closed the door, he felt a presence next to him. He quickly turned to see that Sean was waiting outside the building with his back leaned against it.

  “What are you doing here?” Austin asked as he continued to walk. He hoped to make it to his house and speak to Artas before the end of the day.

  “Josh and I have a bone to pick with you,” Sean said as he pushed himself off the wall and followed Austin.

  “If you both have a problem, why isn’t Josh here too?” Austin kept walking forward as he talked.

  “Josh didn’t want to upset you and said we should respect your decision,” Sean’s voice started to seem aggravated. “But I think that’s a bunch of bull. So, why are you going off on some adventure without us?”

  Austin stopped walking and turned to face Sean. Sean quickly stopped and glared at Austin. “I just figured it was the best choice. The town could need you, and this is something I need to do for myself. I made the mistake of getting cursed. You two shouldn’t be burdened with helping me fix it.”

  “That’s dumb,” Sean declared with finality. “You’re just making excuses. The town will be fine without us. We have monitored for a while now, and everything is moving smoothly. Also, we are your friends. We are supposed to help you with your burden.”

  “It could be very dangerous. I don’t want to risk you guys getting hurt because of me,” Austin argued back.

  “That’s more reason for us to go!” Sean’s voice rose into full frustration. “We can help make sure you are safe! I’m not going to lose another friend.”

  Austin was not sure how to respond. For a moment, he was speechless. He did not even think about Zack’s death. He should have known that Sean would not want to see something like that happen again. If Austin did not come back, then Zack would blame himself and think he could have done something.

  “I’m sorry. I should have thought about your feelings,” Austin said quietly. “You can come with me if that’s what you want.”

  “Thank you,” Sean sighed. “I just can’t go through that again. If I can try to prevent something like it from happening, I will.”

  “I know, and I appreciate it,” Austin placed a hand on Sean’s shoulder. “You’re a good friend.”

  “Hey, don’t get too mushy on me,” Sean said as he cracked a smile.