Chương 3: III. Level 1 [Acolyte]

Spring 4, 1380 The smell of dying calves had faded by the next morning. The soil still smelled foul, but more like a compost heap that was processing animal parts that weren't good enough to be eaten or reused. It definitely didn't smell like manure or the stuff that Auntie Laura sold, but at least that was more explainable. I thought that Adrian would come by the next morning to apologize. But as Amaril claimed its superiority in the sky, there were no visitors to my farm.

I watered the carrots, and began work on clearing my fields and planning. Pa had thirty acres of land. Twenty acres of it was supposed to be farmland, though it now looked like claypits. Five acres was set as pastureland, and the long grass would feed a lot of cows – if I could afford one. And repair the barn and stable that was abandoned even when he was still alive. Three acres was a woodlot. Wolves and other low-level [Beast] spawned there.

Adrian and I once saw a bear too, though we couldn't find its spawn cave. With how overrun it was, I would need a weapon if I wanted to get some wood. And I had two acres for the home… though that poor excuse for a farmhouse barely took half. Twenty acres of farmland is about 81, 000 square metres. A tile for farming is 1 square meter, but not all crops used that. Carrots, for example, were simply 1 square meter. Corn was 2 square meters, which is why it was an inferior crop.

You could grow four carrots for every ONE corn! However, 81, 000 square meters was just… well beyond my capabilities. Pa had a sprinkler system, but that was already taken by the Farmers Guild as part of the debt repayment. That was a future problem, and Pa always said that tilling the entire field was a much harder task than tilling the dirt in front of ya. And I already had nine spots that I had to take care of, and no other seeds. The Blood Carrots didn't grow in the morning.

The percentages didn't increase, but they did jump by 33% after the night. I suspect that means these crops only do grow at night, but the beasts from the woodlot come out by then and so I can't observe them. They finished growing this morning. The leafy greens weren't really that green – they were a deep hue of emerald, and seeped this black, viscous fluid atop the soil. The dirt itself was cracked; roots of pulsating blackness draped atop the brown bed.

I tied my handkerchief across my nose as I got close, forcing myself to hold my breath and not let any of that fetid air enter my body. They came out of the dirt with a wet, gurgling plop. The viscous fluid seeped out of the hole, staining the square meter… and then disappearing. The [Blood Carrot] was deep red, not orange, and had the same black cracks around them. I had to [Inspect]. BLOOD CARROTS (POOR) Carrots infused with blood.

A favoured snack among [Sanguinarian] [Night-Thing] like [Vampire], [LeechMind], and [Barghest]. Can only be sold to [Underworld Trader] or a [Criminal] [Vendor]. HEALTH RESTORED: -25 SYMPHONY RESTORED: -100 VENDOR PRICE: 1 Gold Piece 1 Gold Piece?! I shoved my mouth closed and wiped the drool off my mouth. A singular one turned a profit! And I had nine! Each one was plucked from the soil, and the soil returned to normal as the black fluid drained from its cavity. There was no scent there…

even if the Blood Carrots smelled foul. [QUEST COMPLETE: ACOLYTE UNLOCKED] [COMMONER CLASSES HAVE BEEN MOVED TO THEIR OWN TAB. PLEASE NOTE: WHILE YOU MAY HAVE ANY AMOUNT OF ADVENTURER CLASSES, YOU ARE ONLY ALLOWED ONE (1) [HERO] CLASS] I pulled open my character tab… and it had changed. I could always see my name, but my classes were on the same page. Now, I had two additional tabs.

ASHLEY 'AMELIA' HART Description: [Not Set] Personal Message: [Not Set] Class: FARM GIRL Role: [ROLE NOT AVAILABLE FOR COMMONER CLASSES - SET AS [FARM GIRL]] [ADVENTURE CLASSES] ACOLYTE: 1 [Current Quest: SELL [COMMON] 0/9 BLOOD CARROTS to an [UNDERWORLD TRADER] or [Vendor] to a [CRIMINAL] [NPC]] [COMMONER CLASSES] [FARM GIRL]: 1 [CURRENT QUEST: Harvest 0/9 SPRING CROPS at [Common] Quality] [FISHERWOMAN]: 1 [CURRENT QUEST: Catch 2/15 FRESHWATER or SALTWATER [Fish]] [CRAFTSWOMAN]: 1 [CURRENT QUEST: Make 0/1 CHAIR at [POOR]] [SCHOLAR]: 5 [CURRENT QUEST: PASS YOUR EXAM and PICK A SCHOOL (AGRONOMICS SELECTED)] [BUG CATCHER]: 4 [CURRENT QUEST: COMPLETE A RARE COLLECTION] [COOK]: 2 [CURRENT QUEST: Cook 0/1 SIMPLE BREAKFAST] I immediately set my class to [Acolyte].

[ADVENTURER SYSTEM UNLOCKED] ACOLYTE A [Criminal] [Symphonic] class that utilizes [Arcane]. An [Acolyte], unless otherwise noted, may use all the same equipment as an [Initiate]. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. UNIQUE FEATURE: [VEIL] As a [Criminal], a [Hero] may disguise their Public-Facing [Role] to better blend in with larger society. Be warned! Certain Law-Abiding [Hero] classes can [Veil-Break].

[VEIL] STATUS: UNSET — YOUR PUBLIC FACING ROLE IS [ACOLYTE]! UNIQUE FEATURE: [SPELLBOOK] A [Wizard] may create a spellbook. She may [Inscribe] [Spells] that belong to her schools within it. She will gain four (4) spells determined by their Tradition or Deity per level. UNIQUE FEATURE: [DEFILE MAGIC] An Acolyte can claim the vital energies of a dying creature for further use. She may also defile divine sources of magic, turning them into blight.

This energy must be stored, but can be used in place of the caster's own life force. Defiled divine artifacts are cursed. I dismissed all of them except for one. There was this… strange mixture of emotions surging through my body. Fear was the least; I was holding nine blood carrots in my inventory and if anyone tried to [Inspect] me, they'd see it. I'd have to find a basket or something to contain them. That wasn't even including the whole [Criminal] tag, if a [Guard] saw that. But there was this bigger feeling…

Pride. I flexed my hand. The pores were still covered in soil and seeping, black viscous liquid. The tooltip remained in my vision – 'Congratulations!'

'Quest Complete!' An Adventurer Class. Ma had hoped that I'd be an [Expert], like a [Scholar] or even that shrew Melissa and her [Weaver]. But now? I had to tell Adr– Right. The soil was clean now, but he was a [Paladin]. That was also a future problem, and a bridge that I'd burn when I crossed it. Right now? The world had shifted tone. No matter where I looked, there was this dirge that became colors. It sounded like maggots squirming together and feasting upon corpses, and the notes strewn together in a gray hue.

There were small traces of it everywhere, but the single most concentrated spot was the entrance of a warren. The dirt underfoot did not crack or give way, being far too firm in its dead, clay-like state. Each step repositioned the tooltip to the center of my vision, no matter how much I willed it away. The dirge was getting stronger, and the notes-become-color were hidden underneath the floating box. I finally dismissed the boxes, if only for it to stop taking up my vision.

[ABILITY UNLOCK (1/4)] MORTIS VISIO (Passive) Attuned to the song of death, an Acolyte can see the notes of decay. She can locate dead bodies, infected and sick creatures, and see the progress of blight. The entrance's song became a portrait of gray. The colours danced upwards like smoke, and the dirge was a scream. I winced, covering my ear with a hand and leaned down. Rot and consumption. Maggots and corpseflies flew out of the hole, but that meant… nutrients. I put on my farming gloves, and reached inside.

A squishy, pulpy mound greeted my gloved fingers. It was wet, and something squirmed atop of it. The fumes of decay burned the air, and I pulled out… A half-decaying corpse of a rabbit. It was thin, and the injury seemed recent. As I began to inspect, thoughts burned into my head and a new sense of information formed. It wasn't a tooltip since it didn't come to my vision. Yet, the information flowed freely - additional information to the side of a corpse.

[MORTIS VISIO] CORPSE, LESSER (BEAST (RABBIT)) • Died 8 hours ago. • Lesser Beasts have no soul to capture. • [Compost] rate at 20%. • Died to a parasite infestation. [Compost]? I didn't have a [Compost Bin]. Maggots squirmed on my hand, but as soon as I moved my head, the Ability Unlock centered in my vision. I dismissed it. [ABILITY UNLOCK (2/4)] COMPOST By touching dead or decaying organic matter, an Acolyte can strip away flesh and bone into vitality.

A reagent holder can absorb this, or it can be bled into the soil below. The corpse I held in my hand wasn't the source of the dirge. I threw the sloppy mixture of rabbits and guts behind me, and then reached in again. And again. Behind me were three corpses, which if I spread them around properly, would be enough to at least partially fill up the nine tills. Flies buzzed around me, and the maggots squirmed on my gloves. But the carcasses were cracked apart and placed atop of each of the untilled soils.

I waved my hand over it… The Symphony was a melody now, and the sounds of Cicada's were augmented with the squirming of maggots. A small chill graced my skin, and the conscious thoughts in my brain slowly became harder to concentrate. Ashley casts [Compost]! What was given, is taken. What was took, is gave. The corpses – the scattered carcasses – hued with green light. Their skin, their bones, their meat, and even the maggots that were feasting upon the torn apart ends faded into this black, viscous liquid.

It fed the soil, but it still hungered for more. I closed [Compost] [ABILITY UNLOCK (3/4)] SANGUINE FONT (PASSIVE) An Acolyte's blood is enhanced by profane arts. A single drop can fuel spells that would normally cost a small amount of vitality. Likewise, she can enhance the blood sacrifice of other creatures for greater effect. Just a drop this time? The farm glove peeled off, and I pushed my finger into the very tip of my nails.

A small dollop of dark, crimson blood began to bead out – and then dripped down against the soil. The black liquid below hissed and fizzled, and the clay-like soil returned to brown. I didn't have to inspect it to see the quality. Its umber tone and the softness with how it yielded to my boots confirmed the impossible. I didn't realize I was smiling; hands covered in gore. [ABILITY UNLOCK (4/4)] [BONE MEND] An Acolyte can repair a bone back to pristine condition.

If the pieces are nearby, they'll stitch themselves back together and reassemble into a pristine, complete skeleton. Well, all good things had to come to an end. That one was useless. I quickly dismissed the tooltip, and turned my attention back to the tasks at hand. The field was still a mess, and I'd have to repair it all somehow. But my quest required me to get [Common] [Blood Carrots] and I had no seeds, and no money. But I did have what was in my inventory, but who would even buy them?

With a normal [Carrot], I could just find someone who would [Vendor] it and turn it into silver, but I didn't know any criminals. For now though, I had to make my spellbook - and find a basket. Even if I couldn't sell these crops, I could hopefully scrounge enough to get one bag of carrot seeds.