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  [colpse]

  I hummed as I picked berries as quickly as I could, plug them off the branches and pg them on a cloth I had spread out on the mossy ground. When I had collected a whole bunch I knotted up the cloth into a sort of baggy and tied a bow at the top.

  CloudberriesThese berries grow on tough bushes that are quite on aost marshy areas and bogs. They are a delica certain northerories. Hard to cultivate in an artificial enviro. They require a few specific temperature ranges and a precise acidity level in the ground to grow. The bushes will oftee foggy clouds around them that might disguise their presence.

  The berries are edible by most humanoids and are quite tasty if fresh. They don’t keep for long. The berry’s juice has a very weak lightening effect that makes the eater weigh less. This be heightened with a few alchemical processes. It’s also one of the main ingredients in cloud tinctures and smokes vials.

  The only thier than yummy berries were magic yummy berries.

  I hopped on the spot a few times but didn’t feel any lighter. Maybe it took some time for the magic to settle in? Whatever. I was happy for the snack already.

  Bending down, I picked up my baggy of berries, then gave the bush a pat. “Thank you,” I said.

  gratutions! Through repeated as yardening skill has improved and is now eligible for rank up!Rank D is a free rank

  “Oh, sweet!” I said.

  Bing Bong! gratutions, your amon Bun css has reached level 6!Health + 5Resilience +5You have gained: One Css PointYou have unlocked: One Css Skill Slot

  ... Eh?

  I ran bap to find everyoting around the campfire, all of them looking to be in a good mood. Milread was skinning a rabbit while Noemi stirred a pot full of something that smelled scrumptious.

  “Guys!” I said as I rahen paused to pant and catch my breath. “Guys, I levelled up!”

  The three of them paused, then Severin nodded. “gratutions.”

  “No,” I said. “I mean, I just levelled up, like that. I didn’t kill anything.”

  “That’s great?” Milread said. She sounded a bit fused. Which was good because I was very fused.

  “I just got a rank up in my gardening skill, for pig some berries. Um, I found some cloudberries, by the way. And then I got a level up. How?”

  Severin and Milread looked at each other while Noemi kept stirring the pot. “That’s how levels work,” Milread said.

  “But every level I got so far was from bat with stuff,” I said.

  She perked one eyebrow at that. “That’s unusual for a non-bat css. Most of the time you’ll level up from doing things in lih your css. I’m a Sword Sweeper. I get levels from fighting and practig with a sword. But if I were a Baker I’d get levels from baking.”

  Severin shook his head. “You could get levels from baking wiz your current css as well. It would just take an order of magnitude more work zen usual. You said you received a rank up, Broccoli?” he asked.

  “With Gardening, yeah,” I said.

  “Well, zere you go. Zat pushed you past ze experience you o level. Didn’t aeach you zis before?”

  “No,” I said. “I thought that I would o fight for every level.” I found a spot to sit dowo the fire and pced the berries close to Noemi. Then I handed her a little bundle of fresh parsley that I had gathered earlier. My book didn’t have mu it other than its use as a cooking spice, which was enough for me.

  Noemi hummed as she she herbs then tossed a sprig or two into the stew. The berry bag she opened and theied. I supposed that berries didn’t fit in with the current lunch.

  I shook my head and refocused. The surprise at levelling had robbed me of the ce to bask in the glow of levelling up. The pleasant tingles were still c through me, but they were faint now.

  So, I could level up from things outside of bat. Did that mean that I could just sit back, find some ing work and maybe tend to a small garden and just live a happy, quiet life? I did want that. A tle house with a pretty garden full of flowers. Two kids and a loving husband and a big dog and a couple of cats.

  That had been my dream once. But now, in this world, my sights had ged a little. The thought didn’t appeal as much as it had just a few weeks ago.

  Now I wanted... I didn’t know. Not yet.

  Well, I did want an airship.

  A big one.

  With a garden on it. And a house. And a little park area for my dog and my cat and my two kids. My husband and I could both rock tris.

  Friends first, new dreams sed.

  Lunch passed in no time at all. Noemi gave us all a big portion of meaty stew and some hardtack that became a lot more patable once dipped i greasy juices, and then Milread passed around a skin with what I thought was juice at first but discovered, with much sputtering, was actually strong wine.

  And then we were off again, the wagon loaded back up and bumping off while everyoook turns nibbling at a quickly dwindling supply of cloudberries.

  “These are worth a fortune bae,” Milread said as she stuffed a handful of berries into her mouth. “There’s this whole thing about being as thin and light as you be. I love my sister harpies, but by the world some of them ever be vain.”

  “Are non-harpies allowed in harpy nds?” I asked. It was a bit off-topic, but I was really curious. If the best airships were harpy-made (acc to Milread the harpy, there might be some bias there, just like how I believed that the best maple syrup was from home), then it made seo learn all about them as soon as I could.

  “Of course,” Milread said. “Unless you’re a Sylph. Not that there are any ws against being a twinkly little faerie, it’s just, well, they don’t get the warmest wele.”

  I looked at Severin, the question obvious in my eyes. He sighed. “Ze Sylphs and ze Harpies have been at each ozer’s throats for two geions now. Zey pete over nd aory and dungeons. It’s quite a spectacle.”

  “What about Deepmarsh, do they have enemies?” I asked.

  “The Trenten people,” Severin said with a growing scowl. “Zey pushed into our territory some time ago before zey were repelled. Ze tensioween us and zem have been strong ever since.”

  “Oh no,” I said. I didn’t want to get caught up in some big war. “I hope that things get mended.”

  Severin snorted. “Don’t yourself over it. Your time would be better spent practig yic.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” I said. “I have an open skill slot now. I could get something magic reted to fill it!”

  I got back t magical blobs of ing magi my hand then watg them deform and break apart when my trol slipped. It was a bit of a pain it, but I figured I was going to get the hang of it one day.

  Time moved on, seds ted by the steady clip-clop of Missy’s hooves across the road. We crossed a couple of forks ih and then we rode past first a hut, then a couple of little cottages, and finally little farmsteads along the sides of the roads.

  There were big areas cleared of trees and with pnks running over the ground where rice was growing and some spots that looked drier with barley stalks waving in the wind. We even crossed a few fenced off areas with big cows and bulls. Then aire field filled with cockroaches the size of greyhounds (the dogs) ales the size of greyhounds (the buses).

  There were big muddy pilrs with a few grenoil in overalls and strawhats walking around them with shovels. They were patting the sides of the pilrs while anroup were tapping a spigot into the side of one of the muddy towers.

  A termite farm.

  “Oh, eww,” I said before snapping my attention back t on my magic. If I didn’t think about where the food I was going to eat came from then it couldn’t hurt me.

  When I looked up, it was to see that the sky was starting to turn e. There were plenty of lights on the horizon though, both from Port Royal above and from a tiny vilge that was ing up ahead.

  “Bottom’s Rest,” Milread said, probably for my be since I was the only ohat had never been to Port Royal before. “That’s where we’re stopping for the night. If you guys want to split, this is the pce. I’m only heading up the mountain in the m. Missy needs a rest before trying that climb.”

  “Zen I think it’s where we’ll part ways,” Severin said. “It was an enjoyable ride.”

  “Hmm,” Noemi said.

  I swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, I guess it was. A tiny adventure. Um, Severin, I never did cast fireball, but you taught me a bunch, do you... well.”

  “Keep your silver,” Severin said. “You’ll more zan I will, I have no doubt.”

  “Thank you!” I said. “If we ever meet again, I’ll be sure to show you how good I’ve bee at magic, alright?”

  He croaked in what I thought was delight. “We shall see.”

  Missy pulled the wagon up to the rge wooden gates of the little vilge and got in line behind a few farmers and a single fancier carriage. Each vehicle was ied in turn, but it was a quick affair, more of a formality than anything.

  Milread pulled out some dots that showed that she was a courier and the guards, after looking at it for a while, let us pass without trouble.

  Bottoms Rest was a small vilge, maybe twice the size of Threewells but with a lot more shops and a bigger inn. That’s where Milread led the wagon with Noemi’s help and stopped before the stone building. “This is it,” the harpy said.

  I hesitated a little before jumping off the wagon and looking around. The town was fairly quiet, though there was a murmur of versation from within the inn. It made sense, what with the sun just about to set.

  I spun around when Milread tapped me on the shoulder. “You be safe, alright, kid?” she asked.

  Smiling, I stepped up to the taller harpy woman and gave her a quick hug. “Thanks for the ride,” I said.

  She squawked in protest and shoved me off with a ruffle of feathers. “None of that, brat. I’m not the hugging so try with Severin. We’ll see us when our paths cross, world willing.”

  I smiled to keep the mencholy away and found Severin climbing out the back of the wagon. He was in the perfect position to hug as he came down. “Bye Severin,” I said. “You were a great teacher.”

  To my surprise he returhe hug with a good pat on the back. “Of course I was. Anyone would be a good teacher to someone so poorly educated as you.” He ughed. “If you’re heading up, zen you’ll want to follow me a little more. I’m taking ze carts up.”

  “Oh,” I said. I didn't know that there were carts leading to the top, but it made sense.

  Then it was time to say bye to Noemi.

  “Hey,” I said. “Um. I’m sorry if I came on a little strong. I just wao be friends. But I’m gd we got to meet anyway.”

  “Sometimes people don’t want friends,” she said.

  “Isn’t that when you need a friend the most?” I asked. I gave her a quick hug, then backed away. “I hope we meet again someday,” I said.

  Then it was time to be off. I had aire city to explore!