Austin awoke in his bed. The sun shone through one of the bedroom windows, and he was happy that it was still daytime. Someone must have found him in the backyard and brought him inside. He was just happy that he did not waste too much time with his ascension.
Austin stumbled out of his bed. His body still felt groggy and heavy. He might have to take a couple of days to recoup, but at least he was conscious. Now, he desperately wanted a glass of water. His throat felt very dry, like he had not drunk in days.
The door to Austin’s room opened before he could arrive at it. He must have made some noise when he stumbled out of bed. Standing in his doorway was Mike. He thought that was strange. He figured Mike had plenty of other things to do besides look over Austin.
“Finally awake, are we?” Mike asked as he looked over Austin. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m alright, just a little groggy and thirsty,” Austin said through a scratchy throat. “What do you mean by finally? I haven’t even slept a day.”
“You think it’s been less than a day?” Mike’s eyes widened in shock. “It’s been a week. The day you ascended, Maya found you when she got home and brought you inside. You’ve been asleep ever since.”
“I guess Artas wasn’t kidding about the backlash,” Austin said before he grew worried. “Is everything okay? Nothing happened while I was out?”
“Calm down.” Mike raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Everything is okay. You need to worry about yourself.”
“But so much can happen in a week. How are the weapon enchantments holding up? What about the scouts? Have they found anything unusual?” Austin’s mind stirred with possibilities that happened when he was out.
“Like I said, calm down. Let’s get you a glass of water, and then we can talk,” Mike said as he placed a hand on Austin’s shoulder.
“Fine,” Austin said in frustration.
Mike led Austin to the kitchen and poured the two of them glasses of water. While Mike sat at the table, Austin drank down his glass of water quickly and poured himself another. He drank that glass just as quickly before he poured another glass and sat down. He let out a sigh in relief as his throat felt much better.
“Alright, I had some water. Can you give me an idea of the current situation?” Austin insisted.
“You know your wife told me to let you rest,” Mike groaned as he ran his hands through his hair. “But either way, one of you will be mad at me. So, I guess I will tell you about last week.”
“Thank you,” Austin sighed. He felt like, even though he was supposed to be the leader, that he had to pull teeth to get what he wanted.
“Okay, so we will start with your enchantments. They are still working properly. There is no need to worry about that. Several of the people in the town have also gotten pretty good at enchanting. The problem is that they have to split the use of Natasha’s and James’s tools, and eventually, we will run low on paper. Just something that we need to think about in the coming future,” Mike began to brief Austin.
“There may be paper left at the nearby stores. We should check that out,” Austin suggested. “We still should figure out how to get more styluses and paper for the future. I’ll look into the crafting process for a stylus. I am glad that so many people have taken to enchantment.”
“Oh, right, I didn’t think about that paper. We will have to see if it works the same,” Mike nodded. “I’ll get some volunteers to research stylus crafting as well. I know you have other things to do, and they could do more dedicated research.”
“That works for me. Moving on, how have the scouting missions gone? Any new developments in the nearby area?”
“There actually have been some recent developments. There has been a recent high gathering of Aether in several locations. We believe this means that several dungeons will open nearby. This could be a great boon to our community, and we are already deciding on who will enter,” Mike explained. “Our scouts have also found something else interesting. We believe that another group is moving into the mountain range. We cannot be sure if they are human or not at the moment, though.”
“About time a dungeon opened up near us. I would like to be on one of the dungeon expeditions,” Austin said. “As for the new group, I think it is safe to say they are not human. I don’t think many humans would willingly move into the mountain range when there is flat land throughout this area. Not to mention, if a human group saw our community, I imagine they would want to join it.”
“What do you want to do about the group then?” Mike asked.
“Just prepare,” Austin said before he finished his glass of water and set it on the table. “It does not matter if they are human or not. We need to try to reason with them, and if we can’t, then we need to be prepared for the worst. Increase training drills and Aether gathering amongst the scouts and guards.”
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“Shifts are already stretched pretty thin. Are you sure about that?” Mike seemed concerned.
“I am definitely sure. They are the warriors of our community, and we need to make sure they are as prepared as possible,” Austin said with a serious expression. He had shockingly taken to the role of leadership very well and had started to become more decisive and domineering in his decision-making. “We might have to reduce the number of scouting missions. That way, we can keep the defense of the town up while they are training.”
“Okay, I’ll see what I can do. I’ll have to review our scouting zones and shift times, but I am sure it is doable,” Mike nodded.
“Thank you. Is there anything else that I need to know about over the past week?” Austin asked with narrowed eyes. His gaze had become piercing, like he could see through lies and would punish liars. Of course, Austin could not see through lies in that manner, but he gave off the impression that he could.
“Nothing really, that about covers it. Currently, Maya is on a scouting mission. She wanted to keep doing her mission routine because she found it pointless just waiting at your side when she could not do anything,” Mike said. “That is why we have been rotating people in the house to look over you.”
“I’m fine with that. I would not want her just waiting around,” Austin said as he stood from the table. His body still felt weak, but he knew that he could not just sit around.
“She figured you would feel that way. What are you going to do now?”
“I think I’ll do my rounds. Gives me a chance to get up and move. It probably will be good for everyone to see I am still alright, too.”
“Going to take it somewhat easy? I am shocked,” Mike said. “I expected you to throw yourself into some sort of training or enchantment.”
“I don’t think I could do that even if I wanted to,” Austin sighed. “My body is still pretty weak.”
“Well, I’m happy you are taking it easy. Go get ready, and I’ll go with you for your rounds,” Mike said.
“I’m not a baby that needs looking after,” Austin rolled his eyes.
“I know, but I’ll feel more comfortable if I join you. I’m sure that Maya would appreciate it too,” Mike said.
Austin sighed in frustration. He did not see a point in arguing with Mike. He took a quick shower and got dressed as Mike waited patiently. Even those simple tasks felt somewhat difficult for Austin. His arms and legs were heavy and difficult to move.
Austin’s feet moved slowly as he joined Mike in the living room. It was like he had to move carefully or he would overexert himself. He grew annoyed and frustrated at his weakness. He did not expect to feel so weak. Especially after he slept for so long.
“You sure you are up to it?” Mike asked as he looked Austin up and down.
“I’ll manage, I can’t just sit around,” Austin insisted.
“Just let me know if it’s too much,” Mike said.
Austin nodded, and the two left the house. Their first destination was the fields. Austin wanted to see how farming was going and possibly talk to him about growing coffee. The pair walked through the neighborhood and to an open grassy area not far from it. The neighborhood had become sort of the central hub of the town. Not many people saw a point in using the rest of the town at the moment. So, they made sure the farming area was not too far from the neighborhood. The open grassy area was filled with plants growing at a high rate. Many of the workers were in the field and channeling their Essence into the plants. They had found that Essence could help facilitate their growth.
Within the field, Austin could see Grayson working. Even if he was the head of farming, he did not just supervise. He joined in the work. He was wearing a dirt-covered tank top and jeans. Austin and Mike waved as they called out to him.
Grayson looked up from a group of plants that he was working on. His eyes lit up, and he waved back with a smile. He made a gesture with his hands to tell the pair to come closer. They followed Grayson’s instruction while Austin was careful about how he stepped.
“Glad to see you’re awake,” Grayson said with a smile as they arrived.
“Me too,” Austin said with a smile. “Not a big fan of being out for so long. So, I’m ready to get back to my work.”
“You know it’s okay to take a break?” Grayson suggested.
“I already did, a whole week. That’s enough of a break for me,” Austin said. “Enough about me, how is the farm coming?”
“Really good,” Grayson smiled broadly. “Now that we have a rhythm, I think we should have a harvest soon. With our current rhythm, we should be able to have a harvest monthly.”
“Oh wow,” Austin’s eyes widened in shock and excitement. “I didn’t realize that applying Essence to the plants would be so effective. Consistent harvests like that will be exceptional for the town.”
“I agree. I think we can even begin experimenting with things. I reached out to the scouts to get me seeds for rare herbs. Hopefully, we can begin growing our own, and then our alchemists will have a healthy supply. I also heard something else from Maya,” Grayson said with a mischievous smile. “You want to see about growing coffee?”
“If it’s not too much trouble,” Austin shrugged. “It’s a luxury I very much enjoy.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” Grayson said. “I actually think I can make it work. I’ll have to try it out, but I think I can develop a technique that can reverse the roasting process. So we just need a bag of beans, and I can get started.”
“Never have I been more appreciative to have you in our town,” Austin laughed as he placed a hand on Grayson’s shoulder. “That would be amazing.”
“After this harvest, I’ll get started on it then,” Grayson said while he gave Austin a thumbs-up. “I’m sure everyone would love a good supply of coffee. I know our climate isn’t necessarily suited for it, but with the right application of Essence, I should be able to get it to work.”
“It really is amazing what Essence can do,” Austin said. “Thanks for all the work you do.”
“Seriously, it is very appreciated,” Mike said. “Without your work, we would be in serious trouble.”
After their discussion, the pair left Grayson to get back to his work. Austin still had many more people he wanted to check on. He felt a renewed sense of vigor as he left Grayson. He definitely was still exhausted, but the anticipation of growing coffee brought him joy.
