“So, what’s the plan now? How are we organizing this?” Jack asked, barely able to contain his excitement. Amari’s map was riddled with pins. Each might mark the location of another Esther and Riku, just waiting to be discovered. If he could recruit more NPCs to share in the load, that would be amazing. Jack almost drooled, thinking of an army of NPCs doing his bidding as he sat back and enjoyed a glass of mead.
“I’ll visit the farthest sites,” Amari said as he held his chin and studied the map. “With my speed, I can handle a round trip between waves. I was thinking of having Marie and Horace focus on the closer ones.”
“Fine by me,” Horace said. Marie just nodded.
“What about me?” Jack asked, leaning in.
“You’ll do a bit of both,” Amari replied. “We’ll need you here for the boss waves. We also need you to keep us topped up on stamina and health. Thanks to these two, you’ll probably be able to be gone for two waves at a time, maybe even more.” He nodded toward Esther and Riku.
Jack nodded. The plan made sense.
“Where’d you find the NPCs, anyway?” Amari asked.
“Down that well,” Jack said with a casual shrug.
Amari’s gaze shifted back to the map. “Since you found a package there, I’ll take another look around. There could be more secret rooms.”
Jack frowned, bristling slightly. He’d already combed through the fortress grounds and didn’t like the idea of someone implying he’d missed something. Amari caught the look and grinned, raising a hand. “Relax, Jack. I’m sure you did a fine job exploring. It's just that we, rogues, have special bonuses that help us find secret rooms.”
“Fair enough,” Jack said, letting it slide.
Nearby, Horace and Marie stepped away from their quiet conversation, and Horace spoke up. “The forest isn’t far. I’m heading there for a lumber run.”
Marie pointed at the map. “There are two pins in the forest. I’ll tag along and see if I can grab a package while Horace works.”
Horace rubbed the back of his neck. “There’s one problem, though—I don’t have the lumberjack minor. I’ll need help collecting wood. Jack, think you can lend a hand?”
“Uh… I’m not a lumberjack,” Jack said.
“No worries. You can still harvest basic lumber with your [Forage] skill. I brought axes, so we’re covered.”
“I didn’t know that. What about those two?” Jack asked, nodding toward Esther and Riku.
“What about it? Riku can keep assembling traps, and Esther can... keep doing whatever she’s doing,” Horace replied with a shrug.
“No, she can’t...” Jack tapped his foot. Esther had already used up all the honey. Without more mead to mix, her options were limited to watching the amphorae age in the well.
That left Jack with a decision to make. He could follow Horace and Marie into the small forest Amari had found down the road, or he could assign bushcrafting duties to Esther and let her go in his place. Neither choice felt perfect.
On one hand, the forest intrigued him. He was curious about what resources it might hold, and he missed having Snowy around. Out there, he could summon her and let her forage freely.
On the other hand, as his eyes scanned his character sheet, Jack noticed several skills that he’d been overlooking.
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name: JackofDiamonds
Level: 20
Fame: 24
Class: Handyman
Mount: Snowy, the Ground Sloth
Minors:
[Bushcraft], lvl. 10
[Pottery], lvl. 10
[Journeyman Bard], lvl. 1
[Beekeeping], lvl. 9
[Butcher], lvl. 4
[Brewer], lvl. 3
Titles: [Consistent Quality], [Embersgate Civil Servant], [Innovating Pioneer], [Junior Craftsman]; [Museum Donor], [Novice Explorer], [Novice Firekeeper], [Overreacher], [S-Grade Adventurer], [Slayer of Monsters], [Uniqueness]
ATTRIBUTES
Hit points: 180/180
Stamina points: 142/146
Movement Speed: 116%
Attack: 1
Strength: 6
Constitution: 14
Agility: 31
Intellect: 9
Stealth: 5
Luck: 5
RESISTANCES:
Defense: 24
Block: 14
Fire: 2
EQUIPMENT
Right-Hand: [Empty]
Off-Hand: [Empty]
Head: [Bulrush Rope Hat]
Torso: [Bulrush Rope Overall]
Pants: [Bulrush Rope Overall]
Gloves: [Empty]
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Shoes: [Bulrush Rope Sandals]
Cape: [Moss Cape]
SKILLS:
Fighting: [Battle Charisma], [Blocking Stance], [Dash], [Heavy Strike], [Minor Synergy], [Unbound Knowledge]
Bard: [A Morning of Spring], [Angry Void], [Clay Dome], [Dance of the Turtles], [Jolly Good Fellow], [March of the Embers], [Ocarina Mastery], [Self-Taught], [Sitting Wind], [Sonic Valley], [Soulful Performer], [Swing Step]
Beekeeping: [Brood Breeding], [Friendly Scent], [Honey Harvesting], [Hive Ownership], [Nectar Harvesting], [Queen Breeding], [Sturdy Sting]
Brewing: [Brew], [Brewmaster’s Insight], [Enduring Flavor], [Spirits Aging]
Bushcraft: [Bush Immunity], [Camping], [Fat Coating], [First Aid], [Forage], [Kindle], [Rope Weaving], [Sautéeing], [Sticksmithing], [Survival Cooking], [Water Sniffing]
Butcher: [Lipid Extraction], [Meat Carving], [Meatpacker], [Skinning]
Pottery: [Clay Drying], [Clay Gathering], [Clay Molding], [Clay Tempering]; [Pot Firing], [Pottery Etching], [Pottery Glazing], [Touch of the Potter]
Even though Jack would have loved a change of scenery and the chance to explore the forest, his bard skills desperately needed attention.
[Soulful Performer], the passive skill unlocked when Jack became a journeyman bard, promised new buffs or effects if he achieved high grades in melodies. But he still had no clue what those bonuses actually were.
And that wasn’t all. He had songs like Jolly Good Fellow and Tenderizing Repercussions in his repertoire, but he didn’t know how to play them yet—let alone know their effects.
Then there were the intermediate-tier pieces, like Dance of the Turtles and Clay Dome. He could barely manage them, and it was clear they would require a lot more practice before he could perform them effortlessly.
Jack had been so consumed by other tasks that his bard skills had fallen by the wayside. If he didn’t take time to hone his craft now, he risked being unable to perform in critical moments—especially in the heat of battle.
Jack weighed the pros and cons. Bushcrafting allowed him to make useful tools like clay bombs and Molotov cocktails, but none of those felt urgent right now. Besides, her complexion was healthier now—some hearty meals and proper care had restored a pink hue to her cheeks, replacing the pale, starved look she’d had before. She seemed strong enough to chop wood.
The more he thought about it, the clearer his decision became.
“You know what,” Jack said. “I think I’ll leave Esther with you. I’ll deposit my bushcraft profession on her, and she can be the one to help you. How does that sound?”
“Sure,” Horace said with a nod.
“Fine by me,” Marie added.
Jack nodded, satisfied. “In that case, it’s settled.”
He walked over to Esther, who straightened up as soon as she saw him coming. “Listen, Esther,” Jack began, keeping his tone steady. “Horace and Marie are heading to the woods down the road. They’ll need your help chopping wood.”
Esther’s gaze darted to the carcass of a dead beast, and she wrung her hands nervously. "Does that mean I’ll be leaving the fortress?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Jack met her gaze and smiled. "You’ll be safe with them. Besides, Horace has a horse, and he’s fast. If anything happens, they’ll get back here before you even break a sweat.”
Esther glanced at Horace and Marie, her uncertainty plain, but after a few moments, she nodded. “Okay.”
Jack glanced over at the fire. Given how Esther would be gone, he threw several logs into it to keep it going until they came back.
Then, Jack opened her NPC interface, bringing up her information window. With a quick adjustment, he swapped brewing out of her major skill slot and replaced it with bushcraft.
“We’re counting on you,” Jack said with a small smile.
“Very well. Thank you, sir,” Esther replied, her voice more resolute now.
“Let’s move,” Marie called, the horse already summoned, ready to depart.
Horace helped Esther climb atop his horse. Jack stood by the fire, watching as the horses kicked up clouds of dust, their silhouettes growing smaller and disappearing after crossing the gate. He lingered for a moment, caught between the pull of the tasks ahead and the nagging fear of missing out.
Let’s go, Jack. The forest isn’t going anywhere, but your skills might. Time to get to work.
The fire crackled faintly, its warmth barely pushing back the evening chill. With the team out working in the forest, the fortress felt peaceful. Jack leaned back by the fire, settling his instrument in his lap. It was time to focus.
He decided to start with Jolly Good Fellow, a song he’d unlocked through the synergy of [Bard] and [Brewing]. First, he had the system play the tune for him. The cheerful, lighthearted melody felt simple and refreshing—something one might hear at a lively party.
Jack grinned. "Finally, a song with no glissandos!"
When he began practicing, the notes came more easily than expected. Several riffs fell into place on the first try, and to his relief, this melody was far more forgiving than the frustrating complexity of Clay Dome. Progress felt attainable, for once.
The song had three distinct sections, and Jack worked through each one methodically. As he started practicing the second part, a notification popped up:
Esther has collected [Pinewood].
+10XP to Bushcraft.
Jack paused, a small smile creeping across his face. His team was already hard at work, and the best part was that the experience Esther earned was credited to him. Delegation had never felt so rewarding.
"I need to work hard, too!" he muttered, tightening his grip on the instrument. With a deep breath, he refocused and resumed practicing.
After about ten minutes of effort, the full melody came together for the first time.
You play [Jolly Good Fellow].
Performance rate: C
100XP in [Bard]
No brewing buffs detected. Skill failed.
Jack raised an eyebrow, staring at the notification. "Really? No buffs, no effect?" He shook his head, lips curling into a grin. "If it’s a brewing buff you want, it’s a brewing buff you’ll get."
Jack walked over to the amphorae nearby, scanning their progress. About half had finished aging to tier I, and he was close to reaching level 4 in [Brewing]. He opened one of the finished batches, letting the sweet aroma of mead waft up.
For a moment, he hesitated. The golden liquid shimmered faintly in the firelight. Do I really want to waste a batch of mead that can age more and become more valuable? The thought tugged at him. But then, he shook his head. Tools or skills were pointless without mastery. Better to use it now and learn its secrets.
He poured himself a glass and drank.
You’ve received [Mead I Buff].
[Enduring Flavor] kicks in. Buff lasts longer.
+1% attack for 10+5 minutes.
You cannot consume more brewed beverages for the next 12 hours.
Armed with the brewing buff, he picked up his instrument and tried Jolly Good Fellow again.
You play [Jolly Good Fellow].
Performance rate: C+
120XP in [Bard]
[Mead I Buff] is extended by 5 minutes.
Jack’s eyes lit up. [Enduring Flavor] let him benefit from longer buffs. But being able to now share buff extensions with his team was so much more promising! Sharing this advantage with his team could make all the difference in a drawn-out battle. Buffs from drinking spirits were rare and limited, but now he had a way to stretch their impact.
"Good thing I stayed behind. This is an important discovery," he murmured, feeling vindicated in his decision.
As he inspected the newer amphorae, he saw that their progress bars were nearly full, meaning it would soon be time to move the mead to the well. While he waited, Jack went back to practicing the melody.
At first, his efforts only earned him a string of C grades. But gradually, as his fingers found the right rhythm, he improved. A notification popped up:
Performance Rating: B
Jack grinned. "That’s more like it!"
Finally, the remaining batches of mead finished aging.
3x[Mead] has aged successfully!
+90XP in [Brewing].
Congratulations! You’ve reached level 4 in [Brewing].
Jack frowned. “No new skills?” It felt a little anticlimactic. His experience was that minors with more tiers spread recipes and skills more sparsely across levels, but it still stung. Shaking off his disappointment, he turned to the task at hand.
"Let’s move all of this down to the well," Jack said, rolling up his sleeves.
New progress bars hovered over each stoneware container, marking the slow journey to tier II. The very first batch was well ahead—another half hour, and it might progress again. Jack began loading the amphorae into his inventory, though each one consumed its own slot.
He groaned. "No wonder the guides talk about cellar rental."
At least here in the Breach, his would-be shabby cellar had its perks—it was free. With the amphorae secured, Jack grabbed a torch and climbed back down into the well. The damp, earthy air enveloped him as the flickering light cast long shadows across the rough stone walls.
He started by placing the amphorae at the well’s base, carefully positioning them away from the chain he used to climb.
Then, he carried the rest down the little tunnel that led to the chamber where he’d found Esther and Riku. The tunnel was cool and dark, the perfect spot for aging. Jack took his time, laying each container neatly, ensuring they wouldn’t topple or roll.
When he was done, he stepped back and surveyed his work. The amphorae lined the tunnel in orderly rows, their smooth, rounded surfaces glowing faintly in the torchlight. It wasn’t much, but it was his.
Satisfied, Jack climbed back up the well, brushing off the dust as he settled by the fire again. Brewing was coming along well, but if he wanted to take full advantage of those buffs, he needed to keep improving his bard skills.
He picked up his instrument and played Jolly Good Fellow a couple more times, the notes flowing more smoothly now. Finally, judging that he’d made enough progress, he decided it was time to move on to the next song.
