NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 13 - Sprouts
Gio and Chandrika returned to the House of Keys.
Gio turned his attention to the little green key he had acquired from the bulletin board and noticed a tiny flower engraved on the eye of the key, that appeared to be facing in a particular direction and seemed to rotate itself based on where Gio was facing. Following the flower, Gio found a slender door that was covered in tiny pots, each full of miniature plants. A bright light appeared to be streaming into the dimly lit hall, emanating from a tiny square window high up on the wood-paneled door.
Bidding farewell to Chandrika, Gio inserted the key into the keyhole, noting the beautiful floral motifs covering the escutcheon.
Opening the door, Gio was greeted by the sight of a comfortable-looking cottage on a grassy hill, looking over many fields, tended to by students wearing gardening attire.
Approaching the cottage, Gio noted a few large, glowing trees with dense roots next to the cottage, around which a few students seemed to be gathered.
“Mistress Blossom! My Firewatch Aeonium is thriving! Your advice is as golden as always!” a young girl with curly blue hair and deep olive skin beamed.
A wooden woman, positively dripping with pink flowers emerged from the trunk of the largest tree. An aura of green mana emanated from the dryad, pulsing out and washing over the students. Gio breathed in some of the floral, fruity mana and instantly felt refreshed. Life and Nature. I could get used to this.
“How delightful! I’m certain that your alchemy project will be positively splendid, my child.”
Mistress Blossom turned towards Gio, beaming with a gentle smile. “And who do we have here? You smell of stone and sun, little flower.”
Gio blushed at her words, bowing slightly. “Hello, My name is Giorgio deGloria, I would like to join the gardening club!” he said, cheerfully.
“A new addition to our crop! Wonderful! Might I ask what interests you about our gardening club?”
“Ah, well I hope it’s not against the rules, but I was hoping that I might learn to grow materials for making spellforms,” Gio replied.
“Intriguing! Most students here are alchemy students, but no, there are no rules against growing materials or even food.” She said, pointing over to a field of corn, being tended to by a clone of Marie.
“Just as none can claim to own the sun or soil, we do not limit our students in what they can grow or take from their labors. Certain dangerous crops… we may ask that you isolate, or we may even ask that you find a safer place to grow them. Additionally, we ask that you be mindful of your fellow students, and take care to not neglect your crops- but other than that, you are free to do with your produce what you wish.
“Oh, great! In which case, do I need to do anything to join?” Gio asked.
“Please hand me the key that you entered with.” Mistress Blossom asked, placing an open palm in front of Gio. He handed her the key and watched as the floral depictions on the key began glowing, nature magic from the dryad flowing into the key. After a moment, the metal of the key looked like molten green magma, with small tufts of moss growing rapidly to cover it.
“I accept your intention to join the gardening club, Giorgio deGloria. I am Mistress Blossom. I teach herbology to seniors, and I provide tutoring in the ways of nature and druidic magics to my club members upon request. As a member of our club, you are entitled to a small patch of land in these fields to start with, and we will provide you with more area once you have demonstrated the ability to care for what you are given. Please insert this key into your scrying plane this evening so that you are registered as an official club member for your school transcripts. Additionally, it will enable you to travel directly to the clubhouse rather than through the House of Keys.”
Gio spent the rest of his time before bed greeting his new club-mates, getting a few simple tools issued to him, and becoming familiar with his small plot of land.
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The next morning, Gio thumbed through his copy of Ink of Ages: a Material Atlas at breakfast, reviewing common materials for spellform ink that grew naturally in the Ringed City. He was pleased to find that several options were likely to be commonly available. Upsettingly, it seemed that Inkling Blood was apparently an exceedingly nice ink, especially for working with beginner spellform creation, as it could be blended with other ingredients, increasing the resultant quality of the ink even in small doses. Well, no use crying over spilled monster blood.
Chandrika practically levitated over to the table, wearing her special occasion saree.
“GIO! You were so right about the weaving club. I had the time of my life yesterday, and they all were so nice! We all agreed to go on a club excursion to a fashion show on Shimmerstone Street today!”
“That’s awesome, Rika! I’m glad you are enjoying yourself. I also had a good time at the gardening club!” Gio replied.
“We should spend some time together tomorrow before class though. I was thinking about maybe getting some studying done. Maybe we could hang out under that one tree in the Green Expanse?” Chandrika said.
“That sounds great! I’m gonna be setting up my plot pretty much all of today, but I’ll try to be done by dinnertime. I still have to hand in my extra report to Professor A about my plan to get materials, but I think he’ll appreciate my ideas.” Gio said, grinning vaguely maliciously.
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Gio spent the rest of the day preparing his area, chatting with his new club-mates. The student from earlier, Sapphire, had offered several seeds from her collection to Gio, urging him to plant a specific crop.
“Well, It’s somewhat of a right of passage. I can’t really say much more, but I can say that if you plant these seeds to start with, it will prepare you for whatever you’re planning on planting next. Additionally, it might help to pick up a few copies of some of the beginner plant mage sets- cheap stuff like [Detect Soil Conditions] and [Nurture Growth]. I once saw a guy come in here thinking he could just slap an ultra-rare [Plenty] down on a plot like it was nothing, and let me tell you, hours of weeding later and he realized that you can’t just brute-force gardening.”
Gio winced slightly at the casual mention of an ultra-rare spell. “Ah- yeah the whole reason I’m getting into gardening is to be able to make spells like that, to be honest with you,” Gio replied sheepishly.
“Oh, well, no worries! You can totally do it the old-fashioned way, too!” Sapphire said cheerfully, not missing a beat.
She’s so nice.
A couple of hours later, Gio had finished weeding, tilling, fertilizing, and seeding his starting plot of mundane corn, beans, and squash.
“NOOOOOO!” Shouted Sapphire, a couple of plots over. Gio and a few others ran over to check on her, to find Sapphire fruitlessly kicking a big flat rock, revealed in the middle of a half-plowed field. “Oh, sorry to alert everyone,” Sapphire said, having taken off her wide-brimmed hat and wiping sweat off her forehead. The cerulean-haired girl pointed to the rock. “I ran into an issue, and I don’t have any good magic on hand for removing big rocks without destroying my field. Do any of you have anything, perchance?” the girl asked, receiving a few huffs and many shaking heads as the others walked off.
“I might be able to try something,” Gio said. “Fantastic! I will get you any seeds that you want if you help me get this thing out of here, I need to plant reagents for my upcoming alchemy project, and I really don’t have the time to go find someone who can remove this.”
Motivated, Gio opened the spellbook hanging at his waist to [Hairline Fracture]. Cycling his mana, he focused on the unused spellform, imagining his father at work in the Copper Ring mines. He was rewarded with the outline of his spellcasting hand alighting with a soft grey outline. He moved over to the rock and pressed on its face lightly, as spiderweb-like cracks erupted across the surface. Gio traced his finger over the rock, causing the cracks to spread everywhere he touched.
“Oooooh, cool! That’s an interesting spell!” Sapphire crowed. The few students remaining nearby echoed similar sentiments.
Letting the magic fade, Gio replied; “Thanks, that’s the first time I’ve gotten the chance to use it, so thanks for the opportunity!” The other students’ faces shifted from amusement to surprise.
“What do you mean the first time? Like the first time ever? You had like… no difficulty with that, are you some kind of rock mage?” Sapphire said, with wide eyes.
“Uuuh not particularly. It’s just a lower uncommon spell, We’re learning about casting simple spells in class right now,” replied Gio, slightly uncomfortable with the attention.
“Yeah, sure, but I mean I don't think I’ve ever successfully cast a spell on my first time. Have any of you guys?” She said, motioning to the crowd, to a row of shaking heads. “Closest I’ve come was the third try on one of my family’s support spells, which is designed to work with our primary spell.” said one tall boy.
“I don’t know, I guess I just followed the instructions in the textbook. Emotional connection, Somatics, Mana flow, the basics.” Gio murmured.
“Gio, that’s like… pretty impressive. That’s like… at least third-year stuff. I still struggle with maintaining mana-flow, unless I’m doing a chant or something. “ Sapphire noted.
“Well, thanks, I-uh- I’m gonna get going… see you guys later!” Gio said, running off ungracefully.
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At the flowering tree in the Green Expanse the next day, Gio looked over to Chandrika.
“Hey, Rika? Is it weird to be able to cast a new spell on the first try? The gardening club was pretty… surprised when I said I hadn't cast a spell before.” Gio asked.
Thinking for a moment, Chandrika replied; “Honestly, not really. I think it would be weird if you cast every spell you’ve ever cast on the first try, but good spellcasting form pays dividends. I cast my mother’s signature spell on the first try the other day, because I have seen her cast it so often that my emotional connection to it is very strong.”
Holding out one arm, Chandrika began to alight with wisps of golden energy. It collected around her hand and formed a glittering golden tiara that she placed on her head.
“[Crown of Sage’s Insight]” she said. “It’s basically a boost to my [Sage] skill, but it also really enhances my senses too. I can sort of vaguely feel the enchantments tying this place together with this spell active. It also allows me to think clearer, which apparently makes it helpful in combat. My mom’s version of the spell is pretty cool to be around because she can share the effects with others due to her class and occupation combo. It feels like she’s helping you think, but in like a comforting way, like a supportive hug.”
“Whoa, that sounds awesome. Your whole family seems like it’s got some real powerhouses in it.” Gio said.
“Yeah, I love them a lot. It can be tough to deal with the pressure of it all sometimes, though. My dad is always out fighting monsters, and my mom and grandma are constantly meeting with political figures and all that. I don’t get much time with them to just be… people. My siblings are the closest I get to that, and they’re all much older than me. How about you? I know your aunt works at the textile mill, but what about your mom and dad?” she asked.
“Well, my dad is a foreman for the Copper Ring mines, primarily dealing with the malachite cements that give the copper ring its name. He’s probably the wisest person I know. He’s incredibly well-adjusted for being the son of an adventurer. My grandfather was not the most dependable father.”
“My mom works at an insurance agency, they deal with a lot of the physical labor that happens in the Copper Ring. She’s incredibly smart, and I’d like to think that I take after her in a lot of ways. I’ve never met my grandparents on her side, because they still live in Ataraxia, where they still live as farmers. We normally exchange letters and photos on important occasions, but it can be expensive because of the difficulties happening in the great sea.” Gio continued.
“I also have two younger siblings who are super cute, and two cousins on my mom’s side who were my best friends growing up. Hatra is going to be an awesome engineer at the essence distillery, and Quinn is going to be a great swordsman, hunting beasts in the Copper Ring wilderness to keep the settlements safe.” he finished.
Gio and Chandrika finished the weekend by swapping stories about their families. The following week of classes was uneventful, as the semester began to lapse into a comfortable rhythm. Gio overwatered his first set of crops, leaving a field full of dead sprouts.