One Moo'r Plow

I drifted in sleep’s deep waters, a contented tiredness about my body as the System worked away at my body. This, I was fully aware of yet, yet there was no panic as the gifts of the Gods Above shaped my body to its natural course. To the man I was before, perhaps the experience would have been a source of fright and horror, to have my body changed in such a way as I gazed on. Yet here, it came naturally. If some outside source provided influence to calm me, I welcomed it.

My visions were strange things, even for this world and what I had experienced insofar. This was not a peaceful sleep that I inhabited. So say it was would be to reject reality itself with such a level of self-delusion.

My thoughts were filled with ancient, primal things. Transcendent visions of a different time, one where all I could see were massive, furred beasts that only resembled minotaurs in the vaguest sense. Gone were the plethora of dull colors that my race’s fur was. Those that came to me in dreams were colored of whitest snow, their long, pale hair streaked with vibrant paints.

Even in the dreamscape, the strangest feeling entered me as I gazed upon these beings. One I had yet to experience since I had come unto this world. I gazed upon what had once been, and I felt small.

An event of great importance unfolded around me, I realized. Several of the ghostly forms drifted past, speaking in strange tongues I could not comprehend. And as they whispered their lost wisdom to me, my very being changed.

The Gods Above had sent me a tribulation, and it had been overcome. Now was my reward. My proof that I could be entrusted with even more strength, an irrefutable argument that I had the potential to rise even further. Give greater battle in their name. I knew this distant pantheon of fickle deities not, but I welcomed their gifts all the same.

Whatever immortal wisdom these great furred beings tried to impart was lost to the void simply as I could not understand their language. Something precious gone forever.

The waking world seized hold and dragged me back to the light before I could dwell on this.

My eyes slowly cracked open, and I found myself in a wholly unfamiliar place. The shell of this place had been built by my hands, but I could not remember the insides this way. Counter-tops were laden with objects, my weapons and armor neatly mounted upon the walls. The faint scent of dried meat drifted through the air, coming from the cellar. Whoever had moved all my possessions from one house to the next had done so in the time in which I had slept.

The world spun as I stood. Everything seemed just a tad..off. Misplaced. Too far away. The doorway that had been comfortable to walk through before, that I had built specifically for my height now required that I tilt my head. Even then my horns scraped against the wood as I blearily emerged from my lodge and winched as the sun lanced into my eyes.

The yard was bare, the fields were empty and-

The first harvest has been completed. You have reached Level Eight. You have reached Level Nine. New Skills will become available for selection once you rest.

I had just woken up from said rest, but okay. Was it a massive trickle-down from my main class leveling up that had triggered this surge?

The thought fleeted across my mind, only to be swept away as a shout rang across the yard. Ishila waved from where she and the others worked near the dam. The sight of me caused all attempts at said task to be abandoned. They approached my mildly confused form with varying degrees of speed.

“Welcome back to the living!” the orc lass announced, her grin stretched wide, fanf-tips poking past her lip.

“How long?” Was all I sad in reply.

“Several days. Gettin’ up on a week now. First day we were sorta worried, then Pa’ came by, realized you were breakin’ through into the next stages of levelin’ and assured us you’d be alright.”

She stopped and looked up at me with eyes that were full of awe.

“Garek, what miracle you rendered at the fort was beyond what even I thought you were capable of.” She spoke solemnly. “I fought those monsters first. I know what they’re capable of. Pah’ told me everythin’.”

“It was an act of the Gods Above that I survived, yes.” I agreed, leaving the skill that had literally pushed death aside unsaid. Moments passed until Ishila’s serious frown flickered and smile emerged beneath.

“In the meantime, you weren’t ‘round and the work wasn’t bein’ done. Got the oats, grain and wheat all sorted out and stored away, cows milked and more pots of healin’ milk bein’ worked on right now.”

“I could not help but notice my lodge is far better decorated that when I left.”

“That too.” She beamed as Gol groaned and sat on his haunches. “Ran out of other work, and the cows only take so much time tah be milked, so I figured we’d finish what ya started. Weren’t gonna wake up either way, no matter how much stuff Gol dropped.”

That last part was accompanied by an accusatory glare at said recipient, an action that only elicited a pitiful whine.

“We were sorta countin’ on you bein’ up from that power-nap once that ran outta things to do. Once that didn’t happen, we got the vegetables picked and sorted into the cellar. Once that was all done andtidied up, we were seein’ if we couldnt do somethin’ with the dam and try to hook some fish.”

A scant few wobbles ran through me as I quietly nodded and processed the situation. That was quite the load that had been lifted from my back.

“Men from the fort dropped by and dumped a bunch of carcasses at the field’s edge.” She made a face and pointed across the yard. “I’ll admit, my reaction..weren’t pretty at first.”

Ishila scratched the back of her head and looked away, hand on one hip, her scent uneasy.

“To be honest, I mighta freaked out and and nearly killed one or more of em. You asked em to deliver those things down here?” There was something strained in her voice at that.

I had done that without thinking of the effects on her, true. My explanation that I intended to study the enemy and derive uses from their corpses eased some of the strain from her posture and voice.

“I thought they’d start stinkin’ and goin’ bad under the sun by now, but yeah, nothin’.” She pointed out. “You can have at ‘em whenever you feel like. Just count me out for now. Not too excited bout the prospect of lookin’ at one of those buggers anytime soon.”

I could not find it in me to judge her in any way for that.

For as much work as the trio had accomplished, there was still more to be done. Once congratulations were given and my thanks firmly expressed, there were other tasks that desperately needed to be ran. The lightning-fast battle at the fort had instilled in me a reminder that now, more than ever, logistics were supreme, and I intended to integrate myself into those.

More to help save lives than for profit, but I could not lie and say the latter would be unwelcome.

Ishila informed me that yes, she had also been harvesting from the monster plants while I slumbered. The jugs of acid were plentiful, and there were adequate jugs of healing milk. For a while, I questioned the validity of using milk as a component for healing. It was not exactly a substance known for staying good under sub-optimal conditions. Yet I had heard no complaints insofar, and the draught I had taken at the fort held up just fine despite being sold weeks ago. Was part of the healing power working to keep it preserved?

It was deep in the afternoon once we had the singular horse hooked up and cart fully loaded to head up to the Verdant Dawn’s camp. I elected to stay upon the farm for this one, having my own interests to attend. Ishila had earned my trust so many times over that sending her to do this was a trivial concern at best. Artyom leaped at the chance to accompany her, and Gol took to opportunity to slink off under some shade and splay himself out.

Soon, they too were gone, and I turned my focus to what excited me this day. A power coursed within, eager and ready to be called. For so long it had lain dormant, a carrot held before me to pursue the next great breakthrough. Now, it was within my grasp, and I intended to see its glory.

Soon, I stood alone, save for a familiar face that rested among the treetops. The straw-covered raven had returned, its brown wings folded and its dark eye turned to observe me in silence. Out in the middle of a barren field, I took a deep breath and dived deep within.

Brazen Bull Behemoth writhed and shook as I attempted to drag the Skill to the surface. Unlike the others, it resisted with stubborn ferocity, some great beast that disliked that I roused it.

A candid description, I found.

The space before me flickered and distorted, shimmers running through the air as something became undone. A massive shadow throbbed and pulsed, features blurred and then sharpened. Back and forth it went, being all but dragged into reality. Cold limbs were rendered unable to move as I stood and witnessed what I had wrought upon this world. A command had been given to the world itself, and it was absolute.

Rumbles that sounded like boulders being ground together down a mountain slope sounded as the massive towered above me. Broad shoulders, long fur, massive form. An ancient, titanic minotaur stood before me, a monster that dwarfed me in every way. Scarlet streaks ran along snow-white fur, a crown of horns upon a gigantic head.

Primality itself radiated from every pore of this massive, hulking brute. It spoke of strength and sheer resilience, every pore of the creature exuding strength.

It hit after a few heartbeats of awe and vague terror.

The Skill had summoned a behemoth unto this world. It stood silently, and I instinctively knew it awaited a command.

Hesitation blinked aside, I grunted and ordered it to step back. There was a small delay that caused me to fear a language barrier could screw this all over.

Earth was shoved aside as legs thick as tree trucks moved, hooves that dwarfed mine slamming into the earth itself.

I was a giant among men. The largest creature that existed in this general vicinity, save for the Apex. This thing made me seem insignificant. I felt giddy inside as I beheld the behemoth in all its slouched, shaggy glory.

There was so much farmwork that could be made trivial if I had this to do it for me. I suppose it would be rather invaluable for any future battles and dungeon expeditions as well. A whim flitted through my mind, and a command was issued. I watched with no small amount of fascination as it turned and tromped away, every step sending small tremors underfoot. Its sheer weight and bulk crunched the earth itself, every step sinking into the ground.

A tree was uprooted with ease as the behemoth closed its fist around the sizeable trunk and tugged sharply. Said dirt, bark and greenery vanished into the distance as the behemoth reared back and hurled it up the mountain.

I watched with no small degree of giddy joy as the massive trunk, roots and leaves vanished into the general horizon. A feeling bubbled within me now, a childlike excitement and penchant for mischief as I cast about to see what other feats I could command the primal minotaur to do.

This was perhaps the single best outcome of this Skill I had ever envisioned.

Come what may, I was going to have copious amounts of fun.

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