Planting The Seeds! [Solo]

Job Description:

The morning dew collected on the grass was still fresh with no signs of evaporating as of yet. Currently, the fog settled on the surrounding landscape blocking everything from view. Cinder flew ahead to scout for the location that the two needed to be at. Her guiding light dancing about in the fog for a moment the light faded from view. After which she came back to Zeltaath and smiled, "It's not too far from here. Maybe... err... 50 meters out on our right." Zel nodded and did some stretching before he assumed a starting position for a sprint. Zel yelled out, "Flame Demon's Flash Step!" as fire projected out from his legs and he began to sprint at an increased speed to his destination. It was not long before they arrived at their destination. His clothes were drenched from sweat and running through the dense fog and his spell had worn off. Cinder sat on top of his head fluffing out her hair after it was just wind blasted from Zel's sprinting.

Before the two was a white fenced off area, the mailbox next to Zeltaath read, 'Mr. McBain.' He nodded and pulled the latch and opened the gate, they traveled along a small dirt path surrounded by plots of land that seem like they haven't been attended to for months. The plantation home slowly faded into view, a man in a large straw brim hat sat in a rocking chair sipping on an iced drink with a pillow placed near his lower back. The farmer saw the two coming ahead of time due to Cinder's guiding light, once the two fully came into view he started to wave at them with a smile and called his wife out to greet them. Zeltaath smiled and returned the wave, "Oh hello! You're Mr. and Mrs. McBain, right? You two were the ones that made the job posting about planting seeds?" The man nodded and tried to get up but Mrs. McBain pushed him back in his chair and gave him a stern look, "You need to rest your back anything this young man needs I'll help him with it." She looked over to Zel, "Yes we were the ones that made the job posting. My husband here injured his back after he fell in the field. Now if we ever hope to make a harvest in the fall we need to plant these seeds with a sense of urgency." Zel looked at the farmer and gave him a salute followed by a warm smile, "Don't worry sir! I'll have these fields planted in no time. I did similar hard labor work like this for almost four years now. Miss, may I see where the tools and seeds are?" She nodded and directed him around the house to their barn.

The barn was poorly lit on account of the lasting fog that has yet to have cleared the area. Cinder flew up near the ceiling in the middle of the barn and allowed her light to illuminate the area. The lady walked over to a section of the barn in the corner in the back left, "This is where we store the tools needed to til the land and plant the seeds as well as the seeds themselves. We have roughly four plots of farmland, however, plot No. 2 is being left out of the rotation to restore the soil for next year. Unfortunately, we had to sell our ox to pay for my husband's treatment so you won't be able to use the plow, but we still have some smaller tools that will do the trick. So go ahead make yourself acquainted with the place if you need anything or have any questions just give me a holler." She smiled and bowed her head as she was almost out the door Zel spoke up, "So if I were able to pull the plow I'd be able to use it?" She tilted her head, confused, "Well unless you have another animal around pull the thing around I don't see why not." Zel nodded, "Thank you Miss." and went straight to work in the barn gathering what he needed while she went back to the house.

Zeltaath took a moment to take stock of the supplies and moved them towards the front for ease of access. One item in particular that he was interested in was the plow. During his time traveling around Fiore after he was orphaned, Zel honed his muscles and prepared his body for the training, he was put through by the Flame Demon. As such this plow, while it won't be an easy thing to pull around it'll be an invaluable asset for Zel use. Leaning up against the wall hidden behind the tools was three big bags of seeds: corn, potatoes, and squash. Zel lugged the three bags out to the three different plots. By the time Zel had prepared the tools, seeds, and was just about to start plowing, the sun finally made a full appearance in the sky and cleared away the surrounding fog.

The next few hours were spent drenched in sweat and mud as Zel pushed the heavy farm equipment down the field. On his first plot, he'd occasionally stray slightly off course and would have to redo the lane before he could move on to the next lane. However, each time he had to redo the lane it would be ten times harder because the lane was soft and aerated. It wasn't until he had finished all three plots that he started the planting process. He took a moment to read the instructions on the corn to know just how to plant them. With a hoe in hand and the bag slung over his shoulder he got to work again. Cinder would occasionally go up to the house and ask for a drink for Zel, however, the glass would be too heavy by herself to carry so Mrs. McBain would walk out to the fields with two drinks, one for Zel and a teacup with a straw for Cinder. In between hydration periods, Zel would walk the field, poking the staff end of the hoe into the dirt to create a little pocket, Cinder would plop a glob of manure into the pocket with a hand trowel that she needed to use two hands to lift, and Zel would finish by covering the pocket with the hoe. This was a lighter and easier workload but consumed more time as he had to stop at each spot rather than clearing a lane in a few minutes.

The sun was high in the sky and the heat was beating down on Zel. His progress slowed the more and more he pushed on. Mrs. McBain came out again to see the two, covered from head to toe in dirt and sweat, but still, they managed to greet her with smiling faces. She stopped just before entering the tilled farm plot with her hands placed one on top of the other, she tilted her head slightly and greeted them back with a smile, "You two hard workers should take a break and come inside for some lunch." Zel's stomach didn't miss a cue upon him hearing 'lunch.' He sprung into the air and yelled out in a bout of excitement, "Woohoo! I'm starving!" Cinder flew up in a similar motion as Zel. Mrs. McBain giggled, "Yes well first you need to wash up first. The washroom is down the hall and on the left when you first enter the house. I'll set you both up with a plate of your own." Zel sprinted up to the house with Cinder in tow just barely holding on to two handfuls of hair, flapping in the wind.

The dining table was filled with food from the family's last harvest: corn, potatoes, squash, eggs, beef, and iced lemonade to wash it all down. Zel and Cinder washed up quickly and sat down with growling stomachs. They looked to Mrs. McBain for their cue to eat. She nodded and they started to cheer, "Thanks for the food!" Zel made a mountain out of food on his plate, topped with an egg on top with the yoke broken. Cinder, while still a bottomless pit in terms of appetite, only covered her little saucer plate with food before eating her fill and then getting another plate of food. In between mouthfuls, everyone would try to talk about various different things. Eventually, Zel asked, "So before us, did you tend the whole field by yourself?" Mr. McBain chuckled, "Yes, but sometimes I'd be fortunate enough to get hired help... And I never could've planted the whole field in one full day like you are on track to do." Zel was impressed, "Wow! That must be hard work. So how are you going to tend to it once I'm gone?" The farmer pointed at his wife, "Once it starts growing it is just a matter of weeding, water, or whatever maintenance is needed for the crops. So little to no heavy lifting is needed so for the time being she should be fine." Zel nodded with a smile as he continued with his feast. After he finished he rinsed his plate off and placed it in the sink before he ran off back to the farm.

With Zel's stamina replenished he was able to work fast again. With Cinder's help, he finished off the first plot and ran over to plot No. 3 and sat down with the potato bag to read how to properly plant them. Zel sent Cinder flying down to the house to get a knife for the potatoes. As he walked the rows Zel would cut a couple potatoes in half and give one half to Cinder. She would plant the half in the row next to them and put a dab of fertilizer on top, cover it up, and return to Zel's side for the next one. This plot quickly became a pain for him as he couldn't just create the pocket, drop the seeds in, and move on. Zel needed to now squat down to bury the potatoes into the ground and fertilize them just like Cinder did before he could move on. Halfway into the plot, his form slacked and this started to wear on his back. This slowed him down as he had to stop every so often to stretch and give his back a rest, he'd also heat up the afflicted region with his magic to keep the muscles warm and moving. By the time he finished the potato plot, the sun was halfway into its descent. The sky was slightly fading to orange.

The last plot appeared rather quick and easy to complete. They adopted the same strategy as with the first plot, with Zel would make a pocket with the staff of his tool, drop the seeds in, and bury them as soon as Cinder would come in with the drop of fertilizer. Motivated by the end in sight they made sure to pick up the pace so they could be done by nightfall. The fatigue had started to set in for Cinder, her movements slowed and she could barely hold the hand trowel anymore. Zeltaath picked her up and walked her inside and set her on a throw pillow on the couch. Mrs. McBain shortly after took her to the guest bedroom and placed her on the bed pillow so she could sleep. As soon as Zel stepped outside he ruffled up his hair, the orange locks took the form of a bright orange flame, which Zel used to help him see as he finished off the last plot of land. By the time he finally finished the sun had disappeared over the horizon and was replaced by the moon. He meandered over to a water lacrima by the house and activated it, water then poured over all of the plots of land and soaked the freshly planted farmlands.

The McBain's offered Zeltaath the guest bedroom and dinner for the night. He slowly ate his fill and washed up before he passed out on the bed next to Cinder. In the morning, the two woke up refreshed but sored and made their way down to the dining room where they had eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Zel confidently stated, "All plots of farmland have been planted, all that is left is for me to clean up the tools, store the remaining seed away, and then I'll be on my way." They replied with great joy, "Oh that's wonderful! Thank you both for your help." He quickly finished and went to work cleaning up the land. The two said their goodbyes and made their way back to the guild hall. The fog settled back down on the ground so it was a rather slow walk back but made it safely there all the same.