Chương 27: Homeward Bound

"Looking back, there might have been some signs." —The Artificer's Guide to Abnormal Companions I looked down at the remaining fruits. One was a pale beige; the other a vibrant green. It didn't pull to me like the first had. Greg moved over for a better look and seemed to come to the same conclusion.

"Is there something wrong with 'em? The first one felt like it almost sang to me. These don't look the same. Maybe it only works if you don't have the title?"

"Title?" I looked up sharply.

"I didn't get a title…"" Friend of the Mauduun. Maybe the people that were here? It lets me talk to spirit trees, if we ever find another. That and a Concept of Illumination." Gene and Emmie both chimed in that they had gotten the same title, in addition to a skill upgrade. Emmie had gained Stabilization that she applied to her [Mana Manipulation] skill, while Gene used the Concept of Permeation, though he refused to say what for.

He had a cheeky grin, and I got the feeling he wanted to test it out before he said anything.

"That makes sense. I had a title already from the tree, and it must have just given me the knowledge part." I gave them a full recap of the events that led to the destruction of the cathedral. They listened intently, the plight of the unfortunate people capturing their attention.

"And you saw all of this in what, a few seconds?" Greg looked skeptical.

"I thought you just busted that vine off with your hammer."

"I couldn't get it off. It was too strong, and it ended up letting go on its own when it died."

"You might be just over forty, but you are still a fool boy sometimes." Gene shook his head in disappointment.

"I said it once, and I'll say it again. You got folk that rely on you. You won't always be this lucky."

"This is true. We shouldn't have allowed you to come." Greg nodded in agreement, and I just looked between the two, bewildered at their sudden change in attitude.

"What is this? It's not like you guys had any better foresight than I did." Gene ignored me and pursed his lips, nodding slowly.

"Moving forward, we should limit outings to combat-oriented people. There's a dozen people that if we lost 'em it would cripple us. Not to boost your ego, but you're one of 'em, Logan."

"Now, now, boys. I think he gets the idea. But you let me come, and I have one leg. It's not like you tried to stop me either. Not that you could, even if you wanted to." Emmie crossed her arms, looking pointedly at the pair.

"I got told enough what I could and couldn't do on Earth, and I am not about to let you start doing it here. To anyone." Gene opened his mouth to say something, and stopped for several moments before continuing.

"No, you're right. Every person is their own man here. Or woman. That's the whole point." He sighed and rubbed his chin.

"I just don't know what to make of all this."

"The concern is noted, guys. We'll be more prepared next time we go out, and I will be going out again." I met their eyes.

"Just so we're on the same page." Greg held out both hands in surrender.

"I can see when I'm outvoted. I just hope it doesn't end badly. For everyone's sake."

"We won't always be so wet behind the ears, I s'pose." Gene sucked at his teeth, then stood up abruptly.

"Well? What are y'all waitin' for? It sounds like we're in agreement that we're not eating the fruit, and if so, we've got a delivery to make." The walk back to Nibbles and the horse was much easier going downhill over the rubble. Emmie put an arm around my shoulder, and I helped her as we picked our way through the tightly packed boulders so she wouldn't have to hop her way on a single crutch. As we came around the corner, Nibbles bounded toward Gene, abandoning his duty station beside the mare.

The excited bundle of shaggy hair pounced, knocking Gene to the ground. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. I leaned over to help him up, and Nibbles shook his head vigorously. A wet droplet landed on my neck, and I groaned in disgust.

"Ugh. Gross, Nibbles." He immediately sat down and whined, looking offended that I dared to accuse him. As if he understood me. I wiped away the wetness, and another hit my cheek, causing me to look up. Amongst the large boulders, I'd had my eyes locked on my surroundings and hadn't noticed the thick grey clouds gathering in the sky above.

"You apologize to that poor baby!" Emmie scolded me, her free hand on her hip, and Nibbles yipped in agreement.

"I—Nibbles. I am sorry. You are a good boy, and you didn't deserve that." I played along, but was left speechless when Nibbles gave a huff and walked past me, his head held high, avoiding my gaze.

"I was just kidding, but… whatthefuck?" Emmie's eyes were wide, following the pup prancing back to Gene's side, where he untied the horse.

"And no one believed me when I said something's up with that dog."

"Maybe I'm the one who should apologize." She chuckled. Gene led the mare to her side and held her crutch while she hopped into the saddle. Thunder rolled in the distance, and the horse shook its head with a snort. He gave the horse a pat on its rump and looked to Greg.

"We should get going." The drops started to fall more quickly, softly pattering on the grass.

"WHOA!" The horse bucked, and Emmie grabbed the its mane. Thunder echoed from a lightning strike nearby.

"GUYS! I really don't like being up this high!"

"You aren't much higher up than us. If it hits any of us, we're all toast anyway." Greg's attempt to placate her fell flat, and she stared daggers at him.

"Let's keep moving. We need to cross the stream before it swells." Gene ignored the pair and jogged forward. I struggled to keep up with the pace, feeling the wound on my ribs tear open. I gasped and dropped to a knee. Within seconds, Greg was there, pulling me to my feet.

"I gotcha, don't worry." He looped his arm under mine and helped me forward. Emmie slowed the horse and inched herself forward, patting the spot behind her.

"There's room for two up here, and it isn't too much further." The pair hoisted me up and into the saddle, and we continued at a brisk pace. No longer struggling to keep up, I took the opportunity to check on the two remaining spirit fruits. > Spirit Tree Fruit > This fruit is ripe with the lingering knowledge of the spirit tree. Highly sought after, this priceless treasure imparts valuable wisdom. > Quality: Rare > Status: Decaying - Less than three hours. Thankfully, it appeared that we would arrive in time.

We crossed the stream without issue and were only about an hour from Mossbrook. I inspected the fruits again, this time using all of my senses. I reached out with [Mana Manipulation] and probed the skin of the pair. They seemed to sparkle in the fading light. The light colored fruit felt… energizing, and the green one was strangely similar. They were related in some way. I focused intently, and the sway from the horses' rolling hips fell away. The occasional raindrop pattered against me, unnoticed.

I fell into a trance, focusing only on the memory of the tree.' The lingering knowledge of the tree…' I had gained knowledge of expansion. The others had gained illumination, stabilization, and permeation. Illumination had to be related to the crystalline light source above, or the tree growing with light. Stabilization felt obvious; there wasn't much more stable than a tree, and permeation? The roots, maybe?

My own expansion could be the field around the tree, from when it encompassed the entire structure, or even the growth of the—my connection with the green fruit bloomed, and I nearly facepalmed at the obvious nature of the fruit. > Spirit Tree Fruit > This fruit is ripe with the spirit tree's lingering knowledge of Growth. Highly sought after, this priceless treasure imparts valuable wisdom. > Quality: Rare > Status: Decaying - Less than two hours. > Inspect Leveled Up!

The connection between the two was so apparent that I hardly even needed to think as the connection formed, even easier now, as my [Inspect] gained a level. > Spirit Tree Fruit > This fruit is ripe with the spirit tree's lingering knowledge of Life. Highly sought after, this priceless treasure imparts valuable wisdom. > Quality: Rare > Status: Decaying - Less than two hours. It couldn't have come at a better time.

The soft glow from a campfire in the distance signaled home, and I called out to the others to not mention the fruits, that I would handle it.

"Contrary to what you might think," Greg gave a small grin, possibly the first genuine one on the whole trip.

"I actually do trust your opinion. Outside of adventuring, that is," he added quickly. I rolled my eyes and clutched the two precious treasures in my hand as I awkwardly shifted my pack around to stow them away. There wasn't enough time to gather everyone and hold a conference for people to argue over the best use. And besides, I knew exactly who these needed to go to, and I was ready to make that call myself.