It was probably one of the most embarrassing ways to make gold but Kazerou didn't really have a choice as any and all weapons cost money and he was never going to go out and punch whatever hostile mobs were roaming around. The young man was helping with the Potato farms harvest, the sun was oddly hotter in this area of Brisshal and for some reason...he was the only one that was doing any sort of work while those around him sort of got their 'quota' and left by now. But for Kazeoru he needed to finish the harvest and then prepare the field for another set of crops. Which meant he was dealing with several fields alone and he really wasn't keen on doing so but he knew hard work would get him somewhere eventually like real life. He wanted to start a restaurant and if he could do it in Terrasphere maybe he could do it for real. But everyone starts somewhere, and for Kazerou he started digging up potatoes and replanting them. He wasn't very fond of it but he was doing it none the less. The young mans black was glistening with his sweat at this point, his clothes stained with it too so it was going to be a bit of a trip to the nearest river later to wash them and not feel like he was going to drown from his own body odor. Then when his field was done he went to get himself some water as while this wasn't the real world it felt real enough for him to be thirsty. When he got there though he found there was no water left and that someone had drank it all. He sighed and just got back to work and soon felt that the heat was getting to him a lot quicker than he thought it was. As he kept working he started to slow down and when some more water was brought out, Kazerou walked over and simply submerged his head in it and began to drink as much as he could before pulling his head from the water and sighing. He started to wonder though, wasn't there a faster way to do this?
Alpha had been lingering around Brisshal for a very long while now, scanning over the new talent and players that seemed to be ushering through at great speeds. Veradia had been one of many that had just arrived and Alphabet Chocolate was, without doubt, very interested in the prospects of these young fresh bloods (she ignored the fact that she herself was probably younger than a fair bit of them). It was during her pondering and halfhearted search that she finally found someone of interest. While most went on to hunt for beasts and explore the world around them, this man seemed to be content with agricultural pursuits and, on a closer inspection of the area, she found out that it wasn't just any farm. It was a potato farm. The holy grail of starches that can only be rivaled by the sweetest cheesecakes and custards. She was suddenly held hostage by the need to learn more. She swooped down from her high branch, plopping in front of the exhausted man. She paused for a second as she examined the man from close-up and, with a final look, was seemingly content with what she had found. She held out her hand as if nothing had ever happened. "Name's Alphabet Chocolate!" she grinned. It was odd for someone to suddenly land in front of you at a completely random moment and expect a courteous introduction but, as she always said, expect the unexpected. She tilted her head pointedly at the man's plentiful attempts of cultivation before tossing him a confident wink and smirk. "You need help there? It's nice to make friends and everything and I can totes help you out a bit! Well...if you give me a few potatoes in return, of course!" @Kazerou Sumeragi
The sudden appearance of the girl didn't really startle him, however he wasn't really amused that she just messed up some of his work, the poor ground where Alphabet was standing had to be prepared again. Kazerou looked up to the girl, his black hair was a sweaty mess at this rate but he ran a hand through it making it seem even more like a sweaty mess. Kazerou gave Alphabet a rather annoyed but bored look and finally spoke "Did you really need to leap right in front of me? I need to redo that now...can you please move Miss Alphabe-". He suddenly stopped himself realizing the girls name was Alphabet Chocolate...this was not an NPC, this was a player the NPCs would never name their kids something this stupid. But maybe they would, how would he know? He was very new to the game still and now he was half panicking he had just met a girl who was named Alphabet. His mind more or less went blank as he just stared at her, hoe in the ground, he was leaning forward and just staring at the girl. He then finally stood and stared at her still and decided to at least introduce himself "Kazerou...er..nice to meet you...Alpha...do you mind if I call you that, it's easier on the mind". He kind of just admitted he was more or less baffled at the girls name and looking at her it was obvious she either a loli or a kid, but now she was offering help in exchange for potatoes. He was even more baffled by the girls words and now he just wanted to wander off and find a player as anti-social as he was but he really wasn't going to do that. He looked around for the farm owner though and luckily for him the owner was more or less there and Kazerou pointed him out. "Talk to him, he'll probably offer some for helping out...I'm doing this for money though so i can get a weapon...all the cheap ones were taken..". He got back to work as soon as he could through trying to more or less work around alpha at this rate and he eventually stopped and sighed looking to the girl and gave her a bored look that made it seem like he really didn't care anymore and just nodded. "If you want to help you can help but please don't mess up the fields it'll just get me in trouble and I'll be unable to get any of the gold I've been promised for this work." He got back to work again feeling a bit weary on what Alpha was going to do and he knew that mages were a part of this game and what if there were ones that just wanted to cause trouble? Kazerou couldn't fight one right off the bat and even then, his only combat skill was with slashing weapons while he focused on cultivation and cooking to ensure he can maybe get work as a chef somewhere and maybe sell some sort of rations that other players could use to help with their battles. All he needed was some gold to get started and the ability to protect himself. [User]@Alphabet Chocolate[/user]
Alpha gave a smug wink at the confused man and a click of her tongue. "Don't ya worry! Alphabet Chocolate is on the case and ready to fire up them potatoes and stuff! You just take a look away and I'll work my fairy godmother magic!" she grinned, wrapping her arms around Kazerou's shoulders (standing on her very tip-toes to do so). She attempted to get him to turn around but, regardless or not it worked, she flipped over and did a small cartwheel to the end of the plantation. Magic curled at her fingertips and she tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully for a second, pondering and thinking about which spells to use. Finally, she made a decision. "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!" And, straight from her outstretched palm, green magic twirled and floated above and sparkled like falling glitter. It took mere seconds for the fluttering glimmers to settle down and, for a moment, it seemed as if the entire farmland had glowed with green vigor. "And there ya go! Alphabet Chocolate magic!" she proclaimed, cheerful as can be. She jogged back over to Kazerou's spot and plopped down next to him, clutching fast to his leg with a twinkle in her eye. "Now...about potato payment," she started. Just after she had finished the last syllable of the last word of the last sentence she had spoken, small roots began to manifest from the ground. "We just gotta dig it all up! Er, well, you have to dig it all up! I have to prepare the gumbo with the potatoes you owe me!" @Kazerou Sumeragi
It was a bit of a sudden shock that his work more or less just doubled as Alpha seemed to just but into his business without any sort of working. As she pretended to be the fairy godmother the fields started to glow and more potatoes had begun to grow from the ground. He just stood to the side, his exhaustion and disbelief making him slump and look at the fields as if he was close to just giving up. But perhaps he could convince Alpha to use her magic over nature for something even better than regrowing potatoes, perhaps he could make her make the vegetables harvest themselves! it was a brilliant idea. So he looked to Alpha as she moved back to him and just stared at her again. This girl was way too cheery and the fact she looked like a loli made him think that a flat chest means infinite energy for women. He looked to the girl now clinging to his leg and the instant anti-loli defenses kicked in and he was off! Waving his leg around to try and get her off him. He didn't want a small woman grabbing his leg and it was a violation of his personal space, not that you can have such in a widely popular MMORPG. Grabbing his hoe he tried to wedge its pole between his leg and alpha and starts to attempt prying the girl off his leg, but a farmer hoe isn't exactly a crowbar so it'd only really work if Alpha let it. He struggled a moment then realized her reward was potatoes...so stick to the plan. He gave up and sighed dropping the instrument of harvest and field prep and looked to her. "Alpha-san, if you can help me harvest all these potatoes, I'm sure the farmer will let you have as many as you desire". He used an honorific, oh crap he was doomed now, soon she'll be clinging to him to make him call her nee-san or something horrible like Alpha-sama. He mentally cursed his Japanese upbringing and heritage and sort of just...slumped again. Standing there like a stunned zombie, the exhaustion had gotten to him by now and his circuits were mroe or less burned out now that Alpha has arisen and stolen his very digital soul. Of course he wasn't actually soulless, just exhausted from constant work and now hoping to get the nature mage to do all the work for him so he could grab some gold and run for the nearest weapon shop. As much as he didn't like being a stereotype, he had his heart set on a katana he had seen in the markets. The fine crafting of such a blade was all he needed, a blade was a companion in combat as a chef's knife is whilst cooking. Plus he had a Samurai Ancestry, going all the way back to the Sengoku period so in a way he was living a dream of being a samurai...even though he chose that light armor would be his go to when he eventually got some. But none the less, he was getting that katana today! Whether the shop owner liked it or not he'd be getting that sword with the gold he earned here! But that seemed to depend on Alpha right now. @Alphabet Chocolate
Alpha cocked her head to the side, interested in Kazerou's proposition. While she had intended only to loot a few potatoes from the man at most to satisfy her current mashed potato craving, she certainly liked the prospect of having even more potatoes (to the point that she didn't know what to do with them). The more the merrier, right? And Alpha was, if nothing else, a very greedy individual for amusement and belongings. Without a second thought or a worry about the potential problem that sentient, self-harvesting potatoes could cause, and whether or not she could actually use her magic in such a way, she nodded her head eagerly with an overconfident, smug smile. "All of the potatoes in this world shall be the property of Alphabet Chocolate!" she cackled. It was an over-the-top, eccentric villainous laugh but it did the job as several birds of indiscernible species flew off into the skies at the abrupt sound. "Magic is easy-peasy! And, uh, Kazerou...san? Is that what you Japanese people say at the end of your sentences? I mean, you look Asian and I watched a few of your cartoons once in a while so...oh well! Whatever! Watch me!" she harrumphed as she strutted across the field, keeping a close eye on the grown crop. In truth, despite her arrogant demeanor, she didn't have a clue on where to start. Up until now, Alpha had never actually thought of such an outlandish idea (which was quite ironic considering her personality and proclivities) and most of the spells in her repertoire were merely copies of what she had seen herself in other spell-casters that loitered around the world. Never before had the idea of granting sentient life to something occurred to her as that was often the domain of those of the likes of Lucia Mierz and such. Then again, Naturamancy was the magic of life so she was absolutely certain that, if she put her mind to it, she'd figure out something or the other which'll bring about some excellent results! And so, trying not to lose face with her apparent admirer, she huffed her chest up and stared up without blinking. Slowly, she took a breath and began an unneeded chant to focus her magic. Although Naturamancy was, by in its nature (no pun intended), a non-evocative magic, she often used words as a conduit and focus for her magic. There weren't many mages on Terrasphere who lacked the proper magical equipment that came in the form of wands or grimoires. That simply meant that Alpha had to put in a tad bit more effort to get results it. "Vitae," she breathed and, with huff and puff of her lungs, wisps of green magic flew from her lips and, once again, sprinkled on the ground. After a minute of expectant waiting, she grew dejected. Although the spell was simple in and of itself, it deprived and depleted much of her magical energy (as she had automatically assumed that a spell of this caliber would cost more than a paltry amount of energy) and to see a failed spell that took so much magic simply drained her (again, no pun intended). Still, she didn't want to face Kazerou with a failure. She simply looked on ahead, clenching her fists tight with a faint trace of hope brimming behind her eyes. And, it seemed, that hope paid off. Roots began to twirl and knot into itself and, from the ground, were potatoes which dug themselves up. They were cute and made little squeaky grunts as they clumsily pulled themselves out of the soil, climbing out and cooing as they saw their first glimpse of sunlight. Alpha had tears brimming in her eyes. Happy at her success, she rushed over to greet one of the potato stalkings that had popped out with glee, hugging the little plant into her chest as she stared down at it lovingly. "I shall name you Panda! Oh! And you'll be Steven! And you'll be Clyde!" she giggled as the potato children began to circle around her. Unbeknownst to her, she was not yet strong enough to create permanent life and it would all dissipate sooner of later. Regardless, she cherished each and every one of them and their cute, beady eyes. Tears fell from her face. "And you'll be Donald! And you'll be Cooky! And You'll be Apocalypse Armageddon the Third!" she squealed. How could a monster ever want to eat such adorable, innocent creatures? @Kazerou Sumeragi
"Yes I am Japanese, the honorific San is more or less to be polite more than anything" he said as he watched her strut out to the field after scaring off some birds, it reminded him that he was gonna make some chicken for dinner tonight. His favorite type of chicken too, covered in garlic butter and seared on a grill on both sides, more butter added to it to keep the flavor on and in the meat as it cooked. He tried not to drool at the thought of his own real world creation of a delicious meal and succeeded as he watched the girl attempt to cast the spell, a bit of panic crossed his mind for an instant at the idea of deadly potato men rising from the ground to try and drag him back under and claim his soul. But on the other hand...potatoes roasted in the excess garlic butter would go nice with the chicken, maybe some beans and carrots to go with it and a nice white Diane sauce to top it all off. Food was on the mind now, never mind about that katana he saw, it was now food time and food time was deep thought time. His love for food probably made it seem odd that he was so skinny both in game and real life. But a balanced diet does that he guessed. Then Alpha seemed to snap him out of his daze about food with her excited naming of her new potato minions. Was it wonder and amazement that had crossed Kazerou's face, no, it was sheer terror, the potatoes had become kawaii and self aware and they were gathering around their mistress, a master of the Naturmancy arts and a threat to all within her vicinity. The potato men had risen and they were dangerous, or not...they were cooing a lot like infants at this stage and they were all stumbling around the place, so everyone was safe for now, Kazerou had calmed a bit but there was still the potential threat of Potato men dragging him to the depths of hell and so he decided he'd keep his distance for now...until one of them had decided Kazerou looked tasty and bit into his leg making him let out a loud yelp of pain. "GET IT OFF!!" he shouted as he swung his leg around, the vicious potato keeping a grip with its mouth alone before it slipped off and hit the ground only to have Kazerou grab it and toss it at Alpha because she was its master after all. But maybe that was the worst idea he would ever have, maybe Alpha would make them turn on him and he was now done for. This day just got very weird. @Alphabet Chocolate
Alpha gasped as Kazerou began to violently mishandle the poor creatures and quickly reached out to grab the flying potato sent her way. Her latent maternal instincts were in full-drive as she tickled her little creation, drawing out a few content coos and happy squeals in return. She turned to toss Kazerou a pointed glare before her attention returned to cuddling the poor potato baby, nuzzling it softly and rocking it before it stilled and went to sleep. The other potatoes seemed to have enjoyed the sentiment as well as they crowded around her, each pushing and biting for a chance to get a bit of love thrown their way. Needless to say, Alpha felt a bit of a power trip in having a field of potatoes worship her but she pressed the feeling down, slowly placing the sleeping potato on the floor before grabbing another one vying for her attention. She extended her arms over to Kazerou's direction. "How could you be mean to these little babies?!" she exclaimed, alternating looks between Kazerou and the potato. "Look at those huge eyes! Their little sounds! They're just little sweetie pies, Kaze!" She looked back down at the potato in her arms before crying from the utter cuteness of it all. "It's okay Panda," she murmured in an exaggerated baby voice, taking a finger to tickle the creation. "I love you! Yes I do, yes I do! You're such a cute little baby potato! Yes you are! You're a good potato!" she grinned as it twisted and turned, yelping a high-pitched laugh as it struggled to flee from the tickling onslaught. The other potatoes simply took the chance to circle Kazerou, their tiny bodies unable to do serious harm (but that didn't stop them from trying). Within seconds, they piled up on top of each other and attempted to slam into Kazerou to no avail. Alpha took the view with humor. "Aww! See, aren't they just adorable!" @Kazerou Sumeragi
