บท 3: Rune Argentus 2 [Revised]

After telling his wife to wake up their son, Bo headed down the dirt road and toward their fields. 'First thing I need to do is take inventory,' he thought.

Being a self-sufficient town, each household had its own field that they could do with what they liked. The one for their family was located at the end of the road that led to their house. Norma had wanted a little more privacy when they first built their home, and she instantly fell in love with that particular location the first time she laid eyes upon it. Bo didn't mind the walk, as it allowed him time to enjoy the scenery and the crisp morning air. Reaching the fields, he walked off to the side where the barn was located so he could take stock of their supplies.

Upon arriving, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small metallic slab. He tapped it with his finger to bring up a projection. It was a holographic display, or holo-pad, and it was a remnant of the Ancient's technology.

Much of this technology was lost during the collapse of civilization long ago, and only a few things of that era remained intact and in use today. Holographic technology was one of them. There were currently many different applications that used holographic technology, and each was used for different things like entertainment, identification, and even books, Bo's was a simple one that recorded information.

Here at their fields, the Argentus family grew wheat, vegetables, and raised livestock. As these things were used both for to provide for themselves and as items of trade for products and services that were not as readily available, it was important that they pay close attention to how much they had in their stores. A certain balance needed to be maintained so that they may continue to enjoy their current lifestyle.

While going over everything, Bo heard a voice.

"Mornin' Bo, getting ready to start the day?"

"Ah Bill, mornin'. Yes, I'm just taking stock while I wait for Rune to get ready. You heading over to the house?"

A gentle-looking man walked over with a small, bushy, curved tail and short, stubby ears that matched his chestnut-colored hair. He was a Nut-Kin, a squirrel Beastman, and the Village of Kin's resident Sigil mage. The government controlled Sigil mages, as part of a system that the Kaiser put into place long ago, to help rebuild society. Although the village was self-sufficient, they still depended on Sigil mages for their daily needs, and one or more were typically assigned to each town and city, depending on the size.

Sigils were responsible for many things, like providing running water, electricity, and whatnot, and working in conjunction with their holograms in different ways. For example, Sigils placed on the structure of the barn allowed information to be sent directly to Bo's Holopad, giving detailed information about anything that was placed inside. Sigils needed to be activated with Mana, and while not everyone could use magic, everyone had Mana in their bodies and was capable of activating them.

"Yep, that's right. I was headin' up there to ensure all the Sigils were workin' properly. Little Rune still not up yet?" Bill replied.

"No, you know how my boy is. He never changes. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

"I was also thinking of checking on the Sigils placed in the barn. They don't need to be checked too frequently, but it has been quite a while since I've looked at these ones."

"By all means, go right ahead."

Bo stroked his beard as the Squirrel man went about his work. He had been friends with Bill for a while now, and these daily checkups were something he quite enjoyed. There was a big grin on Bo's face as he chatted with the man as he went about his inspection.

The two men continued talking for a bit while Bill looked over the Sigils placed on the barn until he eventually finished his inspection.

"Well, everything looks good." Bill proclaimed confidently.

"Is that so? That's good."

Bill chuckled, "You know, while I'm up at the house, I can also take a look at your Rune if you want?."

His joke was a play on words, attributing to the fact that some people referred to Sigils as Runes.

"I'm afraid that's a bit out of your expertise," Bo said. He held his stomach and let out a hearty laugh before he continued. "It will take more than you are capable of to fix that one."

After chatting for a while longer, Bill departed towards the house. In the meantime, Bo went back to looking over everything while waiting for Rune to arrive.

***

Making his way downstairs, Rune stopped for a moment and squinted his eyes. 'Why do I feel like someone's talking shit?' he thought, 'Eh, it must be my imagination.'

After reaching the dining room to eat, Rune saw his mom working on preparing bread with another woman. It was Jean, the mother of his childhood friend. Like his own mom, Jean looked younger than her age with blond hair, blue eyes, and an attractive face. She had always had a good relationship with his mother, and they often worked together to bake bread for his mother's business.

Each household had a specialty that they produced, and the Argentus family's was the wheat they used to make bread. They had a monopoly on the production of wheat in their village, and while others had tried to stake out a claim in the market for themselves, their products just didn't sell as well. Norma just had a superior technique in how she made her bread,

A portion of each house's specialty was set aside for the community while the rest is sold to traveling merchants and adventurers who pass through the village. Being one of the only stops on the way to the Capital, they usually have no trouble selling their good.

"Oh, sweetie, you're up. I made you some hot rice porridge with a fresh piece of bread. You remember Jean, of course; she's helping out again today." Rune's mother called out to him after seeing him stumble into the kitchen.

'Geeze, this woman. You wouldn't know by looking at her that this is the same person that dropped me on my head earlier.' Rune scoffed to himself.

He was still a little grumpy, so he responded with a simple 'mhm.' After sitting down and taking a spoonful of porridge and a mouthful of bread. He heard Jean call him soon after.

"Oh, Rune, when are you going to ask out my Stella?"

"Mrs. Jean, what are you saying?!" Rune coughed, nearly choking from the rudeness of her question.

"Oh, come now, I've seen how you watch her," Jean said teasingly.

" Well. . . "

Rune was not sure what to say. It was a topic he had been avoiding up until now for certain reasons. Him and his childhood friend Stella were extremely close, and most people in the village seemed to view them as an item already. Though Stella had never picked up on it, everyone viewed them as a couple and considered it a forgone conclusion that they would get married in the future and carve out a portion of the village as their own.

"You should ask. If you are worried about the fact that you're leaving in a week, then it's fine. It's not like you will never come back. I'm sure you guys could make things work."

Rune contemplated, he conjured an image of the two together in his thoughts, "Maybe you are right."

'She's not wrong. I have always been interested in Stella, and I'd be lying if I said my departure was one of the reasons for me holding back.' He thought.

"Of course I'm right; take a chance. Once you leave, you'll probably get caught up in things and won't return for a while."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes, I am certain she will respond favorably. Even if things don't work out, I'd still like her to get some experience with relationships. That way, when someone else comes to sweep her off her feet, she won't have a hard time holding on to him." Jean said with a hint of jestful snarkiness in her voice.

It was obvious she was trying to get a rise out of him. Rune refused to let her know it was actually working.

Rune scoffed and turned his head away. "Someone else take Stella? Whatever. Not like I care. Though if you are that desperate to give her to me then I guess I could ask her out."

Jean simply laughed before going back to help make the bread without saying another word.

***

After finishing eating, Rune made his way over to the bath. The bathhouse wasn't anything too fancy. The hallway leading in had wooden cubbies with towels for storing your clean clothes and a basket in the corner for your dirty clothes. Inside Was a wooden tub for soaking and a shower head in an open area with a bucket and stool for washing yourself. Stepping inside, he undressed, and took a second to admire his appearance and physique in the mirror, as he often did.

Staring at his reflection, Rune smiled at what he saw. He had inherited the best features of both his parents: his mother's attractive face, bright green eyes, and auburn hair, as well as his father's well-built body. His wavy hair is on the longer side, set in its usual windswept style. Because of its length, some of the strands tend to fall down the side of his face.

His body is well-defined and muscular, but not too much to where he looks bulky or brawny like his father—all of those combined to give Rune a slightly androgynous look. Tracing his eyes down his body, he saw his manhood dangling toward the floor. It was an adequate six inches and only grew bigger when he was aroused.

"Not bad. It's not the biggest, but I'm also still growing," He mused.

After quickly cleaning up, he got dressed into some clothes suitable for work: a white cotton shirt and a simple pair of pants. Leaving the bathhouse, he said goodbye to his mom and Mrs. Jean and made his way down the road and to the fields.