185~Alfred
The mayor’s house was a two story building nestled under the remaining vibrant green leaves of the dying Verdant Tree. Yvlena watched as dew slid off the leaves and fell unto the ground causing a flower to sprout.
She gasped, what if they collected a bunch of it, could that heal the tree? She wondered what the mayor thought about all this.
“The Mayor used to meet people at the town hall but that’s stopped since Old Verdant Vale has been lost.” Lucas explained.
“Have you tried taking it back by dealing with the infected?” Yvlena asked slowly, she didn’t want to offend the town guard with her question but she needed some answers to why they had just abandoned old Verdant Vale.
“We tried, they were just too strong and quickly over powered the town guard, the only one who stood a chance against them was Freude.” Lucas said, seeming sad he had to bring up Risel’s brother in front of her.
“He was amazing wasn’t he?” Risel said. Lucas nodded.
“I’m not joking when I said he was the best of us.”
Risel turned to Yvlena with a smile, she returned it and faced Lucas with another question. Looking around she say a they were stopped by a large green gate that barred entry into the Mayor’s property. The home reminded her of the Rose Manor which she longed to get back to.
Who knew what had happened to her crops?
The thought left he mind as quickly as she thought it. There were more important tings to worry about.
“So the mayor receives guests at his home?” Yvlena asked, she sighed, trying not to sound impatient as they waited for the gate to be unlocked. “Who are we waiting for?”
“Yes, he does and we’re waiting for the grounds keeper who usually opens for guests.” Lucas said, he rapped his knuckles across the gate.
They waited a moment and soon the sound of footsteps could be heard approaching them.
“Lucas is that you?” A man just a head shorter than Lucas said running towards the gate in a large sun hat that obscured his face from view. He wore large worker’s overalls stained with dark soil that showed he had been working to attending to the grounds.
“Still trying to grow something out of the soil, Alfred.”
Alfred gave a deep sigh, so loud his chest rumbled.
“I’m just about ready to give up, the soil around New Verdant Vale is just as polluted.” Alfred said looking towards Lucas, it was then that he noticed Risel and Yvlena standing by the man.
“Oh, goodness me. I didn’t know we had guests and they...seem to be new faces too.” Alfred said, he bowed lowly to them and introduced himself as the grounds keeper and staff of the Mayor’s home. Yvlena had already puzzled that out from the interaction with Lucas.
“Pleasure to meet you.” Risel said. The elf looked past the gates and at the dying plants barely being nourished from the poor, polluted soil. “I might not know much about gardening, but I’m sure my friend Yvlena could help.”
“That’s right, you did say you were a Garden Mystic.” Lucas chimed in.
From underneath the sun hat Alfred looked at Yvlena in awe, she was just what he needed if she could help him with his problem.
Yvlena sweated, three people were staring at her now with expectant gazes hoping she would have an answer.
“Well I’d have to study the soil to tell you if it’s a lost cause or not. But from the looks of it you’d probably need fresh soil from outside the town. The Miasma cleared up and the Verdant Lake has been cleaned up too.”
Lucas and Alfred gaped.
“I told you she could help.” Risel giggled.
“I should have known, if the Verdant Lake is clear then why is the tree still…” Alfred stopped himself before he could use the word dying. None of them wanted to acknowledge it but the Great Verdant Tree was withering.
“That’s also what I came to find out, which is why I have to see the mayor.”
[Affinity with Lucas increased +2]
[Affinity with Alfred increased +2]
“O-Of course, right this way.” He said guiding Yvlena and Risel into the path down to the Mayor’s home, evident from his voice he was still in shock at the news of the Verdant Lake.
Yvlena sighed and thought about how Risel might mention the Harvest Guardian to the mayor, her heart raced a bit at the thought of Alfred and Lucas withdrawing their friendship once they knew the truth.
She knew it had to come out one way or the other and Risel might just be the catalyst.
“Lucas have you heard of the Harvest Guardian?” Yvlena asked curiously as they walked down the path, on either side of them was dying garden.
Yvlena’s face saddened at the sight. She didn’t have a green thumb in her real life but as the Harvest Guardian, it pained her to see the flowers and shrubs dying.
“I only know the myths about him and how he used to bless the great tree.” Lucas said after a bit of thinking. “They say the Harvest Guardian is a messenger of the gods but I’m not so sure we’ll see one again because—”
“Because of the war of the gods.” Yvlena finished for him.
“Exactly, there are more accounts of the Harvest Guardian in the town library but like I said you’d have to go to old Verdant Vale to get them and that place is crawling with monsters.”
“I hear the last time the Harvest Guardian visited he came to ask the Great Verdant Tree for help.” He said, looking back at Yvlena who was behind him.
“I heard the tree is able to speak to certain people like the Harvest Guardian but I’m not so sure that’s possible anymore on account of all the pollution.” Alfred finished.
[Story of the Harvest Guardian 21% completion]
‘So that’s what Rael was doing in the Verdant Vale, he probably needed the tree’s help to find a cure for the Miasma’ Yvlena thought.
They were standing at the door now, with Yvlena and Risel deep in thought about their next course of action when the door was suddenly wrenched open by a hand.
“Alfred!”