Chapter 58: Restoring a Debt.
–Chapter 58–
Title>> Restoring a Debt.
The Green Solace was quiet when Xavier returned from his rat hunt.
He found Sir Buttallo crouched beside one of the already damaged plants.
Sir Buttallo noticed him almost immediately, turning backwards. But the moment his eyes landed on Xavier, he slowly rose to his feet. His gaze moved past Xavier toward the southern bordwr of the garden before returning to him.
Without a word, Buttallo walked past Xavier toward the southern boundary. Almost like he was in a state of confusion.
Xavier watched as the fairy stopped and then crouched beside one of the first sealed burrows.
He pressed two fingers against the soil. Andremained there for a few seconds before moving to the next.
Standing up, he carried out the same procedure for three other burrows.
At the fourth, Buttallo stayed crouched longer. His head tilted slightly as though he was listening for something beneath the earth. But there was nothing. No scrapping claws. No sharp shrieks.
Buttallo slowly straightened up.The tension that had remained in his posture whenever he dealt with those furry menaces seemed to evaporate from his shoulder, all at once
"Fourteen days," he muttered more to himself than Xavier.
His eyes hovered around the sealed burrow, still in disbelief. "I’ve been sealing holes for fourteen bad days."
A short self-mocking laugh escaped his lips. It carried more disbelief than amusement.
Having taken in what Xavier had helped him achieve. He turned to his life’s work again.
Then the arching smile turned sour as if he took a shot of vinegar.
With sharp and attentive eyes, Xavier followed the Fairy’s gaze. And he understood the sudden shift.
The Root Rats were gone that’s for sure, but the damage they had left in their wake was stuck very much evident.
Curiously, Xavier walked closer to the healthy specimens of the peculiar Bloomcup plant.
The strange beauty he had noticed earlier persisted. Their petals curved inward like deep cups, their translucent edges catching the filtered light beneath the canopy.
But the most beautiful part was on the inside. It had iridescent pollen swimming in slow motion, glowing faintly as they moved around the petal cup.
On the other hand, the damaged Bloomcups were different.
Their glow had faded considerably, leaving the petals looking dull beneath the canopy. Most of the pollen had settled at the bottom of the cups instead of drifting inside of it.
The damage didn’t end there, several of the outer roots had darkened where the Root Rats had chewed through them.
Xavier crouched beside one of the damaged specimens still in thought.
From using his Alchemy skill, he knew the roots were responsible for drawing mana from the surrounding environment and storing it within the plant.
The mana accumulated through the roots and petals, while the plant’s internal structure allowed it to retain that energy.
Xavier’s fingers brushed against one of the remaining roots.The annoying root rats hadn’t simply been eating the plants.They had been damaging the part that allowed them to accumulate mana.
"It cannot be replanted?" Xavier asked after another second.
Buttallo crouched beside him and gently touched one of the damaged roots.
"It can, b–" he paused. "But the root structure takes years to establish properly. What they’ve damaged won’t simply grow back."
Xavier wasn’t deeply affected by the whole scenario but he had the feeling he could help with this.
Lifting his right hand, he looked over his shoulder towards Sir Buttallo.
"Does it matter if I try something?"
Buttallo looked at Xavier’s hand and then at the plant. This dragon had managed to fix the corruption that held Fiona hostage. The corruption his potions had failed to destroy.
"It is already dying," he shrugged. "Why..not."
Xavier barely nodded and placed his open palm against the soil at the base of the plant.
He reached for something deep within his soul. And took a deep breath.
"Restore"
The moment the golden shimmer of the skill bloomed, it moved through the plant like a flood.
With his hand on the plant, Xavier felt the difference through an enhanced perception.
Restore wasn’t treating the plant like it was another damaged body. No...not at all.
Instead, the skill recognized what the plant was supposed to be and worked backward from its current state toward that condition without any delay.
With nothing fighting him back. No corruption or force of resistance.
The golden radiance moved through the damaged roots and they began to recover without delay.
The darkened sections gradually returned to their original color as the plant’s structure stabilized.
Even a slight bend in its frail stem corrected itself in a matter of seconds and the flower slowly lifted.
One by one, the dull pollens within the cup sparked into life causing an iridescent glow that rose from the bottom of the cup.
Within seconds, the iridescent pollen was circulating through the flower again, catching the light and returning its faint colors to the petals.
Xavier slowly lifted his hand from the roots as the plant stood straight.
Buttallo’s fingers twitched, his mouth opened slightly as he stared at the flower for several seconds.
Still in shock, the fairy crouched beside the plant. His shaky fingers carefully touched the restored roots, then moved toward the flower.
His widened eyes watched the pollens dance around the cup as if it wasn’t dying only a minute ago.
"What was that?" Sir Buttallo asked in a whisper.
"A skill," Xavier replied casually.
"This is not just a skill," Sir Buttallo said in the same tone. "It is a miracle."
***
A few minutes later...
"What exactly are you?"
Buttallo’s question lingered between them.
Xavier didn’t answer.
His attention had already returned to the garden. Every damaged plant had been restored, and the difference was obvious now that he could see the Green Solace without the Root Rats’ damage obscuring it.
The System responded in kind.
[Side Quest: Garden Menace]
[Additional Objective has been completed: Restore the damaged specimens.]
[Experience Acquired.]
[+25 Reputation]
Xavier dismissed the notification.
Behind him, Buttallo was still staring at the garden.
The fairy looked from one restored plant to another, as though expecting the damage to return if he stopped looking at it for too long.
Xavier glanced at him.
The male fairy had been dealing with this garden for years.
And now, in the space of a few minutes, the plants he had already considered lost were standing healthy again.
Xavier could understand why he was speechless.
Buttallo remained among the restored plants for another few moments before finally turning toward Xavier.
The astonishment was still there, but something else had settled over his expression now.
Gratitude...
He looked back at the garden. Then back at Xavier.
"I owe you a debt."
Xavier’s eyes shifted toward him.
Buttallo adjusted his glasses, though they hadn’t slipped.
"The Root Rats were already bad enough. You found their nest when I couldn’t, and now you’ve restored plants I had already accepted I would lose."
His gaze moved across the Green Solace again.
"I don’t know how you did it, but I know what this place means to me."
Xavier said nothing and merely listened. Looking at the new notification.
[Restore | Mastery - 50%]
Buttallo’s hand tightened briefly around the retrieved gardening knife still hanging at his side.
"Whatever you need from me, within reason, I’ll provide it."
The System chimed at the statement.
[Debt Established: Sir Buttallo]
Xavier glanced at the notification. Wondering why it didn’t do the same for Fiona. Or didn’t she genuinely believe she was in his debt?
Either a debt was useful. Especially one owed by someone who had spent years cultivating the Green Solace and clearly knew far more about its plants than he did.
His attention shifted briefly toward the garden.
The mana-storing plants. The pollen. The way Buttallo had handled them and the vast knowledge behind everything growing here.
Xavier already had the Alchemy skill at level 2, what if practical knowledge could enhance it.
Well it once did... When it brought him from level 1 to 2.
He looked back at Buttallo.
"I’ll collect it now."
Buttallo’s brows lifted. "Now?"
Xavier nodded with a small smile.
"Teach me how you make your potions."
--End of Chapter--
A/N: As always thank you all for reading and your support. But I am considering something and would really like to know what Y’all want.
I am planning to make an Auxillary Chapter to throw some insight into the power system. But I’m unsure if you guys would want that.
Please I would really love to know what Y’all think about this.
T for Thanks.