CH5: Centaur's And Plowing (Patreon)

Two suns bore down on them like two great yellow eyes. “The dragon is angry today,” Thistle said.

Was that a myth, or was a dragon in space glaring down at them? That would be crazy. How large would it have to be for Earth to orbit around it? Or was it stars in the thing’s eyes? He focused back on Thistle as his skin itched and sweat beaded from his brow.

Covered in sweat with a white top soaked to the point he could see the cotton bra covering her breasts, Thistle had a girl next door look going on. Zack imagined himself rubbing her broad shoulders and brushing the sweat from her beautiful sorrel coat. Her tail flared, revealing a pair of panties covering her privates designed with buttons. All he had to do was pop them, and he would get a full view of her privates. He hadn’t expected clothing and modesty from a real-life monster girl, but it seemed anime steered him wrong.

“Sorry, Thistle. I’ll try to pay better attention. How many rows are left?” Zack asked.

“Did you forget how to see with all your daydreaming?” She smirked. “We’re done.”

“Buck, no, and stop staring at my rump, you perv, and fix the blades. We aren’t even halfway done.” Zack stared at the collection of blades before him and stared at the big rock in the way.

He slipped a hand down before pausing. “There is a rock, so don’t move,” Zack said.

Thistle looked back and trotted a step forward. He snatched his hand back and caught how her muscles twitched as she smashed through the rock with the blade.

“Adjust the blade. Who cares about wimpy rocks when you have enchanted blades? I’m ready to trot. This is my last field today.” Thistle said.

Zack adjusted the blade and somehow made it uneven the other way. After a little haggling with the lever, he managed to get back in line with the row behind him.

“Alright, it’s ready.” Zack fell into work. He felt the grass poking out of the field calling to him.

“So what’s your favorite food?” Zack asked.

“Humans that ask too many questions when my tummy has the rumbles and the tavern I’ve been saving my coppers to visit is calling for me. To answer your dumb question, maybe I could try the pot roast.

Would you like to learn the skill Plow?

Y/N

“If you’re considering taking the plowing skill, don’t do it unless you want to be trapped at G rank. I’m surprised that Joshua hasn’t warned you already.” Zack gave her a questioning look. Their eyes met, and her green orbs seemed to stare through him. “Unless you just had a new skill pop up, I’m sure I’m right,” Thistle said.

“To plow is not limited to fields. It can also mean to tackle something or to mate with them thoroughly.” Zack said.

The olive-skinned girl turned and raised her back leg as if to kick the fool out of him. Then she slowly put it down.

“Buck, skills aren’t linear. Yeah, I get that I’m a centaur, so I can get lots of experience plowing. Maybe in two years of this, I could make it to F.  I built this plow and even enchanted the blades to climb out of this trap and you’re saying I could ram things with my eyes closed to improve it.”

“Does the use determine how the skill improves? Or if you rank it up, will it improve every facet of the skill? Would I need to build an enchanted plow, run through things, and rut like an animal to level it?” Zack asked.

“The more directions a skill can be taken, the faster it will rank up. You are in the middle of nowhere, so you probably don’t know much about skills. I guess you’re a natural and pisses me off. Well, another avenue to take the skill is a good thing.”

Zack stared at the grass-covered field. He was holding her up, and that made him an asshole. She was also completely adorable. He wanted to brush her out, play with her ears, and maybe plow every inch of her.

He was learning so much and not just from talking with Thistle. Talking about her interests made her open a bit.

 Then he could feel the seeds from poorly ground and baked bread in her stomach. “What about multiple skills that went into each other?” Zack asked.

“Those vary greatly, but most of the time, they fuse when enough of them rank up. Plow, seeding, tilling, irrigation, pesticide, weed control, plant health, and harvesting can all become farming, a much more varied skill that is far easier to level than plowing. Depending on the direction, skills can be merged to create different, unique, or broad skills. What is Joshua teaching you?”

“We’re supposed to start on soldiering soon,” Zack said.

“Does he dislike answering questions, or are you comparing our answers?” The centaur gave Zack a look. “Are you trying to get me talking to put off work? You do know your pa will have to pay more, right.” Thistle said.

“If you do that, he might try to hook me to the old rusty plow and tell me to do it myself next time.”

“Maybe I’ll come watch and cheer you on.”

 Zack wiped his face. It was hot and miserable. He didn’t know how Thistle did it every day. Maybe a skill to withstand heat would be good. Then again, he wouldn’t want to burn himself to rank it up.

Of course, there were other builds he could try, but adding farming or would it be greater farming? Skills were tools that focused attributes into something useful. Greater was a term he used for a skill that merged multiple other skills. He wasn’t sure if they had a special title. They felt more like classes than simple skills if they genuinely encompassed various skills.

Zack smirked at her and chose Plow. He had a plan for it working over in his mind, and it was too helpful not to snag when offered. If he combined it with his Demeter’s Blessing, could he punch someone and leave seeds behind?

“I would like it. Would you also jump up and down for me?” Zack asked.

They were familiar, most likely thanks to the mind control. It was like meeting a new friend with whom he just clicked. From what it sounded like, she remembered being friendly with him even if this was their first meeting.

“You are a strange human. I won’t tell Joshua you have a crush on me if you don’t get creepy.” Thistle said.

“I will be on my best behavior. So, do you want to go swimming after this?” Zack asked.

“You couldn’t wait five minutes before trying to get my bra and panties off,” Thistle said.

Zack wanted a guide to show him around, specifically to a source of fresh water. He looked through the shop, and a bottle of water was $10$. Nearly everything in the shop was overpriced, thanks to shipping. On the other hand, they could sell things through their inventory for cash.

“I do need a bath after work. Alright, stay in the lines, and if we finish early, we’ll see.”

Zack opened his mouth and closed it. He couldn’t believe that worked. Thistle wasn’t easy. By the way, her green eyes were narrowed in his direction; she hadn’t expected him to ask her. It also wasn’t unwelcome. Maybe people didn’t try to get to know her because she was a centaur and only used her for her incredible plowing skill. Rocks, roots, and stumps were no problem to her plow.

Zack adjusted his handling of the plow, and Thistle trotted a little faster, and keeping the blade in line was slightly more manageable. How would that work if they were both using the same skill? Would it be half the XP, or would they gain more?

They cleared a row, cutting through many rocks in their way.

Plow: Breakthrough barriers, cultivate the ground for planting, and give a hard dicking.

Level: 2/99

Rank: G

Levels were a new feature or maybe a function of Plow. Did specific skills have hidden features that required a little thinking to activate?

Demeter’s Blessing: Grow plants faster, take traits from monsters, and breed them into plants.

Level: 0/999

Rank: E

Primordial World (Seed): An inner world with a single meter of land bursting with potential and hunger for mana. The user can open and close portals to their land out of combat. The world is an extension of the user’s soul, giving the user complete autonomy over the world beyond even the gods and their domains. The size of the portal is dependent on the user manual. G x 1 meter.  

Level: 0/99999

Rank: G

Okay, maybe he vastly underestimated the Primordial World (seed) skill. It took a lot of levels just to raise a single skill. How could he even increase it?

Zack shook those thoughts aside and got into the swing of things. He kept the rows in line, and they moved faster. In half the time of the first row, they finished two.

He wiped the sweat from his brow. The sun was still high in the air with no sign of setting. The grass was standing on end, reaching for it, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. He didn’t know how hot it was; he only needed a drink badly.

He checked his attributes while he kept the plow going in a straight line.

Body G-

Level: 1/99

Endurance G-

Level: 2/99

Plow allowed him to push through barriers, and maybe it also helped him see those barriers in the first place. Was that how skills worked? If he plowed through something, that meant he didn’t have control, but that wasn’t always the case. Sometimes, people meant to plow through a bush. Knowing what he was plowing through might be a part of the skill, or maybe he subconsciously thought it should be. Or perhaps it was a new feature of the world, and he was crediting the wrong thing.

They finished the last row as sweat beaded down their bodies, and the exertion completely soaked their clothes. “Raise the blade with the crank and latch it so it doesn’t fall by mistake again.”

Thistle glared at him while he followed her instructions. Who did these memory changes, Apollo? That guy was such a dick. Thistle trotted forward and looked back at him.

“Are you coming? I need to drop this off at my home. I’ll even let you ride me to the pond. If no one sees.”

Zack wanted to jump up and down and cheer. He had done it, and this was the first step in forming a strong relationship with someone. He could also milk her for information about the world. Maybe he could hear some centaur myths.

“Oh, it looks like you are done early. Zack, it's time I taught you how to be a man.”

He looked between Thistle and the nearly 7ft giant blonde with a massive chin and a handlebar mustache. Little gray streaks in the man’s sideburns made him look distinguished. Zack personally thought he looked like a cross between George Clooney and M. Bison from Streetfighter. It was the man’s chin that stuck out the most. There was too much character in it.

“Alright, maybe another time Zack. I need to get my plow back home anyway.” Thistle said.

When they were out of earshot, Joshua spoke. “Zack, my boy, you like bigger girls, but maybe you shouldn’t try to court a Thistle. She isn’t like most girls.”

“Because she’s a centaur,” Zack said.

“Because she had no family. A centaur without a herd is uncommon. So you have to wonder why is she all alone?” Joshua said.

“Maybe she’s worth the risk,” Zack said.

“Plenty of pretty human girls would make better brides; some come with land. Old widow Chur’s only daughter is near your age. If you marry her, then you could have nearly 200 acres. Maybe you could have a centaur mistress on the side with that kind of land.” Joshua said.

“I would rather not be tied down to a plot of land here. I’ve heard rumors.” Zack said. “Pa, you’re a soldier. What do you know about our neighbors?”  

No, he hadn’t, but he left his statement open-ended.

“I was a soldier, and I gave up that life. Look at me. Peace has made me a shadow of my former self.” Joshua said.

Zack stared at the massive man stacked with muscle, skin like banded leather, and quiet enough to startle a tiger. He never knew a man so large could move so quietly.

“As for the rumors.” Joshua appeared to chew on those words. “We have time to make a profit before we need to retreat inland. The Duke won’t let the Goths claim his territory. We'll be back in as little as a decade, and you could make me a grandfather. It would be best to think about that instead of chasing girls like Thistle. Monsters are trouble.”

He didn’t know what to say to that. Zack really wasn’t interested in Widow Chur’s daughter whoever she was. There was a job and not a lot of time to do it. Two years would vanish.

“If you’re worried, how about I teach you how to fight like a man,” Joshua said.