Path

The whole way back home, I was contemplating the look Alex had on his face once I told him my name was Dylan. I couldn't fully understand it.

By the time I had remembered to try and get something to eat, I was already home. I tried my luck with the dumpster, only to find more old clothing and some mushroom scraps. Better than nothing I suppose.

Refilling my filter once again, I went to sleep, excited for my next day of work.

**

BWOOOOOOOOOOO

At the sound of the morning horn, the familiar feeling of overwhelming hunger was strangely comforting. It might have been because I was motivated to do something, or maybe because today was the day of my first paycheck.

Due to the pitiful pay for most jobs, workers were paid one Red Crystal every two or three days. Red Crystals were the lowest possible currency given out to anybody, only a select few races other than Demons ever even seeing a Purple Crystal in their lives - much less a White Crystal.

Making my way to work, I walked slower this time now that I knew the route. The road to Tauran Junction was quite different from the main streets and alleyways of Adonia.

Adonia's ceiling was quite high, so high that it was impossible to see unless there was a mineral that emitted light illuminating the highest points.

As well as this, the roads were made to accommodate Demons and sometimes even their vehicles, being wide enough for at least 8 grown men to stand shoulder to shoulder in some places.

The roads leading to Tauran Junction were in stark contrast to this design; the ceiling so low that a Demon with particularly tall horns would have to hunch his back; even having some spots where stalactites would end only 1.5 meters off of the ground.

The roads that were nearest to the Adonian entrance of the junction were especially narrow - only allowing one person to go through at a time.

This wasn't a problem at all for me, as I was still young and small, easily able to traverse the caverns.

Entering into the junction, I now understood why it was called that after looking around. I could see two similarly narrow caverns at the other end of the cave containing the farm, leading who-knows-where.

Approaching the farm, I noticed that it was the same two Demons as yesterday, still looking at me strangely, smelling the air as if they were checking if their partner had passed gas, or if it was just the smells of the farm behind them.

Today, Alex didn't come out to welcome me, but instead I found him inside, tending to the cow that had given birth yesterday.

"Hey there, Dylan."

With a wave, he got up from the hospital pen, grabbing the staff out of the cabinet and tossing it to me.

"Oof!"

The weight of the staff was still too much for me, forcing an embarrassing noise out of me as it collided with my chest.

Quickly heading outside through the leather doorway, there was a new addition to the outside area of the farm.

It looked like a featureless man made out of stone and somehow rooted to the ground in one of the corners.

"Um… Alex?"

At my call, Alex came outside with a goofy grin plastered across his face.

"What do you think?"