I don't care if you tell them but let's try Farming.

It's official, Bert was terrified of Setherrog….. The devil! It has to be! It even summoned hellfire! The telepathy and intelligence were already pushing it. It was already unbelievable! And now this!? Do you know how much courage it took? just walking outside!?

'What am I gonna do!? It was looking right at me! J-j-just till your soil Bert. Everything will get better. Nothing bad is going to happen.'

Bert focused all of his concentration on tilling the Soil that was ruined the night before. It was always calming…. It made him remember his mother and father.

Just as he felt his worried mind start to relax, a ringing noise sounded off in his head

'W-What!?'

In a panic, He spun around… Losing the grip he had on his garden shovel. The devil was in front of him!

'Oh GOD!'

Closing his eyes and covering his head with his arms, Bert waited for his imminent doom…... But nothing happened.

'I hope I'm not interrupting anything.'

'h-h-huh?'

Opening his eyes slightly, Bert noticed that his head was still firmly attached to his shoulder. The devil hadn't killed him yet. Instead, it was just standing in front of him, with a seemingly amused expression on its face.

The two just stood in place for some time…. Staring at each other. One in fear and the other in curiosity.

'Why are you cowering? It's rude to treat someone like that.'

Hearing this reply Bert finally said something back.

"Ah, H-hello… I-I'm just farming. Don't mind me."

Focusing on his soil, Bert tried to get the creature to ignore him. But alas.

'I know you saw what I did there.'

"No I, I have no idea what you're talking about."

'Look at the way you're shaking. You're not fooling anyone.'

'He knows!'

'You know I can hear your thoughts right?'

Bert stilled after hearing that. Of course, that dev-er Setherrog could hear his thoughts.

'What are you gonna do with me? Eat me? Kill me?'

Giving up the charade he answered, he wasn't even sure he could hide the truth, so why bother lying?

'You have a very vivid imagination, don't you? Eat you? Sorry, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I just ate. And to be honest I don't think you would taste all that good. So I'm not going to kill you. We may have gotten off on the wrong foot earlier but you didn't do anything wrong…. On the contrary, you and your friends saved my life. I'm not so ungrateful.'

"S-So you're not angry that I saw you using your red fire?"

Bert asked, relieved that he wasn't on tonight's menu….

'No, Not really. That wasn't your fault anyway. And as I said earlier… You people really aren't much of a threat to me… babble all you want, I have nothing to fear… Though just before I met your group I was planning on keeping my abilities a secret….. But…. as I said… it doesn't matter anymore. Now's the best time to-.'

The devil, Setherrog was about to continue but suddenly cut himself off.

'No… Nevermind.. I'm getting off track… Where was I? Yes… Honestly speaking…. I'll probably be here for a while, so keeping all of the secrecy and the cautiousness when it's not needed would be too much of a hassle.'

.....

.....

….

After hearing that, the Ghoul in front of me seemed to be in shock…..

'This devil really isn't going to kill me?'

Bert looked relieved… But soon after I continued speaking directly into his mind.

'Devil?… I mean, I'm not a saint or anything but a devil? Isn't that a bit much?'

"Ah?… No! You misunderstood! You were just, uh… Earlier you… You came off as so s-...er the deep voice! T-the trickery…. and just now the red flame… I thought-"

'It's fine, I understand. My species, the Deathclaw, comes off as rather intimidating. Just try to watch your words from now on. Especially when referring to Snow…. Contrary to her "alarming" introduction… She can be very sweet. Remind your friends as well to call us by our names.'

As I finished, my voice carried a hint of sternness in it. Causing the ghoul in front of me to gulp slightly.

'D-Deathclaw?'

'Yes. That's the name of our species. But… Mother and I differ from the normal Deathclaws… Perhaps in the future, I may think of a new way to describe ourselves….'

Silence rained for a moment before I decided to finish up…

'I'll say this again. You don't need to keep what you saw a secret. It'd actually be helpful if you told your friends about it. Rather than them stumbling across me doing something strange then pissing their pants in surprise. If that's all then, I'll be going now.'

Severing the Mind Link I started walking back towards mother… but before even moving a couple of steps, my walk was interrupted.

"P-please wait, Just for a moment."

'Hmm?'

Bert stopped me before I could get far.

Looking back, I re-established the Mind Link and questioned him on what he wanted.

'What is it?'

"Wh-What was that red flame? It was just…. Dancing in your palm…. It even looked…. Alive."

Interested are you?

'Hmm, I don't really understand it all that well myself, so I can't go in-depth…. But…. I can say this.'

Raising my palm…. It was suddenly engulfed in beautiful red flame…

'It isn't hereditary… I alone can do this.....'

I paused for a moment before continuing.

'The things I can do vary…. special effects… Things that others may only see as fantasy…. I can do them…. And if I can't do something… Then perhaps I can do it in the future….....So don't be too surprised if all of a sudden you see me doing something strange….'

As I was about to leave another thought came to mind.

By the way….. Why are you trying to grow anything? Do ghouls even need to eat?'

Bert seems to perk up a bit at the question….

"Most Mutants, well Ghouls as you call them, do need to eat. Drink as well. In the beginning, a lot of them showed up at this old farm looking for shelter…. Most of them starved to death. Only a few didn't need to consume anything to survive… The ones you see here are the lucky ones. Well, even though I don't need it, I've been trying to grow food on this farm for six years now…... I thought it'd be nice to have something I could enjoy… I have to admit, I was a bit jealous when I saw the two of you eating that mutated deer. People rarely confront mutated animals and when they do and they manage to kill them they never bring it back. It'd slow them down too much and the smell would attract unwanted attention."

I saw Bert lick his lips while glancing towards the bones of mine and mother's meal.

'Is that so?… Your words Imply that nothing has ever grown from this farm. If that's the case why haven't you stopped?

"..."

I waited for a few seconds and when I thought he wouldn't answer, words came out of his mouth.

"Well….. I….. I don't really know myself. No matter how much effort and care I put into this soil….. I know that in the end, nothing will come out of it....… But I read in a book once.... Never give up on something you can't go a day without thinking about. So even though I've understood nothing will come of it….. I'm still trying."

'.....That's….. I don't think I could follow such a philosophy.'

"Yeah, most would agree with you. Jill is usually hammering me to just give up. Not the greatest motivation. Even so, somewhere in there… I can tell she cares."

I had my own thoughts forming in my head as I continued talking to Bert.

'Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about….. Hmm, Where did he read that? It's a bit cheesy.'

Preparing to end my conversation with Bert I remembered something.

'These people saved my life. I could at least try and help them in some way....'

Taking another glance at the half restored pile of soil an Idea popped up in my mind.

'....And maybe I can.'

I switched to my main thought process and proposed a question interrupting Bert halfway through his sentence.

'Hey.'

"-Y-Yes?"

'Let me try…..'

He gave me a confused look before asking the question I knew was coming.

"Try? Try what?"

I raised my right arm and pointed a finger at the soil.

'Let me try planting something. You won't mind right?'

"Well, we have a mid-sized seed bank in the basement….. But….. You want to try growing something? Nothing will sprout."

I just stared at him for a moment before replying.

'What kind of seeds do you have?'

A bit of hesitation flashed on his face, but remembering what I said earlier he answered.'

"Well, we-"

'Actually, just get me whatever grows the fastest.'

".....Y-yeah ok."

Bert disappeared for a bit and I waited for a minute or two…. I wanted to see If I could gain a farming skill. And if I can, I may be able to farm even with these harsh conditions.

Bert came back with an old ziplock bag. It was obviously holding the seeds from some kind of plant.

"These are Bamboo seeds. Before the great war, they could reach full growth in a few days. But with the current environment, they've never grown once."

'Teach me how to do it.'

Bert nodded and went to the ground. Showing me the process of planting the seeds was actually the exact way I thought it would be. Just place it in the soil and cover it with dirt. Then you're done. I guess there isn't really much to farming… Or is this just planting?

I took a seed myself and then buried it in the dirt. After a few seconds, I opened my status only to see nothing had changed. I'd probably have to do it for a while before I got any type of skill. I looked over towards the bag Bert brought but there weren't many seeds inside.

'Hmmm.'

I reached my hand into the dirt and grabbed the seed I just buried.

"Wha? Why did you take the seed out? It was planted correctly."

I just ignored him and replanted it again. I didn't want to waste his seeds so I thought it'd be best to just fish out the one I just buried and plant it again.

"Uhh?-"

'Stop talking for a while.'

'...'

...…

...…

...…

Carly was doing.... Well, she wasn't actually doing anything. There's never really been anything to do here besides cleaning the guns and counting the clouds.…. It was really sad. She wishes she could be more like Bert who could occupy himself with a single thing for years without growing bored. But she wasn't like Bert. She was always a bit Hyper. Not too hyper though. She had slight ADHD which made her a bit fidgety. She could easily control herself when they went outside on their tiny expeditions….. That was because it was scary. Fear was also the reason she didn't want to go outside right now. How could she? With those monsters out there? The mother was terrifying and the child was too smart… It was really scary… It tricked them earlier as well….. 

After getting what it wanted the demon left the house….. Everyone was forced to deal with it… What could they do? Fighting was foolish… And for the last couple of hours, It's been almost completely silent…. It was beginning to drive her insane… She lifted her head off the table for the first time in a while…. Glancing at everyone in the room… They all seemed to be in a somber mood… Especially Marcus… He tried to hide it but she could tell….

Looking around she noticed something missing…

"Where's Bert?"

"Outside"

Marcus, who was at the table, replied with a bland tone.

"Oh...….. Wait what!? He's outside!? Right now!? Why!? Don't tell me it's because of the farm! Those scary monsters are outside and he's still trying to freshen up his dirt!?

"Just let Bert do what he wants… You know how he is…"

"Listen to Jill Carly. Even if you complain you know he isn't coming back inside."

Peeking out the door Carly witnessed something she didn't expect… Bert was right in front of her. Opening the door, almost smacking her in the face.

"Sorry, Remember to try and not stand right in front of the door like that. You may get hurt"

"Bert!"

Just as the wronged cry escaped her lips he was already gone.

Most of the people just stared at Carly.

Tommy broke the short silence asking the question that flashed through everyone's minds.

"What's he in so much of a hurry for?"

"...Good question."

Marcus answered.

But before any of them could think about it Bert appeared back in their sights speeding past them and out the door. Now everyone was even more intrigued.

Curiously, Carly creaked open the door and looked back outside. Forgetting what almost happened to her a few moments ago. Most of the other ghouls inside were just staring at her.

Instantly her eyes widened.

"H-He's talking to the little one!"

That gave almost everyone a jump.

"What!?"

Both Tommy and Jill shouted out together. Tommy in awe, Jill in horror.

They also quickly appeared near the door to see what was going on.

What the hell was Bert thinking!?

...…

...…

....

They watched from the crack for a long time. But nothing happened… Bert just stared at the little creatures for an entire hour. That was it! A whole hour!

"I can't take it anymore! I'm gonna go have a look!"

Tommy opened the door and was already walking out but he was pulled back by Jill.

"Tom, don't be an idiot. It's dangerous!

"Berts out there."

"Berts an idiot."

"Well, Carly's also out there as well."

"Wha!?"

Spinning around she found the space where Carly once stood to be empty.

"Damnit, Carly…. Why am I surrounded by idiots?"

.....

....

....

Jill and Tommy joined her. Jill was shooting her a mean glare but she completely ignored it.

They tried to get information out of Bert but he just told them to shush then brought his attention back to the creature repeatedly planting the same seed. Honestly, Bert looked just as confused as we were but he seemed even more curious.

With fear and interest, She and the others sat and watched with him. She didn't really care all that much about being tricked earlier… The monster didn't care that Bert was watching so why would it care if she did? In her opinion, It also beats doing nothing.

...

...

...…...

A whole 2 hours passed of me continuously planting unearthing then replanting the same seed again and again. Until finally, opening my status, Something new was revealed.

Farming[1]

A gleam of light flickered in my eyes as I read it.

'I finally got what I was looking for.'

I looked at the seed in my hand for a few seconds before grinning. Immediately I shoved the seed into the ground and covered it in soil. Then I activated my new skill…..

I was confused, as I felt something drain out of me….

At [1] all skills when activated increase the effectiveness of their respective techniques by 20% This increases by 1% with each level gained. But something I learned was that there was also a passive increase with each level. I noticed when I leveled up my sprint skill in the past. When I did. I noticed I always moved just a bit faster than before. That's without activating the skill itself. But even when the skill is at level one…. That 20% increase may allow the Bamboo to grow even in this terrible environment. If this works not only could I help repay my benefactors a bit… but It would be a great boon for me in the future. It would mean that even without a G.E.C.K I could still grow food. And a stable food supply would attract settlers. It would make building a settlement around Vault 8 that much easier. 

'But, I didn't expect using the skill would drain mana…'

…..The ghouls just stared at me….

Besides Bert, more of them seemed to have appeared. They've been here for an entire hour… Watching me, burying then unburying the same seed, over and over again. I could see others peeking out from inside the house every now and then… But they eventually stopped. As for those outside. The apprehension and curiosity in their eyes eventually disappeared and was replaced by boredom. Besides Bert… He still seemed pretty entranced… The smaller Ghoul as well. I think her name was Carly. But now that I was done… She seemed a bit down.

....

...…....

...…....

Finally, it buried the seed and left it there.

Sighing in disappointment Carly rose up from the ground. What a letdown. She thought the little creature would do something interesting. But after an entire 2 hours of doing the same thing over and over again. Nothing exciting happened.

"What the heck Berrrt…. Nothing happened."

She received no answer.

"Bert? Are you ignoring me now?"

"Hey, Berrrt!"

Walking over to him she poked his gray cheek.

"You there?"

Finally, she got a real close look at his face. He looked gobsmacked. In the entirety of her life, It was the first time she ever saw this particular expression.

"Uhh, Jill? I think there's something wrong with Bert."

She looked over and saw that both Tommy and Jill had the same expression on their faces.

"Wha? What are-"

She spun back around, looking in the same direction.

"You..... looking…. At?"

At a loss of words soon her expression mimicked the rest.

Because in the ground there was a small wriggling green sprout….. A sprout that was growing…. quickly.

End of chapter.