Granary duty is something an Empire soldier doesn't really like. Backbreaking labor, lookouts have it way easier, defeating rats isn't as celebrated as defeating monsters, irritating grain that gets on everywhere- in the eyes, nose, and every nook and cranny of your body. Not to mention you have to endure the temperature while dealing with all these problems. Anyone could see why everyone considers it a form of punishment.

  The captain is a man of understanding. Caring for his men’s happiness, his men on a granary schedule has the privilege to get drunk, but not in the middle of the day though. Because of this, many soldiers would gladly volunteer, even after considering the labor required. Simply because there's no other entertainment to be found around the village.

  Its collection day. People will come from all over the place. Things are hectic. It's a bright sunny day and the queue is very long. It took the whole afternoon just to store all the arriving hardtacks.

  “One basket for Redridge household sir”

  Finally its Ria’s turn,

  “Hmmm R-e-d-r-i-d-g-e got it.”

  Hearing the Redridge name, the record keeper soldier’s ear perked up and had to look at the one speaking to him.

  “Looks good. Stand over there as you wait for your bag please ”

  Added the record keeper.

  Another soldier from inside the granary takes the bag and stacks the contents neatly for storage in a wooden rack, and finally gives back the now empty bag.

  “Thank you sir.”

  Wasting no time, Ria goes on her way. It's getting late now, she remembered Ed's words.

  “Hold it.”

  A low voice from behind gets her attention.

  Ria reluctantly looks back, because those same exact words reminded her of something.

  “Can you buy me some of Ed's alcohol, young lady?”

  Upon looking back, it was thankfully nothing troubling, it's just the record keeper smiling while offering a silver coin.

  “Gladly sir.”

  Ria breathes a sigh of relief. She took the coin and went on her way.

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  Ria begins picking up the pace until she is on full speed running. She stops from time to time to catch her breath, stretch a bit, and after a moment begin running again. She covers quite a distance before stopping completely. After reaching a specific point, she does a complete detour, jumping over the fence and heads away from the roads.

  She heads towards the inner woods and her silhouette slowly disappears. She continues walking deeper until she reaches a clearing with an apple tree full of fruits.

  She stops. After a moment, starts marching, then starts running, and charges at full speed towards the apple tree and kicks it hard.

  *thud*

  The leaves shake a bit in response to the kick.

  She checks out the part of the tree where she kicked. Placing her palm against the trunk.

  “didn't even budge”

  She then proceeds to do an offensive fighting pose. Slight crouch, legs apart, knee bent, arms near the face, and elbows near the ribs. She starts controlling her breathing and closes her eyes.

  Suddenly her legs spring and she throws a hard punch.

  *THUD!*

  Good sounding hit. It has quite the impact. An apple fell to the ground.

  She jumps back to her original offensive fighting pose again. Her left hand starts to bleed.

  She controls her breathing for a moment and suddenly her leg springs and she charges forward as she opens her eyes.

  She rains her fist on the tree trunk with her punches, barraging it non stop, until blood starts to splat on her face, on her shirt, the tree trunk, and everywhere else. A crater starts to form on the trunk.

  Blood starts to form a string as she retracts her punch from the tree. Blood begins to flow from her knuckles to her arm.

  The sound of the punches could be heard from a distance. The local wildlife is disturbed and the birds start flying away.

  Seeing that there are lots of apples that fell already, she stops. She's now full of blood splat, and her blood is all over the place. Her body is heating up.

  The blood on her skin starts to harden, and turns into what looked like golden scales. Her hands began to form into something like a dragon’s. Claws start to grow from her nails. Her eye’s pupil would become a vertical slit. A visible aura would envelop her.

  She starts picking up the apples on the ground to put inside her bag, but she crushes an apple while doing so. Seeing this, she starts to concentrate.

  The aura around her starts to disperse, her eyes, and hands go back to normal. The scales disappear together with the blood all over her.

  She then eats the crushed apple. It's delicious.

  It's getting late so she begins packing up, cleans herself and starts heading home. Upon reaching the original road, she starts picking up the pace and starts running again.

  She finally arrived at Ed’s farm just before dark. She quickly drops by her sheep to give him his favorite treat- an apple. But she doesn't expect what she finds. She's devastated.

  She sees a very large crater which destroyed the pen and her sheep- master, is nowhere to be found.